JP2006200755A - Hot water supply system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hot water supply system of high convenience, capable of properly supplying hot water even when failure or the like occurs in a hot water/water mixing unit. <P>SOLUTION: A remote controller 3A of this hot water supply system A comprises a control portion 30A for judging whether communication link of the hot water/water mixing unit 2 is normal or not, and the control portion 30A is functioned as a tapping temperature instructing means transmitting instruction data on a predetermined tapping temperature to a water heater 1 for the hot water/water mixing unit 2, when it judges that the communication link is not normal. Preferably, the control portion 30A refers to the data on tapping temperature set in the water heater 1, and outputs the instruction data to lower the data to be lower than a prescribed temperature, when the data is over the prescribed temperature. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a hot water supply system including a hot and cold water mixing unit for allowing hot water discharged from a water heater to be simultaneously supplied to a plurality of hot water supply destinations such as a kitchen, a bathroom, and a washroom at different temperatures. More specifically, the present invention relates to a hot water supply system capable of suitably dealing with a hot water / water mixing unit failure.

  Specific examples of conventional hot water supply systems include those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2. This hot water supply system includes a hot water supply device and a hot and cold water mixing unit having a plurality of hot water and water mixing valves that adjust the temperature of the hot water discharged from the hot water supply device by mixing water. Hot water adjusted to a desired temperature by the plurality of hot and cold water mixing valves is sent to a plurality of hot water supply destinations such as a kitchen, a bathroom, and a bathroom. In addition, a remote controller is connected to the water heater via a communication line, and the remote controller can set a target hot water temperature for each hot water supply destination such as a kitchen, a bathroom, and a washroom.

  According to the hot water supply system having such a configuration, when hot water is supplied from the water heater to the hot / cold water mixing unit, it is possible to generate hot water of different temperatures using a plurality of hot water / water mixing valves. Therefore, hot water having a target hot water temperature set by the remote controller can be simultaneously supplied to a plurality of hot water supply destinations such as a kitchen, a bathroom, and a bathroom.

  However, the prior art still has room for improvement as described below.

  That is, when the hot water supply system is actually used, the hot water / water mixing unit may fail due to various circumstances. Even if the hot water / water mixing unit itself does not fail, an abnormality may occur in the communication state between the water heater and the hot water / water mixing unit. On the other hand, in the said prior art, the means for responding suitably when such a situation generate | occur | produces is not taken. For this reason, in the conventional hot water supply system, when a failure or the like occurs in the hot water / water mixing unit, the operation of the entire hot water supply system must be stopped at that time even though the water heater is normal. However, if the operation of the entire hot water supply system is stopped in this way, the user cannot use hot water at all, which causes inconvenience.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-270868 JP 2003-83603 A

  The present invention has been conceived under such circumstances, and is excellent in convenience in which hot water supply can be suitably performed even when a hot water / water mixing unit has a failure or the like. The challenge is to provide a hot water supply system.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention takes the following technical means.

  A hot water supply system provided by the present invention includes a hot water supply unit capable of changing the temperature of the hot water, and a hot water mixing unit having a plurality of hot water mixing means for mixing the hot water discharged from the hot water supply and adjusting the temperature. And a remote controller capable of setting a target hot water temperature corresponding to each of a plurality of hot water supply destinations and capable of data communication with the hot water supply device, and the hot water mixing unit includes the hot water supply unit A hot water supply having a function of performing data communication with a machine, and capable of transmitting instruction data of the hot water temperature to the hot water supply apparatus based on a plurality of target hot water supply temperature data set by the remote controller In the system, at least one of the remote controller and the water heater includes a determination unit that determines whether or not the communication connection of the hot water / water mixing unit is normal. When the determination unit determines that the communication connection is not normal, the hot water mixing unit includes a hot water temperature instruction unit that transmits predetermined hot water temperature instruction data to the water heater as an alternative to the hot water mixing unit. It is characterized by being.

  According to such a configuration, the following effects can be obtained.

  First, when no malfunction or the like occurs in the hot / cold water mixing unit and proper communication is performed between the hot / cold water mixing unit and the hot water supply device, the hot water supply system performs normal operation. During this normal operation, the hot water / water mixing unit sends out hot water temperature instruction data to the water heater, and hot water corresponding to the temperature is discharged from the water heater, and the hot water is mixed with each hot water mixing means of the hot water / water mixing unit. After being adjusted to a desired temperature by the above, it is sent to the hot water supply destination. On the other hand, when a failure or the like occurs in the hot water / water mixing unit and the determination means determines that the communication connection of the hot water / water mixing unit is not normal, the hot water supply system enters a so-called emergency operation state. During this emergency operation, no hot water temperature instruction data is transmitted from the hot water mixing unit to the hot water supply device, but the hot water temperature indicating means provided in the remote controller is determined in advance instead of the hot water mixing unit. Sends hot water temperature indication data to the water heater. Therefore, hot water can be appropriately operated to supply hot water to a desired hot water supply destination. If the hot water mixing unit fails, the temperature of the hot water discharged from the hot water supply device may not be adjusted properly by the hot water mixing unit, but the hot water temperature transmitted from the hot water temperature indicating means to the hot water supply device. If the content of is about 40 to 42 ° C., for example, the hot water is too hot to be used in the kitchen or bathroom. As described above, according to the present invention, even when a hot water / water mixing unit has a failure or the like, it is possible to make hot water supply using the hot water heater effectively, which is very convenient for the user.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hot water temperature instructing means of the remote controller refers to the hot water temperature data set in the hot water supply device when the determining means determines that the communication connection is not normal, When the data exceeds a predetermined temperature, the instruction data is output so as to lower the data below the predetermined temperature.

  According to such a configuration, when the hot water / water mixing unit is in a so-called emergency operation due to a failure or the like, hot water having a temperature higher than a predetermined temperature can be prevented from being discharged from the water heater. In addition, when the hot water temperature already instructed from the hot water mixing unit to the hot water supply device is lower than the predetermined temperature before switching to the emergency operation, the hot water temperature previously instructed is maintained. . Therefore, the hot water supply temperature does not become higher after the start than before the emergency operation starts, and the possibility of supplying hot water to the hot water supply destination is more thoroughly prevented.

  Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a hot water supply system to which the present invention is applied. The hot water supply system A of the present embodiment includes a hot water heater 1, a hot water mixing unit 2, and a plurality of remote controllers 3 (3A to 3C).

  The water heater 1 is, for example, a gas combustion type water heater, and its basic hardware configuration is the same as that conventionally known. Specifically, the water heater 1 is configured to burn fuel gas by the combustor 12 while feeding combustion air from the blower blower 16 into the can 11. A heat exchanger 14 having a water pipe 13 is provided above the combustor 12. A water supply pipe 40A such as a water pipe is connected to the water inlet 13a of the water pipe 13. Hot water obtained by passing through the heat exchanger 14 is discharged from the hot water outlet 13b of the water pipe 13 and supplied to the hot water outlet 21a of the hot water mixing unit 2 via the pipe 41.

  The water heater 1 includes a control unit 10. The controller 10 includes a CPU and various memories attached thereto, and also includes a communication circuit (not shown) for communicating with the hot water / water mixing unit 2 and the remote controller 3. . This control part 10 performs temperature control of the hot water discharged from the hot water outlet 13b. This control adjusts the amount of fuel gas supplied to the combustor 12, or adjusts the opening degree of the flow rate adjusting valve 15 provided in the bypass passage 13c for mixing water with hot water that has passed through the heat exchanger 14. It is done. The water heater 1 has a combustor 12 when a water flow is generated in the water pipe 13 by opening any of a plurality of hot water taps 6A to 6C described later and the flow rate exceeds a predetermined threshold. Etc. are to be driven. Further, when the flow rate decreases below the threshold value, the driving of the combustor 12 and the like is stopped, and such control is also handled by the control unit 10. More detailed control contents of the control unit 10 when the water heater 1 is operated will be described later.

  As the plurality of remote controllers 3, there are, for example, a main remote controller 3A installed in a kitchen and sub-remote controllers 3B and 3C installed in a bathroom or a washroom. These remote controllers 3 execute operation switches 32A to 32C for inputting and setting various data such as a target hot water supply temperature and a hot water supply flow rate, display units 31A to 31C for displaying data, and various signal processing. Control units 30A to 30C are provided. Like the control unit 10 of the water heater 1, the control units 30A to 30C include a CPU and various memories attached thereto, and as shown in FIG. 1, the control unit of the water heater 1 The communication circuit which communicates via the communication line 50 between 10 is also provided. A DC voltage is applied to the communication line 50 so as to supply driving power from the water heater 1 to each remote controller 3. As the data communication method, a superposed two-core transmission in which AM modulated waves are superposed and transmitted. The method is used. When data such as a target hot water supply temperature is input and set in each remote controller 3, this data is transmitted to a control unit 20 described later of the hot water / water mixing unit 2.

  However, the sub remote controllers 3B and 3C can only set data related to hot water supply for the bathroom or washroom in which they are installed, whereas in the main remote controller 3A, the sub remote controllers 3B and 3C The set data contents can be captured and stored. In addition, the main remote controller 3A can input and set data such as a target hot water temperature for any hot water supply destination in the kitchen, bathroom, or bathroom. Among the control units 30A to 30C, at least the control unit 30A monitors the communication status executed between the water heater 1 and the hot water mixing unit 2, and determines whether or not the communication connection state is normal. At the same time, when it is determined that it is not normal, it is configured to transmit the instruction data of the hot water temperature to the control unit 10 of the water heater 1. The specific contents will be described later. This control unit 30A corresponds to a specific example of determination means and tapping temperature instruction means in the present invention.

  The hot water mixing unit 2 includes a hot water pipe 21A having a hot water inlet 21a, a water pipe 21B having a water inlet 21b to which a water supply pipe 40B such as a water pipe is connected, and hot water and water flowing through these pipes 21A and 21B. Are mixed at a predetermined ratio to generate hot water having a desired temperature, and a control unit 20 that performs drive control of the hot and cold mixing valves 23 is provided. A plurality of pipes 24A to 24C are connected to the downstream side of the plurality of hot water / water mixing valves 23, and external pipes 60A to 60C are connected to the terminal connection ports 24a to 24c. A plurality of hot-water taps 6A to 6C arranged in the kitchen, bathroom, and washroom are attached to the ends of these external pipes 60A to 60C. The pipe 24C is branched so as to have two connection ports 24c. With such a configuration, for example, hot water can be supplied to the respective washrooms on the first and second floors of the house.

  The structure of the hot / cold water mixing unit 2 will be described in further detail with reference to FIG. Ends of the pipes 21A and 21B or their branch pipes are connected to the hot water / water inlet upstream of each hot water / mixture valve 23. Each hot water / water mixing valve 23 can change the mixing ratio of hot water and water by operating the valve body 23a by driving the electric motor M, for example. Of the pipes 21A and 21B, on the upstream side of the hot and cold water mixing valves 23, a pair of on-off valves 22A and 22B, a hot water temperature and a pair of temperature sensors 70A and 70B for detecting the hot water temperature, and hot water and water mixing valves A plurality of check valves 71 are provided to prevent backflow from 23. Pipes 24 </ b> A to 24 </ b> C connected to the downstream side of each hot / cold water mixing valve 23 include a temperature sensor 71 for detecting the temperature of hot water flowing out from each hot / cold water mixing valve 23, and the maximum amount of hot water flowing out from each hot / cold water mixing valve 23. An excessive outflow prevention valve 72 and a flow rate sensor 73 for limiting a large amount are provided. Signals output from the various sensors described above are transmitted to the control unit 20, and the various valves described above (except for the check valve 71) are driven and controlled by the control unit 20.

  The control unit 20 has the same hardware configuration as the control units 10 and 30A to 30C described above, and communicates with the control unit 10 of the water heater 1 via the communication line 51 as shown in FIG. A communication circuit (not shown) is also provided. This communication method is also a superposed two-core method similar to that described above. However, the hot water / water mixing unit 2 is supplied with power from, for example, a commercial power supply, and is not supplied with power using the communication line 51. The control unit 20 monitors communication performed between the water heater 1 and each remote controller 3, and when data such as a target hot water temperature is input and set in the remote controller 3A, the data is captured and stored. It has become. Further, the control unit 20 is configured to determine the hot water temperature of the hot water heater 1 based on the data, and transmit the hot water temperature data to the control unit 10 of the hot water machine 1 as instruction data. When hot water is supplied from the water heater 1 to the hot water mixing unit 2, the control unit 20 sends the hot water at the target hot water temperature set by the remote controller 3 at the hot water destination to the hot water destination. The corresponding hot and cold water mixing valve 23 is controlled.

  Next, an example of the operation of the hot water supply system A and an operation processing procedure of the control unit 30A of the remote controller 3A will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, when electric power is supplied to the remote controller 3A and activated, the control unit 30A starts monitoring whether or not appropriate communication is being performed between the water heater 1 and the hot water mixing unit 2 (S1). The hot water heater 1 and the hot water / water mixing unit 2 are programmed so as to perform communication in a certain procedure after the activation, and the control unit 30A monitors the communication status. The control unit 30A stores in advance data of communication procedures executed between the water heater 1 and the hot water mixing unit 2, and the control unit 30A compares the data with the actual communication status. In addition, it is determined whether or not the water heater 1 and the hot / cold water mixing unit 2 are appropriately connected for communication.

  If the controller 30A cannot recognize that the communication connection of the hot and cold water mixing unit 2 has been made within an appropriate time after activation, it is considered that at least one of them has failed. Therefore, in this case, the control unit 30A displays an appropriate character or figure on the display unit 31A of the remote control 3A or generates a sound or an alarm sound to indicate that the hot water / water mixing unit 2 is abnormal. Control to notify the user is executed (S2: NO, S12). You may make it make other remote control 3B, 3C perform the alerting | reporting operation | movement similar to it. In addition, when the abnormality as described above occurs, the controller 10 of the water heater 1 does not drive the combustor 12 or the like even if any of the hot water taps 6A to 6C is opened. Therefore, the operation of the water heater 1 is stopped. Note that the control unit 10 of the water heater 1 also has a function of determining whether or not the hot water / mixing unit 2 is appropriately connected for communication, similarly to the control unit 30A of the remote controller 3A. Therefore, this control unit 10 also corresponds to a specific example of the determination means in the present invention. However, in the present invention, each of the two control units 30A, 10 may not have the above-described communication connection determination function, for example, only one of them has the above-described determination function, The determination result may be notified to the other side.

  Unlike the above, when the communication connection of the hot / cold water mixing unit 2 is recognized within a predetermined time after activation (S2: YES), the control unit 30A enters the normal operation mode. In this mode, control unit 30A transmits / receives predetermined data such as a target hot water supply temperature to / from hot water heater 1 (S3). As described above, the control unit 20 of the hot water mixing unit 2 captures and stores data such as the target hot water temperature, and when hot water supply is started in any of the hot water taps 6A to 6C, based on the data. The hot water temperature T1 of the water heater 1 is determined, and the control unit 10 of the water heater 1 is instructed that the hot water should be discharged at the hot water temperature T1. The hot water heater 1 performs hot water in accordance with the command, and the hot water sent from the hot water outlet 13b to the hot water mixing unit 2 is adjusted to the target hot water temperature by the hot water mixing valve 23 and then supplied to a predetermined hot water supply destination. .

  The control unit 30A continuously monitors the communication status of the hot / cold water mixing unit 2 and determines whether or not the communication connection is normal (S4). If it is determined that the communication connection is normal, the normal operation mode described above is maintained. On the other hand, when it is determined that the communication connection is not normal, the control unit 30A shifts to the emergency operation mode (S6). The determination that the communication connection is not normal is made when the communication interruption state between the water heater 1 and the hot water / water mixing unit 2 continues for a preset time. When the control unit 30A enters the emergency operation mode, first, the control unit 30A informs that effect on the remote control 3A by screen display or sound generation (S7). Similar to the case of step S12, the other remote controllers 3B and 3C may be notified of the above.

  Next, the control unit 30A reads out the data of the hot water temperature T1 set in the control unit 10 of the water heater 1 in the previous normal operation mode, and the hot water temperature T1 is preset in the control unit 30A. It is determined whether or not the temperature T2 is exceeded (S8, S9). When the hot water temperature T1 exceeds the predetermined temperature T2, the control unit 30A transmits the data of the temperature T2 to the control unit 10 of the hot water supply device 1 as the hot water temperature instruction data (S9: YES, S10). ). Preferably, the value of temperature T2 can be changed by, for example, the user operating a switch on remote controller 3A. The temperature T2 is 40 ° C., for example, and the control unit 10 stores data of the temperature T2. When the hot water is then discharged from the hot water heater 1, the control unit 10 performs control to discharge hot water having a temperature T <b> 2 from the hot water outlet 13 b.

  When the above-described control is performed, immediately before switching to the emergency operation mode, even if the hot water temperature of the water heater 1 is high, for example, about 50 to 80 ° C., the emergency operation mode in which the hot and cold mixing unit 2 has failed. Then, the tapping temperature is lowered to 40 ° C., for example. In a situation where the hot / cold water mixing unit 2 is out of order, all or some of the hot / cold water mixing valves 23 may remain fixed in a state where the hot water side is fully opened, the water side is fully closed, or close thereto. When the hot water temperature of the machine 1 is set to 40 ° C. as described above, there is no problem that the hot water is too hot to be used in the kitchen or other hot water supply destinations.

  On the other hand, when the temperature T1 is equal to or lower than the temperature T2, the control unit 30A does not execute control to change the tapping temperature instruction data set in the water heater 1 to the temperature T2 (S9: NO). Therefore, when the hot water temperature immediately before switching to the emergency operation mode is set to about 36 to 39 ° C., for example, the data is not raised to 40 ° C., for example. When the emergency operation mode is set, the hot water supply temperature is appropriately prevented from becoming higher than that in the normal operation mode.

  As described above, according to the hot water supply system A, even if an abnormality such as the hot water mixing unit 2 breaks down during use, the operation of the entire system is not stopped by this, and the hot water heater 1 is effectively used. Therefore, it is possible to suitably supply hot water to a desired hot water supply destination. At that time, the temperature of the hot water from the water heater 1 is set to a preset temperature, and the possibility of supplying hot water whose temperature is too high for the user is appropriately avoided. In particular, when switching to emergency operation, it is possible to appropriately avoid the hot water supply temperature from becoming higher than during normal operation before that. Can be prevented.

  In the embodiment described above, the case where the communication connection becomes abnormal due to failure of the hot water / water mixing unit 2 or the like has been mainly described. However, in the hot water supply system A, each part has no failure or the like. In the case of proper driving, for example, the control shown in FIGS. 4 to 8 is performed.

  The flowchart shown in FIG. 4 shows an example of an operation processing procedure of the control unit 20 of the hot water / water mixing unit 2. When any of the hot water taps 6A to 6C is opened and hot water supply is started (S20: YES), the control unit 20 determines whether or not the hot water supply destination is a preset hot water supply destination. (S21). The priority hot water supply destination is set using the remote controller 3, for example. When it is determined that the hot water supply destination is the priority hot water supply destination, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the hot water supply amount to the priority hot water supply destination has reached a predetermined maximum set amount (S21: YES, S22). When the hot water supply amount has reached the maximum set amount (S22: YES), the control unit 20 does not perform any special control on the hot water supply amount. However, unlike the above, when the supply amount of hot water has not reached the maximum set amount (S22: NO), the control unit 20 determines whether hot water is also supplied to other hot water supply destinations. (S24). And when hot water is supplied also to the other hot water supply destination, the control part 20 performs control which decreases the supply amount of the hot water to the said other hot water supply destination (S24: YES, S25). The amount of hot water supplied can be reduced by driving the excessive outflow prevention valve 72.

  According to the configuration described above, when hot water is simultaneously supplied to a plurality of hot water supply destinations, the amount of hot water supplied to the priority hot water supply destination is ensured. For example, when a shower is set as a priority hot water supply destination and used at the same time as other hot water supply destinations, the amount of hot water in the shower does not become insufficient.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of an operation processing procedure executed by the control unit 30A of the remote controller 3A. However, as a premise that the control shown in FIG. 5 is performed, each remote controller 3 has time for which one of the plurality of hot-water taps 6A to 6C is set as the priority hot water supply destination by the user operating the operation switches 32A to 32C. It is configured to be able to specify and input settings. As a specific example, in each remote control 3, the hot water tap 6A in the kitchen is a priority hot water supply destination for the time zone from 6:00 am to 5:00 pm, and the hot water tap 6B in the bathroom is prioritized in other time zones. Settings such as hot water supply destinations are possible. Preferably, such time designation can be changed depending on, for example, the date, and the switching time of the priority hot water supply destination can be made different between, for example, winter and summer. The control unit 30A has a function capable of determining the current time and date so that control corresponding to such setting can be executed.

  Control unit 30A is configured to determine whether or not the setting for automatically changing the priority hot water supply destination is made in control unit 30A at the time of activation (S30). When the setting has been made, control unit 30A determines the current time and date, determines the hot water supply destination set corresponding to the time and date, and sets this hot water supply destination as the priority hot water supply destination. (S30: YES, S31, S32). The control unit 30A repeatedly executes the above-described control at appropriate time intervals (S33: NO, S31 to S33).

  According to the configuration described above, when the preset time zone is reached, the control unit 30A determines the priority hot water supply destination corresponding to the time zone, and changes the setting of the hot water supply destination to the priority hot water supply destination. Therefore, it is not necessary for the user to perform switch operations for changing the priority hot water supply destination, which is convenient. Moreover, according to the configuration that refers not only to the time but also to the date, it is more convenient because the priority hot water supply destination can be finely switched.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of an operation processing procedure of the control units 30A to 30C of the remote controller 3. First, these control parts 30A-30C are comprised so that it can judge that if there is an unused hot-water tap in which hot water is not supplied continuously more than predetermined time among hot-water taps 6A-6C. (S40). This determination is made based on the communication content related to hot water supply from the control unit 20 of the hot water mixing unit 2. When it is determined that there is an unused hot water tap for a predetermined time or more, the control units 30A to 30C set the remote controller 3 corresponding to the hot water tap to the power saving mode (S41). This power saving mode is a mode in which power consumption is suppressed by turning off the display lighting of the display units 31A to 31C, for example. Next, when hot water supply is started thereafter, the control units 30A to 30C perform control to return only the remote controller 3 at the hot water supply destination from the power saving mode to the normal mode (S42: YES, S43: YES, S44). ). In addition, as conditions for returning from the power saving mode to the normal mode, the control unit of the remote controller 3 receives communication indicating that the combustion operation is being performed from the control unit 10 of the water heater 1, and the control unit of the hot water mixing unit 2 It can also be set as the case where the communication that there exists water flow from 20 to the corresponding hot-water supply destination is received.

  According to such a configuration, for example, when no hot water is supplied to any of the hot water taps 6A to 6C for a certain time or more and all of the remote controls 3A to 3C are set to the power saving mode, When the supply is started, only the specific remote controller 3 at the hot water supply destination cancels the power saving mode. Therefore, the remote controller 3 can be used appropriately. On the other hand, the other remote controllers 3 are maintained in the power saving mode. Therefore, it is possible to thoroughly save power in the hot water supply system A.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of an operation processing procedure of the control unit 20. When there is a hot water supply start in this hot water supply system A (S50; YES), the controller 20 is configured to determine the hot water supply destination and turn on a timer for measuring the hot water supply duration time. (S51). The timer is set individually for each hot water supply destination. Then, when the hot water supply ends, the control unit 20 turns off the timer (S52: YES, S55). However, unlike the above case, when the time measured by the timer reaches a preset time, the operation of the hot water supply system A is forcibly performed by instructing the controller 10 of the water heater 1 to stop the hot water. End (S54).

  According to such a configuration, when hot water supply to one hot water supply destination is continuously performed for a preset time (for example, 1 hour), the operation of the hot water supply system A is forcibly terminated. For example, if hot water supply to the washroom is performed continuously for 1 hour, it is considered that some abnormality has occurred such as forgetting to close the hot water tap 6C of the washroom. In this case, the operation of the hot water supply system A is forcibly terminated, and it is possible to suitably cope with the above-mentioned change. In particular, in the control, a timer is set for each hot water supply destination, and the hot water supply system A is terminated only when hot water supply for the same hot water supply destination continues for a predetermined time. Even if the total hot water supply time is 1 hour, for example, the operation of the hot water supply system A is not terminated. For example, as a result of the start of hot water supply to the bathroom in the middle of hot water supply to the kitchen, the total hot water supply time may reach 1 hour. However, such hot water usage is not abnormal. According to the above control, when it cannot be said that there is such an abnormality, the operation of the hot water supply system A can be prevented from being forcibly terminated. The control unit 10 of the water heater 1 does not include a function for determining which of the plurality of hot water destinations is hot water supplied to. As a conventional method for controlling the water heater 1, there is a control method in which the operation is stopped in consideration of safety when the water heater 1 is continuously operated for a certain period of time or longer. Then, the operation of the water heater 1 is performed even when the hot water supply operation in the water heater 1 continues for a certain period or more, that is, it cannot be said to be abnormal in nature, because the use of hot water at each hot water supply wraps. This causes a malfunction that stops. On the other hand, according to the said structure, such a malfunction can be eliminated appropriately.

  FIG. 8 shows the control contents of the entire hot water supply system. In this control, when a switch operation is performed to turn off the operation of the water heater 1 in any of the remote controllers 3A to 3C, at least one of the control units 10 and 20 is performing shower hot water supply at that time. It is determined whether or not (S60: YES, S61). In FIG. 1, only one hot water tap 6B installed in the bathroom is shown, but preferably the pipe 60B is branched into a shower pipe and a bathtub pipe, and the shower pipe. Is provided with a flow sensor or a water flow sensor. Based on the detection signal from this sensor, it can be determined whether shower hot water is being supplied. Of course, the shower may be regarded as being used when the flow rate is detected by the flow rate sensor 73 corresponding to the hot-water tap 6B without distinguishing between the shower and the bathtub.

  As a result of the determination, if shower hot water is being used, then at least one of the control units 10 and 20 determines whether or not an operation for turning off the operation of the water heater 1 has been performed by the remote control 3B installed in the bathroom. Is determined (S61, S62). If so, the operation is validated and the operation of the water heater 1 is stopped (S62: YES, S64, S65). On the other hand, when the operation is performed by the other remote controllers 3A and 3C, the operation is invalidated and the operation of the water heater 1 is continued (S62: NO, S63).

  According to the above-described configuration, even if another person operates the remote controls 3A and 3C to turn off the operation of the water heater 1 while the user is using the shower, this operation is invalidated. The operation of the machine 1 is not stopped. Therefore, when the shower is used, it is appropriately prevented that the hot water in the shower is suddenly switched to cold water. On the other hand, if the remote control 3B installed in the bathroom is operated, the operation of the water heater 1 can be appropriately stopped even during shower hot water supply. Absent.

  The present invention is not limited to the contents of the above-described embodiment. The specific configuration of each part of the hot water supply system according to the present invention can be varied in design in various ways.

  As a water heater, an oil combustion type can be used instead of a gas combustion type, and the type of the water heater is not limited to an instantaneous type. For example, a hot water storage type hot water supply device that generates hot water using a heat pump, sunlight, or the like, stores the hot water in a hot water storage tank, and discharges it as necessary can be used.

  As hot water mixing means of the hot water mixing unit, hot water mixing means having a structure different from that of the hot water mixing valve 23 described above can be used. A plurality of hot water / water mixing means may be provided, and the specific number thereof is not limited. As the remote controller, it is sufficient that at least one remote controller having the function intended by the present invention is provided, and remote controllers corresponding to the sub remote controllers 3B and 3C may not be provided. The communication method such as between the water heater and the remote controller and between the water heater and the hot water mixing unit is not limited to the superposed two-core method, and other methods such as a wireless communication method (including optical communication such as infrared communication) are available. It is also possible to use the communication method.

It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the hot water supply system which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the hot water mixing unit used for the hot water supply system shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation processing procedure of the control part of the remote control used for the hot-water supply system shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the control performed with the hot water supply system which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the control performed with the hot water supply system which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the control performed with the hot water supply system which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the control performed with the hot water supply system which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the control performed with the hot water supply system which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

A Hot-water supply system 1 Hot-water supply machine 2 Hot-water mixing unit 3 (3A-3C) Remote control 6A-6C Hot-water tap 10 Control part (determination means)
23 Hot and cold water mixing valve (hot water and water mixing means)
30A control unit (judgment means, tapping temperature instruction means)

Claims (2)

A water heater that can change the temperature of the hot water,
A hot and cold water mixing unit having a plurality of hot water and water mixing means for mixing water with hot water discharged from the water heater and adjusting the temperature thereof;
A remote controller capable of setting a target hot water temperature corresponding to each of a plurality of hot water supply destinations and capable of data communication with the hot water heater,
The hot and cold water mixing unit has a function of performing data communication with the hot water heater, and indicates the hot water temperature indication data to the hot water heater based on a plurality of target hot water temperature data set by the remote controller. A hot water supply system capable of transmitting
At least one of the remote controller and the water heater includes a determination unit that determines whether or not the communication connection of the hot and cold water mixing unit is normal.
The remote control includes a hot water temperature instruction means for transmitting predetermined hot water temperature instruction data to the water heater as an alternative to the hot water mixing unit when the determination means determines that the communication connection is not normal. A hot water supply system characterized by   When the determination means determines that the communication connection is not normal, the hot water temperature instructing means of the remote controller refers to the data of the hot water temperature set in the water heater, and this data exceeds a predetermined temperature. 2. The hot water supply system according to claim 1, wherein the instruction data is output so as to lower the data below the predetermined temperature.

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