JP2007113889A - Water heater - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a water heater capable of improving convenience and an energy saving property by reducing hot-water supply unintended by a user. <P>SOLUTION: A control part 5 determines whether the supplied-water temperature is above a predetermined temperature (in this case, 10°C) or not. When it is above 10°C, whether a detected water volume in a water volume sensor 7 is not smaller than a first lowest operation flow rate (5 L/min) is then determined. When the condition is satisfied, combustion is started by igniting a burner 9a and hot water is supplied. When a water supply volume is smaller than 5 L/min (NO in step S103), water supply is continued without starting combustion. When the supplied-water temperature is below 10°C, whether the detected water volume in the water volume sensor 7 is not smaller than a second lowest operation flow rate (3 L/min) is then determined. When the condition is satisfied, the burner 9a is ignited to start combustion and hot water is supplied. When the water supply volume is smaller than 5 L/min, water supply is continued without starting combustion. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a water heater suitable for use with a one-lever faucet, and relates to a water heater that can reduce hot water unintended by a user and can improve convenience and energy saving.

  In recent years, one-lever (single lever) faucets have become popular in hot water supply systems. This can freely adjust the mixing ratio of hot water and water at the faucet, and hot water at a desired temperature can be obtained by adjusting the lever position. Moreover, if the lever position is fixed, hot water having the same temperature can always be obtained.

  However, when using a small amount of water (for example, watering a toothbrush, washing your hands a little, rinsing your mouth), you need to move the position of the one lever to the water side before opening the plug. is there. If the plug is opened without this, unintentional (not required) hot water discharge is performed depending on the standby position of the one lever.

On the other hand, according to the load survey by the applicant, data indicating that the number of times of use for 10 seconds or less is about 40% in total and the number of times of 30 seconds or less is 70% in total is used according to the daily hot water use. In such a short-time use, it is likely that the user wants to use water, but if the cap is opened more than the minimum amount of working water, heating or hot water will not automatically occur on the hot water supply side. It will be started, and it becomes a problem from a viewpoint of energy saving.
In addition, there exists patent document 1 as an indication technique regarding a small amount of hot water supply, for example. In this method, a plurality of mode switches having different minimum operating water amounts are provided in the remote controller, and the flow rate is adjusted by operating the flow rate adjusting valve by selecting the mode switch. According to this, the complexity of adjusting the flow rate with the water tap can be eliminated. However, this technique does not disclose the use of a small amount of water.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-73457

  This invention is for solving such a problem, and provides the technique regarding the hot water heater which can improve the convenience and energy-saving property by reducing the hot water when the user does not intend. Is.

The gist of the present invention is as follows. That is,
The invention of claim 1 is a hot water heater that starts hot water supply when water flow from a hot water tap is detected, determines whether or not to start hot water supply or the time to start hot water supply in accordance with hot water use conditions, and if necessary A water heater characterized by comprising means for changing.
Here, the “hot water use condition” refers to various conditions such as a water supply condition such as an incoming water temperature, an ambient environment condition such as an air temperature, and a hot water tap condition. In addition, the hot water use condition is a concept including not only a single condition but also a case where a plurality of conditions overlap.
According to the present invention, the “immediate hot water mode” in which hot water supply is immediately started or the “energy saving mode” in which only the water supply is continued or the time until the hot water supply is started is selected in accordance with the hot water use condition. Note that this includes not only the case where the mode is automatically selected, but also the case where the mode is arbitrarily selected using a remote controller or the like.
In the present invention, the “hot water heater” is not limited to a heat source such as gas and electricity, and includes not only the instantaneous type but also a hot water storage type.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the water heater, a means for operating the hot water supply heating means when detecting a flow rate equal to or greater than a predetermined minimum working water amount and changing the minimum working water amount corresponding to the hot water use condition Is further provided.

The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the water heater, the hot water use condition includes an elapsed time from the end of the previous hot water use.
The invention of claim 4 is characterized in that, in each of the hot water heaters, the hot water use condition includes an incoming water temperature.
The invention of claim 5 is characterized in that, in each of the water heaters, the hot water use condition includes an outside air temperature.
The invention of claim 6 is characterized in that, in each of the water heaters, the hot water use condition includes a seasonal condition.
“Seasonal conditions” refer to conditions for determining the necessity of hot water when a user uses a small amount according to the season (for example, calendar month). For example, from November to March, it is determined that hot water is required even if it is used in a small amount, and the minimum amount of working water is set small, or the time from opening to the start of heating operation is set to a short time.

The invention of claim 7 is characterized in that, in each of the water heaters, the hot water use condition includes an opening degree of a hot water faucet or a lever rotation angle.
The necessity of hot water when the user uses a small amount is estimated from the hot water tap opening or the lever rotation angle. The present invention can be realized by attaching a sensor for detecting an opening degree or a rotation angle to a hot water faucet and transmitting the information to the water heater.

  FIG. 5 shows the operation of the present invention, and the hot water supply start condition is determined based on the lever rotation angle. This figure is a view of the one lever faucet 20 as viewed from above, and hot water and water are supplied from a hot water supply pipe 22 and a water supply pipe 23, respectively. In the conventional one-lever faucet, generally, when the lever is opened in the third quadrant (considering the XY coordinates with the fulcrum of the lever 21 as the center point), hot water and water are mixed and supplied. However, in the present invention, the “energy saving mode” is applied until the lever 21 reaches the range B, that is, the predetermined angle Θ side with respect to the Y axis. The “instant hot water mode” is applied only when it is within the range of A. Therefore, by appropriately determining the angle Θ, the number of times the “energy saving mode” is applied is increased regardless of the lever standby position at the previous use, and unintended (unnecessary) hot water can be avoided and energy saving can be avoided. It is possible to improve the performance.

The invention of claim 8 is characterized in that each of the water heaters further includes a bath chasing function, and the hot water use condition includes whether or not the bath is kept warm or is filled with bath water.
Since there is a high probability of using the bath when the bath is warm or hot, it is possible to improve convenience and comfort by applying such a determination and applying the “instant water mode”. it can.

The invention of claim 9 is characterized in that, in each of the water heaters, the hot water supply heating means is an instantaneous heating means provided with a heat exchanger.
In the case of an instantaneous water heater, since the time until the hot water reaches first after opening is longer than that of the hot water storage type, the effect of the present invention is particularly remarkable.
Furthermore, since the instantaneous water heater consumes energy to warm the heat exchanger that gives heat to the water supply in the initial stage of hot water supply, the energy saving effect is remarkable.

The invention of claim 10 is characterized in that, in each of the hot water heaters, the heat exchanger includes a latent heat recovery type heat exchanger.
A water heater with a latent heat recovery type heat exchanger has a significant heat-saving effect because the heat capacity of the heat exchanger is larger than that of a normal water heater.

The invention of claim 11 is characterized in that each of the hot water heaters further comprises a remote controller capable of changing at least one of the minimum amount of operating water and the time until the hot water supply heating means starts operating.
By attaching a switch capable of setting the minimum amount of working water, the heating operation start time, etc. to the remote controller installed in the vicinity of the faucet, the user can easily make these settings.

The invention of claim 12 is characterized in that each of the water heaters has a hot water supply priority function, and the hot water use condition includes whether or not the hot water supply priority is set to the bath side.
When hot water supply priority is set on the bath side, the probability of using the bath is high. According to the present invention, the “instant water mode” can be applied in such a case, and the convenience and comfort can be further improved.

According to the invention of claim 13, each of the hot water heaters displays means for calculating the energy saving degree associated with the presence or absence of the hot water supply start or the change in time until the hot water supply start, and either or both of the energy saving degree and the integrated value thereof. And means for further comprising.
For example, by performing such a display on the remote controller, the user can recognize that the water heater according to the present invention contributes to energy saving.

According to each of the above inventions, there is an effect that it is possible to reduce hot water unintended by the user and realize energy saving. In addition, when the present invention is applied to a one-lever faucet, it is possible to limit the use of hot water supply without considering the lever standby position (prevent unintentional hot water discharge), so that it is possible to achieve energy saving without impairing convenience. .
In a water heater having a heat exchanger, in the conventional hot water control, heating at the initial stage of hot water supply is used only for raising the temperature of the heat exchanger, so there is a lot of heat loss. However, according to the present invention, unnecessary heat exchanger heating is performed. Since it can be reduced, it has the effect of contributing to energy saving. In particular, in the case of a water heater having a latent heat recovery type heat exchanger having a large heat capacity, an even greater energy saving effect can be obtained.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a water heater according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. In addition, in order to avoid duplication, in each figure, the same structure is shown using the same code | symbol. Needless to say, the scope of the present invention is described in the claims and is not limited to the following embodiments.

(First embodiment)
The present embodiment can change the minimum amount of working water corresponding to the incoming water temperature, and mainly relates to claim 4. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a hot water supply system 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of the water heater 2. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a control flow performed in the control unit of the water heater 2.

  Referring to FIG. 1, a hot water supply system 1 includes a hot water heater 2, a water supply pipe W4 that branches at a branch portion P1 of the water supply pipe W1 and supplies water to the water heater 2, a water supply pipe W2 that supplies tap water directly to the faucet side, A hot water supply pipe W3 for supplying hot water heated by the water heater 2 to the faucet 3 side, a gas supply pipe G1 for supplying city gas as fuel to the water heater 2, a water supply pipe W2 and a hot water supply pipe W3 are provided. One lever faucet 3 is provided. A lever is attached to the faucet 3, and the mixing ratio of hot water and water can be freely adjusted by rotating the lever position left and right, and hot water having a desired temperature can be obtained. A water heater remote controller 4 is installed in the vicinity of the one lever faucet 3.

  Referring to FIG. 2, the water heater 2 includes a combustion section 9 having a burner 9b, a combustion fan 9c, a heat exchanging section 9a, and an exhaust section 9d as main components inside a housing 2a. The water supply pipe W2 is connected to the internal water supply pipe W4, and is further connected to the heat exchanger 9a inlet side. The outlet side of the heat exchanger 9a is connected to the hot water supply pipe W3 via the internal hot water supply pipe W5. A bypass pipe W6 is provided between the water supply pipe W4 and the hot water supply pipe W5 so that the water supply bypasses the heat exchanger 9a. A water amount sensor 7 and an incoming water temperature sensor 6 are interposed on the upstream side of the branch portion P2 of the water supply pipe W4. A flow rate control valve V1 is interposed downstream of the branch portion P3 of the water supply pipe W5. A flow rate control valve V2 is interposed in the bypass pipe W6. The gas supply pipe G1 is connected to the internal gas pipe G2, and is further led to the burner 9b. A gas proportional valve V2 is interposed in the middle of the gas pipe G2.

  Next, the control system of the water heater 2 is configured as follows. The control unit 5 is provided with a microcomputer, a storage unit, an I / F unit, etc. (all not shown) having a CPU, ROM, RAM and the like as main components. Based on the above, the actuator (each control valve or the like) is operated to supply hot water as desired by the user. The remote controller 4 is provided with an energy saving mode setting SW (not shown), and the following energy saving mode control is performed when the user selects the energy saving mode.

  With the above configuration, the gas proportional valve V2 is opened and gas is supplied when the water faucet 3 is opened and the water flow rate exceeds a predetermined minimum operating flow rate. Further, the burner 9b is ignited by an ignition device (not shown). Thereby, the water passing through the heat exchanger 9a is heated to become hot water and supplied to the faucet 3 via the hot water supply pipe W3. At this time, the hot water supply temperature is measured by a temperature sensor (not shown) provided on the outlet side of the heat exchanger 9a, and the opening degree of the flow control valve V2 is adjusted. Thereby, the hot water that has passed through the heat exchanger 9a and the water that has passed through the bypass pipe W6 merge at the junction P3 and are supplied to the faucet side at the set hot water supply temperature.

  The hot water supply system 1 is configured as described above. Next, a hot water supply control flow when the faucet 3 is opened in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the following controls, it is assumed that the remote controller 4 is set to the energy saving mode. When the user opens the water tap 3 (step S101), tap water is supplied to the water heater 2 via the water supply pipe W4. Accordingly, the amount of water flow is measured by the water amount sensor 7 and the incoming water temperature is measured by the incoming water temperature sensor 6, and the detected values are sent to the control unit 5. The control unit 5 determines whether or not the feed water temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature (here, 10 ° C.) (step S102). When the temperature is 10 ° C. or higher, it is next determined whether or not the amount of water detected by the water amount sensor 7 is equal to or higher than the first minimum operating flow rate (here, 5 L / min (liter / min)) (step S103). When the condition is met, the burner 9a is ignited to start combustion, and hot water is supplied (step S105). When the water flow rate is less than 5 L / min (NO in step S103), water flow is continued without starting combustion. Accordingly, water is supplied from both the water supply pipe W2 and the hot water supply pipe W3 in the faucet 3. Thereafter, the present control is ended by closing the hot-water tap (step S106).

  When the feed water temperature is less than 10 ° C. (NO in step S102), it is next determined whether or not the amount of water detected by the water amount sensor 7 is equal to or higher than the second minimum operating flow rate (3 L / min in this case) (step S104). ). When the condition is met, the burner 9a is ignited to start combustion, and hot water is supplied (step S105). When the water flow rate is less than 3 L / min (NO in step S104), water flow is continued without starting combustion, and water is supplied from both water supply pipe W2 and hot water supply pipe W3 at faucet 3. become. Thereafter, the present control is ended by closing the hot-water tap (step S106). When the hot water tap is open (NO in step S106), the process returns to step S102, and the hot water control described above is repeated.

The values such as the minimum operating flow rate and the incoming water temperature shown in this embodiment are examples, and it goes without saying that optimum values can be taken as appropriate.
Moreover, although the example which sets the minimum operating flow rate in two steps was shown, it is not limited to this, and it is also possible to set a multi-step minimum operating flow rate.
In the present embodiment, the minimum operating flow rate is changed based on the incoming water temperature. However, it is also possible to use an external air temperature instead of the incoming water temperature.
In this embodiment, the minimum operating flow rate is automatically changed based on the incoming water temperature. Instead, a minimum operating flow rate switch is provided on the remote controller, and the user sets the switch according to the usage conditions. It is also possible to adopt a form in which the minimum operating flow rate is selected by operation.

(Second embodiment)
Furthermore, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The present embodiment is control for adjusting the burner ignition timing in accordance with seasonal conditions, and mainly corresponds to claims 2 and 6. When the user opens the water tap 3 (step S201), tap water is supplied to the water heater 2 through the water supply pipe W4. Accordingly, the amount of water flow is measured by the water amount sensor 7, and the detected value is sent to the control unit 5. In the control unit 5, it is determined whether or not the amount of water detected by the water amount sensor 7 is equal to or greater than a predetermined minimum operating flow rate (3 L / min) (step S202). When the water flow rate is less than 3 L / min (NO in step S202), water flow is continued without starting combustion, and water is supplied from both water supply pipe W2 and hot water supply pipe W3 at faucet 3. become. When the water flow rate is 3 L / min or more (YES in step S202), whether or not the current time corresponds to the winter season (November to March) based on the calendar function provided in the control unit 5 next. Determination is made (step S203). If this is the case, it is next determined whether or not 1 second has elapsed after the water amount sensor 7 detects water flow (step S204). And after 1 second progress, the burner 9a is ignited and combustion is started (step S206), and hot water supply is performed. In addition, when it is plugged before 1 second has elapsed (NO in step S204) (step S207), this control is ended as it is.

  When the current time is other than winter (NO in step S203), it is next determined whether or not 30 seconds have elapsed after the water amount sensor 7 detects water flow (step S205). Then, after 30 seconds have elapsed, the burner 9a is ignited to start combustion (step S206), and hot water supply is performed. When the faucet 3 is closed before 30 seconds have elapsed (NO in step S204) (step S207), this control is terminated as it is.

  The present invention is widely applicable to a water heater that supplies hot water via a hot water supply pipe regardless of an energy source or a heating method (instantaneous type, hot water storage type).

It is a figure showing hot water supply system 1 concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure of the hot water heater. It is a figure which shows the hot water supply control flow in 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows the hot water supply control flow in 2nd embodiment. It is a figure which shows the effect | action of the invention of Claim 7.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hot water supply system 2 Water heater 3 One lever faucet 4 Water heater remote control 5 Control part
6 Water temperature sensor 7 Water volume sensor 9 Combustion part V1, V3 Flow control valve V2 Gas proportional valve W1, W2, W4 Water supply pipe W3 Hot water supply pipe

Claims (13)

In a water heater that starts hot water supply when water flow from a hot water tap is detected, it has means for determining the presence or absence of hot water supply or the time until the start of hot water supply according to the hot water usage conditions, and changing it as necessary A water heater characterized by comprising. The apparatus further comprises means for operating the hot water supply heating means when detecting a water flow amount that is equal to or greater than a predetermined minimum working water volume, and changing the minimum operating water volume in accordance with the hot water supply usage conditions. Item 2. A water heater according to item 1. The hot water heater according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hot water use condition includes an elapsed time from the end of the previous hot water use. The hot water heater according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the hot water use condition includes an incoming water temperature. The hot water heater according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the hot water use condition includes an outside air temperature. The hot water heater according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the hot water use condition includes a seasonal condition. The hot water heater according to claim 1, wherein the hot water use condition includes an opening degree of a hot water faucet or a lever rotation angle. The water heater according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the water heater further includes a bath chasing function, and the hot water use condition includes whether or not the bath is kept warm or is in a bath hot water state. The hot water heater according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the hot water supply heating means is an instantaneous heating means provided with a heat exchanger. The water heater according to claim 9, wherein the heat exchanger includes a latent heat recovery type heat exchanger. The hot water heater according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a remote controller capable of changing at least one of the minimum amount of working water or the time until the hot water heater is started. The hot water heater according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the hot water heater has a hot water supply priority function, and the hot water supply use condition includes whether or not the hot water supply priority is set to a bath side. Means for calculating an energy saving level associated with the presence or absence of the start of hot water supply or a change in time until the start of hot water supply, and a means for displaying either or both of the energy saving level and the integrated value thereof. The water heater according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that

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