JP2011247551A - Hot water supply system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hot water supply system capable of properly preventing or suppressing heat shock caused when a person to take a bath enters a cool bath room from a relatively warm room.SOLUTION: The hot water supply system HS includes a remote controller R1 outside of the bath room and remote controller R2 inside the bath room, which can perform data communication with the hot water supply apparatus A. The remote controllers R1, R2 have a first and second temperature sensors 53a, 53b capable of detecting temperatures of places where the remote controllers are installed, respectively. When the room temperature detected by each of the first and the second temperature sensor 53a, 53b satisfies a preliminarily determined condition, notice of letting a user know the possibility of the heat shock is given.

Description

  The present invention relates to a hot water supply system having a function for preventing or suppressing heat shock during bathing.

  An example of a conventional hot water supply system is described in Patent Document 1. The hot-water supply system described in the document is configured to detect the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub and the temperature of the bathroom, respectively, and to notify that effect when the temperature difference between these is more than a certain level. This notification operation is performed using, for example, a kitchen remote controller or a remote controller in a bathroom. According to such a structure, when the difference of the hot water temperature of a bathtub and the temperature of a bathroom is large, the bather can know beforehand that fact. Therefore, it helps to avoid a heat shock caused by the bather suddenly soaking in the hot water of the bathtub in a cold bathroom.

  However, the prior art still has room for improvement as described below.

  That is, a bather's heat shock may occur not only when the bather is immersed in hot water in the bathtub in a cold bathroom, but also during the process of entering the bathroom from a room outside the bathroom. . For example, if a person in a warm room such as the living room or kitchen enters the bathroom trying to take a bath, and the temperature in the bathroom is low, the bather receives a sudden temperature change and causes a heat shock. It becomes easy. However, in the prior art, when there is a possibility of heat shock due to a temperature difference between the bathroom and a room outside the bathroom, it is difficult to detect this and notify the fact. Therefore, it is not yet sufficient for preventing heat shock, and there is room for improvement in this respect.

JP 2003-225174 A

  The present invention has been conceived under the circumstances as described above, and causes a heat shock caused by a person who wants to bathe entering a cold bathroom from a relatively warm room. An object is to provide a hot water supply system that can be appropriately prevented or suppressed.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention takes the following technical means.

  A hot water supply system provided by the present invention is installed in a place other than an indoor bathroom and is capable of data communication with a hot water supply device, and is installed in the bathroom and the hot water supply device. And a remote controller in the bathroom capable of data communication between the remote controller and the remote controller in the bathroom, wherein the remote controller in the bathroom and the remote controller in the bathroom can each detect a room temperature at a location where these remote controllers are installed. And a second temperature sensor, and when the room temperature detected by each of the first and second temperature sensors satisfies a predetermined condition, a notification for allowing the user to detect the possibility of heat shock It is characterized by being configured to be performed.

  According to such a configuration, when the room temperature in the room outside the bathroom is relatively high but the room temperature in the bathroom is low and the user may cause a heat shock, the user is notified of that. Can do. Therefore, unlike the above-described prior art, the effect of appropriately preventing or suppressing the occurrence of heat shock caused by a person in a room outside the bathroom such as a living room or kitchen entering a cold bathroom Is obtained.

  In the present invention, preferably, the remote controller outside the bathroom is a kitchen remote controller installed in a kitchen, and the notification for detecting the possibility of the heat shock is performed at least using the kitchen remote controller. Has been.

  According to such a configuration, the user can accurately detect the notification using the kitchen remote controller before entering the bathroom. Therefore, despite the possibility of heat shock, the user can be less likely to enter the bathroom without noticing this.

  In the present invention, preferably, the notification for detecting the possibility of the heat shock is from the start, midway or end of the hot water filling operation to the bathtub by the hot water supply device until a predetermined time passes thereafter or It is configured to be performed during a period until a predetermined operation is performed.

  According to such a configuration, when the hot water filling operation to the bathtub has not been started, or when the predetermined time has elapsed after the hot water filling operation has ended, there is almost no possibility of bathing, or the bathtub In the case where it is not necessary to notify the user whether or not there is a possibility of heat shock after a predetermined operation is performed after the hot water filling operation is completed, a notification operation for detecting the possibility of heat shock is useless. It can be prevented from being executed.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the notification for detecting the possibility of the heat shock is performed such that the room temperature of the bathroom detected by the second temperature sensor is equal to or lower than a predetermined first value, and A case where the difference between the room temperatures detected by each of the first and second temperature sensors satisfies a condition where the difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined second value, and the case where the condition is not satisfied, and the room temperature of the bathroom is Even when the value is equal to or less than a predetermined third value lower than the first value, a notification is made to detect the possibility of heat shock.

  According to such a configuration, in addition to the possibility of heat shock due to the low temperature of the bathroom and the large temperature difference between the bathroom and another room, the temperature of the bathroom is considerably high. Even when there is a possibility of heat shock due to the low, it is possible to make the user sense that fact. Therefore, it is more preferable to thoroughly prevent heat shock.

  Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is a schematic explanatory drawing which shows an example of the hot water supply system which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation processing procedure of the control part which the hot water supply apparatus which comprises the hot water supply system shown in FIG. 1 comprises. (A), (b) is explanatory drawing which shows the example of alerting | reporting operation | movement performed using a remote control. (A), (b) is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of alerting | reporting operation | movement performed using a remote control.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

  The hot water supply system HS shown in FIG. 1 includes a hot water supply device A, a kitchen remote control R1, and a bathroom remote control R2. The kitchen remote control R1 corresponds to an example of a remote control outside the bathroom in the present invention.

  The hot water supply device A has a hot water supply function to one or a plurality of currants 6, an automatic hot water filling function to the bathtub 4, and a bath reheating function, and its basic configuration is a conventionally known gas hot water supply device. It is the same. That is, this hot water supply apparatus A includes gas burners 10a and 10b, a fan 11, heat exchangers 12a and 12b for recovering heat from the combustion gas generated by the gas burners 10a and 10b, and the control unit 2. In this hot water supply apparatus A, the water supplied to the water inlet 30a passes through the piping part 30 and is supplied to the heat exchanger 12a and heated, and the hot water generated by this heating passes through the piping parts 31 and 32. The currant 6 is supplied. A piping portion 34 is branched and connected to the piping portion 31. When the on-off valve V1 provided in the piping portion 34 is opened, hot water is supplied to the bathtub 4 via the piping portions 34 and 35. It can be dropped. The bathtub 4 is connected to the heat exchanger 12b via the piping parts 35 and 36. By driving the pump P1 provided in the piping part 35, the hot water in the bathtub 4 is pumped up to the heat exchanger 12b. It is possible to perform a bath reheating operation that supplies and heats the hot water and then returns it to the bathtub 4.

  The kitchen remote controller R1 is used by being attached to an appropriate location on the wall surface of the kitchen. Is possible. The kitchen remote controller R1 includes a plurality of operation switches 50a, a display unit 51a that can display data on a screen, a control unit 54a that executes predetermined data processing, a sound output unit 52a that can generate voice and other sounds, and a first Temperature sensor 53a. The control unit 54a is configured by using a microcomputer, and this is the same for the control unit 2 and other control units 54b described later. The first temperature sensor 53a is for detecting the room temperature of the kitchen, and the room temperature data is transmitted to the control unit 2 of the hot water supply apparatus A. Since the first temperature sensor 53a is mounted on the kitchen remote controller R1, it is possible to appropriately detect the room temperature of the kitchen in which the kitchen remote controller R1 is installed. It can also be installed in a style that is not visible from the outside.

  The remote controller R2 in the bathroom is capable of data communication with the control unit 2 of the hot water supply apparatus A through the communication line L2, similarly to the kitchen remote control R1, and includes a plurality of operation switches 50b and a display unit 51b for data display. , A control unit 54b, a sound output unit 52b, and a second temperature sensor 53b. The second temperature sensor 53b is for detecting the room temperature of the bathroom, and the room temperature data is also transmitted to the control unit 2 of the hot water supply apparatus A. Since the second temperature sensor 53b is also mounted on the remote controller R2 in the bathroom, it is possible to improve the appearance and prevent the room temperature of the bathroom from being detected from the outside.

  The control unit 2 executes operation control and various data processing of each unit of the hot water supply apparatus A in response to a control program stored in advance and switch operations of the kitchen remote control R1 and the bathroom remote control R2. The control unit 2 determines whether or not a person who wants to take a bath has a possibility of heat shock based on the room temperature of the kitchen and bathroom detected using the first and second temperature sensors 53a and 53b. When it is determined that such a possibility exists, the kitchen remote controller R1 or the bathroom remote controller R2 is caused to execute a predetermined notification operation. The details will be described later.

Next, the operation of the hot water supply system HS will be described. In addition, an example of the operation processing procedure of the control unit 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In this hot water supply system HS, a process for determining the possibility of heat shock is started when automatic hot water filling is applied to the bath. Details will be described below. First, when a switch operation for executing bath automatic hot water filling is performed using the kitchen remote controller R1, the control unit 2 executes control for performing hot water filling operation to the bathtub 4 (S1: YES, S2). ). If the hot water filling operation is finished and it is preset that the possibility of heat shock should be determined, the control unit 2 starts determining the possibility of heat shock (S3: YES, S4: YES, S5). This hot water supply system HS is configured such that by operating the kitchen remote controller R1 or the bathroom remote controller R2, it is possible to select and set in advance whether or not to make the controller 2 execute the determination of the possibility of heat shock. Yes. Therefore, when it is selected and set not to determine the possibility of heat shock, the controller 2 does not determine the possibility of heat shock even if the hot water filling operation to the bathtub 4 is completed. (S4: NO, S1).

  Unlike the above, when the control unit 2 determines the possibility of heat shock, the first to third values TH1 to TH3 are used as threshold values as described below. That is, when the room temperature TEb of the bathroom transmitted from the bathroom remote controller R2 is equal to or less than the third value TH3, the control unit 2 immediately determines that there is a possibility of heat shock, and notifies the user to that effect. A notification operation is executed to make the system detect (S6: NO, S12). The third value TH3 is 6 ° C., for example. When the bathroom is at a low room temperature of 6 ° C. or less, there is a high possibility of causing a heat shock even when the temperature difference from the room temperature TEk of the kitchen is small, and the above judgment matches the actual situation. The third value TH3 is preferably configured so that the user can arbitrarily change it by operating the kitchen remote controller R1. This also applies to the first and second values TH1 and TH2, which will be described in detail later.

  The notification operation in step S12 described above is performed using the kitchen remote controller R1 and the bathroom remote controller R2. In this notification operation, for example, as shown in FIG. 3A, a message such as “Because the temperature in the bathroom is low, please be careful” is displayed on the display units 51a and 51b. In addition, voice output of the message is also performed. As a result, the user can accurately recognize that there is a possibility of heat shock, and an effect of preventing heat shock can be obtained. The voice output of the message is terminated after being executed a preset number of times, but the display of the message on the display units 51a and 51b is continued until a time point to be described later.

  On the other hand, unlike the above, even when the room temperature TEb of the bathroom is higher than the third value TH3, the room temperature TEb is not more than the first value TH1, and the room temperature TEk of the kitchen and the room temperature TEb of the bathroom are If the difference is equal to or greater than the second value TH2, the control unit 2 determines that there is still a possibility of heat shock, and performs a notification operation (S6: NO, S7: YES, S8: YES, S9). ). First and second values TH1, TH2 are both 10 ° C., for example. If the room temperature TEb of the bathroom is at a relatively low temperature of 10 ° C. or less and the temperature difference between the bathroom and the kitchen is 10 ° C. or more, the person who wants to take a bath is likely to cause a heat shock. Therefore, the determination by the control unit 2 is also in accordance with the actual situation.

The notification operation in step S9 is also performed using the kitchen remote controller R1 and the bathroom remote controller R2. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 3B, “the temperature difference between the living room and the bathroom is large. A message “please be careful” is displayed on the display units 51a and 51b. In addition, voice output of the message is also made. As a result, the effect of preventing heat shock can also be obtained. While the voice output of the message is finished after being executed a predetermined number of times, the display of the message on the display units 51a and 51b is continued until a time point to be described later. It is the same.

  In step S9 or S12, when a predetermined switch operation is performed on the kitchen remote controller R1 or the remote controller R2 in the bathroom after the notification operation for detecting the possibility of heat shock is started, the notification operation is performed at that time. Is completed, and the process for determining the possibility of heat shock is also terminated (S10: YES, S11). As a result, it is avoided that the predetermined message described above continues to be displayed on the display units 51a and 51b and the control unit 2 unnecessarily continues the determination process of the possibility of heat shock at a time not desired by the user. Is done. The switch operation for ending the notification operation includes, for example, a case where any one of the plurality of operation switches 50b of the bathroom remote controller R2 is operated in addition to a case where a specific switch of the kitchen remote controller R1 is operated. It is. The fact that the remote controller R2 in the bathroom is operated by a switch can be considered that a person has already entered the bathroom and has started bathing. This is because there is no need to notify that there is a possibility.

  Even when the predetermined switch operation is not performed, when the predetermined time has elapsed from the completion of the filling operation to the bathtub 4 or the start of the notification operation, the notification operation ends and the heat shock The possibility determination process is also terminated (S10: NO, S13: YES, S11). As a result, the notification operation or the like is appropriately prevented from being carried out unnecessarily for a long time.

  The present invention is not limited to the contents of the above-described embodiment. The specific configuration of each part of the hot water supply system according to the present invention can be varied in design in various ways.

  The notification operation for detecting the possibility of the heat shock does not necessarily have to be executed in both the kitchen remote controller R1 and the bathroom remote controller R2. However, it is preferably configured to be executed at least in the kitchen remote controller R1. This is because if the notification operation is performed in the kitchen remote controller R1, the notification operation is easily noticed by a person who wants to bathe before entering the bathroom.

  In the notification operation for detecting the possibility of heat shock, for example, as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), the temperature of the bathroom or kitchen (living room) is displayed together with a predetermined message by the user. You may comprise so that detailed information may be shown. The notification operation does not necessarily have to be a combination of message display and audio output, and may be only one of them. Furthermore, in addition to or instead of these, an alarm sound may be generated, or a warning lamp may be turned on or blinked.

  In the embodiment described above, a predetermined notification operation is performed after the automatic hot water filling operation to the bath is completed, but bathing is started in the middle of the automatic hot water filling operation. In order to cope with the above, a predetermined notification operation may be performed at the time when the automatic hot water filling operation to the bath is started or during the operation. Of course, in the present invention, it is not related to the automatic hot water filling operation to the bath (for example, the time when the reheating operation for boiling the cold water in the bathtub is performed, or the hot water filling or reheating is performed. However, it is determined whether or not there is a possibility of heat shock at a time when a certain amount or more of warm water above a predetermined temperature is accumulated in the bathtub, and a predetermined notification operation is performed. You can also Whether or not there is a possibility of heat shock can be determined by the control unit 54a of the kitchen remote control L1 or the control unit 54b of the bathroom remote control L2 instead of the control unit 2 of the hot water supply apparatus A, for example.

The remote controller outside the bathroom as used in the present invention may be a remote controller installed in a place other than the bathroom in the room, and may be a remote controller installed in a room other than the kitchen. In the present invention, the possibility of heat shock may be determined based on both of the two room temperatures detected using the first and second temperature sensors. A method different from that of the above-described embodiment can be adopted.

  In the hot water supply system according to the present invention, the type of the hot water supply device is not limited. Instead of the so-called instantaneous hot water supply device such as a gas hot water supply device, for example, it is possible to use a hot water storage type hot water supply device in which hot water heated by using exhaust heat from a fuel cell or a heat pump is stored in a hot water storage tank. Nor.

HS Hot water supply system A Hot water supply device R1 Kitchen remote control (remote control outside the bathroom)
R2 Bathroom remote control 2 Control unit (for water heater)
53a First temperature sensor 53b Second temperature sensor

Claims (4)

A remote controller outside the bathroom that is installed in a place other than the indoor bathroom and capable of data communication with the hot water supply device;
A remote controller in the bathroom that is installed in the bathroom and capable of data communication with the hot water supply device;
A hot water supply system comprising:
The remote control outside the bathroom and the remote control in the bathroom are provided with first and second temperature sensors that can detect the room temperature of the place where these remote controls are installed, respectively.
When the room temperature detected by each of the first and second temperature sensors satisfies a predetermined condition, it is configured that a notification is made to notify the user of the possibility of heat shock. A featured hot water supply system. The remote control outside the bathroom is a kitchen remote control installed in the kitchen,
The hot water supply system according to claim 1, wherein the notification for detecting the possibility of the heat shock is performed at least using the kitchen remote controller.   The notification for detecting the possibility of the heat shock is from the start, midway or end of the hot water filling operation to the bathtub by the hot water supply device until a predetermined time passes or a predetermined operation is performed thereafter. The hot-water supply system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hot-water supply system is configured to be performed during the period. The notification for detecting the possibility of the heat shock is performed because the room temperature of the bathroom detected by the second temperature sensor is equal to or lower than a predetermined first value, and the first and second The temperature difference detected by each of the temperature sensors is a condition that satisfies a predetermined second value or more,
When the condition is not satisfied and the room temperature of the bathroom is equal to or lower than a predetermined third value lower than the first value, a notification is made to detect the possibility of heat shock. The hot water supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, configured as described above.

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