JP2002267255A - Device for bath - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for a bath, in which a water level in a bathtub can be controlled automatically according to a bather's selection between a 'half-body' bath and a 'whole-boy' bath. SOLUTION: When the user sets the water level for a half-body bath by a remote control 15, a faucet (solenoid open/close valve 17) is opened to pour water for the bathtub. When a sensor 21 detects that the level has reached a level LL suitable for half-body bath, the faucet is closed automatically. When the user sets the water level for whole-body bath, warm water is supplied from a warm-water supply pipe 26 to the bathtub 13, and the sensor 21 detects that the level in the bathtub 13 has reached a level HL optimal for whole-body bath, water supply from the pipe 26 is closed automatically.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bath apparatus for filling hot water in a bathtub, and more particularly to a bath apparatus for a half-body bath and a whole-body bath.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the case of the elderly, people with heart disease, people who may have a stroke, etc., avoid hot bathing or whole body bathing to avoid unexpected bathing accidents. It is recommended that you take a half bath. However, when half-bathing at home, etc., if an elderly person takes a bath after a healthy person and wants to take a half-body bath, the hot water stretched to the upper part of the bathtub or the drain plug is removed. Or the hot water in the bathtub must be drained to a water level suitable for half-body bathing. Therefore, the work of pumping hot water in the bathtub becomes a burden, and there is a risk that the burden on the elderly at the time of bathing may increase.In addition, when the drainage plug is pulled down to lower the water level,
The water level in the bathtub sometimes dropped too much while taking a little look.

[0003] Further, a bathtub capable of performing a half-body bath has conventionally been proposed. FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing a bathtub capable of performing a half-body bath and a whole-body bath. The bathtub 1 has a depth enough to allow a whole body bath, and has a chair-like step portion 2 on one side in the bathtub. If you do, your upper body will rise above the surface of the bath to form a half bath.

[0004] However, in such a bathtub, there is a problem that a portion having an original depth of the bathtub becomes narrow due to the step portion 2 for a half-body bath, and it becomes difficult to perform normal bathing (whole body bath). .

The present invention has been made in view of the above technical background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a bather with a half-body bath or a full-body bath, depending on the selection. An object of the present invention is to provide a bath apparatus capable of automatically adjusting a water level.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bath apparatus, comprising: means for setting a water level in a bath tub; and means for supplying hot and cold water into the bath tub to a water level set by the water level setting means. And a drain control means for controlling drainage of the bathtub in accordance with the water level set by the water level setting means. As the drainage control means for controlling the drainage of the bathtub, various structures are possible. For example, a drainage means provided in a circulation circuit for reheating of the bathtub or the like and a drainage control means for controlling drainage from the bathtub can be used. .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bath apparatus for setting a water level in a bathtub, supplying water to the bathtub up to the water level set by the water level setting means, and using the water level setting means. Means for controlling the opening and closing of the drain plug of the bathtub in accordance with the set water level. The means for setting the water level in the bathtub can be operated from a remote controller or the like. The means for controlling the opening and closing of the drain plug in the bathtub refers to, for example, a means for moving the drain plug such as a rubber packing, or an electromagnetic on-off valve provided as a drain plug.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the bath apparatus according to the first or second aspect, when the water level selected by the water level setting means is a low water level, drainage is performed by the drain cock opening / closing control means. It is characterized by opening the tap and lowering the water level in the bathtub to the set water level. Here, the case where the set water level is a low water level is, for example, a case where the water level in the bathtub is a water level appropriate for performing a half-body bath.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the bath apparatus according to the first or second aspect, when the set water level selected by the water level setting means is a high water level, the drain cock is opened and closed by the drain cock opening / closing means. In a closed state, hot water is supplied to the set water level by the hot water supply means. Here, the case where the set water level is a high water level is, for example, a case where the water level in the bathtub is a water level appropriate for performing the whole body bath.

[0010] The embodiment described in claim 5 is an embodiment in which
The bath apparatus according to any one of 2, 3 and 4, further comprising means for enabling or disabling operation of the water level setting means. Means for enabling or disabling the water level setting means can also be operated from a remote controller or the like.

[0011] The embodiment described in claim 6 is claim 1.
The bath apparatus according to 2, 3 or 4, further comprising a person detecting device for detecting the presence or absence of a person in the bathroom, wherein when the person detecting device detects entry of a person into the bathroom, the water level setting means can be operated. It is characterized by having become. Here, an infrared sensor, a low-resolution CCD camera (for example, an artificial retinal sensor, etc.) or the like can be used as the human detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a human.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the bath apparatus according to the fifth aspect, there is provided a person detecting device for detecting presence or absence of a person in the bathroom, and the person detecting device detects entry of a person into the bathroom. Then, the means for enabling or disabling the operation of the water level setting means can be operated.

[0013]

In the bath apparatus of the present invention, means for setting the water level in the bathtub, means for supplying hot and cold water to the bathtub up to the water level set by the water level setting means, and setting by the water level setting means are provided. Drainage control means for controlling the drainage of the bathtub in accordance with the water level, or means for controlling the opening and closing of the drainage plug of the bathtub in accordance with the water level set by the water level setting means, so that a half-body bath or a whole-body bath is provided. Thus, the water level in the bathtub can be automatically raised or lowered to the water level according to the purpose of bathing.

That is, when it is desired to bathe at a water level lower than the current water level, for example, in a half-body bath, the drain cock is opened by the drain cock opening / closing control means to lower the water level in the bathtub to the set water level, and the water level is automatically adjusted. Can be set. Therefore, even when it is desired to change from the water level of the whole body bath to the water level of the half-body bath, there is no need to draw out the hot water from the bathtub, and it is possible to reduce the burden on the elderly and the like when taking a bath. Also, there is no danger of inadvertently draining and emptying all the hot water in the bathtub with the drain plug removed.

When the user wants to take a bath at a water level higher than the current water level, such as a whole body bath, the hot water is supplied to the set water level by the hot water supply means with the drain cock closed by the drain cock opening / closing means. Water level can be set automatically. Therefore, even after performing a half-body bath, the water level in the bathtub can be easily returned to a state where the whole body can be bathed.

Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, since means for enabling or disabling the operation of the water level setting means is provided, it is possible to disable the operation when it is not necessary to perform a half-body bath or the like. it can.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the water level setting means can be operated only when the human detection device detects the entry of a person into the bathroom, so that only the bather can perform a half-body bath and a full body bath. Selections can be made and there is no danger that the settings can be changed by a third party on a remote controller such as a kitchen.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the means for enabling or disabling the operation of the water level setting means can be operated only when the human detection device detects entry of a person into the bathroom. There is no danger that a person other than the bather can inadvertently switch between valid and invalid.

[0019]

FIG. 2 shows a bath apparatus 11 according to the present invention.
It is the schematic which shows a mode that it installed in the bathtub 13. Bathroom 1
2 is provided with a bathtub 13 on the floor surface, and a person monitoring device 1 comprising a CCD camera of low resolution (resolution such that a person can only be seen very coarsely) on the ceiling or the wall surface of the bathroom.
4 (for example, a retinal prosthesis sensor) is attached, and a remote controller 15 for a bathroom is provided on a wall surface. A drain pipe 18 connected to a drain port 16 of the bathtub 13 is provided with an electromagnetic on-off valve 17.

A water heater 19 for a bath is installed outdoors. The heat exchanger 24 in the water heater 19 heats hot water (bath water) that is heated by a gas burner (not shown) and passes through the heat exchanger 24.
3 constitutes a part of the additional heating circulation path 20. Further, a water level sensor 21 for detecting a water level in the bathtub according to a change in water pressure and a circulation pump 2 are provided in the reheating circuit 20.
2 are provided. The heat exchanger 25 heats water passing therethrough after being heated by a gas burner (not shown). The hot water heated by the heat exchanger 25 is dropped from the hot water supply pipe 26 into the bathtub 13.

The main controller 27 provided in the water heater 19 operates the circulation pump 22 to circulate the hot water in the bathtub 13 through the additional heating circulation path 20, and the heat exchanger 24 removes the hot water in the bathtub 13. Refire or heat exchanger 2
The hot water heated in 5 is dropped into the bathtub 13 from the hot water supply pipe 26, and the main controller 27
It is connected to the electromagnetic on-off valve 17 by a signal line 28, to the person monitoring device 14 by a signal line 29, and to the remote controller 15 by a signal line 30.

FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 is a front view showing the remote controller 15 installed on the wall surface of the bathroom 12. The remote controller 15 is provided with various switches such as an on / off switch 32 for the water heater 19, a set switch 33 for setting, an up switch 34, and a down switch 35. Further, a display unit 31 including a display device such as a liquid crystal display or a fluorescent display tube for displaying a bath set temperature, a current bath temperature, and the like is provided above the remote controller 15.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when the bath apparatus 11 switches between a half-body bath and a whole-body bath to take a bath. The operation in the case of performing a half-body bath and the case of performing a whole-body bath will be described below according to this flowchart.

The display section 31 of the remote controller 15 of the bath apparatus 11 displays a mode for displaying a bathing guide and a mode for not displaying a bathing guide as shown in FIG. By operating 35, it is possible to switch between which one to select, and by selecting either one with bath guide or without bath guide and pressing the set switch 33, one of the modes can be set. Has become.
In the mode without the bathing guide, the water level selection for the half-body bath and the whole-body bath is invalidated, and the mode is such that only the normal whole-body bath can be performed.

On the other hand, when the mode with the bathing guide is selected and the set switch 33 is pressed, the display on the display section 31 is switched as shown in FIG. 4, and the selection of the half body bath and the whole body bath becomes effective. In this state, when the up switch 34 and the down switch 35 are operated to select either the half-body bath or the whole-body bath, and the set switch 33 is pressed, the half-body bath or the whole-body bath is set.

However, in the bath apparatus 11, the person monitoring device 14 monitors the inside of the bathroom 12 (step S).
1) If the person monitoring device 14 does not detect that a person enters the bathroom 12, the set switch 33 does not become effective. Therefore, if the person monitoring device 14 does not detect a person in the bathroom 12, the set switch 33 is in an invalid state, and it cannot be set to a bathing guide or a half-body bath. When the person monitoring device 14 detects a person in the bathroom 12, the set switch 33 is enabled, and the bath device 11
Is switched to a bathing guide, and it is possible to select either a half-body bath or a whole-body bath (Step S)
2). Therefore, before a person enters the bathroom 12, switching cannot be performed by the remote controller 15 installed in the kitchen or the like.

When it is detected that a person has entered the bathroom 12 and the bath controller is selected by the remote controller 15 in the bathroom, and a screen for selecting a half-body bath or a whole body bath is displayed on the display unit 31, the bath apparatus 11 is set by a set switch. The user presses 33 to wait for which of the half-body bath and the whole-body bath is selected (step S3).

When the remote controller 15 is in the state shown in FIG. 4, when the up switch 34 is pressed to select a half-body bath and the set switch 33 is set, the water level sensor 2
1, the current water level in the bathtub 13 is detected, and the preset optimum water level LL for the half-body bath is compared with the current water level (step S4). If the current water level is higher than the optimum water level LL for the half-body bath In step S6, the drain valve (electromagnetic on-off valve 17) is opened to drain the bathtub water in the bathtub 13 (step S6; however, hot water supply is stopped), or the current water level is higher than the water level LL that is optimal for a half-body bath. Is low, the hot water pipe 26
The hot water is supplied into the bathtub 13 from step (step S8; however, the drain cock is closed), and the current water level is the optimum water level L for a half-body bath.
When the water level reaches L, the drain valve (electromagnetic opening / closing valve 17) is closed and hot water supply is stopped (step S5), and the water level is automatically adjusted to a state where a half-body bath can be performed.

When the down switch 35 of the remote controller 15 is pressed to select a whole-body bath, the current water level in the bathtub 13 is detected by the water level sensor 21, and the preset optimum water level HL and current water level for the whole-body bath are determined. Are compared (step S7). If the current water level is lower than the optimum water level HL for the whole body bath, hot water is supplied from the hot water supply pipe 26 into the bathtub 13 (step S8), and the current water level is the optimum water level HL for the whole body bath. (Or if the current water level is higher than the optimum water level HL for the whole body bath), the hot water supply is stopped (step S9). Therefore, the water level is automatically adjusted so that the whole body bath can be performed.

When the exit from the room is detected by the person monitoring device 14 (step S10), it is no longer possible to switch between a half-body bath and a whole-body bath from a remote controller in the kitchen. Alternatively, if the water level is being changed, the drain plug is closed or the water supply is stopped, and the water level change is interrupted at the same water level.

The bath apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the design can be appropriately changed. For example, at the time of drainage, a drain plug (electromagnetic valve 17)
In addition to the opening, a drain pump may be provided in the drain pipe 18 of the bathtub 12 to forcibly drain the water so as to shorten the waiting time when performing a half-body bath.

Alternatively, as in a bath apparatus 41 shown in FIG. 6, a drain pipe 42 is provided so as to branch off from the additional heating circulation path 20, and the drain pipe 42 is provided with an electromagnetic opening / closing valve 17 serving as a drain plug. You may leave. In this case, the bath water can be forcibly drained from the reheating circuit 20 by using the circulation pump 22 of the reheating circuit 20.

If anyone is in the bathroom, a kitchen remote controller may be used to switch between a half-body bath and a full-body bath, but not from the kitchen remote controller. You may.

In the case of leaving the room during the change of the water level, the change of the water level may be continued until the water level reaches the optimum water level without interrupting the change of the water level as described above. In this way, if the water level can be switched only when the person is in the bathroom, the function of switching between the half-body bath and the whole body bath is provided only in the remote controller for the bathroom without using the human monitoring device 14, The function may not be provided in the kitchen remote controller.

[0035]

According to the bath apparatus of the present invention, the water level in the bathtub can be automatically switched between the optimum water level for the whole body bath and the optimum water level for the half body bath according to the whole body bath and the half body bath.
Therefore, it is possible to reduce the labor when switching from a full-body bath to a half-body bath or vice versa.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing a conventional bathtub capable of performing a half-body bath and a whole-body bath.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a state where a bath apparatus according to the present invention is installed in a bathtub.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a bathroom remote controller and an input guide selection screen thereof.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a selection screen for a half body bath and a whole body bath of the bathroom remote controller.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when bathing is performed by switching between a half-body bath and a whole-body bath in the bath apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of another bath apparatus according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 13 bathtub 14 person monitoring device 15 remote controller 16 drain port 17 solenoid on-off valve 19 water heater 21 water level sensor 26 hot water supply pipe 27 main controller 31 display unit 34 up switch 35 down switch

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Takehiro Kurihara 93, Edo-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo Pref. F term (reference) 3L024 CC11 DD06 DD11 DD19 DD27 DD46 GG12 GG42 HH39

Claims (7)

[Claims] A means for setting a water level in the bathtub; a means for supplying hot and cold water into the bathtub to a water level set by the water level setting means; and a drainage of the bathtub according to the water level set by the water level setting means. A bath apparatus provided with drainage control means for controlling the temperature. 2. A means for setting a water level in a bathtub, a means for supplying hot and cold water into the bathtub to a water level set by the water level setting means, and a drainage of the bathtub according to the water level set by the water level setting means. Means for controlling opening and closing of the tap. 3. When the set water level selected by the water level setting means is a low water level, the drain cock is opened by the drain cock opening / closing control means to lower the water level in the bathtub to the set water level. The bath apparatus according to claim 1. 4. When the set water level selected by the water level setting means is a high water level, hot water is supplied to the set water level by the hot water supply means with the drain cock closed by the drain cock opening / closing means. The bath apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for enabling or disabling operation of the water level setting means.
The bath apparatus according to 2, 3, or 4. 6. A water level setting means, comprising: a person detecting device for detecting the presence or absence of a person in a bathroom, wherein when the person detecting device detects entry of a person into the bathroom, the water level setting means can be operated. The bath apparatus according to 1, 2, 3, or 4. 7. A person detecting device for detecting the presence or absence of a person in a bathroom, wherein when the person detecting device detects entry of a person into the bathroom, means for enabling or disabling operation of the water level setting means is operable. The bath apparatus according to claim 5, wherein