JP2000087405A - Hot-water discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To quickly discharge hot water of an accurate temperature by providing a temperature adjusting device for adjusting the temperature of water to be discharged near a discharge port in a hot-water discharge device provided with a feed path feeding water and a discharge port discharging water. SOLUTION: A shower head 1 is provided with an instantaneous heater 2 serving as a water heating means heating water to the set temperature and thermistors 3, 4 fitted at the front and rear of the instantaneous heater 2. When a user sets a flow/temperature setting means 8 and pushes a hot-water discharge start button 9, a flow stopping/adjusting valve 6 is opened to adjust the flow to a set flow. The electric power fed to the instantaneous heater 2 is controlled by a controller 10 based on the setting of the water temperature, and the electric power is determined by the comparison between the temperature detected by the thermistor 3 at the inlet of the instantaneous heater 2 and the set temperature. The temperature of the hot water heated by the instantaneous heater 2 is detected by the thermistor 4 at the outlet of the instantaneous heater 2 after water is fed, and the electric power fed to the instantaneous heater 2 is corrected, thereby a compact device can be obtained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hot water discharge device for discharging hot water.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a hot water dispenser such as a faucet or a shower, a hot water heater or an electric water heater previously heated to a certain temperature is mixed with water to reach a desired outlet. The configuration was such that hot water at a temperature was discharged. Further, when the piping route from a water heater or an electric water heater to a discharge port for discharging water is long, a buffer tank is provided in the middle of the pipe so that hot water is supplied at the same time as the discharge of water is started. .

[0003]

In the above-described conventional hot and cold water discharging apparatus, the distance between the heating device such as a water heater or an electric water heater and the discharge port is large, and the distance between the heating device and the discharging port before starting use is increased. The cold water is accumulated in the supply path of the above, and since the water is discharged at the start of use, the water is eventually discarded and the water is wasted. Also, in the shower, it was often very unpleasant to take a bath of cold water accumulated in the supply path. Also,
It takes time for the temperature of the water to be discharged to reach an appropriate temperature, and the supply path is long, resulting in heat loss.
Further, in the shower, when the temperature of the water to be discharged is increased or decreased for the purpose of obtaining a massage effect and the temperature is changed, hot water and water are mixed while passing through a long supply path, and the temperature change is reduced. Change was impossible.
In addition, since the temperature detection unit is far from the discharge port and the heat release differs depending on the temperature and the installation state, it has been difficult to accurately estimate the actual discharge temperature.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems. A first object of the present invention is to make it possible to discharge hot and cold water at an accurate temperature with a quick response.
Another object of the present invention is to enable safe and reliable temperature control.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the invention according to claim 1 has a supply passage for supplying water and a discharge passage for discharging water. A hot water discharge device having an outlet and a temperature control means for controlling the temperature of water discharged near the discharge port. In the present invention, by having a configuration having a temperature adjusting means for adjusting the temperature of the water discharged near the discharge port, without discharging the cold water accumulated in the supply path, simultaneously with the start of the discharge of hot water Suitable temperature hot water can be discharged.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the hot water discharge device according to the first aspect, the temperature adjusting means is a temperature adjusting means for adjusting the temperature of the discharged water by changing a mixing ratio of hot water and water. There is a feature. In the present invention, since the temperature adjusting means is a temperature adjusting means for adjusting the temperature of the water to be discharged by changing a mixing ratio of the hot water and the water, the temperature-controlled water is discharged immediately thereafter. As a result, control with quick response to temperature can be performed. In addition, this makes it possible to control the discharge temperature in a wide cycle from a short cycle to a long cycle, and to provide an effective massage effect.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the hot water discharge device according to the first aspect, the temperature adjusting means is an instantaneous water heating means for heating the water to a set temperature. In the present invention, the temperature control means comprises:
The instantaneous water heating means that heats the water to the set temperature allows the flow path from the heater to the discharge port to be very short, reducing heat loss in the flow path and cooling at the start of use. No water is discharged.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the hot and cold water discharging apparatus according to the third aspect, the instantaneous water heating means includes a heating element having no insulating layer or a heating element having an insulating layer having a small heat capacity applied to the surface. It is characterized in that the body is brought into direct contact with water and heated. In the present invention, the instantaneous water heating means is configured such that a heating element having no insulating layer or a heating element having an insulating layer having a small heat capacity on the surface is heated by directly contacting with water, Since heat is good and efficient heating can be performed, a sufficient amount of heat can be transmitted with a small surface area, and a compact design can be achieved. Further, since the heat capacity of the heater itself is small and the heater is arranged near the discharge port, it is possible to realize temperature control with high responsiveness.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the hot and cold water discharge device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, a discharge temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature of water near the discharge port is provided. . In the present invention, since the discharge temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of water is provided in the vicinity of the discharge port, feedback control is possible, and the discharge temperature can be accurately detected. Control can be performed.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a discharge section having a discharge port for discharging water, temperature setting means for setting the temperature of the discharged water, temperature adjusting means for adjusting the temperature of the water, and the temperature setting means. In a hot and cold water discharge device provided with a controller for controlling the temperature adjusting means based on a signal from the means, the temperature adjusting means and the discharge portion are integrally formed. In the present invention, since the temperature adjusting means and the discharge section are integrally formed, the hot water is discharged at the same time as the discharge of the hot water without discharging the cold water accumulated in the supply path. And a compact hot and cold water discharge device can be provided.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 shows a hot and cold water discharge device in one embodiment of the present invention. The shower head 1 includes an instantaneous heater 2 as water heating means for heating water to a set temperature, and thermistors 3 and 4 attached before and after the instantaneous heater 2. A sheathed heater, a cartridge heater, or the like may be selected as the instantaneous heater 2, but the most desirable form is to bring a heating element having no insulating layer or a heating element having an insulating layer with a small heat capacity on its surface into direct contact with water. And heating. For example, a nichrome wire, a platinum wire, a carbon wire, a ceramic material, carbon or graphite is used as a heater, and this is brought into direct contact with water, or a thin electrically insulating resin such as Teflon or fluororesin is used for these heaters. There is a method using a coated material. Also, a heating element having a small heat capacity can be formed by electromagnetic induction heating in which a metal heating element in the supply path is heated by a heating coil mounted outside the supply path. This embodiment shows an example in which a nichrome wire is coated with a fluororesin and used as a heating element.

The supply path 5 is connected to a still water flow control valve 6 for controlling the flow rate of water, and is heated by a thermistor 3 for detecting the temperature of incoming water and an instantaneous heater 2 as temperature control means. It reaches the discharge port 7 through the thermistor 4 for detecting the temperature of hot and cold water. Further, in the present embodiment, the shutoff flow control valve 6 is of an electric type, but a mechanical valve can also satisfy the configuration.

The operation of this embodiment with the above configuration will be described. The user sets the flow rate / temperature setting means 8,
When the hot and cold water discharge start button 9 is pressed, the shutoff flow control valve 6 opens and adjusts to the set flow rate. The temperature of the water is controlled by controlling the electric power supplied to the instantaneous heater 2 by the controller 10 based on the temperature setting. First, the power detected by the thermistor 3 attached to the inlet of the instantaneous heater 2 is compared with the set temperature to determine the power to be supplied to the instantaneous heater 2. Further, the temperature of hot or cold water heated by the instantaneous heater 2 is detected by the thermistor 4 attached to the outlet of the instantaneous heater 2 after passing water, and the electric power supplied to the instantaneous heater 2 by comparing the detected temperature with the set temperature. Is corrected.

A temperature massage mode can be selected according to the user's preference. By using a mode selection button (not shown), the user can arbitrarily set the center temperature, the temperature change width, and the cycle of the temperature change, or select from several modes. In this mode, the temperature of the water to be discharged is arbitrarily changed in accordance with the center temperature set by the user, the temperature change width, and the cycle of the temperature change, so as to obtain a massage effect and a warm bath effect.

As described above, the instantaneous heater 2 as a means for heating water is installed near the discharge port 7, and since the distance between the instantaneous heater 2 and the discharge port 7 is very short, the supply path 5, the loss of heat was reduced, and cold water was not discharged at the start of use, and hot water at an appropriate temperature could be discharged immediately. In addition, since the instant heater 2 uses, for example, a nichrome wire coated with a fluororesin or the like, it has good thermal conductivity and can perform efficient heating. If this instantaneous heater 2 is used, the heat capacity of the instantaneous heater 2 itself is small, so that the temperature can be raised immediately, and control with a quick response becomes possible. In addition, even when a predetermined temperature change is applied to hot and cold water, temperature control can be performed at a precise temperature in a wide cycle from a short cycle to a long cycle. Further, a material such as graphite, carbon, ceramics, or the like, for example, so-called PTC, is used in the instant heater 2 so that the electric resistance characteristic rapidly increases with temperature near a predetermined temperature.
When the thermistor is used, the safety can be improved because the instantaneous heater 2 itself has a self-temperature control action. The temperature at which the temperature resistance of the material greatly changes is called the Curie point, and can be changed by the composition of the material.
For example, in the case of the hot and cold water discharge device of the present invention, the Curie point is 45
If the material of ° C is selected, even if the thermistor, the temperature setting means or the temperature adjusting means malfunctions, the resistance value increases rapidly around 45 ° C after the start of heating, and the amount of heat generation is suppressed.
It is possible to prevent the temperature from rising to a dangerous temperature of 5 ° C. or more.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the water heating means. The water heating means of the present invention includes an insulating pipe 12 forming a supply path, a heating coil 14 wound around the pipe 12 and supplied with high-frequency power by an induction heating power supply 13, and disposed in the pipe 12. Heating coil 14
And a metal heating element 15 that generates heat by electromagnetic induction. According to this configuration, since the heating element 15 directly contacts water without touching the outside, efficient heating with little heat loss is possible. In addition, by using a thin metal such as stainless steel for the heating element 15, heating with a small heat capacity and very responsiveness is possible. Further, since the total surface area of the metal is the heat transfer area, the surface temperature of the heating element 15 can be reduced with a compact configuration. Furthermore, even if the heating element 15 is touched, there is no fear of electric shock, and it is safe.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the temperature control means mounted near the discharge port 7. In FIG. The shower head 1 has a supply path 16 for hot water heated by a heater (not shown), a supply path 17 for unheated water, and a hot water mixing valve 18 for mixing the hot water and water at an appropriate mixing ratio. Is installed. For example, when the user sets the flow rate / temperature setting means 8 and presses the hot water discharge start button 9 to instruct the hot water discharge, the hot water mixing valve 18 is operated by a switching valve motor (not shown), and the set temperature is set. And discharge of hot water is started. Further, the rotational position of the hot and cold water mixing valve 18 is determined by comparing the temperature detected by the thermistors 20 and 21 attached to the inlet of the hot and cold water mixing valve 18 with the set temperature, and the hot and cold water is adjusted to an appropriate temperature. Mix so that Further, the thermistor 2 attached to the outlet of the hot and cold water mixing valve 18
The rotational position of the hot and cold water mixing valve 18 is corrected by comparing the temperature detected by Step 2 with the set temperature.

Further, according to the user's preference, when the mode selection button is selected, the hot and cold water mixing valve 18 changes the discharge temperature periodically within a set range. As mentioned above,
The hot / cold mixing valve 18 is installed near the discharge port 7, and the distance between the hot / cold mixing valve 18 and the discharge port 7 is very short. It became possible. Furthermore, even in the case where the temperature of the discharged hot water is raised and lowered for the purpose of obtaining a massage effect, the water does not pass through a long supply path. A short cycle change was possible without being relaxed. Further, since the thermistor 22 as the temperature detecting means is located near the discharge port 7, the heat release in the supply path between the thermistor 22 and the discharge port 7 is small, and the heat release is affected by the temperature and the installation state. Instead, the discharge temperature can be accurately estimated from the detected temperature. In the above embodiment, a shower was used as the hot and cold water discharging device. However, it is needless to say that the same effect can be obtained in an automatic faucet or a valve water stop type faucet.

[0019]

According to the present invention, in a hot and cold water discharging apparatus provided with a supply path for supplying water and a discharge port for discharging water, a temperature control means for controlling the temperature of water discharged near the discharge port is provided. With this configuration, it is possible to discharge hot water at the same time as discharge of hot water without discharging cold water accumulated in the supply path. A discharge unit having a discharge port for discharging water; a temperature setting unit for setting a temperature of the discharged water; a temperature adjustment unit for adjusting a temperature of the water; and the temperature control unit based on a signal from the temperature setting unit. In the hot and cold water discharging device provided with a controller for controlling the means, since the temperature adjusting means and the discharging portion are integrally formed, the discharge of the hot water can be started without discharging the cold water accumulated in the supply path. At the same time, hot and cold water can be discharged, and a compact hot and cold water discharging device can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a hot and cold water discharging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an embodiment of a hot and cold water discharging device having another type of water heating means.

FIG. 3 is an embodiment of a hot and cold water discharging device having another form of temperature control means.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Shower head, 2 ... Instantaneous heater, 3 ... Thermistor, 4 ... Thermistor, 5 ... Supply path, 6 ... Water shutoff flow control valve, 7 ... Discharge port, 8 ... Flow rate / temperature setting means, 9 ... Hot water discharge start button Reference numeral 10: controller, 11: mode selection button, 12: pipe, 13: induction heating power supply, 14: heating coil, 15: heating element, 16: supply path, 17: supply path,
18: hot and cold water mixing valve, 19: motor for switching valve, 20: thermistor, 21: thermistor, 22: thermistor

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F-term (reference) 2D032 FA04 2D060 BB01 BC02

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A hot and cold water discharge device having a supply path for supplying water and a discharge port for discharging water, characterized in that it has a temperature control means for controlling the temperature of water discharged near the discharge port. Hot and cold water discharging device. 2. The hot and cold water discharging device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature adjusting means is a temperature adjusting means for adjusting a temperature of water to be discharged by changing a mixing ratio of hot water and water. 3. The hot and cold water discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature adjusting means is an instantaneous water heating means for heating water to a set temperature. 4. The instantaneous water heating means heats a heating element having no insulating layer or a heating element having an insulating layer having a small heat capacity on its surface by directly contacting water. Item 6. The hot and cold water discharging device according to Item 3. 5. The hot and cold water discharge device according to claim 1, further comprising a discharge temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature of water near the discharge port. 6. A discharge section having a discharge port for discharging water, a temperature setting means for setting a temperature of water to be discharged, a temperature adjustment means for adjusting a temperature of water, and a signal from the temperature setting means. A hot and cold water dispensing device comprising a controller for controlling the temperature adjusting means, wherein the temperature adjusting means and the discharge section are integrally formed.