JP2008145046A - Automatic bath warmth keeping device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To lower the running cost by always maintaining stable warmth keeping state regardless of the outside air temperature and installation environment in bath hot water supply equipment, and efficiently performing warmth keeping operation. <P>SOLUTION: This automatic bath warmth keeping device 30 includes: a means 23 for setting the warmth keeping temperature of a bath; a bath heat exchanger 9 for heating the circulating bath water; a circulation pump 12 for circulating bath water; a temperature sensor 13 for detecting hot water temperature in the bath; and a control part 2 for detecting the bath temperature after the lapse of a preset interval time, and giving an instruction for starting the operation for reheating of bathtub water when the detected bath temperature reaches a preset bathtub water reheating operation start temperature or less, and continuing the operation for reheating of bathtub water until it reaches the bathtub water reheating operation end temperature. The control part estimates the time elapsed until the operation for reheating of bathtub water starts by linearly interpolating a change in bath temperature measured at two different points of time in the bath temperature detecting interval time Δts, and sets the estimated time as the next bath temperature detecting interval time Δts. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic bath heat retaining device that maintains the hot water temperature of a bath, and more particularly to an automatic bath heat retaining device that is suitable for a heat pump water heater.

  An example of an automatic bath with a conventional heat retaining device is described in Patent Document 1. In the bathtub described in this publication, an outside air temperature sensor that detects the outside air temperature is installed in a bathroom or the like so that the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub is always kept stable regardless of the season. The relationship between the hot water temperature monitoring sampling time and the temperature difference between the set temperature and the outside air temperature is stored in advance in the storage unit. Then, the data processing unit calculates the difference between the set temperature and the outside air temperature, reads out the hot water temperature monitoring sampling time corresponding to the temperature difference from the storage unit, and according to the magnitude of the temperature difference between the set temperature and the outside air temperature. Appropriate hot water temperature monitoring sampling time is set.

  An example of a conventional bath heat insulation device is described in Patent Document 2. The bath heat retention device described in this publication is intended to estimate the interval time required for the heat retention operation and to retain the temperature at an appropriate time interval. Therefore, the hot water in the bathtub is reheated to a predetermined temperature, and the time interval for reheating is increased or decreased based on at least one of the time required for the reheating and the amount of heat.

JP-A-5-340001 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-193958

  In the bath heat insulation device described in Patent Literature 1, the cause of the temperature decrease due to the heat radiation of the bath is not considered not only the temperature difference between the outside air temperature and the set temperature but also the heat insulation performance of the bathtub and lid. Therefore, for example, when used in an environment with good heat retention performance, an unnecessary bath temperature detection operation occurs.

  In order to eliminate this problem, Patent Document 2 prepares in advance the relation data of the hot water temperature detection interval time with respect to the temperature difference between the set temperature of the bath and the outside air temperature, including the heat insulation performance of the bathtub and the bathtub lid. Yes. However, even in this method, the heat insulation performance of the bath is affected not only by the heat insulating properties of the bathtub and the lid but also by the installation state of the bathtub, so that it is difficult to prepare data in advance.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and its purpose is to maintain a stable heat-retaining state at all times without being affected by the outside air temperature and the installation environment in the bath hot water facility, and efficiently perform the heat-retaining operation. It is to reduce running cost by carrying out.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized by means for setting a heat insulation temperature of a bath, a bath heat exchanger for heating the circulating bath water, a circulation pump for circulating the bath water, and a hot water temperature of the bath. The temperature sensor to detect and the bath temperature is detected after the set interval time has elapsed, and when the detected bath temperature falls below the preset bath reheating operation start temperature, the reheating operation is started and the reheating operation end temperature is reached. In the automatic bath heat insulation apparatus having a control unit that instructs to continue the chasing operation until the time becomes, the control unit linearly interpolates changes in bath temperature measured at two different times during the bath temperature detection interval time. The time until the start of the bath chasing operation is estimated, and the estimated time is set as the next bath temperature detection interval time Δts.

  In this feature, if the bath temperature after the elapse of the bath temperature detection interval time Δts is higher than the bath reheating operation start temperature, the control unit further determines Δts / n (n A positive integer) is added, and the bath temperature at the start and end of the added interval time Δts / n is linearly interpolated to estimate the bath reheating operation start temperature arrival time. If the bath temperature after the elapse of the bath temperature detection interval time Δts exceeds the bath heat retention set temperature, the next bath temperature detection interval time may not be updated.

  Another feature of the present invention for achieving the above object is that the reheating cycle and the hot water of the bath are reheated using a reheating circuit, and the bath reheating start temperature and bath reheating end temperature set by the bath heat insulation temperature setting means are set. In the automatic bath warmer having a controller for controlling the hot water temperature, a temperature sensor for detecting the hot water temperature of the bath is provided, and in the controller, timer means capable of measuring the operation time of the automatic bath warmer, and this A memory capable of storing the time measured by the timer means and the hot water temperature detected by the temperature sensor, and means for estimating an interval time from the end of the reheating operation to the next reheating operation are provided. Detect the hot water temperature using a temperature sensor at the set interval interval, and estimate the interval time until the next reheating by linearly interpolating the detected hot water temperature. Lies in the fact.

  In this feature, the refrigeration cycle is configured by sequentially connecting a compressor, an evaporator, an expansion valve, and a water-refrigerant heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and water. It is preferable that the water-refrigerant heat exchanger, the bathtub, and the pump are sequentially connected by piping.

  According to the present invention, in a bath warming apparatus, a running cost can be reduced by maintaining a stable warming state at all times without being affected by the outside air temperature and the installation environment and efficiently performing the warming operation.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a hot water supply facility having an automatic bath heat insulation apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the automatic bath heat retaining device 30 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a system diagram of the automatic bath warmer 30. The automatic bath heat retention device 30 is a heat pump type and includes a refrigeration cycle.

  In the refrigeration cycle, a motor is connected to the rotating shaft of the compressor 5. The motor drive unit 1 drives this motor. The refrigeration cycle is formed by connecting a compressor 5, an evaporator 4, an expansion valve 8, and a gas cooler (heating heat exchanger) 9 in order. The gas refrigerant compressed to high temperature and high pressure by the compressor 5 flows into the gas cooler 9 and exchanges heat with the hot water in the bathtub 14 sent out from the bathtub 14 by the pump 12. In the gas cooler 9, the refrigerant flow and the hot water flow in the bathtub 14 form an opposing flow.

  The refrigerant whose temperature has decreased due to heat exchange in the gas cooler 9 flows into the expansion valve 8. The refrigerant whose temperature and pressure are reduced by adiabatic expansion by the expansion valve 8 evaporates by the evaporator 4 and flows into the compressor 5 as a low-temperature gas refrigerant. On the other hand, the hot water in the bathtub 14 is sent to the gas cooler 9 by the pump 12, exchanges heat with the refrigerant, rises in temperature, and returns to the bathtub 14. Thereby, the hot water of the bathtub 14 is chased away.

  A pressure sensor 6 that detects the discharge pressure of the refrigerant gas and a temperature sensor 7 that detects the discharge temperature are provided on the discharge side of the compressor 5. In addition, a temperature sensor 13 for bath temperature detection is provided on the inlet side of a pump 12 that sends hot water from the bathtub 14 to the gas cooler 9, and a flow rate sensor 11 is provided on the discharge side. In order to detect the hot water temperature of the bathtub 14 heated by the gas cooler 9, a temperature sensor 10 is provided at the outlet of the gas cooler 9. An outdoor fan 3 is disposed in the vicinity of the evaporator 4 disposed outdoors, and the motor driving unit 1 drives a motor associated with the fan 3.

The outputs of the sensors 6, 7 attached to the discharge side of the compressor 5 and the sensors 10, 11, 13 attached to the circuit for chasing the bath water are input to the control unit 2. The control unit 2 transmits and receives signals to and from the remote controller 23 disposed in the bathroom 22. The control unit 2 includes a microcomputer 2a and a data storage unit (memory) 2b, and the output of each sensor is stored in the memory 2b. The control unit 2 is also connected to the motor drive unit 1 and controls the rotational speed and the like of the outdoor fan 3 and the compressor 5. Furthermore, an expansion valve 8 is also connected to the control unit 2, and the control unit commands the opening degree of the expansion valve 8. A pump 12 that circulates hot water in the bathtub 14 is also connected to the control unit 2, and the operation / stop of the pump 12 is commanded from the control unit 2.

  FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the operation of the automatic bath heat insulation device 30 configured as described above. When the automatic bath warming operation is started (step S1), the control unit 2 sets, for example, 10 minutes as an initial value of the detection interval time Δts (step S2). At the same time, the temperature sensor 13 is used to detect the bath temperature (step S3). The detected bath temperature is stored in the memory 2b as Tf1 and the detection time at that time is t1 (step S4).

Wait until the interval time Δts set as the initial value elapses (step S5). When the interval time Δts has elapsed, the bath temperature is detected again using the temperature sensor 13 (step S6). The detected bath temperature is compared with a predetermined heat retention set temperature Ts (step S7).

  If the detected bath temperature is equal to or higher than the set temperature Ts, the current time t1 and the bath temperature Tf1 are stored in the memory 2b as new data (step S4). Hereinafter, steps S4 to S7 are repeated until the bath temperature detected by the temperature sensor 13 becomes lower than the set temperature Ts. On the other hand, if the bath temperature detected by the temperature sensor 13 is lower than the heat retention set temperature Ts, the process proceeds to step S8, where the bath temperature is compared with the preset reheating start temperature Ton.

If the bath temperature is equal to or lower than the predetermined start temperature Ton in step S8, the process proceeds to step S9, and the time t2 at which the bath temperature is detected and the bath temperature Tf2 at that time are stored in the memory 2b. The controller 2 linearly interpolates the data of the time and bath temperature (t2, Tf2) stored this time and the previously stored time and bath temperature (t2, Tf2). Then, a time ts at which the bath temperature becomes the heat retention set temperature Ts and a time ton at which the reheating start temperature Ton is obtained are obtained (step S10).

  If the detected bath temperature is higher than the reheating start temperature Ton in step S8, the time t2 when the bath temperature is detected and the bath temperature Tf2 at that time are stored in the memory 2b (step S14). The time t1 and bath temperature Tf1 stored previously and the data of the time t2 and bath temperature Tf2 stored this time are linearly interpolated to obtain the time ts at which the bath temperature becomes Ts (step S15).

  n is set in advance as an arbitrary integer. The preset interval time Δts is divided by this n to obtain a subdivided interval time Δts / n. Wait until the subdivided interval time Δts / n elapses (step S16). When the time Δts / n elapses, the bath temperature is detected using the temperature sensor 13 (step S17). The detected bath temperature is compared with a predetermined heat retention set temperature Ts (step S18).

In step S18, if the bath temperature becomes high with hot water after detection of the previous bath temperature and is equal to or higher than the heat retention set temperature Ts, the process returns to step S4. The current time t1 and the bath temperature Tf1 are reset. Then, step S5 and subsequent steps are executed. When it is determined in step S18 that the bath temperature is lower than the heat retention set temperature Ts, the bath temperature is compared with the reheating start temperature Ton (step S19).

If the bath temperature is higher than the reheating start temperature Ton, the process returns to step S16 and waits for a predetermined time Δts / n to elapse. Thereafter, step S17 and subsequent steps are repeated. If the bath temperature is equal to or lower than the reheating start temperature Ton, the current time t3 and the bath temperature Tf3 are stored in the memory 2b (step S20). The current time and bath temperature data (t3, Tf3) stored this time and the already stored current time and bath temperature data (t2, Tf2) are linearly interpolated. Then, the bath renewal start time ton at the bath renewal start temperature Ton is obtained (step S21).

  When the bath reheating start time Ton is obtained in step S10 or step S21, the bath reheating operation is continued until the hot water temperature of the bathtub 14 detected by the temperature sensor 13 reaches the bath replenishment end temperature Toff (step S11). . Since the bath circulation pump 12 is continuously operated during the bath chasing operation, the temperature of the bath (hot water in the bathtub 14) can be monitored by constantly monitoring the temperature of the temperature sensor 13.

  When the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub 14 becomes the bath reheating end temperature Toff and the bath reheating operation is completed, it is confirmed whether or not the automatic heat retaining operation is continuing (step S12). If the operation has been completed according to the command for the automatic heat insulation operation, the heat insulation operation is terminated (step S22). If the operation is continuing, the interval (ton-ts) between the bath heat retention set temperature passage time ts and the bath reheating start temperature arrival time ton is reset to the interval time Δts (step S13).

  Thereafter, step S5 and subsequent steps are repeated. In this flowchart, after the automatic heat insulation operation is started (step S1), a preset initial value is set as the interval time Δts (step S2). However, the interval time Δts set during the previous heat insulation operation may be stored in the memory 2b and used instead of the initial value in step S2.

  FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 show changes in the hot water temperature (bath temperature) of the bathtub 14 when the automatic bath heat retaining device 30 is used. The bath heat retention set temperature Ts is set to Ts = 42 ° C., the bath reheating start temperature Ton is set to Ton = 35 ° C., and the bath reheating end temperature Toff is set to Toff = Ts. In these drawings, the bath heat retention set temperature Ts and the bath reheating end temperature Toff are indicated by a two-dot chain line, and the bath reheating end temperature is indicated by a one-dot chain line.

  In this embodiment, the bath reheating start temperature Ton is set low as Ton = 35 ° C. However, if it is desired to reduce the temperature fluctuation of the bath, the bath reheating start temperature Ton is set, for example, Ton = 39 ° C. , And set high. Moreover, although the bath reheating end temperature Toff and the bath heat retention set temperature Ts are set to the same value, they may be set to different values.

  FIG. 2 shows an example in which the bath temperature setting temperature Ts is Ts = 42 ° C. and the automatic temperature keeping operation is started when the bath temperature is 42 ° C. After the interval time Δts = Δts0 has elapsed, the bath temperature is detected by the temperature sensor 13. Since the bath temperature is lower than the bath reheating start temperature Ton, the bath reheating operation is started.

The bath reheating operation is started, and a time Δts1 during which the hot water temperature decreases due to heat radiation from the bath heat retention set temperature Ts to the bath reheating start temperature Ton is obtained. Specifically, from the value of the intersection of the straight line connecting the automatic warming operation start point and the point after Δts0 time has elapsed to start the bath chase operation, and the boundary line (one-dot chain line) of the bath chase start temperature Ton Then, a time Δts1 during which the hot water temperature decreases due to heat radiation from the bath heat retention set temperature Ts to the bath reheating start temperature Ton is obtained.

  When the bath reheating temperature operation is continued and the bath reheating end temperature Toff is reached, the bath reheating operation is completed. If the heat dissipation condition does not change much, it is predicted that the hot water temperature will reach the bath reheating start temperature Ton during the heat dissipation time Δts1, and this Δts1 is set as the next interval time. Similarly, the predicted heat release time Δts1 is corrected every time the bath reheating cycle is repeated as Δts2, Δts3,.

  In FIG. 2, when the bath temperature is detected for the third time, the bath temperature detected after the interval time Δts2 is higher than the reheating start temperature Ton. Therefore, the process waits until a further subdivided interval time Δts2 / n (in this embodiment, n = 2) has elapsed, and the temperature sensor 13 is used to detect the bath temperature.

  When the time Δts2 / n has elapsed, the bath temperature is equal to or lower than the bath reheating start temperature Ton, and therefore the bath reheating operation is started. At that time, using the bath temperature when Δts2 has elapsed since the end of the second bath chasing operation and the bath temperature when Δts2 / n has elapsed, the bath chasing after the bath chasing operation has ended. The time Δts3 until the start temperature Ton (indicated by the alternate long and short dash line) is obtained. This Δts3 is set to an interval time after the third bath reheating operation.

In FIG. 2, if the additional time is given for the subdivided interval time Δts2 / n, the bath temperature is lower than the bath reheating start temperature Ton, but the bath renewal starts only with this additional time Δts2 / n. If the bath temperature does not drop to the temperature Ton, the bath temperature is detected after waiting for the additional time Δts2 / n again. Thereafter, this procedure is repeated. Further, since the third interval time Δts3 coincides with the heat radiation time, the bath reheating operation is started when the interval time Δts3 has elapsed. Then, the fourth interval time Δts4 is set to Δts4 = Δts3.

FIG. 3 shows a case where the bath temperature becomes higher than the bath heat retention set temperature Ts by hot hot water or the like during the interval time Δts. The bath automatic heat insulation operation is started at 40 ° C., which is lower than the bath heat retention set temperature Ts (= 42 ° C.) but higher than the bath reheating start temperature Ton (= 36 ° C.). This is a case where hot water is poured during the interval time Δts0.

  After the preset interval time Δts0 has passed, the temperature sensor 13 is used to detect the bath temperature. Since the detected bath temperature is higher than the bath temperature setting temperature Ts, the bath reheating operation is postponed. Then, the currently set interval time Δts0 is set to the interval time Δts1. When the interval time Δts1 has elapsed, the temperature sensor 13 is used again to detect the bath temperature.

Since the detected bath temperature is lower than the reheating start temperature Ton, the bath temperature set temperature Ts ( The time at which the two-dot chain line) and the time at which the bath reheating end temperature Toff (one-dot chain line) is reached are obtained by linear interpolation, and are defined as the bath heat retention set temperature passage time and the bath retreat start temperature passage time.

  The difference Δts2 between the two times is an estimated time for the hot water temperature of the bathtub 14 to drop from the bath reheating end temperature to the bath reheating start temperature. Therefore, the predicted time Δts2 is set to the next interval time Δts2. At the same time, the bath chasing operation is executed until the bath chasing end temperature Toff is reached. Thereafter, the same procedure as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 2 is repeated.

  According to the present embodiment, the interval time from the end of the bath reheating operation to the detection of the bath temperature can be set based on the actual change in bath temperature without being affected by the heat insulation performance of the bathtub or the outside air temperature. Therefore, the bathtub 14 can always be maintained in an appropriate heat insulation state, and the heat insulation operation including the bath temperature detection can be performed efficiently.

  FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the hot water supply equipment according to the present invention. In the above embodiment, the hot water in the bathtub is directly heated by the refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle and reheated, but in this embodiment, the hot water supply heat exchanger 9a and the reheating heat exchanger 9b are provided. . Accordingly, the valve 19 is opened and the valve 20 is closed when hot water is supplied, and the water for bath pouring that passes through the check valve 18 and the pump 16 is heated with the refrigerant flowing through the hot water supply heat exchanger 9a included in the refrigeration cycle. Then, the hot water is poured into the bathtub 14 through the mixing valve 21 and the valve 17 for temperature adjustment. At this time, the water flows into the cycle due to the incoming water pressure. Therefore, the operation of the pump 16 becomes unnecessary, but the pump 16 may be operated when it is desired to increase the flow rate.

  On the other hand, in the bath chasing operation, the valve 19 is closed and the valve 20 is opened. The pump 16 is operated. Then, the hot water heated by the hot water supply heat exchanger 9a is circulated to the reheating heat exchanger 9b. Heat exchange with the hot water in the bathtub 14 sent from the bath circulation pump 12 is performed. Thus, the bath is chased. According to the present embodiment, since the same heat source can be used for bath pouring and reheating, when reheating immediately after bath filling, the remaining heat of the refrigeration cycle after filling can be used as it is for reheating. Efficiency is improved. In addition, the device can be miniaturized. Although the control portion is not shown in FIG. 5, the control unit and the motor drive unit have the same configuration as that of the embodiment shown in FIG.

  In each of the above embodiments, each set temperature and set time of the bath temperature heat retention device are set by a remote controller disposed in the bathroom, but it goes without saying that a remote controller may be disposed in addition to a bathroom such as a kitchen. When it is installed outside the bathroom, when setting it before using the bath, it is not necessary to go to the bathroom and the setting is convenient.

The flowchart explaining operation | movement of the automatic bath heat retention apparatus which concerns on this invention. The graph explaining the change of the bath water temperature at the time of the heat retention driving | operation of the automatic bath heat retention apparatus which concerns on this invention. The graph explaining the change of the bath water temperature at the time of the heat retention driving | operation of the automatic bath heat retention apparatus which concerns on this invention. The system figure of one Example of the heat pump water heater equipped with the automatic bath heat retention apparatus which concerns on this invention. The system figure of the other Example of the heat pump water heater equipped with the automatic bath heat retention apparatus which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Motor drive part 2 Control part 2a Microcomputer (estimation means)
2b Data storage (memory)
3 Fan 4 Evaporator 6 Pressure sensor 7 Temperature sensor 8 Expansion valve 9 Gas cooler (heat exchanger for bathing)
10 Temperature sensor 11 Flow rate sensor 12 Bath circulation pump 13 Temperature sensor (for bath temperature detection)
14 Bath 23 Remote control (Bath insulation temperature setting means)

Claims (5)

  A means for setting the temperature of the bath, a bath heat exchanger for heating the circulating bath water, a circulating pump for circulating the bath water, a temperature sensor for detecting the hot water temperature of the bath, and after a set interval time has elapsed A control unit that detects the bath temperature and instructs the reheating operation to start until the reheating operation finish temperature is reached when the detected bath temperature is equal to or lower than a preset bath reheating operation start temperature. In the automatic bath warming apparatus equipped with the above, the control unit estimates the time until the start of the bath renewal operation by linearly interpolating changes in bath temperature measured at two different times in the bath temperature detection interval time Δts. An automatic bath heat retention device, wherein the estimated time is set to the next bath temperature detection interval time Δts.   If the bath temperature after the passage of the bath temperature detection interval time Δts is higher than the bath reheating operation start temperature, the control unit further adds Δts / n (n is a positive integer) to the interval time Δts until reheating. 2), and the bath temperature at the start and end of the added interval time Δts / n is linearly interpolated to estimate the bath reheating operation start temperature arrival time. Bath warmer.   The said control part does not update the next bath temperature detection interval time, if the bath temperature after progress of the said bath temperature detection interval time (DELTA) ts has exceeded the bath heat retention setting temperature, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. The automatic bath thermal insulation device described.   Automatic having a refrigeration cycle and a controller that controls the hot water within the bath reheating start temperature and bath retreat end temperature set by the bath heat insulation temperature setting means by reheating the hot water of the bath using a reheating circuit In the bath warmer, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the bath is provided, and in the control unit, timer means capable of measuring the operation time of the automatic bath warmer, the time measured by the timer means and the temperature sensor A memory capable of storing the detected hot water temperature, and means for estimating an interval time from the end of the chasing operation to the next chasing operation are provided, and the estimating means includes the predetermined initial interval time interval. Automatic, characterized by detecting the hot water temperature using a temperature sensor and estimating the interval time until the next reheating by linear interpolation of the detected hot water temperature Lu warm equipment.   The refrigeration cycle is configured by sequentially connecting a compressor, an evaporator, an expansion valve, a water-refrigerant heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and water, and the reheating circuit includes the water- The automatic bath heat insulation device according to claim 4, wherein the refrigerant heat exchanger, the bathtub, and the pump are sequentially connected by piping.

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