JP2002336148A - Bath apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bath apparatus in which the number of a control or, an insulator, and a sensor required for each pump motor can be reduced and automatic setting can be achieved after installation of a pump motor driving unit. SOLUTION: The bath apparatus in which pump motors are driven in a serial order at a plurality of rotational frequencies, a plurality of abnormality judges can be performed according to the rotational frequencies by only one information obtained and the connecting/non-connecting of the driving unit can also be judged with a state detecting signal.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pump motor for generating a bubble jet, a motor driving unit for driving the pump motor, a state detecting unit for detecting and outputting the state of the motor driving unit, and a motor driving unit. And a control unit that outputs a control signal to the control unit and inputs information from a state detection unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional bubble bath is disclosed in JP-A-8-2994.
As seen in No. 01, the state of the pump motor is detected based on the current consumption of the pump motor, etc., and if it exceeds a certain range, it is judged as abnormal, and the pump is stopped or error information is displayed , The safety of the pump operation and its maintainability were improved. As an abnormality detection method, not only a pump motor current but also a temperature thermistor, a water detection sensor, and the like have been used. Also,
As disclosed in JP-A-3-7155, the pump motor control signal and the abnormality detection signal are electrically insulated between the pump motor side and the control section side, and the safety against electric shock is achieved by cutting off the leakage loop. Is increasing. In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open
As can be seen in JP-A No. 1-113767, the power supply to the pump motor drive unit is turned on / off by a relay or the like to supply power to the pump motor drive unit when power supply is not necessary, such as when the pump is stopped. In order to improve the energy-saving effect.

[0003]

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for variations in the number, position, and operation pattern of bubble outlets for bubble baths. In addition, there is a considerable demand for increasing the number of bubble jet ports and variations in the operation pattern thereof after installation. If the number of pumps is increased in accordance with these demands, the number of input / output ports required for pump motor control is required each time, and the number of bits for setting the number of pump connections is also increased. Will gradually run out of I / O ports. In addition, the number of circuits that detect abnormalities of each pump motor increases in proportion to the number of pumps, and the number of insulation circuits inserted into each signal line between the control unit and the pump motor is increased for safety. Since the number increases in proportion to the number, there is a problem that the mounting area increases and the cost increases. In addition, in order to meet various variations, the pump motor drive unit has been made optional, and the unit is being connected according to the request. Setting connection / disconnection of units one by one is troublesome and error-prone. It is sufficient to automatically recognize the number of connected units, but if a signal for recognition is added, the number of ports will be further reduced and a connector for that signal will be required.
It becomes a factor of cost increase. The present invention, compared with the conventional, the number of control ports required for each pump,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a bathtub device in which the number of state detection units can be reduced and various settings are automatically performed even if a pump is retrofitted.

[0004]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a control unit sequentially instructs a plurality of rotation speeds to a motor drive unit when starting a pump motor, and according to the rotation speeds. Since the information from the state detection unit is determined by the above, it is possible to provide a bathtub apparatus capable of reducing the number of control ports required for each pump, the number of insulators, and the number of state detection units. Further, since the information from the state detection unit is determined after a certain period of time has elapsed since the rotation speed was changed, it is possible to provide a bathtub apparatus that can obtain more stable detection information. . Claim 3
In the input port of the control unit that inputs information from the state detection unit, the input is different between when the drive unit is not connected and when the drive unit is connected and the pump motor is stopped. Can be determined based on the input from the state detection unit, and a drive unit connection number setting device such as a dip switch can be eliminated. Claim 4
When the switch is closed, the connection / non-connection of the drive unit is determined by an input signal from the state detection unit to the control unit, so that power is supplied to the drive unit only for a period necessary for the determination. It can be expected to save energy.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, when the power is turned on, the switch is temporarily closed to determine connection / disconnection of the drive unit. Therefore, the drive unit automatically connected only by turning on the power. Can be recognized. Also,
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, when a special operation other than an operation for performing a desired operation is performed on the operation unit, the switch is closed to determine connection / disconnection of the drive unit. The number of connected drive units can be arbitrarily re-recognized. Further, when the pump motor start operation is performed on the operation unit, the switch is closed to determine connection / disconnection of the drive unit. The number of connected drive units can be automatically recognized each time. Claim 8
After a certain period of time from closing the switch,
Since the connection / disconnection of the drive units is determined, the number of connected drive units can be automatically recognized in a more stable state. According to a ninth aspect, an operation pattern executed according to the number of times of operation of the switch of the operation unit is defined as:
Since the selection is automatically made according to the number of connected drive units, it is not necessary to replace the operation unit according to the number of connected drive units.

[0005]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In order to make the contents of the present invention easier to understand, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to an embodiment.

[0006]

【Example】

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a bathtub apparatus according to the present invention. The bathtub apparatus includes a functional unit 1, a power outlet 5 thereof, an operation unit 4, and pump motors 3a and 3b installed in the bathtub to generate a bubble jet. The function unit 1 includes a control unit 11, an earth leakage breaker 13, and drive units 2a and 2b.
a and 2b respectively drive the pump motors 3a and 3b at an arbitrary rotation speed. The operation unit 4 installed in the bathroom
Is connected to the control unit 11 via a communication line.

The power outlet 5 is connected to a commercial power supply of, for example, AC 100 V, and is branched and supplied with power to the control unit power supply and the drive units 2a and 2b through the earth leakage breaker 13. The control unit 11 and the operation unit 4 are supplied with power from the control unit power supply, and the control unit power supply has functions of step-down, stabilization, and insulation between the commercial power supply and the control unit 11.

The drive unit 2a includes a motor drive unit 2a
1. It comprises a state detection unit 2a2, insulators 2a4, 2a5, and a switch 2a7. With the signal from the control unit 11, the switch 2a7
Turns on / off and supplies power to the drive unit power supply when turned on. The drive unit power supply has functions of stepping down to various voltages, stabilizing, and insulating the commercial power supply and the control unit 11 from the motor drive unit.

Further, a rotation speed control signal from the control unit 11 is transmitted to a motor drive unit 2a1 via an insulator 2a4.
The rotation speed of the pump motor is controlled accordingly. Generally, a pulse signal such as a PWM signal is used as the rotation speed control signal, but a voltage signal or a parallel signal may be used. Further, the present invention is not limited to the rotation speed control, and may be a power consumption control or an output voltage control.

The current consumed by the motor drive unit 2a1 is converted into a voltage or a High / Low signal by the state detection unit 2a2 and transmitted to the control unit 11 via the insulator 2a5.
When a High / Low signal is used, the isolator 2a5 uses, for example, a circuit including a photocoupler as shown in FIG. When the drive unit is not connected or is connected but is not supplied with power, a high signal is always generated by the pull-up resistor. However, when the supplied drive unit is connected, the pump motor stops, that is, the load current is reduced. Is almost 0 mA, the photocoupler turns on and L
ow signal.

The insulators 2a4 and 2a5 and the switch 2a7
May extend over the inside or outside of the drive unit 2a. The drive unit 2b is equivalent to the drive unit 2a.

The operation unit 4 is composed of at least one push button switch, and when operated, transmits its contents to the control unit as needed. Usually, inexpensive wired communication is used, and power is supplied from the control unit. However, if wiring is difficult, a wireless system using a separate power supply may be used.

Next, the operation of the connection recognition of the drive unit 2a will be described mainly with reference to FIGS.
The same applies to the drive unit 2b. When 100 V AC power is supplied from the power outlet 5, first, power is supplied to the control unit 11 by the control unit power supply, and the control unit 11 starts up and enters the initial mode. At this time, the switch 2a7 is still OFF.
In the F state, power is not supplied to the state detection unit 2a2 and the like in the drive unit, and the abnormal signal input by the control unit 11 via the insulator 2a5 becomes a High signal by a pull-up resistor or the like as shown in FIG. ing.

The control unit 11 turns on the switch 2a7 immediately or after waiting for a certain time in the initial mode.
Send a signal. The switch 2a7 is turned ON, and for the first time, the motor drive unit 2a1 and the state detection unit 2a in the drive unit 2a are turned on.
2 and so on. On the other hand, since the rotation speed control signal from the control unit 11 remains at 0 rpm, the pump motor is stopped and the current consumption value is almost 0 mA. Therefore, insulator 2
The abnormal signal input to the control unit 11 through a5 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG.

On the other hand, when the drive unit 2a is not connected, even if an ON signal is sent to the switch 2a7, the abnormal signal remains High as shown in FIG. In the case of connection or High, it can be recognized and distinguished from non-connection. After the recognition, when the switch 2a7 does not need to be turned on, the switch 2a7 is immediately turned on.
After returning to the FF state, the power supply to the drive unit 2a is stopped and energy is saved until the operation unit 4 is operated next time.

Although the operation of the drive unit 2a has been described above as a representative, the drive unit 2b may be performed in parallel as shown in the flowchart of FIG. At this time, in order to disperse the rush current, it is better to shift the ON timing of the switches 2a7, 2b7 as shown in FIG. In this way, the motor drive control and the abnormality detection processing are performed on the drive unit that is recognized as being connected, but the motor drive control and the abnormality detection processing are not performed on the drive unit that is recognized as being disconnected.

As described above, the case where the connection / disconnection of the drive unit is recognized immediately after the power-on reset has been described.
As shown in FIG. 4, when the pump operation is started by operating the push button switch of the operation unit 4, the determination may be made when the switches 2 a 7 and 2 b 7 are turned on. Alternatively, the connection / non-connection may be recognized when a special operation such as pressing the push button switch of the operation unit 4 for 10 seconds is performed.

When the connection / non-connection of the drive unit is recognized as described above, the control unit 11 automatically selects the function of the push button switch of the operation unit 4 according to the number of connected drive units. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, when only the driving unit 2a is connected, every time the switch is operated, the pump motor 3a stops, stops, high speed, low speed, stops, high speed, and so on.
・ Select the operation pattern to operate in the order of "." When the drive units 2a and 2b are connected, the pump motors 3a and 3b are set to “stop → high speed + high speed → high speed + low speed →
Low speed + high speed → low speed + low speed → stop → high speed + high speed → ... "
Select the operation pattern to operate in the order of. FIG. 11 shows an operation timing chart of each operation pattern.

Next, an example of the operation for detecting an abnormality of the pump motor will be described with reference to FIGS. 5, 7, 8 and 13. First, when the push button switch of the operation unit 4 is pressed during the stop, the operation unit 4 sends a signal to the control unit 11 to inform that the operation has been performed. When the control unit 11 receives the operation signal, the control unit 11 switches from the stopped state to the idle operation detection mode, and first, the switches 2a7, 2b7
, A signal of an ON operation is sequentially issued. Switch 2a7,
2b7 is turned on, and power is supplied to the drive units 2a and 2b through the drive unit power supply. At this time, since a relatively large rush current flows depending on circuit characteristics, the ON operation timing of the switches 2a7 and 2b7 may be shifted.

Even if power is supplied to the drive units 2a and 2b,
When the rotation speed control signal remains in the stop instruction, the pump motors 3a and 3b remain stopped. At this time, the connection / non-connection of the drive unit may be confirmed at this time, as described above. Then, for example, when it is determined that the drive unit 2b is not connected, the switch 2b7 is immediately turned off.
After returning to the F state, the drive control of the pump motor 3b and the abnormality detection are not performed thereafter.

The rotation speed in the high-speed operation mode is 2000 rpm
However, first, in order to detect whether there is no water (idle operation), the motor is rotated at 3000 rpm for idling operation detection. When the consumption current value at this time is 100 mA or less and continues for a predetermined time, the pump motor is immediately stopped assuming that the idle operation is detected. The threshold value of the conventional idling operation is 30 mA, but by rotating at 3000 rpm as shown in FIG. 7, it can be determined by the same 100 mA as the threshold value of the motor lock detection. If it is not 100 mA or less, the rotation speed is immediately increased to 2000 rpm and the operation shifts to normal high-speed operation.

If the pump motor is rotated for a long time in the idling operation, that is, without water, the wear of the rotating bearing in the non-waterproof area of the motor is accelerated and the life of the motor is shortened. And stop it. However, since the single operation continuation time is set to be relatively short, about 15 minutes, the idle operation is detected only at the start of the operation. Since it is relatively unlikely that idle operation occurs due to drainage during operation for about 15 minutes,
Not to be detected. When a self-pumping pump is used, it can be used to detect whether or not water has been normally pumped into the circulation path.

If no idle operation is detected, the normal operation speed, high speed 2000 rpm or low speed 1000 rpm
m, and thereafter, only the detection of the motor lock is performed. Further, since the current consumption value is not stable immediately after switching the rotation speed, detection is performed after waiting for, for example, about 1 second. When a current value of 100 mA or more is detected during the high / low speed operation, the operation is immediately stopped as a motor lock and the pump motor is stopped. The motor lock is generated due to sticking due to water scale or the like and foreign matter entering the rotating part, and is performed to ensure the safety of the user and the bathtub apparatus. Detection is always performed during normal operation.

FIG. 7 schematically shows regions of current values for normal operation, idle operation, and motor lock. It is necessary to set the threshold value of the idling operation between the “normal operation” and “idle operation” regions and the threshold value of the motor lock between the “normal operation” and the “motor lock” region. For example, the motor lock threshold at low speed / high speed operation is 100 mA, and
mA. If 3000 rpm operation is used, the threshold value of idle operation can be set to 100 mA.

FIG. 8 is a timing chart showing an example of the operation from the recognition of the connection / disconnection of the drive unit immediately after the power-on reset to the stop by the idle operation detection based on the above contents. is there.

Next, an example of a configuration diagram of a conventional bathtub apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. 2 focusing on contents different from the present invention. The drive unit 2a includes a second state detector 2a3
And an insulator 2a6. The drive unit 2b is also equivalent to the drive unit 2a, and the number of input ports of the control unit 11 is increased by one for each drive unit. Further, for setting the number of connected drive units, for example, a drive unit number setting device 1 constituted by a DIP switch or the like set manually.
4 and its input port are required.

Next, an example of the operation of the conventional bath apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 6, 9 and 14, focusing on the points different from the present invention. The control unit 11 inputs a signal from the manually set drive unit number setting unit 14 immediately or after waiting for a certain time in the initial mode, and recognizes which drive unit is connected. Therefore,
If the wrong setting is made in the unit connection number setting device 14, the wrong setting will be made.

When idle operation is detected, the motor is rotated at 2000 rpm. The current value at this time is determined by the state detector 2a3.
When 0 mA or less has continued for a certain period of time, the operation is suspended and stopped as the idle operation state. If the current is not 30 mA or less, the speed immediately shifts to high-speed 2000 rpm or low-speed 1000 rpm.
2 is performed. If a current value of 100 mA or more is detected during high-speed / low-speed operation, the operation is immediately interrupted as a motor lock and the pump motor is stopped. The drive unit 2
The same applies to b.

[0030]

According to the present invention, the following effects are exhibited by the above configuration. 1. When starting the pump motor, the control unit sequentially instructs the motor drive unit at a plurality of rotation speeds and determines the information from the state detection unit according to the rotation speeds. A bathtub device capable of reducing the number of ports for use, the number of insulators, and the number of state detection units can be provided. 2. Since the information from the state detector is determined after a certain period of time has elapsed since the rotation speed was changed, it is possible to provide a bathtub device that can obtain more stable detection information. 3. At the input port of the control unit that inputs information from the state detection unit, the input is different between when the drive unit is not connected and when the drive unit is connected and the pump motor is stopped. Since the determination can be made based on the input from the detection unit, the number-of-drive-units-setting device such as a dip switch can be eliminated. 4. When the switch is closed, the connection / disconnection of the drive unit is determined based on the input signal from the state detection unit to the control unit, so that power can be supplied to the drive unit only for the period necessary for the determination. Energy saving effect can be expected. 5. When the power is turned on, the switch is temporarily closed to determine whether the drive unit is connected or disconnected.
The number of connected drive units can be automatically recognized just by turning on the power. 6. When a special operation other than the operation for performing the desired operation is performed on the operation unit, the switch is closed and the connection / disconnection of the drive unit is determined. Can be recognized again. 7. When the pump motor start operation is performed on the operation unit, the switch is closed to determine the connection / disconnection of the drive unit. The number of connections can be recognized. 8. After a certain time has passed since the switch was closed,
Since the connection / disconnection of the drive unit is determined, more stable automatic recognition of the number of connected drive units can be performed. 9. Since an operation pattern executed according to the number of times of operation of the switch of the operation unit is automatically selected according to the number of connected drive units, it is not necessary to replace the operation unit according to the number of connected drive units. Can be good.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a conventional example.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a first embodiment of a unit recognition procedure according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a second embodiment of the unit recognition procedure of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a first embodiment of the operation and the abnormality detection method of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a conventional operation and an abnormality detection method.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a set level of an abnormality detection threshold according to the present invention and a conventional one.

FIG. 8 is a timing chart of an example of the operation of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a timing chart of an example of a conventional operation.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation pattern selection example of the present invention and a pattern table.

FIG. 11 is a timing chart showing each operation pattern of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment of the insulator of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a judgment table showing a method for judging abnormality and unit connection according to the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a determination table showing a conventional abnormality determination method.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Function part 11 ... Control part 13 ... Leakage breaker 14 ... Drive unit number setting device 2a, 2b ... Drive unit 2a1, 2b1 ... Motor drive part 2a2, 2b2, 2a3, 2b3 ... State detection part 2a4, 2b4, 2a5, 2b5, 2a9, 2b9 ...
Insulators 2a7, 2b7 ... Switches (relays) 3a, 3b ... Pump motors 4 ... Operating parts 5 ... Power outlets

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A pump motor for generating a bubble jet, a motor driving unit for driving the pump motor, a state detecting unit for detecting and outputting a state of the motor driving unit,
In a bathtub device comprising a control unit for outputting a control signal to a motor drive unit and inputting information from a state detection unit, the control unit sequentially instructs a plurality of rotation speeds to the motor drive unit when starting the pump motor. A bathtub apparatus for determining information from a state detection unit according to the number of rotations. 2. The bathtub apparatus according to claim 1, wherein after a certain period of time has elapsed since the rotation speed was changed, information from the state detector is determined according to the rotation speed. 3. A pump motor for generating a bubble jet, a motor drive unit for driving the pump motor, a state detection unit for detecting and outputting the state of the motor drive unit,
In a bathtub device comprising a control unit for outputting a control signal to the motor drive unit and inputting information from the state detection unit, a drive unit comprising the motor drive unit and the state detection unit is detachable, and the information from the state detection unit is A bathtub apparatus wherein an input port of a control unit for inputting is different when the drive unit is not connected and when the drive unit is connected and the pump motor is stopped. 4. A switch for opening / closing and supplying power to the drive unit according to an instruction from the control unit. When the switch is closed, the drive unit is connected by an input signal from the state detection unit to the control unit. The bathtub apparatus according to claim 3, wherein disconnection is determined. 5. The bathtub apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the switch is temporarily closed when the power is turned on to determine whether the drive unit is connected or disconnected. 6. An operation unit for causing the bathtub apparatus to perform a desired operation by operating the switch, and when a special operation other than an operation for performing the desired operation is performed on the operation unit, the switch is opened and closed. The bathtub apparatus according to claim 4, wherein connection / non-connection of the drive unit is determined as the closed state. 7. An operation unit for operating the bathtub apparatus to perform a desired operation by operating the operation unit. When a pump motor start operation is performed on the operation unit, the switch is closed to connect / disconnect the drive unit. The bathtub apparatus according to claim 4, wherein connection is determined. 8. The bathtub apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the connection / disconnection of the drive unit is determined after a predetermined time has passed since the switch was closed. 9. The bathtub apparatus according to claim 3, wherein an operation pattern executed according to the number of times of operation of the switch of the operation unit is automatically selected according to the number of connected drive units.