JP2000130838A - Bath system and transfer valve - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To rapidly fill hot water in a bathtub by reducing the number of parts items. SOLUTION: The bath system comprises a water heater 2 for supplying filling hot water and the hot water to other plug, and a reheating unit 5 of a bathtub water for reheating the water in the bathtub. The heater 2 is connected to the unit 5 with filling piping 30. A transfer valve 53 having four openings A, B, C and D is provided in a reheating circuit 22 of the bathtub water. The valve 53 switches over the state that the reference opening A communicates with the openings B, D and the state that the opening A communicates with the opening C by operating an actuator. The valve 53 connects the openings A, C to the circuit 22, the opening B to a bypass water passage 51 and the opening D to the piping 30.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bath apparatus, and more particularly to a bath apparatus having a dropping pipe and dropping water into a bathtub through a circulation circuit such as a reheating circuit. Further, the present invention relates to a switching valve suitable for switching between dropping and circulation of a bath apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There is known a bath apparatus in which hot water is dropped into a bathtub so that the amount of hot water in the bathtub becomes constant, or a fixed amount of hot water is additionally supplied. This type of bath equipment generally has two built-in heat exchangers, a reheating circuit that circulates the hot water in the bath tub through one heat exchanger, and a hot water supply circuit that heats the water introduced from the water supply source. . There is a dropping pipe connecting between the two, and hot water produced in the hot water supply circuit is dropped into the bathtub through the reheating circuit.

FIG. 13 shows a specific piping system of a conventional bath apparatus. FIG. 13 is a piping diagram of a bath apparatus 100 according to the related art. The bath apparatus 100 is provided with a hot water supply unit 2 for supplying hot water to the sink and a hot water supply to another tap, and a bathtub 3.
It has a reheating unit 5 for reheating the hot water inside.

[0004] The hot water supply unit 2 has the same configuration as a known hot water supply device, and includes a high-temperature hot water circuit 11 flowing through a heat supply heat exchanger 10,
The hot water supply circuit includes a bypass water passage 12 that bypasses the hot water supply heat exchanger 10. Then, the amount of bypass water flowing through the bypass water passage 12 is adjusted by the bypass water amount control valve 15, and the temperature of the hot water is adjusted by mixing the hot water flowing through the high temperature hot water circuit 11 and the cold water flowing through the bypass water passage 12. Downstream of the mixed portion of the hot water circuit 11 and the bypass water channel 12, a water flow control valve 18 and a tap water temperature sensor 20 are provided.
The temperature detected by the tap water temperature sensor 20 is fed back to the bypass water flow control valve 15 and the like, and the total water flow is controlled by the water flow control valve 18.

The hot water circuit 11 includes a water amount sensor 14.
And a water inlet temperature sensor 19, and the burner 47 is set so that the temperature of the high-temperature water becomes a predetermined temperature of, for example, about 80 ° C.
Is adjusted.

The reheating unit 5 has a reheating circuit (circulation circuit) 22 that circulates through the bathtub 3 and the reheating heat exchanger 21. That is, the reheating circuit 22 includes the bathtub 3
Return water channel 2 that returns hot water to the reheating heat exchanger 21 side
3 and an outgoing water passage 24 for sending hot water from the reheating heat exchanger 21 to the bathtub 3. A water level sensor 25, a circulation pump 26, a water flow switch 27
And a hot water temperature sensor 28 are provided. The water level sensor 25 is a pressure sensor functionally, and detects a water level in the bathtub 3 based on a pressure change.

[0007] The hot water supply unit 2 and the reheating unit 5 are connected by a dropping pipe 30. Drop pipe 30
Is branched from the downstream side of the portion of the hot water supply unit 2 where the tapping temperature sensor 20 is attached, and the other end is connected to the reheating circuit 5. More specifically, the dropping pipe 30 is connected between the discharge port of the circulation pump 26 and the reheating heat exchanger 21. In addition, a water injection solenoid valve 3 is provided at a connection portion of the drop pipe 30 with the return-side water passage 23.
2 are provided. The water injection electromagnetic valve 32 connects and disconnects the hot water supply unit 2 and the reheating unit 5. That is, in the bath apparatus 100 of the related art, the dropping of hot water and the circulation of hot water are switched depending on whether or not the above-described water injection electromagnetic valve 32 is operated. A safety valve 31 is additionally provided in the dropping pipe 30. In addition, the aforementioned solenoid valve 32
Is connected to a water amount sensor 33, and further downstream thereof are provided two check valves 34, 35.

In the piping system described above, the safety valve 31 and the check valves 34 and 35 of the drop pipe 30 are provided to prevent the hot water in the bathtub 3 from flowing back to the water supply source side. .

The bath apparatus 100 is controlled mainly by a CPU built in a controller (not shown). CP
U has a water level sensor 25 provided in the reheating circuit 5.
And the signal of the hot water temperature sensor 28 are input. In addition, according to the output of the CPU, the water injection electromagnetic valve 32, the circulation pump 26, and the like belonging to the reheating circuit 5 are started and stopped via a predetermined relay or the like.

[0010] In the bath apparatus 100 as shown in FIG. 13, when hot water is dropped into the bathtub 3, the water injection solenoid valve 32 of the dropping pipe 30 is opened. As a result, part of the hot water supply circuit of the hot water supply unit 2 is opened, and water flows into the hot water supply unit 2 by the pressure of a water supply source (not shown). Then, the water passes through the hot water supply heat exchanger 10 of the hot water supply unit 2 and is heated, mixed with the water flowing through the bypass water passage 12 and temperature-adjusted, and becomes hot water of an appropriate temperature. Hot water is thus produced by the hot water supply unit 2, poured into the reheating circuit 22 via the dropping pipe 30, and dropped into the bathtub 3 via the reheating circuit 22.

[0011]

The bath apparatus of the prior art is capable of automatically dropping hot water into the bathtub 3 and is extremely convenient. Therefore, next, it is required as a development goal to drop hot water in a shorter time. That is, although the bath apparatus of the related art can automatically fill the bathtub with hot water, there is a problem that it takes time to reach a target water level. In particular, the prior art bath apparatus 100 is a case in which an elevated water tank is used as a water supply source, such as a case where the bath apparatus is provided in a room on a high floor or a case where well water is supplied by a cistern pump. When the water level is low, it takes time to reach the target water level.

One of the causes is that the bath apparatus 100 of the prior art has a high flow resistance from the hot water supply unit 2 to the bathtub 3. In other words, when the hot water is dropped, the hot water is poured from the dropping pipe 30 into the reheating circuit 22 and the hot water is dropped into the bathtub 3 via the reheating circuit 22. Also, as for the portion of the reheating circuit 22, the flow path resistance is high, resulting in a reduction in the drop flow rate.

To explain individually, the prior art bath apparatus 1
In 00, a water injection solenoid valve 32 is provided in the dropping pipe 30, and the flow resistance of the water injection solenoid valve 32 is high. That is, the water injection electromagnetic valve 32 operates the valve body directly by a solenoid or by utilizing pilot pressure. In any case, a complicated flow path is provided inside, and Is provided with a valve body, which becomes an obstacle when water passes through the inside. Therefore, the water injection solenoid valve 32
When passing through the water, the water must flow through a long and meandering flow path and must pass through a narrow space between the flow path and the valve element, and a considerable pressure loss occurs. As a result, the flow rate of water flowing through the dropping pipe 30 is significantly reduced, and the dropping operation requires a long time. As described above, there are two types of the water injection solenoid valve 32: a direct acting type and a pilot type. In a bath apparatus, a pilot type is sometimes used because a relatively large-diameter type is easily obtained. Many. But,
Many pilot-type water injection solenoid valves 32 can generally interrupt only one-way water flow, and cannot prevent water flow in the opposite direction. Therefore, when adopting the pilot type water injection solenoid valve 32, in order to prevent backflow,
A safety valve 31 and check valves 34 and 35 must be provided in the dropping pipe 30, and these valves are also one of the causes of generating flow path resistance.

Further, in the bath apparatus 100 shown in FIG.
The hot water is dropped into the bathtub 3 by using only the return-side water channel 23, but the connecting portion of the reheating circuit 22 with the bathtub 3 has to be narrowed due to space restrictions.
A large pressure loss is generated in this portion. As a measure for reducing the flow path resistance when flowing through the reheating circuit, a configuration in which hot water is dropped into the bathtub 3 from both the outgoing water channel 23 and the return water channel 24 of the reheating circuit has been put to practical use. In this case, a plurality of valves required for switching are required, and there is a new problem that the number of parts is significantly increased.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and has as its object to develop a bath apparatus which has a small number of parts and can quickly drop hot water into a bathtub. . Another object of the present invention is to develop a switching valve that can significantly reduce the pressure loss when water is dropped.

[0016]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a circulating circuit for circulating water in a bathtub by a pump, a bypass water passage for short-circuiting the circulating circuit, In a bath apparatus having a dropping pipe that connects a hot water supply source or a water supply source and a circulation circuit and injects water into a bathtub, the bath apparatus has a switching valve that switches between a state of dropping water into the bathtub and a state of circulating water in the bathtub,
The switching valve has four or more openings, and one of the openings is used as a reference opening, and the reference opening and another opening communicate with each other. A state in which the three parties communicate with each other can be selected, and the switching valve is disposed in the circulation circuit, two openings including the reference opening are connected to the pipeline of the circulation circuit, and the other opening is dropped. The bath apparatus is characterized in that it communicates with a pipe and further another opening communicates with a bypass waterway. In addition, in this specification, the wording of "water" is:
It is a concept that includes "hot water".

The bath apparatus of the present invention has a circulation circuit and a dropping pipe as in the prior art, and water is poured into the circulation circuit from the dropping pipe to drop water (hot water) into the bathtub. In the bath apparatus of the present invention, a switching valve that switches between a state of dropping water into the bathtub and a state of circulating water in the bathtub,
Adopt a special configuration. That is, the switching valve employed in the present invention has four or more openings, and one of the openings is used as a reference opening, and the reference opening and the other opening communicate with each other. And a state in which three of the two openings communicate with each other. In the bath apparatus of the present invention, the switching valve is disposed in the circulation circuit, two openings including the reference opening are connected to the pipeline of the circulation circuit, and the other opening communicates with the dropping pipe, Another opening is in communication with the bypass channel. In the bath apparatus of the present invention, when water in the bathtub is circulated, the switching valve is operated so that the reference opening communicates with the other opening. As a result, the circulation circuit communicates as a series of circuits, and the dropping pipe and the bypass waterway are closed. On the other hand, in the bath apparatus of the present invention, when water is dropped into the bathtub, the state is switched to a state in which the reference opening and the other two openings communicate with each other. As a result, the dropping pipe and the bypass waterway are opened. For this reason, water enters the circulation circuit from the dropping pipe, and water is dropped into the bathtub from either the return-side waterway or the outgoing-side waterway of the circulation circuit. Further, since the bypass channel is open as described above, the water also flows into the other channel of the circulation circuit, and enters the bathtub from the channel.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the circulation circuit is a reheating circuit in which a heat exchanger is disposed on the discharge side of the pump, and the switching valve is provided between the water suction port of the pump and the bathtub. The bath apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the opening is connected to the bathtub side, and the bypass water passage is branched from a pipe on the discharge side of the heat exchanger.

In the bath apparatus of the present invention, the switching valve is connected between the suction port of the pump and the bathtub with the reference opening directed toward the bathtub side, and the bypass waterway is branched from the pipe on the discharge side of the heat exchanger. ing. That is, the switching valve is located on the return side of the reheating circuit and between the bathtub and the pump, and the normally open reference opening is attached to the bathtub side. When water is dropped into the bathtub using the bath apparatus of the present invention, the switching valve is switched so that the reference opening communicates with the other two openings as described above. At this time, in the bath apparatus of the present invention, the switching pipe connects the dropping pipe, the bathtub via the return-side waterway, and the bypass waterway. Therefore, the water flowing from the dropping pipe into the switching valve is split into two, one of which enters the return channel from the reference opening and is directly dropped into the bathtub.
That is, water directly enters the bathtub without flowing into the pump and heat exchanger in the return-side waterway. The other one, which has been diverted inside the switching valve, enters the outgoing waterway via the bypass waterway and is dropped into the bathtub. Here, in the bath apparatus of the present invention, since the bypass waterway is branched from the discharge-side pipe of the heat exchanger, the bypass waterway is
Since the pump and the heat exchanger are short-circuited, water entering the return-side waterway from the bypass waterway is also dropped into the bathtub without passing through the pump and the heat exchanger. Therefore, the water that has entered the circulation circuit from the dropping pipe is directly dropped into the bathtub without passing through the pump and the heat exchanger having a large flow path resistance, and the pressure loss is small.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a switching valve having a housing having a cavity therein and four or more openings including a reference opening, wherein the switching valve can be moved or repositioned in the cavity of the housing. A state in which the reference opening and the other opening communicate with each other by having a built-in valve body and moving or changing the posture of the valve body, and the reference opening and the other two openings other than the top are three. The bath apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a state of communication can be selected.

The present invention discloses a specific configuration of the switching valve. In the switching valve employed in the bath apparatus of the present invention, the state in which the reference opening and the other opening communicate with each other by moving or changing the posture of the valve body, and the three openings of the reference opening and the other opening which are different from each other. Is selected.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the switching valve, wherein the switching valve has a cavity therein and has four or more openings including a reference opening, and the switching valve is capable of moving or changing the posture in the cavity of the housing. The valve body has a built-in valve body, and the valve body is provided with openings communicating with each other at positions in three directions, and when the valve body moves to a specific position or takes a specific posture, the valve body is moved in the three directions. One of the openings communicates with the reference opening of the housing, the other one-way opening of the valve body communicates with the other opening of the housing, and the remaining opening of the valve body is closed inside the housing, and the valve body moves. Alternatively, by changing the posture, one of the three-way openings of the valve body communicates with the reference opening of the housing, and the other two-way openings of the valve body communicate with two other openings other than the tip of the housing. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein A bath device as claimed.

The bath apparatus of the present invention discloses a specific configuration of the switching valve. In the switching valve adopted in the present invention, the valve body is provided with openings communicating with each other at positions in three directions, and by moving or changing the posture of the valve body, a state is established in which the reference opening communicates with the other opening. A state is selected in which the reference opening communicates with three other openings other than the reference opening.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the valve body rotates to change the posture in the cavity of the housing, and the valve body has openings in two directions perpendicular to the rotation axis and the rotation axis. The bath according to claim 3, wherein the housing has a reference opening in a rotation axis direction of the valve body and three openings in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis direction of the valve body. Device.

In the switching valve employed in the bath apparatus of the present invention, the valve body is adapted to rotate and change the position within the cavity of the housing. The valve element has three openings, and the opening coincides with the opening of the housing according to the rotation of the valve element. The switching valve employed in the present invention has the same configuration as a cock or a ball cock (ball valve), has a simple configuration of the flow path, and has a small pressure loss because there are few obstacles in the flow path. .

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the bath apparatus, the valve body is any one of a ball shape, a cylindrical shape, a conical shape, and a dish shape. Bath equipment.

The switching valve employed in the present invention has the same configuration as a ball cock (ball valve) and the like.
Low pressure loss.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, a pipe is provided from the water supply source to the heat exchanger, and a drop pipe is provided directly from the outlet side of the heat exchanger or through a branch portion. The bath apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the water is directly introduced into the circulation circuit from the heat exchanger or the branch section via the switching valve without having a valve member before reaching the bath apparatus. .

In the above-described bath apparatus according to claim 6,
Any one of a ball shape, a cylindrical shape, a conical shape, and a dish shape is adopted as the valve body. This switching valve has the same configuration as a ball cock (ball valve) or the like, and can control bidirectional water flow. That is, the pilot-operated solenoid valve, which is often used in the bath apparatus of the prior art, interrupts only the water flow in one direction, and cannot prevent the flow of water in the opposite direction.
With the switching valve employed in the present invention, bidirectional water flow can be interrupted. Therefore, it is not always necessary to provide a check valve or the like in the dropping pipe. Therefore, the present invention employs a configuration in which the check valve and the like are eliminated, and water is directly introduced from the heat exchanger or the branch portion into the circulation circuit via the switching valve. In the bath apparatus according to the present invention, since there is no check valve or the like that becomes a flow path resistance, a large amount of water can be dropped in a short time.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the switching valve in which the valve body is rotatably incorporated in the housing, the valve bodies communicate with each other in two directions perpendicular to the rotation axis and the rotation axis. The housing has an opening, the housing has a reference opening in the rotation axis direction of the valve body, and has three openings in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis direction of the valve body, and the opening in the rotation axis direction of the valve body is When the valve body is in a specific posture, one of the openings perpendicular to the rotation axis of the valve body communicates with the other opening of the housing, and the valve body remains when the valve body is in a specific posture. When the opening is closed inside the housing and the valve body rotates to another specific posture,
A switching valve characterized in that two openings perpendicular to the rotation axis of the valve body communicate with two other openings other than the tip of the housing.

In the switching valve of the present invention, the valve element has an opening in the direction of the rotation axis, and further opens in two directions perpendicular to the rotation axis, and these are communicated with each other. The housing has a reference opening in the direction of the rotation axis of the valve body. The valve body is rotatable within the housing, but among the openings in the above-described directions, the opening provided in the rotation axis direction does not change its position even when the valve body rotates. Therefore, the opening of the valve body is always in communication with the reference opening of the housing. On the other hand, the openings provided in two directions perpendicular to the rotation axis of the valve body are:
The position changes according to the rotation of the valve body, and one of the openings communicates with the other opening of the housing, and the remaining opening of the valve body is closed inside the housing, and two openings are different from the tip of the housing. In communication with the two openings.
Therefore, in the switching valve of the present invention, a state in which the reference opening and one opening communicate with each other and a state in which the reference opening and three other openings apart from the first opening communicate with each other can be created.

[0032]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In addition, about the same member as a prior art,
The same numbers are given and the detailed description is omitted. FIG.
It is a piping system diagram of the bath apparatus of the embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a switching valve employed in the bath apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing a switching valve used in the bath apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a valve body of a switching valve used in the bath apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a plan sectional view of the switching valve of FIG. 3 when water is dropped into a bathtub. FIG. 6 is a plan sectional view of the switching valve of FIG. 3 during reheating. FIG. 7 is a piping diagram showing the flow of hot water at the time of dropping the hot water of the bath apparatus of the embodiment of FIG. 1 and at the time of reheating. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a modification of the valve body. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing another modified example of the valve body. FIG. 10 is a front view, left and right side views, a plan view, and a bottom view showing another modified example of the valve body. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the switching valve, and shows a state where water is dropped into the bathtub by the switching valve. FIG.
FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the switching valve of FIG. 11 at the time of reheating.

The piping system of the bath apparatus 1 of this embodiment is characterized by a switching valve 53 and a part of the drop-in pipe 30, and the other parts are the same as those of the prior art. That is, the bath apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has a hot water supply unit 2 for supplying hot water to the drop-in and other taps as shown in FIG. 1, and a reheating unit 5 for reheating the hot water in the bathtub 3. Hot water supply unit 2
Has a high-temperature hot water circuit 11 flowing through the hot water supply heat exchanger 10 and a bypass water passage 12 that bypasses the hot water supply heat exchanger 10.
Mix the cold water flowing through to adjust the temperature of hot water. In the bath apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, water is supplied from the elevated water tank 50. That is, the water supply source of the bath apparatus 1 of this embodiment is an elevated water tank 50.
It is. The use of the elevated water tank 50 as the water supply source in this embodiment is merely an example of a water supply source having a low water supply pressure, and does not limit the water supply source.

The reheating unit 5 has a reheating circuit 22 that circulates through the bathtub 3 and the reheating heat exchanger 21.
Return water channel 2 that returns hot water to the reheating heat exchanger 21 side
3 and an outgoing water passage 24 for sending hot water from the reheating heat exchanger 21 to the bathtub 3. And in the return-side waterway 23,
The water level sensor 25 and the circulation pump 2
6, a water flow switch 27 and a hot water temperature sensor 28 are provided.

As a configuration specific to the bath apparatus 1 of this embodiment, a switching valve 53 described later is provided in the reheating circuit 22. The switching valve 53 has four openings A, B,
It has C and D. The openings A and C are connected to the reheating circuit 22. More specifically, the opening A is connected to the bathtub 3 side, and the opening C is connected to the water suction side of the circulation pump 26. In the present embodiment, the opening A of the switching valve 53 functions as a reference opening.

In the bath apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, a bypass water passage 51 is provided between the outgoing water passage 24 and the opening B of the switching valve 53. The bypass waterway 51 connects the outgoing waterway 24 and the return waterway 23. That is, the bypass water passage 51 has one end located in the outgoing water passage 24 and the other end provided in the return water passage 23.
3 and is connected to the outgoing-side waterway 24 and the return-side waterway 23. More specifically, the bypass channel 5
1 is a connection between the discharge part and the bathtub of the reheating heat exchanger 21 and the suction side of the circulation pump 26 and the bathtub,
The heat exchanger 21 and the circulation pump 26 are substantially bypassed.

The dropping pipe 30 is connected to the opening D of the switching valve 53 in this embodiment. The dropping pipe 30 connects the hot water supply unit 2 and the reheating circuit 5. The dropping pipe 30 is a part of the return-side water passage 23 and connected to the upstream side of the circulation pump 26 via the switching valve 53. Further, the bath apparatus 1 of the present embodiment
Although a water amount sensor 33 is provided in the dropping pipe 30, the safety valve 31 and the check valve 34,
There is no 35. That is, the switching valve 53 employed in the bath apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has a configuration similar to a ball valve as described later and can intermittently flow water in both directions.
Even if the safety valve 31 and the check valves 34 and 35 are not provided, the hot water in the bathtub 3 does not flow back to the water supply side.

Next, the configuration of the switching valve 53 which is a member unique to the bath apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described. The switching valve 53 has four openings A, B, C, and D as described above, and the opening A among them functions as a reference opening. The switching valve 53 is provided with an actuator 52 such as a motor as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and by operating the actuator 52, the reference opening A and the opening B,
It is possible to switch between a state in which the three members D communicate with each other and a state in which the reference opening A and the opening C communicate with each other. That is, when the internal valve body 55 is in a fixed posture, the reference opening A, the opening B connected to the bypass water channel 51, and the opening D connected to the dropping pipe 30 communicate with each other, and the circulation pump 26 The connected opening C is closed. Valve body 5
5 is in another constant posture, the reference opening A and the opening C connected to the circulation pump 26 communicate with each other, and the bypass water passage 51
And the opening D connected to the dropping pipe 30 are closed.

The switching valve 53 has a valve body 55 built in a housing 56 as shown in FIGS.
Further, the actuator 52 is attached as described above. To describe sequentially, the housing 56 has a cavity 54 inside as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and is provided with four openings A, B, C, and D that communicate the cavity 54 with the outside. Here, the reference opening A is provided on a surface facing the mounting surface of the actuator 52 as shown in FIGS. The reference opening A is concentric with the rotation axis 59 of the actuator 52 and opens in the direction of the rotation axis 60 of the valve body 55. The center of the quasi-opening A coincides with the rotation axis 60 of the valve body 55. Other openings B,
C and D are both opened in a direction perpendicular to the opening direction of the reference opening A. The openings B, C, and D are provided at positions 90 ° apart from each other in this order. That is, the opening B and the opening C are separated by 90 °, the opening C and the opening D are further separated by 90 °, and the opening D and the opening B are separated by 180 °.
Therefore, the opening D and the opening B are located on a straight line.

The valve body 55 has a ball shape as shown in FIGS. The valve body 55 has a rotating shaft 6 as shown by an arrow in FIG.
Rotate around 0. The valve body 55 is provided with an opening a at a position in the direction of the rotation shaft 60.
A through-hole 63 is provided in a direction perpendicularly intersecting the
c is formed. A vertical hole 64 is provided in the valve body 55, and the three openings a, b, and c communicate with each other through the through hole 63 and the vertical hole 64.

The valve body 55 is rotatably housed in the space 54 of the housing 56. The rotation axis 60 of the valve element 55 coincides with the center axis of the reference opening A of the housing 56. The opening a of the valve element 55 is located in the direction and position corresponding to the reference opening A of the housing 56. Valve body 5
5 includes an actuator 52 provided on a housing 56.
Are rotated around the rotation shaft 60 by the actuator 52. The seat 6 is provided between the valve body 55 and the housing 56 in the same manner as a known ball valve.
1, 62 are sealed.

In the switching valve 53, as described above, the valve 5
5 rotates around the rotation shaft 60, and the opening a is provided in the same direction as the rotation shaft 60. Therefore, even if the valve element 55 rotates, the position of the opening a does not change. Since the opening a is located at a position corresponding to the reference opening A of the housing 56,
The opening a of the valve body always communicates with the reference opening A regardless of the rotation angle of the valve body 55. The openings b and c of the valve body 55 are
The opening is provided in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis 60, and the positional relationship between the two is on a straight line. On the other hand, the openings B and D of the housing 56 are opened in a direction perpendicular to the opening direction of the reference opening A, and the openings B and D are 180 ° apart from each other and are on a straight line. Therefore, when the valve body 55 is set at a specific rotation angle, the openings b and c of the valve body 55 coincide with the openings B and D of the housing 56, and these communicate with each other.
Therefore, when the valve element 55 has a specific rotation posture, the reference opening A of the switching valve 53 and the openings B and D communicate with each other.
At this time, the remaining opening C of the housing 56 is
5 is closed by the outer periphery. Therefore the housing 5
The remaining openings C of 6 do not communicate with the other openings.

On the other hand, when one of the openings b and c of the valve body 55 is aligned with the middle opening C of the housing 56, the remaining opening of the valve body 55 is closed by the inner wall of the housing 56. The openings A and D of the housing 56 are
5 is closed by the outer periphery. Therefore, at this time, the openings A and C of the valve body 55 communicate with each other, and the openings B and D do not communicate with each other. The switching valve 53 employed in the present embodiment includes openings A, B. C. D and the opening a of the valve body 55,
The flow path is interrupted by coincidence / mismatch of b and c, and bidirectional water flow can be interrupted. Therefore, in order to perform reheating, the reference opening A and the circulation pump 26
When the opening C connected to is connected, the reheating circuit 2
The two-way water flow is shut off between 2 and the dropping pipe 30, and hot water on the side of the reheating circuit 22 does not flow into the dropping pipe 30.

Next, the operation of the bath apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described. When hot water is dropped into the bathtub 3 using the bath apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the valve element 5 of the switching valve 53
5 is rotated so that the reference opening A and the openings B and D communicate with each other as shown in FIG. That is, the bathtub 3 via the return-side waterway 23, the bypass waterway 51 and the dropping pipe 30
Let the three communicate. As a result, the end of the dropping pipe 30 is opened, and the hot water supply unit 2 opens the opening D of the switching valve 53.
Hot water flows into The hot water is diverted to the openings A and B inside the switching valve 53 as shown in FIG. Therefore, one of the divided flows flows from the reference opening A to the reheating circuit 2.
2 and flows directly into the bathtub 3. The other flow enters the bypass bath 51 from the opening B, flows into the outgoing passage 24 of the reheating circuit 22, and enters the bathtub 3.
That is, the hot water of the dropping pipe 30 is diverted in the switching valve 53, one enters the bathtub 3 from the reference opening A via the return pipe 23, and the other enters the bypass water passage 51 from the opening B and flows through the return pipe 24, It reaches bathtub 3. Therefore, in the bath apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, hot water is dropped from both the outgoing-side waterway 24 and the return-side waterway 23, the pipe resistance at the time of dropping is small, and a larger amount of hot water can be dropped. Further, in the present embodiment, the flow path in the switching valve 53 is not only linear, but there is no obstacle in the flow path, and the pressure loss of the switching valve 53 itself is small. In addition, in the bath apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, since the drop pipe 30 does not have a safety valve or a check valve, the flow path resistance of the drop pipe 30 is small, and a larger flow rate is expected.

In the case of reheating with the bath apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the valve element 55 of the switching valve 53 is rotated, and FIG.
It is assumed that the reference opening A and the opening C communicate with each other as shown in FIG. That is, the one tank 3 and the circulation pump 26 via the return-side water channel 23
And the bypass water passage 51 and the dropping pipe 30 are closed. As a result, the water inlet 29 of the circulation pump 26 is connected to the bathtub 3 as in the prior art, and the bathtub 3,
A circuit in which the circulation pump 26 and the reheating heat exchanger 21 are continuous is formed, and reheating can be performed without any trouble.
That is, the hot water in the bathtub 3 returns to the bathtub 3 via the bathtub 3, the circulation pump 26, and the reheater 21 as shown in FIG. 7B.

In the above-described embodiment, as an example of the switching valve, the configuration in which the ball-shaped valve element 55 is built in is illustrated.
The switching valve 53 of the above-described embodiment is the most recommended configuration because not only the flow path is linear, but also there are no obstacles in the flow path and the pressure loss is small. However, in the present invention, the shape of the valve body is not limited to a ball shape, and other known shapes can be adopted.

For example, a cylindrical body as shown in FIG. 8 can be used as the valve body. The valve body 65 has a cylindrical shape as a whole, and has openings a, b, and c on its lower surface and side surfaces. The positional relationship between the openings a, b, and c is the same as that of the above-described ball-shaped valve element 55, and the opening a coincides with the rotation axis.
The openings b and c are perpendicular to the rotation axis, and both are linear with each other. Even when the valve body 65 shown in FIG. 8 is used, bidirectional water flow can be interrupted, so that the hot water in the bathtub 3 flows back to the water supply side without providing the safety valve 31 and the check valves 34 and 35. I will not do it.

In addition, a frusto-conical valve element 66 as shown in FIG.
Can also be adopted. The valve body 66 has an overall shape of a truncated cone, and has openings a, b, and c on the lower surface and side surfaces. The positional relationship between the openings a, b, and c is the same as that of the above-described ball-shaped valve body 55, the opening a coincides with the rotation axis, and the openings b and c are perpendicular to the rotation axis. Are on a straight line with each other. Even when the valve body 66 shown in FIG. 9 is used, bidirectional water flow can be interrupted, so that a check valve or the like is unnecessary.

The valve body 67 shown in FIG. 10 has an opening a that is extremely large and the other openings b and c are connected to the opening a. Here, FIG. 10A is a front view of the valve body 67, FIG. 10B is a left side view, FIG. 10C is a right side view, FIG. 10D is a plan view, and FIG. Is a bottom view. The valve body 67 shown in FIG. 10 also has an opening a in the rotation axis direction, and has openings b and c in two directions perpendicular to the rotation axis. The valve element 67 shown in FIG. 10 has a form in which a groove is formed in a part of a ball. A valve element 67 shown in FIG. 10 is a modification of a ball type valve element, and is an application example of what is usually called a disk type (dish type). That is, the valve body 67 has a shape in which semicircular disks (dishes) 68a and 68b are connected at the upper portion, and seals an opening of a housing (not shown) with the outer peripheral surfaces of the disks 68a and 68b. Even when the valve element 67 shown in FIG. 10 is used, the hot water in the bathtub 3 does not flow back to the water supply side, and there is no need to provide a check valve or the like.

The switching valve 70 shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 performs switching by moving the valve body 71 linearly. That is, the valve body 71 has a cylindrical housing 72 and a columnar valve body 71. The housing 72 has four openings A, B, C, and D serving as pipe connection portions. Here, the opening A is provided in the axial direction of the housing 72, and the other openings B, C, and D are provided on the peripheral surface of the housing 72. The valve body is provided with an opening a at the end face, and two side faces are provided at the side face.
There are provided openings b and c which communicate with each other.

The opening A is connected to the bathtub 3 side, the opening B is connected to the bypass water channel 51, and the opening C is connected to the water suction side of the circulation pump 26. The opening D is connected to the drop pipe 30. Switching valve 7 of the present embodiment
At 0, the hot water is dropped by matching the openings b and c of the valve body 71 with the openings B and D of the housing 72 as shown in FIG. 11, and the opening c of the valve body 71 is changed to the opening of the housing 72 as shown in FIG. Reheating is performed according to C.

In the embodiments described above, the configuration in which the safety valve and the check valve are not provided in the dropping pipe 30 is exemplified. The configuration in which the safety valve and the check valve are eliminated as in the present embodiment is a configuration recommended when the supply pressure is low such as when an elevated water tank is used as a water supply source or when well water is supplied by a stern pump. However, of course, the bath apparatus of the present invention does not deny a configuration in which a safety valve or a check valve is provided in the drop pipe 30.

[0053]

According to the bath apparatus of the present invention, since water (including hot water) is dropped into the bathtub from both the return-side water channel and the outgoing-side water channel of the circulation circuit, the pressure loss when the water passes through the circulation circuit is reduced. And a large drop flow rate can be secured. Therefore, the bath apparatus of the present invention has an effect that the time required for dropping can be reduced. Further, the bath apparatus of the present invention has a low manufacturing cost because there is no excessive increase in the number of parts.

According to the bath apparatus of the second aspect,
Water is dropped into the bathtub without passing through a pump and a heat exchanger at the time of dropping. Therefore, the bath apparatus of the present invention has an effect that the pressure loss is further reduced, a large drop flow rate can be secured, and the time required for the drop can be further reduced.

The bath apparatus according to claims 3 to 6 is
This has the effect of providing a design guide when implementing the present invention, and can reduce the pressure loss of the switching valve itself.

Further, in the bath apparatus according to the present invention, since the dropping pipe has no valve member except for the water injection valve and the pressure loss is small, a sufficient amount of water can be secured even when the supply water pressure is low.

Further, the switching valve according to the eighth aspect can create a state in which the reference opening and one opening communicate with each other and a state in which the reference opening communicates with three other openings other than the first opening. There is an effect and an effect contributing to the implementation of the bath apparatus of the present invention.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a piping diagram of a bath apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a switching valve employed in the bath apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing a switching valve used in the bath apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a valve body of a switching valve used in the bath apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan sectional view of the switching valve of FIG. 3 when water is dropped into a bathtub.

FIG. 6 is a plan sectional view of the switching valve of FIG. 3 during reheating.

FIG. 7 is a piping diagram showing the flow of hot water when the hot water is dropped in the bath apparatus of the embodiment of FIG. 1 and when reheating is performed.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a modification of the valve body.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing another modified example of the valve body.

FIG. 10 is a front view, left and right side views, a plan view, and a bottom view showing another modified example of the valve body.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the switching valve, and shows a state when water is dropped into the bathtub by the switching valve.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the switching valve of FIG. 11 during reheating.

FIG. 13 is a piping diagram of a bath apparatus according to the related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bath apparatus 3 Bathtub 10 Heat exchanger for hot-water supply 22 Reheating circuit (circulation circuit) 26 Circulation pump 30 Drop-in piping 51 Bypass channel 53 Switching valve 55 Valve body 56 Housing A Reference opening B, C, D opening a, b, c Opening

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Tsuneo Funabiki 93 Edocho, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo F-term in Noritz Co., Ltd. 2D005 FA00 3H067 AA12 AA21 CC11 DD03 DD12 DD32 EA02 FF09 FF17 GG13 GG21 3L024 CC01 DD06 DD13 DD14 DD17 DD22 DD27 DD28 DD45 GG22 HH15

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A circulation circuit for circulating water in a bathtub by a pump, a bypass water passage for short-circuiting the circulation circuit,
In a bath apparatus having a dropping pipe that connects a hot water supply source or a water supply source and a circulation circuit and injects water into a bathtub, the bath apparatus has a switching valve that switches between a state of dropping water into the bathtub and a state of circulating water in the bathtub, The switching valve has four or more openings, and one of the openings is used as a reference opening, and the reference opening and another opening communicate with each other. A state in which the three parties communicate with each other can be selected, and the switching valve is disposed in the circulation circuit, two openings including the reference opening are connected to the pipeline of the circulation circuit, and the other opening is dropped. A bath apparatus, wherein the bath apparatus communicates with a pipe, and another opening communicates with a bypass waterway. 2. The circulation circuit is a reheating circuit in which a heat exchanger is arranged on the discharge side of the pump, and the switching valve is connected between the water suction port of the pump and the bathtub and connects a reference opening toward the bathtub side. The bath apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bypass water passage is branched from a discharge-side pipe line of the heat exchanger. 3. The switching valve has a housing having a cavity therein and four or more openings including a reference opening, and a valve body incorporated in the cavity of the housing so as to be movable or changeable in posture. The state in which the reference opening and the other opening communicate with each other by moving or changing the position of the valve body, and the state in which the reference opening communicates with three other openings other than the top can be selected. The bath apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bath apparatus is provided. 4. The switching valve has a housing having a cavity therein and four or more openings including a reference opening, and a valve body incorporated in the cavity of the housing so as to be movable or changeable in posture. The valve body is provided with openings communicating with each other at three positions, and when the valve body moves to a specific position or takes a specific posture, one of the three directions of the valve body is set to a reference position of the housing. An opening in one direction communicates with the opening and another opening of the valve body communicates with another opening of the housing. Further, the remaining opening of the valve body is closed inside the housing, and the valve body moves or changes its posture. 3. One of said three-way openings communicates with a reference opening of a housing, and another two-way opening of a valve body communicates with two other openings other than the tip of the housing. The bath apparatus according to item 1. 5. The valve body rotates to change the posture in the gap of the housing, the valve body has openings in two directions perpendicular to the rotation axis direction and the rotation axis, and the housing is provided in the valve body. 5. The bath apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the bath apparatus has a reference opening in a rotation axis direction and three openings in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis direction of the valve element. 6. 6. The bath apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the valve body has a ball shape, a cylindrical shape, a conical shape, or a dish shape. 7. A pipe is provided from the water supply source to the heat exchanger, and a dropping pipe is provided directly from the outlet side of the heat exchanger or through a branch portion, and the dropping pipe is provided with a valve member before reaching the switching valve. The bath apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the water is directly introduced into the circulation circuit from the heat exchanger or the branch via the switching valve without having the water supply. 8. A switching valve having a valve body rotatably built in a housing, wherein the valve body has openings communicating with each other in two directions perpendicular to the rotation axis and the rotation axis,
The housing has a reference opening in the direction of the rotation axis of the valve body and three openings perpendicular to the direction of the rotation axis of the valve body. The opening in the direction of the rotation axis of the valve body is the reference opening of the housing. One of the openings perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the valve communicates with the other opening of the housing when the valve is in a specific posture, and the remaining opening of the valve is inside the housing. When the valve is rotated to another specific posture, two openings perpendicular to the rotation axis of the valve communicate with two openings other than the tip of the housing. A switching valve, characterized in that: