JP2000310445A - Bath unit and estimation of temperature before reheating - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a method for accurately estimating water temperature before reheating, by comprising a means for calculating the quantity of heat that has been required for reheating and a means for detecting temperature of water in a bath tub at the time of finishing reheating, and permitting to have an operation function based on a specific formula. SOLUTION: A bath unit has an operation function for an output f(x) based on a formula wherein F represents quantity of heat required for reheating, and ThE represents the temperature of water in a bath tub at the time of finishing reheating. In the formula, F/Q means a division of the heat quantity F which has been obtained by a heat quantity calculating means, by a water quantity Q in the bath tub to calculate variation of temperature brought by reheating. The variation value of temperature by reheating is subtracted from the water temperature ThE. As a result, water temperature just before starting (i.e., at the time of starting) reheating can be calculated. Further, a hot water temperature sensor 28 is able to detect the water temperature ThE and functions as a water temperature detecting means after completion of reheating.

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 built-in bath heating apparatus for automatically reheating water (hot water) stretched in a bathtub to maintain the temperature. It is about. The present invention also provides a method for estimating a water temperature (hot water temperature) in a bathtub before reheating.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There is known a bath apparatus having a function of automatically reheating hot water in a bathtub so that a hot water temperature can be maintained at any time. This type of bath apparatus basically reheats a bath at intervals of time, and automatically stops reheating when the temperature of hot water reaches a desired temperature.

[0003] Here is the time interval for reheating,
In a conventional bath apparatus, for example, a configuration in which a fixed time such as 15 minutes or 30 minutes is set, and after this time has elapsed, reheating is automatically performed has been adopted.

[0004]

However, the conventional bath apparatus is required to carry out the work such as seasonal fluctuation such as summer and winter, the situation of the bath installation location, the difference of the environment such as the length of the pipe, and the quality of the insulation of the bathtub / bathroom. Since the difference in conditions was neglected, there was a problem that appropriate heat retention was not always performed. That is, in the conventional technique, reheating is performed at regular intervals irrespective of the environment or the like, so that when the user tries to take a bath, the hot water may be warm. On the contrary, there is also a case where reheating is performed excessively and fuel or the like is wasted. In particular, 2
In a bath called a 4-hour bath, which always keeps the amount and temperature of hot water constant, the circulation pump is constantly operated to filter the hot water in the bathtub, so there is almost no drop in hot water temperature in summer. However, there is a problem that the temperature of the hot water is too high because of the presence of the heat retaining device. Further, in the conventional configuration, since the circulation pump rotates periodically, there is a complaint that noise is frequently generated.

On the other hand, if the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub is constantly monitored, and the reheating is started when the temperature falls below a certain value, the reheating can be performed depending on the bath construction environment and seasonal fluctuations. The time interval is increased / decreased, and appropriate heat retention is performed. However, in this configuration, the reheating time interval is determined using the change of the hot water temperature as a main key. Therefore, in order to accurately maintain the temperature, it is necessary to start the circulation pump in a short cycle. That is, since a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of hot water is usually provided in the circulation circuit of the bath, when monitoring the temperature of hot water, the circulation pump is started at very short intervals to detect the temperature of hot water. There is a disadvantage that it must be done. In other words, the above configuration requires monitoring the temperature of the hot water for a relatively long time, for example, 15 minutes or 30 minutes, and accurately catching the slow temperature drop during this time, and frequently circulates the hot water in the bathtub. Must be cycled through the circuit. Therefore, the above configuration
Problems such as noise are great.

In addition, in order to accurately detect the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub, it is not enough to simply circulate the hot water in the circulation circuit, and the circulation pump is continuously operated until the temperature of the hot water in the circuit is stabilized. Must be started. That is, the temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the bathtub is provided in the piping of the circulation circuit as described above, but the temperature of the piping itself has a considerable difference from the temperature of hot water. Usually, when hot water is not circulating in the circulation circuit, the temperature of the pipe is considerably lower than the temperature of hot water in the bathtub. Therefore, at the beginning of the circulation, the hot water is deprived of heat by the piping, and a value different from the actual hot water temperature is detected. Therefore, as described above, in order to accurately detect the hot water temperature in the bathtub, until the hot water temperature in the circulation circuit is stabilized.
The circulation pump must be started continuously, which takes time and causes problems such as noise to become more apparent.

Therefore, the present invention focuses on the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, estimates the interval time required for the heat retention operation, and develops a bath apparatus capable of performing heat retention reheating at appropriate time intervals. It is an issue.

In a bath apparatus having a function of automatically reheating, it is necessary to accurately know the water temperature before the start of reheating as a criterion for various controls. However, as described above, in order to accurately detect the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub, the circulation pump must be continuously driven until the temperature of the hot water in the circulation circuit is stabilized, and a considerable time is required for measurement. It costs. In addition, it is not preferable to circulate the hot water in the bathtub for a long time without heating for reheating, because the user is misunderstood as if it is a malfunction. Conversely, if it is configured to detect the water temperature in parallel with the heating for reheating,
It is not possible to know the exact water temperature before the start of reheating. Therefore, the present invention provides a method for accurately estimating the water temperature before the start of reheating.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reheating unit for reheating water in a bathtub and a calorie F required for reheating. comprising a heat calculating means, the water temperature detecting means after reheating to detect the water temperature Th _E in reheating at the end of the bathtub, a bath apparatus characterized by having a calculation function based on the following equation.

[0010]

(Equation 1)

[0011] Although the word "water" is present in claim 1, the words "water" and "hot water" are not used strictly in the present invention and in the present specification. Both are substantially identical. That is, the expression “water” includes “hot water”, and the expression “hot water” includes “water”. (F / Q) in Equation 1 is obtained by dividing the heat quantity F calculated by the heat quantity calculation means by the water quantity Q in the bathtub.
This is to calculate the temperature changed by reheating.
And in the bath apparatus of the present invention, pull the temperature changes by reheating from a water temperature Th _E in reheating at the end of the tub. As a result, the water temperature immediately before the start of reheating (the same meaning as at the start) is calculated.

Further, the invention according to claim 2 is the bath apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the amount of heat F required for reheating is determined by the following equation.

[0013]

(Equation 2)

In the bath apparatus of the present invention, the total amount of heat at the time of reheating is determined by integration. The bath apparatus of the present invention can determine the exact amount of heat at the time of reheating even if the burner output at the time of reheating is constant or fluctuates.

Further, the invention according to claim 3 has means for storing the temperature Th _E ′ at the end of the previous reheating, and the calculated value of f _{(x) in} claim 1 is Th _S , The bath apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bath apparatus has a calculation function based on.

[0016]

(Equation 3)

In the bath apparatus according to the present invention, the calculated value T ₍ f ₎ of f _(x) is calculated from the temperature Th _E ′ at the end of the previous reheating.
An operation for subtracting h _S is performed. Here, f of claim 1
The calculated value Th _S of _(x) corresponds to the water temperature immediately before the start of reheating as described above. Therefore, the change amount of the hot water temperature during the reheating time interval is calculated by the calculation of Expression 3.

The invention described in claim 4 is the first invention.
4. The bath apparatus according to any one of the above, wherein the bath apparatus has a function of reheating the water in the bathtub at intervals of time, and sets a time interval for increasing or decreasing the reheating time interval based on the calculation of Expression 1 or 3. A bath apparatus having a function.

The bath apparatus according to the present invention reheats the hot water in the bathtub to a predetermined temperature, and calculates the temperature before reheating and the degree of decrease in the temperature of the hot water at the reheating interval based on the amount of heat required for reheating. . Then, the reheating time interval is increased or decreased based on the result. For example, in winter, since the outside air temperature is low, the hot water in the bathtub cools down quickly, and the temperature of the hot water after a certain time has passed is low. That is, the temperature of hot water at the start of reheating is low. Therefore, when the temperature of the hot water at the start of reheating tends to be low, the reheating time interval is shortened by the time interval setting function, and reheating is performed more frequently. Conversely, in summer, the temperature of hot water after a certain period of time is high because the outside air temperature is high. Therefore, if the temperature of hot water at the start of reheating tends to be high, the reheating time interval is extended by the time interval setting function to reduce the frequency of reheating. According to the present invention, when the temperature of the hot water is rapidly cooled, the time interval for the reheating is short, and when the temperature of the hot water is hard to cool, the time interval for the reheating is increased. Therefore, it is possible to exhibit a much higher heat retaining effect than the conventional one. Further, in the present invention, it is not necessary to frequently start the circulation pump.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the time interval setting function sets the reheating time interval when the operation value obtained by the expression 1 or the operation value obtained by the expression 3 is out of a predetermined range. The bath apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the amount of the bath apparatus is increased or decreased.

In the bath apparatus of the present invention, when the calculated value obtained by the equation (1) or the calculated value obtained by the equation (3) is out of a certain range, the reheating time interval is increased or decreased. Therefore, the operation is stable.

Further, the invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that, when a sign that a person takes a bath during reheating is recognized, the reheating time interval is not changed. Bath equipment.

Examples of cases in which a sign of a person taking a bath is recognized include a case where a bath is operated by performing a remote control operation and a case where a change in water level appears. In the bath apparatus of the present invention, when a sign that a person takes a bath during reheating is recognized, the reheating time interval is not changed.
The largest error element is excluded.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the bath apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the bath apparatus has a function of reheating the water in the bath tub to a predetermined target temperature. A bath apparatus having a target temperature changing function of changing a target temperature of reheating based on the calculation of (3).

The present invention is provided with a target temperature changing function for changing the target temperature for reheating based on the calculation of the above equation (1) or (3). That is, in the bath apparatus of the present invention, the target temperature itself is changed based on the temperature before the start of reheating. More specifically, as in winter, when the temperature of the hot water drops sharply and the calculated value of Equation 1 is small or the calculated value of Equation 2 is large, the target temperature is raised in anticipation of the drop in the hot water temperature. Change. Conversely, as in summer, when the hot water temperature hardly changes and the calculated value of Equation 1 is large or the calculated value of Equation 2 is small, the target temperature is changed lower.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the bath apparatus according to any one of the third to sixth aspects, the bath apparatus has a function of reheating water in the bath tub to a predetermined target temperature, and calculates the equation (3). The function of integrating the value, the function of integrating the reheating time interval, and the integrated value of the calculated value of Equation 3 are divided by the integrated value of the reheating time interval to obtain a water temperature drop gradient at a predetermined reheating time interval. A bath having a function of calculating and a function of selecting a numerical value of a decrease gradient of water temperature according to a predetermined standard, and a target temperature changing function of changing a target temperature of reheating based on a result of the selection. Device.

The present invention is provided with a target temperature changing function for changing the target temperature for reheating based on the calculation of the above equation (3). That is, in the bath apparatus of the present invention, the target temperature itself is changed based on the temperature before the start of reheating as in the case of the above-described claim 7, and the function of integrating the reheating time interval and the equation A function of dividing the integrated value of the calculated value of 3 by the integrated value of the reheating time interval to calculate a water temperature decrease gradient at a predetermined reheating time interval, and a function of selecting the numerical value of the water temperature decrease gradient according to a certain standard. have. That is, in the present invention, the temperature gradient of the water temperature at the predetermined reheating time interval is calculated, and this is divided into a predetermined reference, for example, a case where the temperature drop is severe and a case where it is not. Here, it is expected that the time when the temperature is drastically occupied is mostly winter or a geographically cold region. In addition, it is expected that baths are installed in a summer or in a geographically warm district when the temperature drop is mostly small. Then, the target temperature is changed based on these data.

Further the invention of a method for solving the same problem is to reheating water in the bathtub, it calculates the amount of heat F required for reheating, detects the water temperature Th _E in reheating at the end of the bathtub to a method of estimating the temperature before reheating and calculates a water temperature Th _S before the start reheating based on the following equation.

[0029]

(Equation 4)

In the method for estimating the temperature before reheating according to the present invention,
Equation (F / Q) in Equation 4 is obtained by dividing the amount of heat F required for reheating by the amount of water Q in the bathtub, and calculates the temperature changed by the reheating. And in the method of estimating the reheating temperature before the present invention, pull the temperature changes by reheating from a water temperature Th _E in reheating at the end of the tub. As a result, the water temperature immediately before the start of reheating (at the start) is calculated.

[0031]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a time chart showing a change in temperature of hot water in a bathtub when the bath apparatus of the present invention is used. FIG. 2 is a piping diagram of a bath employing the bath warming device of the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a controller of the bath apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the bath apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a piping diagram of a bath employing a bath apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a controller of a bath apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the number of hot water supply units and the hot water supply gas pressure. FIG. 8 is a graph showing the relationship between the hot-water supply gas pressure and the output of the reburning burner. FIG.
Is a graph showing an example of an output change of a reheating burner. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for calculating the total amount of heat of the reburning burner.

The bath apparatus 1 of the present invention is applied to a bath having a mechanical structure as shown in FIG. 2, for example. Bath equipment 1
Is a hot water supply unit 2 that supplies hot water to dropped water and other taps
And a reheating unit 5 for reheating the hot water in the bathtub 3.

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 hot water supply heat exchanger 10,
It has a bypass circuit 12 that bypasses the hot water supply heat exchanger 10. Then, the amount of bypass water flowing through the bypass circuit 12 is adjusted by the bypass water amount control valve 15, and the high-temperature hot water circuit 1 is adjusted.
The temperature of the hot water is adjusted by mixing the high-temperature hot water flowing through 1 and the cold water flowing through the bypass circuit 12. A water flow control valve 18 is provided downstream of the mixing portion of the hot water circuit 11 and the bypass circuit 12.
And a temperature sensor 20 are provided.
0 is fed back to the bypass water flow control valve 15 and the like, and the water flow control valve 1
8 controls the total amount of water.

The hot water circuit 11 includes a water amount sensor 14.
, A temperature sensor 19 is provided, and the temperature of the hot water is 80
The proportional control valve 17 is adjusted so as to be about ° C.

The reheating section 5 has a bathtub circulation circuit 22 for circulating the bathtub 3 and the reheating heat exchanger 21. That is, the bathtub circulation circuit 22 includes an outgoing-side waterway 23 for sending hot water from the reheating heat exchanger 21 side to the bathtub 3, and a bathtub 3.
Return water channel 2 that returns hot water to the reheating heat exchanger 21 side
Have four. The return waterway 24 has a water level sensor 2
5, a circulation pump 26, a water flow switch 27 and a hot water temperature sensor 28 are provided. Here the water level sensor 25
Is for detecting the water level in the bathtub 3 and for detecting data which is the basis for calculating the amount of hot water in the bathtub as described later. In addition, the hot water temperature sensor 28 can detect the water temperature Th _E in the bathtub at the end of the reheating, and functions as a water temperature detecting unit after the reheating.

The hot water supply unit 2 and the reheating unit 5 are connected by a drop water channel 30. Drop waterway 30
Is branched from the downstream side of the portion of the hot water supply unit 2 where the temperature sensor 20 is attached, and is connected to both the outgoing water passage 23 and the return water passage 24 of the reheating unit 5. A connection portion of the drop water channel 30 with the outgoing water channel 23;
A safety valve 31, a solenoid valve 32, and a water amount sensor 33 are connected to a connection portion of the drop water channel 30 with the return water channel 24, and two check valves 34, 35 are provided downstream thereof.

The heat exchangers 10 and 21 of the hot water supply unit 2 and the reheating unit 5 are provided with independent combustion cases 37 and 3 respectively.
8 and independent air supply fans 4
Air is supplied by 0,41. Also, the paths of the gas supplied to the burners 47 and 48 are independent after the original electromagnetic valve 43. The hot water supply unit 2 is proportionally controlled by the proportional control valve 17, and the reheating unit 5 passes through the electromagnetic valve 45. Gas is supplied to the reburning burner 48. Therefore, in the bath apparatus 1, the burner 48 for reheating is burned in a fully opened state,
Either it is stopped, and the effective output of the burner 48 at the time of reheating is constant.

The bath apparatus 1 of the present invention is controlled mainly by a CPU built in a controller 46 of the bath apparatus 1 itself. The signal of the water level sensor 25 provided in the reheating unit 5 and the signal of the hot water temperature sensor 28 are input to the CPU. In addition, according to the output of the CPU, the electromagnetic valve 45, the fan 40, and the circulation pump 26 belonging to the reheating unit 5 are started and stopped via a predetermined relay or the like.

In addition to a known control program for a water heater, a program for performing a time interval setting function is input to the CPU. Specifically, the CPU has a calorific value calculating function for calculating a caloric value F required for reheating (a calorific value calculating means).
A timer function for exhibiting a time interval setting function, a water amount calculation function, a pre-reheating temperature estimation function for estimating the hot water temperature before reheating, and a time interval calculation function.

Here, the timer function is realized by, for example, a counter, and measures the time required for reheating and the time interval of reheating.

The calorific value calculation function calculates the calorific value F required for reheating.
Is a function of integrating and calculating. That is, in the bath apparatus 1 of the present invention, the following calculation is performed.

[0042]

(Equation 2)

In the case of the bath apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 2, the burner 48 of the reheating unit 5 is turned on and off by the solenoid valve 45 and has only the fully opened and fully closed states. The effective output f (A) of the burner is a constant. Therefore, in the bath apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the heat output F per unit time of the burner is multiplied by the combustion time to obtain the heat amount F required for reheating.
Is required. Naoba - effective output f per unit of Na time is determined by "f = I _m × η". Where _Im
Is the output of the burner, and η is the bath reheating efficiency. Therefore, in the calorific value calculating function, the following formula is calculated.

[0044]

(Equation 5)

The water amount calculating function (water amount detecting means) calculates the amount of hot water Q remaining in the current bathtub 3 from the signal of the water level sensor 25 and the shape of the bathtub 3 stored in advance. As for the amount of water, it is also possible to perform a calculation to be described later using the water amount set value of the controller or the set hot water amount as it is.

In the bath apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment,
It has a pre-boiling temperature estimation function, and uses the calorific value calculation function described above.
Calorie F calculated for reheating and water volume calculation function
And the amount of hot water Q remaining in the bathtub 3 calculated by
Hot water immediately after reheating, detected by temperature sensor 28
On Th_EFrom the temperature Th immediately before reheating is performed _S
Is calculated. That is, in the bath apparatus 1 of the present invention,
Is performed.

[0047]

(Equation 4)

Subsequently, the follow-up calculated by the above equation is performed.
Temperature before firing Th_SBased on the reheating time interval Ti_i
Is calculated. That is, the temperature before reheating, Th_SIs excessive
If low, the reheating time interval Ti _iFrequently shorten
And then the temperature before reheating is Th_SIs high
In the case, the reheating time interval Ti_iExtend and reheat
Reduce the number of times. For example, during the reheating period of the initial set value
The interval is set to 20 minutes, and the set value set by the bath user is added.
Recalculation calculated as the set point temperature fts
Before temperature Th_SIs equal to or higher than the set temperature fts.
If so, extend the reheating time interval by 5 minutes. On the other hand,
Temperature before reheating Th_SExceeds 0.5 ° C from the set value
If it is too low, reduce the reheating time interval by 5 minutes. Additional
The heating time interval should be reviewed every time reheating is completed.
Even after extending the reheating time interval by 5 minutes, it was still calculated
Temperature before reheating_SIs equal to or higher than the set value.
If so, extend the reheating time interval by 5 minutes. Follow again
Temperature before firing Th_SIs lower than the set value by more than 0.5 ° C
The same applies to the case where_i
For another 5 minutes. However, the reheating time interval is
A lower limit is set and will not be exceeded.

In the above equation, the "effective output F per unit time of the burner" is used, and the numerical value is a theoretical value and not an actually measured value. There is no practical problem. Of course, it is desirable to use a value close to the actually measured value in the calculation, and the correction should be made as close as possible to the actually measured value. For example, when the bath apparatus 1 is installed, it is also recommended to fill the bathtub 3 with water, perform additional heating for a certain period of time, measure the output of the burner 48, and use this value in the above equation.

Next, a method of using the bath apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described. First, hot water is applied to the bathtub 3 via the water channel 30 from the hot water supply unit 2 into the bath apparatus 1 shown in FIG. Then, the setting of the controller is set to the warming mode manually or automatically, and the bath warming function of the bath apparatus 1 of the present invention is operated. The flowchart of FIG. 5 shows the operation from the time when the bath heat retention function is started.

When the bath warming function is started, step 1
Then, warm-up reheating is started immediately. Then, the hot water in the bathtub is heated to a predetermined set temperature fts (for example, 40 ° C.) desired by the user (step 2), and the first reheating is completed. Subsequently, the process proceeds to step 3, where a timer is set. The timer has a base time of 20 minutes and a fluctuation time of (C × 5), and the proportionality constant C is changed by setting. In the first stage, the value of the proportionality constant C is zero.
Then the timer is up (20 minutes have passed, step 4)
When the first reheating time interval Ti _i1 has elapsed, the second reheating is started in step 5. In particular,
First, the circulation pump 26 is started, and after pre-circulation for a certain time, the burner 48 on the reheating side is ignited. Then, in step 6, the past calorific value calculation is returned to the initial value, and reheating is started. At the same time, the calorific value calculation function operates, and the integration of the calorific value is started based on Expression 2.

When the hot water in the bath is heated to the set temperature fts (step 8), the second reheating is completed (step 9). In Step 9, the hot water temperature sensor 2
8 the detected temperature fth is recorded as the temperature Th _E at the end of reheating the.

Subsequently, in step 10, it is determined whether or not a person is taking a bath. This determination is made based on the presence or absence of bath operation (addition hot water, additional water, reheating, etc.) by remote control operation, water replenishment due to lower water level, and bathing detection due to higher water level. In short, when a sensor or a remote controller or the like undergoes some artificial operation or a change caused by the presence of a person, a sign of taking a bath is recognized, and it is determined that a person is taking a bath in the bath. The criterion for the determination is not limited to the case described above, and another criterion may be adopted. It is desirable to constantly monitor whether or not bathing is taking place from the start of reheating to the end of reheating.

If it is determined in step 10 that the user is taking a bath, an error that cannot be ignored in the calorific value calculation is caused by the influence of the hot water and the hot water, so that the reheating time interval should not be changed. Therefore, if it is determined in step 10 that the person is taking a bath, the process returns to step 3 and
The last reheating time interval is used.

Conversely, if it is determined in step 10 that the bath is not taking a bath, the process proceeds to step 11 and the pre-heating temperature Th _S is calculated. That is, in this step, the calculation of Expression 4 is performed, and the temperature Th _S before the start of reheating is calculated. And the temperature Th _S before reheating starts is the set temperature fts.
If it is the same or higher, the process proceeds from step 12 to step 13, and 1 is added to "C". However, in the added state, “C” does not exceed 8. In addition, the temperature Th _S before reheating is 0.5 ° below the set temperature fts.
If the value is lower than C, steps 14 to 15
Then, add -1 to “C”. That is, 1 is subtracted. However, “C” in the added state does not fall below −2. When the temperature Th _S before the start of reheating is lower than the set temperature fts within a range of 0.5 ° C. or less, it is common sense that the temperature is appropriately lowered, and it is not necessary to change the reheating time interval. Therefore, in this case, the value of “C” is not changed.

In any case, return to step 3.
Timer is set again, and the
After waiting for the heat, reheating starts. That is, changed
The third reheating was opened after a time interval of
Begun. For example, in step 14 described above,
If the temperature before starting is lower than the set temperature by more than 0.5 ° C
If it is determined and “-1” is added to “C”, the first time
Time interval from the second reheating to the second reheating (Fig. 1
Is the first interval Ti _i1Rather than ")"
5 minutes shorter time interval (in FIG. 1, the second interval Ti
_i2Expression) will start the third reheating
You.

Thereafter, this step is repeated. Ie
In Step 11 after the third reheating, the third reheating
Temperature before starting_SIs calculated and the temperature before reheating is started
Th _SIf is equal to or higher than the set temperature fts,
From step 12 to step 13 and add 1 to "C".
When the temperature is lower than the set temperature by more than 0.5 ° C
Moves from step 14 to step 15 to "C"
Add -1. Then, the process returns to step 3, and the timer
And wait for the time-up in step 4
Boiling is started, and the reheating time interval Ti changed again
_i3, And the fourth reheating is started. like this
Temperature before starting reheating_SBut “fts ≧ Th_S> Fts -0.5 ° C ”, the reheating time interval is changed.

[0058] The reheating before starting temperature Th _S is, after the falls within the range shown above, reheating at the time interval Ti _i is performed. Further, if another external factor occurs and the temperature Th _S before the start of reheating deviates from the above range, the time interval is changed again. The above-mentioned numerical value of “C” is stored even after the operation of the automatic heat retention is ended, and when the automatic heat retention is performed again, the final numerical value of “C” is adopted. However, if the value of “C” is extremely large, the reheating time interval becomes extremely long. If the value is determined by a temporary factor, it takes too much time to return to a normal value. . Therefore, an upper limit should be set for the numerical value of “C” stored. For example,
When the final value of “C” is 2 or more, when performing automatic heat retention again, 2 is uniformly adopted as the value of “C”.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. The bath apparatus according to the above-described embodiment includes a bath apparatus 1
This is suitable when the output during reheating is constant, but the output during reheating varies depending on the structure of the bath apparatus. For example, as in the case of the bath apparatus having the configuration shown in FIG. 5, when the combustion case 60 is shared and only one fan 61 is provided, when the hot water is supplied from the other plug 16 and the hot water supply unit 2 is operated during reheating, the hot water supply unit In order to burn the burner 70 on the side, the air supply amount of the fan 61 fluctuates, and the output of the burner 71 of the reheating unit 5 fluctuates. In the bath apparatus, a gas supply circuit is common to the hot water supply unit 2 and the reheating unit 5, and both are branched from a single proportional valve 62. The proportional valve 62 is generally controlled by a request from the hot water supply unit 2, and has a large opening when the hot water supply unit 2 requires a high output, and has a large opening when the hot water supply unit 2 requires a low output. Become smaller. Therefore, the output of the burner 71 on the reheating unit 5 side fluctuates.

In the above-mentioned bath apparatus, in the above-mentioned apparatus, the output fluctuation of the burner during reheating is small, so that the integration of the calorific value can be performed by a simple calculation such as simply multiplying the burner output by the combustion time. In a bath apparatus having a large variation in burner output during reheating as shown in (1), complicated calculations are required.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a bath apparatus according to the present embodiment.
A signal from the water amount sensor 14 on the hot water supply unit 2 side, a signal from the temperature sensor 19 for measuring the incoming water temperature, and a hot water temperature setting signal for the hot water supply unit 2 are input to the input side. Hereinafter, the calorie calculation in this type of bath apparatus will be supplementarily described. In the present embodiment, the effective output of the reburning burner 71, which varies depending on the use condition of the hot water supply unit 2 during reheating, is obtained as a function of time, and this function is integrated to thereby circulate the bathwater during reheating. Calculate the heating amount of the heater.

That is, when only reheating is performed without using the hot water supply unit 2, the effective output of the burner 71 for heating the reheating heat exchanger 21 is the same as that of the previous embodiment, and "F = (I _m × η) t ”. Here I _m is the output of the burner, eta is a bath reheating efficiency.

When the hot water supply unit 2 is used at the same time as the reheating, the proportional valve 62 is proportionally controlled by the set temperature of the reheating unit 2, so that the gas pressure of the burner 71 for heating the reheating heat exchanger 21 changes. As a result, the effective output of the burner 71 also changes. Therefore, it is necessary to employ a bath output function different from the previous one for the calculation.

When the hot water supply unit 2 is used at the same time as the reheating, the effective output of the burner 71 for heating the reheating heat exchanger 21 is determined, for example, as follows. That is, the effective output of the burner 71 is calculated by previously determining the gas pressure of the hot water supply unit 2 (hereinafter, referred to as “hot water gas pressure”) by an experiment.

The hot water gas pressure is determined based on an experimental graph as shown in FIG. 7 based on the number of hot water supplies (the number determined by the incoming water temperature of the hot water supply unit 2 and the amount of incoming water and the set temperature. Number). The experimental graph of FIG. 7 shows the relationship between the number of hot water supply units and the hot water supply gas pressure. FIG. 7 shows that the hot water supply unit 2 side has two gas burners 70a and 70b,
In a configuration in which adjustment can be performed by using one solenoid valve, a straight line “N1” when only one solenoid valve is opened;
A straight line “N2” when the two solenoid valves are opened is plotted. As evident in the graph, when the same hot water supply scale number, hot water supply gas pressure P ₁ of the "N1" when you open only one solenoid valve, when opening the two electromagnetic valves "N2"
It is higher than the hot water supply gas pressure P ₂ of. And "N1",
As for “N2”, as the opening degree of the proportional valve 62 increases, both the number of hot water supply units and the supply gas pressure increase.

FIG. 8 shows the relationship between the hot water supply gas pressure and the bath output thus changed. Here, the graph of FIG. 8 shows the relationship between the hot water supply gas pressure and the effective output (bath output) of the burner 71 as described above. The reason why the effective output differs between "N1" when only one solenoid valve is open and "N2" when two solenoid valves are open even at the same hot water gas pressure is because the flow path resistance of the gas passage changes. is there. That is, when two solenoid valves are open, “N2” is in a state where the gas passages are connected in parallel, so that when only one solenoid valve is open, the flow path resistance is smaller than “N1”. Therefore, the gas becomes easier to flow to the hot water supply unit 2 side than the reheating heat exchanger 21, so that the effective output decreases. Here, one or two solenoid valves are provided, respectively, and hot water supply gas pressures P ₁ and P ₂ when opened.
The effective output of the P _1, N ₁ and P _2, N _2. As described above, even if the number of hot water supplies is the same, "N1" or "N2"
The effective output differs depending on the type.

The data of the graph of FIG. 7 and the data of the graph of FIG. 8 are obtained in advance by experiments and stored in the RAM or the ROM. At the time of reheating, if hot water is supplied at the same time, the signal of the water amount sensor 14 (input water amount supplied to the water heater) input to the microcomputer, the signal of the temperature sensor 19 (input water temperature), and The amount of heat required for the hot water supply unit 2 is calculated from the signal of the temperature setter (set temperature), and the number of hot water supply units corresponding to this is determined. Then, the hot water supply gas pressure is obtained from the data of the graph of FIG. Is the graph of hot water gas pressure "N1" or "N2"
Is determined by checking the ON / OFF signal to the solenoid valve, and a predetermined correction is made.

Accordingly, such a change in the effective output can be obtained as a function of time, an example of which is shown in FIG. In FIG. 9, at the beginning, reheating is performed without using the hot water supply unit 2, during which hot water is supplied to another tap, the solenoid valve in the hot water supply unit 2 is opened, and the burners 70 a and 70 b are burned ( (The burner 71 continues to burn.) Then, the hot water supply to the other plug is completed and only the burner 71 burns. Then, the hot water is supplied to the other plug, the solenoid valve is opened, and the burner 70a burns. After that, the hot water supply to the other tap is completed and only the reheating is performed.

More specifically, initially, in order to perform additional heating without using the hot water supply unit 2, the additional heat exchanger 21 is used.
The effective output when only one is used is P, N ₃ .
Thereafter, when the hot water supply unit 2 is used, the water amount sensor-1
4 signal (water input to water heater), temperature sensor
An effective output is calculated based on the signal 19 (input water temperature) and the signal of the temperature setting device (set temperature). For example, the effective outputs are P and N ₂ . Thereafter, when only reheating is performed without using the hot water supply unit 2 again, the effective output becomes P and N ₃ again. Subsequently, when the hot water supply unit 2 is used again,
The effective output is for example P, a N _1. P, a case effective output than that in the previous hot water used as N ₁ is small, for example, set than that in the previous hot water service temperature is low, the proportional valve 62
May be narrowed down. Then, the use of the hot water supply unit 2 is finished, and the use of the hot water supply unit 2 is not performed again.
When only reheating is performed, the effective outputs are P and N ₃ . FIG. 9 shows an example of use as described above. From the effective output at the time of reheating as determined as such a function, the total heat amount at the time of reheating is determined. The above function f (A) is
F (P, N, T) which is a function of hot water supply gas pressure P, hot water supply capacity N and time T or f (G, F, G) which is a function of hot water supply setting number G, hot water supply capacity N, gas type K and time T N, K, T).

The integral integration of the effective output at the time of specific reheating is performed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. That is, when the time at which reheating starts is approaching, bath output integration is started. Then, in step 21, n =
0 is set. That is, the number of repetitions of the integration, more specifically, the reheating time is reset. In the following step 22, F ₀ = 0 is set. That is, the integrated heat amount is reset. When reheating is started in step 23, it is determined in step 24 whether the combustion is steady combustion. If it is steady combustion, the process proceeds to step 25 to continue the bath output integration, and if not, the process skips steps 25 to 29 and proceeds to step 30.

If it is determined in step 24 that the combustion is steady combustion and the process proceeds to step 25, 1s is added to the previous n and stored. In the following step 26, it is determined whether or not only the reheating unit 3 is used alone. Here, if only the reheating unit 3 is used alone, the burner output is constant as described above, so the flow shifts to step 27 to store A = f ₀ (constant value). If the reheating unit 3 is not used alone, the process proceeds to step 28, and the amount of heat based on the above experimental data is stored as A.

Then, the process proceeds to the step 29 via the step 27 or the step 28, and A is added to the accumulated heat amount which is reset to 0 beforehand. Then, the process proceeds to step 30 to check whether the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub 3 is equal to or higher than the set temperature. If the temperature of the hot water is not higher than the set temperature, the process returns to step 24, the number of repetitions is counted in step 25, and different numerical values are determined in steps 27 and 28 depending on whether or not the reheating unit 5 is used alone in step 26. Is stored in A, and is sequentially accumulated in step 29. During these steps, if it is confirmed in step 10 that the temperature has reached the set temperature or more, the process proceeds to step 31 to stop the reheating and terminate the integration of the bath output.

Steps other than the calorific value calculation are exactly the same as those in the previous embodiment. If the temperature before the start of reheating is the same or higher than the set temperature, the process proceeds from step 12 to step 13, and "C , And if the temperature is lower than the set temperature by more than 0.5 ° C., the process proceeds from step 14 to step 15, and −1 is added to “C”. Then, returning to step 3, the timer is set again, and after waiting for the time-up in step 4, reheating is started, and reheating is restarted at a changed reheating time interval. Thereafter, this step is repeated.

The above-described embodiments are all described assuming that the burner 48 burns in a full combustion state at all times. Some models perform firing. When applying the present invention to a model having a "mild combustion" function,
The amount of heat F is determined by the method according to the second embodiment.

[0075] The above described embodiments, before the start of reheating and hot water temperature Th _S, but is intended to change the firing time interval Ti _i follow is compared with the set temperature fts, the last Reheating at the end of Temperature Th _E ′ and temperature T at the end of this reheating
A configuration is also conceivable in which the difference in h _S is calculated, and the reheating time interval is changed from this value, that is, the temperature drop in the reheating time interval.

In each of the embodiments described above, the reheating time interval for automatically keeping the bath warm is changed. The temperature T before reheating, which is a main part of the present invention, is changed.
The technique for estimating h _S is also applicable to bath apparatuses having other configurations. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a bath having a configuration in which the temperature before heat retention is set as one of the indices and the target temperature itself for heat retention is changed. This type of bath is known to finely adjust the target temperature of the bath automatic warming in response to a large seasonal variation such as summer or winter. As a method of adjustment, every time there is one reheating, the target temperature is changed little by little, several times, several tens times, or memorize the temperature before reheating for several days, this In some cases, it is adjusted according to the average value, the tendency, or the angle of the decreasing gradient. An example of this type of bath apparatus is as follows. That is, in the type of bath apparatus, the temperature Th _E 'at the end of the previous reheating and the temperature Th at the end of the current reheating are shown.
Calculate the difference of _S. That is, the following equation is calculated every time reheating is performed.

[0077]

(Equation 6)

Then, these values are sequentially integrated. The slide into even sequentially accumulated about the same time Reheating time interval Ti _i. However, as in the previous embodiment, if a sign of taking a bath is recognized, it is excluded from the accumulation. Integrated value of Reheating time interval Ti _i, for example where it reaches a certain time such as 720 minutes, to calculate the reduction gradient of the hot water temperature. Specifically, by dividing the cumulative value of the previous Reheating end temperature Th _E 'and this reheating at the end of the temperature Th _S integrated value burning time interval Ti _i follow the differences decrease gradient of water temperature Is calculated. When the temperature gradient exceeds a certain numerical value and when the temperature gradient does not exceed a certain numerical value, the number of times when the temperature gradient exceeds a certain numerical value over several days and the number of times when the temperature gradient does not exceed a certain value are counted. For example, the set where the temperature gradient per hour is 4 ° C. or more is defined as U
D is a set where the temperature gradient per hour is 1 ° C. or less. When the temperature gradient exceeds 1 ° C and 4 °
If it is less than C, it does not belong to either set. When the temperature gradient exceeds 1 ° C. and is less than 4 ° C., the number is reduced by one from the above sets U and D. And when the number of sets U and D reaches a certain value,
Change the target temperature of bath automatic heat retention. More specifically, when the set U exceeds a certain value, the state in which the temperature of the hot water drops sharply has continued, so it is expected that it is winter, and the target temperature for reheating is raised. Conversely, if the set D exceeds a certain value, it means that the state where there is almost no change in hot water temperature has continued, and it is considered that it is summer, and the target temperature for reheating is lowered.

[0079]

Bath apparatus according to claim 1 according to the present invention has a function of calculating the temperature of the reheating immediately before by subtracting the temperature changes by reheating from a water temperature Th _E in reheating at the end of the tub. Therefore, the present invention has an effect that an operation reference of a bath apparatus that performs a bath automatic warming function and other automatic operations can be accurately and easily calculated. Further, according to the present invention, it is not necessary to operate the circulation pump excessively, which is useful for suppressing noise and improving the life of the pump.

In the bath apparatus according to the second aspect, the total amount of heat at the time of the last reheating is obtained by integration. The bath apparatus of the present invention has a constant burner output during reheating,
Even if it fluctuates, the exact water temperature immediately before the start of reheating is known. Therefore, the bath apparatus of the present invention has high versatility.

Further, in the bath apparatus according to the third aspect, since the amount of change in hot water temperature during the reheating time interval is calculated, a new operation reference can be provided.

Further, in the bath apparatus according to the fifth aspect, when the hot water is cooled quickly, the reheating time interval from the next time is short, and when the hot water is hard to cool, the reheating time interval from the next time is long. Become. Therefore, there is an effect that a significantly higher heat retaining effect can be exhibited as compared with the conventional one. Further, since the present invention adjusts the reheating time interval mainly based on the amount of heat, it is not necessary to frequently start the circulation pump.

Further, in the bath apparatus according to the fifth aspect, a fixed reference is provided for increasing or decreasing the reheating time interval.
There is an effect that the operation is stable.

Further, the bath apparatus according to claim 6 does not change the reheating time interval when there is a sign that a person takes a bath, so that the largest error element is eliminated. Therefore, the bath apparatus of the present invention has few malfunctions.

The bath apparatus according to the seventh and eighth aspects has a target temperature changing function of changing the target temperature of reheating based on a predetermined calculation, and can cope with large seasonal fluctuations such as summer and winter. , It is possible to realize appropriate heat retention.

The method for estimating the temperature before reheating as described in claim 9 has an effect that the water temperature immediately before the start of reheating can be calculated by a simple method.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a time chart showing changes in the temperature of hot water in a bathtub when the bath apparatus of the present invention is used.

FIG. 2 is a piping diagram of a bath that employs a bath warming device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a controller of the bath apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the bath apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a piping diagram of a bath employing a bath apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a controller of a bath apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the number of hot water supply and hot water supply gas pressure.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing a relationship between a hot water supply gas pressure and an output of a reburning burner.

FIG. 9 is a graph showing an example of an output change of a reheating burner.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for calculating the total heat quantity of the reburning burner.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bath apparatus 2 Hot water supply part 5 Reheating part 25 Water level sensor 28 Hot water temperature sensor (water temperature detection means after reheating)

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A and reheating means for reheating the water in the bathtub, a heat calculating means for calculating a heat quantity F required for reheating, after reheating to detect the water temperature Th _E in reheating at the end of the bathtub A bath apparatus comprising a water temperature detecting means and having an arithmetic function based on the following equation. (Equation 1) 2. The bath apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the amount of heat F required for reheating is determined by the following equation. (Equation 2) 3. A means for storing a temperature Th _E ′ at the end of the previous reheating, wherein the calculated value of f _{(x) in} claim 1 is Th.
The bath apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein _S is an arithmetic function based on the following equation. (Equation 3) 4. The bath apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a function of reheating the water in the bathtub at intervals of time, and reheating the water based on the calculation of the expression (1) or (3). A bath apparatus having a time interval setting function of increasing or decreasing a time interval. 5. The time interval setting function increases or decreases the reheating time interval when the operation value obtained by the expression 1 or the operation value obtained by the expression 3 is out of a certain range. Item 6. The bath apparatus according to Item 4. 6. The bath apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the time interval of the reheating is not changed when a sign that a person takes a bath during reheating is recognized. 7. The bath apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a function of reheating the water in the bath tub to a predetermined target temperature, and reheating the water in the bathtub based on the calculation of the expression (1) or (3). A bath apparatus having a target temperature changing function of changing a target temperature of a bath. 8. The bath apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a function of reheating the water in the bath tub to a predetermined target temperature, a function of integrating the calculated value of Expression 3, and a function of A function of integrating the firing time interval, a function of dividing the integrated value of the calculated value of the above equation 3 by the integrated value of the reheating time interval, and calculating a water temperature drop gradient at a predetermined reheating time interval; A bath apparatus having a function of selecting a numerical value of a gradient according to a predetermined standard, and a target temperature changing function of changing a target temperature of reheating based on a result of the selection. 9. The water in the bathtub is reheated, the calorie F required for the reheating is calculated, and the water temperature T in the bathtub at the end of the reheating is calculated.
It detects the h _E, the method of estimating the temperature before reheating and calculates a water temperature Th _S before the start reheating based on the following equation. (Equation 4)