JP2005055101A - Hot water supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To resolve a problem of needing a large scale system such as an air bubble bath system when supplying oxygen to a bathroom to enjoy a comfortable bath. <P>SOLUTION: A bather can easily enjoy oxygen operation during a bath by an inexpensive system by providing a composition having a control means for controlling an oxygen enriching device, and an input means for inputting oxygen operation, and carrying out the oxygen operation of jetting oxygen enriched air mixed in a reheating circulation circuit from a reheating adapter just by pressing a switch of an external input device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a hot water supply apparatus having a function of supplying oxygen-enriched air into a bathtub or a bathroom using a reheating pipe of a water heater having a recirculation circuit.

  Conventionally, this type of oxygen supply device is provided with a supply unit that supplies gas to a pipe line that circulates bathtub water, such as a jet bath, and an oxygen enrichment device that supplies oxygen-enriched air to this supply unit. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

FIG. 4 shows an oxygen-enriched air supply device for a conventional bathtub described in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, 1 is a bathtub, 2 is a pipeline, 3 is a supply section, 4 is a suction port, 5 is a discharge port, 7 is an oxygen enrichment device, and 8 is a pump.
JP-A-4-2347

  However, in the conventional configuration, the oxygen-enriched air supply unit is provided in the middle of the piping of the jet bath system, so a separate jet bath system is installed to supply oxygen-enriched air to the bathtub. It was necessary to do, and it was not something that could be easily introduced into the home. Moreover, since the flow rate of hot water to be circulated is large, the jet bath has a problem that it is difficult to use for a long time due to problems such as electricity cost and noise, and sufficient oxygen cannot be supplied.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and is configured to supply oxygen-enriched air to a recirculation circuit of a general hot water heater, so that oxygen can be supplied into the bathroom at low cost and without taking up space. An object of the present invention is to provide an oxygen-enriched air supply device that realizes enriched air supply and allows the user to feel comfortable for a long time.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the hot water supply apparatus of the present invention is configured to supply air containing oxygen at a higher concentration than the atmosphere supplied from the oxygen enrichment apparatus to the heated portion downstream side of the recirculation circuit of the hot water supply apparatus. In this configuration, the mixing circuit is mixed into the tracking circuit. With this configuration, the mixed oxygen-enriched air is supplied to the inside of the bathtub or the bathroom through the follow-up circulation circuit.

  The hot water supply apparatus of the present invention is configured to supply oxygen-enriched air to a recirculation circuit of a general hot water supply apparatus, thereby realizing an inexpensive and space-saving supply of oxygen-enriched air into the bathroom. Furthermore, the comfort during bathing can be greatly improved.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recirculation circuit in which hot water in a bathtub is circulated by a pump, an oxygen enricher capable of supplying air containing oxygen at a higher concentration than the atmosphere, and a heated part in the recirculation circuit Heating means, heating means provided downstream of the heated portion, mixing means for supplying oxygen-enriched air supplied from the oxygen-enriching device and mixing it into the circulation circuit, and input for inputting / closing oxygen operation Means and a control means.

  With this configuration, by operating the input means, oxygen-enriched air supplied from the oxygen-enriching device is supplied to the bathtub through the follow-up circulation circuit. The supplied oxygen-enriched air is bubbled into the bathtub, and then ruptures on the surface of the water and diffuses into the bathroom. As a result, oxygen in the bathroom air that decreases due to the breathing of the bather can be compensated, and comfort when taking a bath or taking a shower is improved, and the breathing peculiar to the bathroom can be reduced. An effect is obtained. It is also possible to suck in oxygen-enriched air directly, especially if the user breathes in the vicinity of where the bubbles of oxygen-enriched air levitate and burst, especially when the user is immersed in hot water. Prevention of drowsiness by awakening effect and bathing close to aerobic exercise can be realized, so that metabolism of the body can be activated. In addition, by dissolving oxygen in the hot water, it can be expected to prevent the propagation of various bacteria and reduce the slime. And if it is this structure, since it will fit in the casing of a water heater, an extra space is unnecessary, and since it can produce at low cost, the installation to a general household will also become possible.

  In particular, according to the second invention, in the first invention, the control means receives the oxygen operation start signal from the input means and starts the pump in conjunction with the start of the oxygen enrichment device. This configuration not only efficiently supplies oxygen-enriched air mixed in the additional circulation circuit into the bath, but also prevents air-enriched air from staying in the heated part. This improves the reliability and safety of the equipment. In addition, by operating the pump, a flow is generated from the recirculation circuit in the bathtub, so that bubbles of oxygen-enriched air can float near the human body during bathing. It is possible to suck the oxygen-enriched air without using it.

  In the third invention, in particular, in the first or second invention, when the control means stops the oxygen operation, the pump is stopped with a delay after stopping the oxygen-enriched air mixture in the additional circulation circuit. It is set as the structure to be made. With this configuration, the oxygen-enriched air that has been mixed even when the oxygen operation is stopped can be prevented from flowing back to the heated part, so that the oxygen-enriched air can be prevented from staying in the heated part, and the reliability and safety of the equipment Improves.

  In a fourth aspect of the invention, in particular, in any one of the first to third aspects of the invention, the recirculation circuit includes a water level detection means, and the control means detects the presence / absence of a person in the bathtub based on a signal from the water level detection means. Judgment is made to start and stop the pump. This configuration allows oxygen-enriched air to be carried to the vicinity of the human body when a person is in the bathtub, and reduces noise by stopping the pump when the person is out of the bathtub. In addition, the power consumption can be reduced and the life of the pump can be extended.

  According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in particular, in the third or fourth aspect of the invention, when the heated part heats the heated part, the control part delays after the pump is put into an operating state and performs heating by the heating part. It is what. With this configuration, even if the oxygen-enriched air mixed in stays in the heated part of the recirculation circuit for some reason, first the pump is operated and the retained air in the heated part is discharged by the water flow. The heated portion can be prevented from being heated and the reliability and safety of the device are improved.

  In particular, the sixth invention is the first invention, wherein the recirculation circuit is provided with a water level detecting means, and when the control means detects that the hot water in the bathtub has been drained by a signal from the water level detecting means, the oxygen enriching device is provided. It is configured to be stopped. With this configuration, even if the user forgets to turn off the oxygen operation, the oxygen enrichment device is automatically stopped, so that the life of the device can be extended and wasteful power consumption can be reduced.

  In particular, the seventh aspect of the present invention includes a determination unit that determines whether the follow-up circulating flow rate by the pump is equal to or greater than a predetermined value in any one of the first to sixth aspects, and the circulation flow rate is predetermined by a signal from the determination unit. When the value is lower than the value, the oxygen-enriched air mixture into the additional circulation circuit is stopped. This configuration eliminates the problem that the circulation flow rate is reduced due to the pressure loss of the piping caused by mixing oxygen-enriched air into the additional circulation circuit, the heating means does not function, and additional time is required for additional heating. It is possible to satisfy the original functions of the machine.

  In an eighth aspect of the invention, in particular, in any of the first to seventh aspects of the invention, the control means is configured to vary the amount of oxygen-enriched air mixed in the additional circulation circuit or the circulation flow rate of water by the pump. It is. With this configuration, in addition to the relaxing effect due to oxygen-enriched air or bubbles generated in the bathtub, the monotonous feeling is eliminated and the relaxing effect can be further enhanced. It also leads to longer life of the oxygen enricher and pump.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a hot water supply apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 9 is a hot water supply apparatus main body. 10 is a burner as heating means, 11 is a heat exchanger provided above the burner, 12 is a burner fan for sending combustion air to the burner 10, 13 is an exhaust port for combustion air, 14 is a hot water supply circuit, Water entered from the inlet 15 is heated by the burner 10 to reach the hot water outlet 16 and is discharged from the currant 17 or the like. 18 is a recirculation circuit, and on this recirculation circuit 18, a part of the heat exchanger 11 is formed in the order of flow starting from the pump 19, and a heat AC path 20 that is a heated portion, and a recirculation circuit. A general flow switch (discriminating means) 21 that turns on when the amount of water flowing through the circulating circulation channel 18 exceeds a predetermined flow rate (4 L / min in this case), and an ejector 22 as a mixing means are provided. From the water heater main body 9 to the outside. A reheating adapter 24 is fixed to the bathtub 23, and the reheating adapter 24 and the hot water supply device main body 9 are connected to each other by an outward pipe 25 and a return pipe 26. The forward pipe 25 is connected to the downstream side of the ejector 22 described above, and the return pipe 26 is connected to the pump 19 via a water level sensor 27 which is a water level detecting means for detecting the water level of the bathtub 23. The water level sensor 27 is a pressure sensor that can detect a slight pressure change, and detects the water level by detecting the pressure generated by storing water or hot water in the bathtub.

  Reference numeral 28 denotes an oxygen enrichment device. The oxygen enrichment device 28 is an oxygen enrichment membrane 29, a vacuum pump 30 for depressurizing the air and passing the air through the oxygen enrichment membrane 29 to obtain oxygen enriched air, oxygen It consists of a blower fan 31 for sending fresh air to the enrichment film 29. Reference numeral 32 denotes control means, and 33 denotes a remote controller as input means capable of remotely operating the hot water supply apparatus body 9.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of the remote controller 33 of the hot water supply apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In FIG. 2, 34 is an oxygen operation switch, 35 is an automatic switch, and 36 is a reheating switch. FIG. 2A shows a bath remote controller installed in the bathroom, and FIG. 2B shows a kitchen remote controller installed outside the bathroom, for example, in the kitchen.

  About the hot water supply apparatus comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below. First, when the user presses the oxygen operation switch 34 provided on the remote controller 33, the control means 32 activates the vacuum pump 30 to supply oxygen-enriched air from the oxygen-enriching device 28, but at almost the same timing. The pump 19 is operated. As a result, a negative pressure is generated in the oxygen-enriched film 29, so-called oxygen-enriched air containing oxygen at a higher concentration than the atmosphere is supplied to the ejector 22, and the oxygen-enriched air is replenished in the recirculation circuit 18. It is mixed into the hot water flowing inside. The oxygen-enriched air mixed into the hot water in the pipeline rides on the hot water flow (arrow in FIG. 1) in the recirculation circuit 18 created by the pump 19 and enters the bathtub 23 via the reheating adapter 24. After reaching bubbles 37 in the bath water, it bursts on the surface of the water and diffuses into the bathroom.

  Here, due to the flow of hot water produced by the pump 19, a negative pressure is generated in the ejector 22 in a direction in which oxygen-enriched air supplied via the vacuum pump 30 is sucked. This not only reduces the load on the vacuum pump 30 and enables stable oxygen-enriched air to be mixed, but generally, when gas is mixed into the liquid using the ejector effect, the mixed gas Is likely to become fine bubbles in the liquid, reducing noise when a gas-liquid multiphase flow flows in the pipe, and giving the bather a sense of security and peace of mind because the bubbles 37 ejected from the chasing adapter 24 are fine. And the like.

  Moreover, it was set as the structure which mixes oxygen-enriched air in the downstream of the heat alternating current path 20, and also when mixing oxygen-enriched air, the pump 19 was started and the mixed gas was moved to the heat alternating current path 20 side. By adopting a configuration that does not flow backward, gas does not stay in the thermal AC path 20, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of an empty state when the burner 10 is ignited to perform a follow-up operation. Safety can be improved.

  It should be noted that the oxygen concentration of the oxygen-enriched air supplied here is about 30% compared to about 21% in the atmosphere, and bathes while sucking this oxygen-enriched air. As a result, it is possible to improve the bathing effect and comfort of the bather, and to expect the effect of preventing a doze during bathing due to the awakening effect of oxygen. Furthermore, it can be expected that oxygen dissolves in the hot water of the bathtub to suppress the generation of various germs and reduce sliminess and odor. And if it is this structure, since it fits in the casing 9 of a water heater, an extra space is unnecessary, and since it can also be produced at low cost, it can be installed in a general home.

  Here, the amount of oxygen-enriched air supplied by the vacuum pump 30 is set to be about 2 to 3 L / min in consideration of noise and an increase in pipe resistance, but there is no need to stick to this value. What is necessary is just to set it appropriately according to installation conditions, the performance of the pump 19, and the like.

  Here, the pump 19 is activated almost simultaneously with the activation of the oxygen enricher 28. For example, the pump 19 is activated to generate a negative pressure in the ejector 22, and then the vacuum pump 30 is activated. However, by operating in this manner, the load at the start of the vacuum pump 30 can be reduced, and an effect of extending the life can be obtained.

  The oxygen operation described so far is a process of supplying air containing oxygen at a higher concentration than the atmosphere by the oxygen enricher, but the user presses the oxygen switch 34 of the remote controller 33 again, or the control means 32 It ends by measuring the continuous operation time and automatically stopping it. When the oxygen operation is stopped, the control unit 32 stops the oxygen enricher 28 and then stops the pump 19 with a delay. This is a measure for preventing the oxygen-enriched air mixed in the recirculation circuit 18 through the ejector 22 from staying in the heat exchange path 20 against the original flow of water. That is, after the mixing of the oxygen-enriched air is stopped, the pump 19 is operated for a while, so that the mixed oxygen-enriched air flows out of the hot water supply apparatus main body 9 and stays in the forward pipe 25, or the bathtub It is discharged into 23. By performing this operation, it is possible to prevent the thermal AC path 20 from being blown, and the reliability of the device is improved.

  In this case, the control means 32 is configured to automatically stop when continuous operation is continued for 20 minutes, but this is a measure for when the user forgets to stop the oxygen operation. By doing so, it is possible to reduce wasteful power consumption and to extend the life of the device. However, the continuous operation time does not need to be fixed, and if the user can select from several types of setting time, the usability is further improved.

  Moreover, since the present Example is the structure provided with the water level sensor 27 which can detect the water level of the bathtub 23, based on this signal, it is also possible to turn on and off the pump 19 and stop the oxygen operation.

  First, as an example of this, a case where the operation of the pump 19 is controlled by detecting whether a bather is in the bathtub based on the signal of the water level sensor 27 will be described.

  When the user presses the oxygen switch 34 of the remote controller 33 to start the oxygen operation, the control means 32 confirms the output signal of the water level sensor 27. If it is determined here that no person is in the bathtub 23, the control means 32 operates only the vacuum pump 30 provided in the oxygen enricher 28 without operating the pump 19. When this operation is performed, the oxygen-enriched air mixed from the ejector 22 flows out from the reheating adapter 24 at the open end through the recirculation circuit 18 into the bathtub 23. At this time, since the pump 19 is not in operation, no flow of water is generated in the recirculation circuit 18 and, of course, no flow from the recharge adapter 24 is generated. Therefore, the mixed oxygen-enriched air does not become a bubble flow as shown in 37 and rises directly above the reheating adapter 24, but there is no flow of water in the recirculation circulation circuit 18. The pressure in the tube is low, and as a result, the load on the vacuum pump 30 can be greatly reduced. Further, when the person taking the bath is not in the bathtub, it is sufficient that the supplied oxygen-enriched air is filled in the bathroom, and it is not necessary to form a bubble-blown flow from the reheating adapter 24.

  Next, when it is detected by a signal from the water level sensor 27 that a person has entered the bathtub, the control means 32 activates the pump 19 while the vacuum pump 30 remains in operation. When this operation is performed, a circulation flow is formed in the recirculation circulation circuit 18 by the pump 19, and the oxygen-enriched air mixed in the pipe rides on the hot water jet flow from the reheating adapter 24 and takes a bath. 23 is transported to the vicinity of the center. As a result, since the oxygen-enriched air floats and bursts on the water surface near the bather's face, the user can directly suck the oxygen-enriched air in a relaxed posture, and the refreshing effect of oxygen can be increased. In addition, since fine bubbles float while touching the bather's body, a very soft feeling can be obtained and the comfort at the time of bathing is improved.

  Although there are various types of chasing adapters 24, the above effect is further enhanced when a so-called jet type adapter in which the nozzle on the ejection side opens toward the center of the bathtub is used.

  Here, when the bather leaves the bathtub 23 to take a shower again, this fact can be recognized by the signal of the water level sensor 27, so the control means 32 stops the pump 19. Thus, by setting it as the structure which operates the pump 19 only when the bather is using the bathtub, the operation time of the pump 19 can be shortened and this lifetime can be achieved. Further, as described above, when the pump 19 is not operating, the load on the vacuum pump 30 is also reduced, so that the life of the device can be extended here.

  In the case where the hot water temperature is lowered during the operation and it becomes necessary to carry out reheating, the control means 32 first ignites the burner 10 with a delay after the pump 19 is operated. This is an operation for solving the problem caused by the oxygen-enriched air staying in the heat exchange path 20, and by doing this, there is no fear of airing.

  As an example of controlling the oxygen operation based on the signal from the water level sensor 27, it is conceivable to detect that the hot water in the bathtub 23 has been drained and stop the oxygen operation. This is effective, for example, when the final bather has finished bathing and is going out of the bathroom by pulling out the drain plug (not shown) of the bathtub 23, and the bather forgets to stop the oxygen operation. However, since the control means 32 automatically recognizes the end of use of the bath and stops the oxygen operation, wasteful power consumption can be reduced. As a specific operation, when the drain plug is removed, it is detected by the water level sensor 27 that the water level is lowered with time, but the control means 32 indicates that the drain plug has been removed from the relationship between the passage of time and the water level. Judgment is made or it is judged that the water level has dropped to the height of the reheating adapter 24 and it is judged that the drain plug has been removed, and the operation of the oxygen enricher 28 is stopped.

  When the temperature of the hot water stored in the bathtub 23 decreases and the user presses the reheating switch 36 or the control means 32 determines that reheating is necessary in the automatic operation state, the burner is activated together with the start of the pump 19. 10 is ignited and chasing operation is started. In this case, in consideration of safety, it is desirable to ignite the burner 10 after a circulating flow rate of a predetermined amount or more is secured in the additional circulation circuit 18, but the additional circulation circuit 18 in the hot water supply apparatus of this embodiment. Since the oxygen-enriched air is mixed in, the pressure loss in the pipe line may become too large depending on the installation conditions, and the circulation flow rate may be insufficient. Therefore, when the oxygen operation and the follow-up operation overlap, if the circulation flow rate is insufficient, that is, if only the flow rate at which the flow switch 21 is turned on can be circulated, the operation of the oxygen enrichment device 28 is temporarily interrupted for the follow-up operation. It is also possible to reduce the pressure loss in the pipe line and secure a circulating flow rate. By doing so, not only the problem that the burner 10 cannot be ignited but also the problem that it takes more time than necessary for the chasing can be solved, leading to an improvement in usability.

  Here, the start and stop of the oxygen enrichment device is controlled based on the signal from the flow switch 21. However, if there is a request for renewal during the oxygen operation, the oxygen operation can always be temporarily suspended.

  Further, the control means 32 can control the pump 19 or the vacuum pump 30 during the oxygen operation to fluctuate the flow rate of hot water circulating in the additional circulation circuit 18 and the flow rate of mixed oxygen-enriched air. is there. This does not give the bather a monotonous feeling and can further improve the comfort of bathing. Various applications such as giving a general 1 / f fluctuation from a simple periodic fluctuation can be considered. . Specifically, when the pump 19 or the vacuum pump 30 is a DC motor, it can be easily realized by changing the voltage, but if it is driven by an AC motor, the power supply is intermittently supplied. In this way, it becomes possible to fluctuate the respective flow rates.

  In the hot water supply apparatus of the present invention, the heat source (heating means) is not limited to that by gas combustion, but an oil water heater (using oil combustion as a heat source), an electric water heater, a heat pump water heater (a heat pump system as a heat source). Can also be used.

  As described above, the hot water supply apparatus according to the present invention can realize supply of oxygen-enriched air into the bathroom at a low cost and without taking up space.

Overall configuration diagram of hot water supply apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention (A) The block diagram showing the input means (bathroom remote control) of the hot-water supply apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention (b) The block diagram showing the input means (kitchen remote control) of a hot-water supply apparatus similarly Overall configuration diagram of a conventional hot water supply device

Explanation of symbols

10 Burner (heating means)
18 Recirculation circuit 19 Pump 20 Thermal AC path (heated part)
21 Flow switch (discriminating means)
22 Ejector (mixing means)
27 Water level sensor (water level detection means)
28 Oxygen enricher 32 Control means 33 Remote control (input means)
34 Oxygen switch

Claims (8)

A recirculation circuit in which the hot water in the bathtub is circulated by a pump, an oxygen enricher capable of supplying air containing oxygen at a higher concentration than the atmosphere, and a heating means for heating a heated part in the recirculation circuit A mixing means that is provided downstream of the heated portion and that feeds oxygen-enriched air supplied from the oxygen enriching device into the circulation circuit, an input means that can input on / off of the oxygen operation, and a control means. Hot water supply equipment provided. The hot water supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means receives an oxygen operation start signal from the input means and starts the pump in conjunction with the start of the oxygen enrichment apparatus. The hot water supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the oxygen operation is stopped, the control means stops the pump with a delay after stopping the oxygen-enriched air mixture into the additional circulation circuit. 4. The water circulation detection circuit is provided with a water level detection means, and the control means determines the presence / absence of a person in the bathtub based on a signal from the water level detection means, and starts / stops the pump. The hot water supply device described in 1. The hot water supply apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein when the heated portion is heated by the heating means, the control means performs heating by the heating means with a delay after the pump is in an operating state. The hot water supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recirculation circuit is provided with a water level detection means, and the control means stops the oxygen enricher when detecting that the hot water in the bathtub has been drained by a signal from the water level detection means. A discriminating means for discriminating whether or not the recirculation circulation flow rate by the pump is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; The hot water supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which is stopped. The hot water supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the control means fluctuates an oxygen-enriched air amount mixed in the additional circulation circuit or a circulating flow rate of water by a pump.