JP2000046796A - Residual chlorine concentration measuring apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a residual chlorine concentration detector for easily detecting a state of detection fault and to provide a residual chlorine concentration measuring apparatus for holding a residual chlorine concentration in a preferable state as the next best state as an emergency countermeasure in the case of the detecting fault state of the detector. SOLUTION: A controller 20 for conducting a cleaning operation of electrode surfaces by inverting polarities of the electrodes at a predetermined timing during an operation of the residual chlorine concentration detector 10 for detecting a residual chlorine concentration contained in water by electrolyzing the water and deciding the detector in a detection fault state in the case of predetermined constant conditions of a change of the detected concentration after the polarities of the electrodes are reset is provided. The controller 20 for transferring the detector 10 to an emergency operation mode for injecting chlorine according to results of injecting the chlorine before in the case of deciding the detection fault state of the detector 10 is provided in the apparatus having the detector 10.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a residual chlorine concentration detecting device for detecting the residual chlorine concentration contained in water by electrolyzing water, a bathtub provided with the residual chlorine concentration detecting device, and the like. The present invention relates to a residual chlorine concentration adjusting device for adjusting the residual chlorine concentration in a water tank.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a residual chlorine concentration detecting device for detecting the concentration of residual chlorine contained in water by electrolyzing water is arranged in a flow path of water to be detected. It is used to detect the concentration of free residual chlorine in water. Further, a residual chlorine concentration adjusting device including a residual chlorine concentration detecting device configured to detect the residual chlorine concentration contained in water by performing the electrolysis,
It has been used as a device for effectively sterilizing a water tank such as a bathtub and adjusting the residual chlorine concentration so as not to increase more than necessary. In a bathtub where a person takes a bath or a water bath such as a water bath pool, chlorine may be injected as a means for preventing the increase of various bacteria and protecting hygiene. In order to maintain a good sterilization state, it is necessary to leave an appropriate concentration of free chlorine in a bathtub or other water tank, but the amount of free residual chlorine is consumed by human sweat or various germs. Therefore, it is necessary to add chlorine over time to stabilize the concentration. A residual chlorine concentration detector is used for such a purpose, and the amount of chlorine to be injected is controlled based on the residual chlorine concentration detected by the residual chlorine concentration detector.

[0003]

However, in the residual chlorine concentration detecting apparatus utilizing the electrolysis described above, the electrode is disposed in a flow path of the water to be detected and is in direct contact with water, so that the electrode surface is By becoming dirty or having a film,
There was a problem that the sensitivity was likely to be poor, and it was impossible to detect the residual chlorine concentration accurately. Especially when detecting the residual concentration of chlorine injected for sterilization in bathtubs, etc.
Since the water to be detected, such as the bathtub water itself, is often considerably contaminated, it is easy for the electrode surface of the detector to have an ionic layer, organic matter, calcium, oil, etc. It is easy to detect the residual chlorine concentration lower than the residual chlorine concentration, and if such a detection failure is not detected or determined as a detection failure, it will be adopted as a normal detection value as it is. Become. Further, in the residual chlorine concentration adjusting device for adjusting the residual chlorine concentration in a water tank such as a bathtub provided with the residual chlorine concentration detecting device utilizing the electrolysis, the detection value in the residual chlorine concentration detecting device is poor. If this is the case, chlorine will be injected more than necessary, or as a result of entering safe operation and stopping the injection of chlorine, there will be problems such as easy growth of bacteria in bathtub water and the like. there were.

Accordingly, the present invention is to provide a residual chlorine concentration detecting apparatus which solves the above-mentioned conventional problems of the residual chlorine concentration detecting apparatus using electrolysis and which can easily detect a defective detection state due to a decrease in detection sensitivity or the like. As an issue. The present invention also solves the problem of the residual chlorine concentration adjusting device provided with the conventional residual chlorine concentration detecting device using electrolysis, and even when the residual chlorine concentration detecting device is in a detection failure state, as an emergency measure. An object of the present invention is to provide a residual chlorine concentration adjusting device capable of maintaining a residual chlorine concentration in bathtub water or the like in a suboptimal state.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems To achieve the above object, a residual chlorine concentration detecting apparatus of the present invention detects the residual chlorine concentration contained in water by electrolyzing water. In the detection device, during operation of the device, the polarity of the electrode is reversed at a certain timing to perform the cleaning operation of the electrode surface, and the change in the detected residual chlorine concentration after the polarity of the electrode is restored to the original. The first feature is that a controller is provided which determines that the apparatus is in a detection failure state when the apparatus is in a predetermined fixed situation. Further, in addition to the first feature, the residual chlorine concentration detecting device of the present invention further comprises an initial increase of the detected residual chlorine concentration after the polarity of the electrode is restored from the inverted state, and a subsequent detected residual chlorine concentration. The second feature is that a controller is provided which determines that the apparatus is in a detection failure state when the tendency of the decrease is under a certain condition. Further, the residual chlorine concentration adjusting device of the present invention includes a residual chlorine concentration detecting device configured to detect the residual chlorine concentration contained in the water by electrolyzing the water, and adjusts the residual chlorine concentration in a water tank such as a bathtub. If the residual chlorine concentration detecting device is determined to be in a detection failure state, the device is shifted to an emergency operation mode for injecting chlorine according to the results of chlorine injection before that. The third feature is that a controller is provided. Further, in addition to the above-mentioned third feature, the residual chlorine concentration adjusting device of the present invention, when it is determined that the residual chlorine concentration detecting device is in the detection failure state, stores the preceding chlorine stored during normal operation. A fourth feature is that a controller is provided which shifts to an emergency operation mode in which chlorine is injected according to the result of chlorine injection in the same time zone on the same day of the week.

[0006] In the first feature, the timing for inverting the polarity of the electrode during operation can be set to an appropriate timing or cycle in advance by an experiment, for example, to a predetermined fixed cycle. Also, an appropriate time can be determined in advance by an experiment for a holding time until the electrode is returned after being inverted. In addition, for certain situations that should be determined to be in a detection failure state when the detected residual chlorine concentration changes after the polarity of the electrode returns, the state of the change in the detected residual chlorine concentration in the case of detection failure should be clarified in advance by experiments. Thus, the certain situation can be determined by specific numerical values. According to the first feature, by detecting the change in the detected residual chlorine concentration after the polarity of the electrode is once inverted and then restored, it is possible to easily and reliably determine the detection failure state. Therefore, it is possible to take an emergency measure to prevent the operation based on the defective detection value from being continued as it is, and to recover or repair the detection defect early to restore the normal state. It becomes possible. According to the second feature, the degree of the initial increase of the detected residual chlorine concentration after the polarity of the electrode is returned from the inverted state to the original state and the subsequent tendency of the decrease curve of the detected residual chlorine concentration cause the detection failure of the device. Is determined, the determination can be made easily and reliably. As for certain conditions regarding the degree of the initial increase of the detected residual chlorine concentration and the tendency of the subsequent decrease curve of the detected residual chlorine concentration, an appropriate reference value is obtained in advance by an experiment.

In the third feature, when the residual chlorine concentration detecting device is in a detection failure state, a desirable residual chlorine concentration state cannot be obtained if chlorine is injected based on the detected residual chlorine concentration. However, instead of performing chlorine injection according to the actual results of chlorine injection actually controlled, emergency operation until the residual chlorine concentration detection device is repaired becomes possible, and no chlorine injection or dark cloud It is possible to maintain a more stable state of residual chlorine concentration in a bathtub or other water tanks than in the case of injecting water into a bath. In the fourth aspect, as an emergency operation mode when the residual chlorine concentration detection device is determined to be in a detection failure state, chlorine is injected according to a result of chlorine injection in the same time zone on the same day of the preceding week. Therefore, it is possible to maintain a more stable residual chlorine concentration state in a bathtub or other water bath that is used in close contact with human life.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of a residual chlorine concentration detecting device and a residual chlorine concentration adjusting device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a bathtub facility according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a simplified diagram of a residual chlorine concentration detecting device, FIG. 3 is a flowchart of determination of a detection failure state of the residual chlorine concentration detecting device by a controller, FIG. 4 is a timing chart of the polarity reversal of the electrodes of the residual chlorine concentration detecting device,
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a change in the detected residual chlorine concentration after the polarity of the electrode of the residual chlorine concentration detecting device is returned, FIG. 6 is an operation control flowchart of the residual chlorine concentration adjusting device by the controller, and FIG. It is a figure explaining an example of accumulation of performance data.

First, in FIG. 1, water stored in a water tank 1 such as a bath tub is circulated through a main circulation path 2. The circulation path 2 is provided with a balancing tank 3, a hair catcher 4, a circulation pump 5, an ozonizer 6, a filter 7, a heat exchanger 8, and the like. Residual chlorine concentration detector 10
The detection terminal is disposed on a branch 11 for detecting the residual chlorine concentration branched from the main circuit 2 to detect the residual chlorine concentration contained in the water. The residual chlorine concentration adjusting device includes a hypochlorous acid tank 12, an adjusting valve 13, an injection pump 14, an on-off valve 15, and the like. Reference numeral 20 denotes a controller, which controls the operation of the entire bathtub equipment and acts as a controller for the residual chlorine concentration detecting device 10;
It also works as a controller of the residual chlorine concentration adjusting device. Further, the controller 20 is configured to store the results of the injection of hypochlorous acid to be injected into the main circuit 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the residual chlorine concentration detecting device 10 has a pair of electrodes, for example, a positive electrode 10a and a negative electrode 10b made of a platinum electrode as its detecting terminals. 10b is the branch 1
It is arranged in contact with the water flowing into the water. A power source 10c is provided for the pair of electrodes 10a and 10b, and an ammeter 10d is provided. The polarity of the pair of electrodes 10a and 10b can be reversed by reversing the polarity of the power supply 10c. The concentration of free residual chlorine can be detected by a current value flowing through the ammeter 10d when the water flowing through the pair of electrodes 10a and 10b is electrolyzed.

Next, a specific example of a series of operations performed by the controller 20 in order to determine whether or not the residual chlorine concentration detecting device 10 is in a detection failure state during its operation will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG. This will be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG. During operation of the apparatus, the controller 20 supplies power to the residual chlorine concentration detecting apparatus 10 every time a predetermined period arrives (or when a standby time (T _{3 in} FIG. 4) elapses) (Yes in step S1). 1
Acting on 0c, the polarity is reversed (the plus electrode 10a becomes a minus electrode and the minus electrode 10b becomes a plus electrode) (step S2). Then, it is held for a predetermined constant inversion holding time (T _{1 in} FIG. 4) (step S2). The inversion holding time is, for example, several seconds to
It is predetermined in a range of several minutes or more. In this inversion holding time, the pair of electrodes 10a, 10b
Of the electrodes 10a and 10b are separated and removed, and a cleaning operation of the electrode surfaces is performed. Therefore, when the electrode surface is not very dirty, the electrode surface is sufficiently cleaned by the cleaning operation, and the detection sensitivity of the residual chlorine concentration is sufficiently improved after the return. On the other hand, when the electrode surface is very dirty, the cleaning operation by reversing the electrode polarity does not sufficiently remove the electrode surface, so that the residual chlorine concentration is detected after the polarity is restored. The situation is such that the sensitivity is not much improved, or even if the primary detection sensitivity is improved, the detection sensitivity immediately decreases.

[0012] The controller 20, in step S3, a certain reverse holding time T ₁ is elapsed (Step S
3 is YES), the polarity of the electrodes 10a and 10b is restored to the original (step S4). Then, the data of the change in the concentration of the detected residual chlorine after the return of the polarity is converted into a fixed post-processing time (FIG. 4).
(T ₂ ) (Step S5). For post-processing time T ₂ for collecting the data of the change in the detected residual chlorine concentration previously determined appropriate time by experiment. still,
During the time when the polarity of the electrode is inverted (T ₁ ) and during the post-processing time (T ₂ ), chlorine is injected under the condition immediately before the polarity inversion. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a change in the detected residual chlorine concentration after the polarity of the electrode is restored. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the detected concentration after the lapse of t ₁ hour from the polarity return is defined as the initial detected residual chlorine concentration C ₁ after the return, and the residual chlorine concentration is detected every t ₂ hours thereafter. A drop curve has been obtained. The change in the detected residual chlorine concentration after reversing the polarity of the electrode and restoring the polarity generally attenuates after the detected residual chlorine concentration increases and reaches a peak state in the initial stage.

According to the present invention, when the change in the detected residual chlorine concentration after the return of the electrode polarity obtained as described above meets a predetermined condition (Yes in step S6), the apparatus is in a detection failure state. It is determined that there is (step S7). Of course, if the predetermined condition is not met (No in step S6), it is determined that the apparatus is in the normal detection state (step S8). In the step S6, whether or not the change in the detected residual chlorine concentration after the return of the electrode polarity meets a predetermined condition is determined by experiments in advance when the electrode is in various states. Data on the change in the concentration of detected residual chlorine after the return of the electrode polarity is obtained, and certain conditions are determined therefrom. More specifically, based on the above-described initial detected residual chlorine concentration C ₁ in a case where the device is in a normal detection state or in a detection failure state, and the subsequent decrease curve of the detected residual chlorine concentration, the constant Condition can be obtained. For example, the degree of increase in the initial detected residual chlorine concentration C _{1 with} respect to the original detected residual chlorine concentration (detected residual chlorine concentration before polarity reversal) C ₀ is less than a certain value (that is, the degree of increase is small), and The apparatus can be determined to be in the detection failure state when the tendency of the detected residual chlorine concentration is lower than a certain level (that is, it decreases quickly even if it once increases).

Next, the residual chlorine concentration detecting device 10 as described above
Chlorine concentration controller (hypochlorous acid tank 1)
2, the control operation of the controller 20 for adjusting the residual chlorine concentration by the controller 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. During operation of the residual chlorine concentration adjusting device, the controller 20 monitors whether the residual chlorine concentration detecting device 10 is in a detection failure state (step S11), and determines that the residual chlorine concentration detecting device 10 is in a detection failure state. (Step S
In the case of (Yes in 11), the operation mode is shifted to the emergency operation mode, and the fact that the device is in the detection failure state is displayed on one of the display units, or a warning is given by voice or the like (step S12). If the answer is NO in step S11, the operation is continued in the normal operation mode (step S13).

The emergency operation mode is performed by repairing or replacing the residual chlorine concentration detecting device 10 or the like.
This is an emergency operation until the residual chlorine concentration detecting device 10 becomes normal. When chlorine injection is stopped by a safe operation due to the detection failure state of the residual chlorine concentration detection device 10, the growth of various bacteria in a bathtub or the like cannot be prevented, and a hygiene problem occurs. Further, when chlorine is injected based on the detected residual chlorine concentration in the detection failure state, the amount of injected chlorine often becomes excessive, which is not preferable for bathers and the like. On the other hand, during the emergency operation mode, by performing chlorine injection according to the results of normal operation that had been performed up to that time, although it was not possible to maintain a good residual chlorine concentration, extreme chlorine excess or The operation of the bath tub and the like can be continued during that time while preventing the scum. As for the results during the normal operation, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, the results during the operation during the normal operation are stored, for example, every three hours with the amount of chlorine actually injected during that time or the scheduled injection amount during that time. In addition, when the emergency operation is performed, the chlorine injection can be performed based on the results of the day of the week and the time zone one week before the emergency operation corresponds. In other words, assuming that the current time of emergency operation is 16:00 on Sunday, the results of chlorine injection for three hours from 15:00 to 18:00 on Sunday one week ago (indicated by reference numeral 6 in FIG. 7). ) To perform a temporary or emergency chlorine injection. In this case, the actual chlorine injection is performed at a finer time interval so that the actual value of the three hours is totaled, for example, one third of the actual result of the corresponding three hours is injected every hour. You can do so. Of course, the results of chlorine injection
It is not necessary to store every three hours, and one day may be stored in a plurality of appropriate time zones. Note that the actual value for each time zone is updated every week, but when driving is not performed during that time zone on that day, when emergency driving is performed, etc.
If the operation is not performed normally, the data is not updated, and the previous data is left as it is. As described above, by using the same value of the same day of the week as the actual value to be applied in the emergency operation, the emergency operation can be performed based on the similar usage tendency in the day of the week and each time zone in a bathtub etc. In addition, the state of the residual chlorine concentration can be maintained relatively well.

[0016]

The present invention is configured as described above. According to the residual chlorine concentration detecting device according to the first aspect, the residual chlorine concentration contained in the water is detected by electrolyzing the water. A residual chlorine concentration detection device, which performs a cleaning operation on the electrode surface by inverting the polarity of the electrode at a certain timing during operation of the device, and detects a residual chlorine concentration after returning the polarity of the electrode to its original state. When the change in chlorine concentration is under a predetermined condition, a controller is provided to determine that the device is in a detection failure state. By detecting the change in the detected residual chlorine concentration in the above, it is possible to easily and reliably determine the detection failure state of the apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the operation based on the defective detection value from being continued as it is by performing the emergency treatment, and to recover or repair the detection defect early to restore the normal state. It becomes possible. Of course, while the polarity of the electrode is reversed, the cleaning effect of the electrode is also exerted, so that it is possible to appropriately prevent the surface of the electrode from being stained, and to lengthen the time until the sensitivity decreases. ,
The number of maintenances can be reduced. According to the residual chlorine concentration detecting apparatus of the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the configuration of the first aspect, the initial value of the detected residual chlorine concentration after the polarity of the electrode is returned from the inverted state to the original state. If the degree of increase and the tendency of the subsequent decrease in detected residual chlorine concentration are under certain conditions, a controller is provided to determine that the device is in a detection failure state. The determination of the presence or absence of the detection failure state can be performed more easily and reliably.
According to the residual chlorine concentration adjusting device according to claim 3,
A residual chlorine concentration adjusting device for adjusting the residual chlorine concentration in a water tank such as a bathtub, comprising a residual chlorine concentration detecting device configured to detect the residual chlorine concentration contained in the water by electrolyzing the water, When the residual chlorine concentration detection device is determined to be in a detection failure state, a controller is provided to shift to the emergency operation mode in which chlorine is injected according to the results of chlorine injection before that. Emergency operation until the detection device is repaired becomes possible, and the operation of the bathtub etc. can be continued. It is possible to operate while keeping the bathtub and other water tanks in a more optimally stable residual chlorine concentration state by eliminating inconveniences and the like. According to the residual chlorine concentration adjusting device according to the fourth aspect, in addition to the effect of the configuration according to the third aspect, when the residual chlorine concentration detecting device is determined to be in the detection failure state, the normal state is determined. A controller is provided that shifts to an emergency operation mode in which chlorine is injected according to the results of chlorine injection in the same time zone on the same day of the preceding week that was stored during operation, so it is closely related to human life A more stable residual chlorine concentration state can be tentatively maintained in a bathtub or other water bath used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of bathtub equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a simplified diagram of a residual chlorine concentration detecting device.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for determining a detection failure state of the residual chlorine concentration detection device by the controller.

FIG. 4 is a timing chart of polarity reversal of an electrode of the residual chlorine concentration detection device.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a change in the detected residual chlorine concentration after the polarity of the electrode of the residual chlorine concentration detecting device is restored.

FIG. 6 is an operation control flowchart of the residual chlorine concentration adjusting device by the controller.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of accumulating performance data during an emergency operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Water tank 2 Main circulation path 10 Residual chlorine concentration detection apparatus 10a Positive electrode 10b Negative electrode 10c Power supply 10d Ammeter 11 Branch line 12 Hypochlorous acid tank 13 Adjustment valve 14 Injection pump 15 On-off valve 20 Controller

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Date 2-4-8 Minamisenba, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Inside (Tacmina) (72) Inventor Yoshihiro Yamamoto 2-4-8 Minamisenba, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka In Takumina

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A residual chlorine concentration detecting device for detecting the residual chlorine concentration contained in water by electrolyzing water, wherein the polarity of an electrode is inverted at a certain timing during operation of the device. When the change of the detected residual chlorine concentration after returning the polarity of the electrode to the original state is under a predetermined condition, the device is in a detection failure state. A residual chlorine concentration detecting device comprising a controller for determining that there is a residual chlorine concentration. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the degree of the initial increase in the concentration of the detected residual chlorine after the polarity of the electrode is returned from the inversion state to the original state and the tendency of the subsequent decrease in the concentration of the detected residual chlorine are constant. The residual chlorine concentration detecting device according to claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to determine that the device is in a detection failure state. 3. A residual chlorine concentration adjusting device for adjusting the residual chlorine concentration in a water tank such as a bathtub, comprising a residual chlorine concentration detecting device for detecting the residual chlorine concentration contained in the water by electrolyzing the water. When the residual chlorine concentration detecting device is determined to be in a detection failure state, a controller is provided which shifts to an emergency operation mode in which chlorine is injected according to the results of chlorine injection before that. An apparatus for adjusting the concentration of residual chlorine. 4. When it is determined that the residual chlorine concentration detecting device is in a detection failure state, the chlorine concentration is determined according to the result of chlorine injection during the same day of the week and the same day of the preceding week stored during normal operation. The controller for controlling the concentration of residual chlorine according to claim 3, further comprising a controller for shifting to an emergency operation mode for injecting water.