JP2008267616A - Domestic heat energy efficiency utilization system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the consumption of heat energy in home, and further to reduce the consumption of electric power generating the heat energy. <P>SOLUTION: An exhaust air of a condenser 25 for condensing moisture in a washing chamber in a drying process of a dish washer/drier 20 is blown out to a refrigerant heating exchanger 12 of a hot water storage type water heater 10 for heating water in a hot water storage tank 14 to which water is supplied to a target heat storage quantity by the refrigerant heating exchanger 12 operated by electric power, and storing the hot water in the hot water storage tank 14. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an efficient utilization system of thermal energy consumed in the home, and in particular, by making effective use of the thermal energy between the dishwasher / dryer and the hot water storage type water heater, As a result, it relates to improvements to reduce the power consumption that lays it.

  Even in general households, various forms of daily life are gained by using thermal energy in various forms. However, recent efforts to address environmental issues have focused mainly on reducing unnecessary energy consumption. It has been. One convenient device using thermal energy is, for example, a dishwasher / dryer. As is well known, the tableware stored in the washing cabinet is washed with water at a set temperature, rinsed, and then dried at the set temperature automatically in a predetermined sequence. is there.

  Various types of such dishwashers have already been supplied to the market, but as a contrivance to differentiate from other models, they simply have better cleaning ability than other models. Rather, in order to contribute to environmental improvement, a device that should be further improved in efficiency as a single device is being sought.

For example, in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, after a power failure, the operation means detects whether or not the power failure state has been restored by the power failure detection means, and after the power failure is restored, the temperature detection means causes the water and air in the dishwasher to It is detected whether the temperature is substantially the set temperature. If so, the operation control unit reads the operation state immediately before the power failure state from the operation state storage unit, and performs control to continue the operation state as it is. In this way, even though the temperature in the washing cabinet is almost the set state, it is not necessary to perform operation that generates inefficient and wasteful energy consumption such as re-starting operation control from the beginning. Can contribute.
JP 2004-329545 A

  On the other hand, although this is also a device that uses heat energy and consumes a considerable amount of heat energy, there is a hot water storage type water heater as a convenient device. This is because the water in the hot water storage tank is heated up to the target heat storage amount by a refrigerant heat exchanger such as a heat pump unit that is generally operated at low-cost power at night, and is stored in the hot water storage tank. Hot water is discharged from the hot water storage tank as needed.

Of course, even in such a hot water storage type water heater, high efficiency is achieved even from a structural point of view as a single device. For example, as is recognized in Patent Document 2 below, the water supply is in the hot water storage tank. The hot water heated is sent to the uppermost part of the hot water storage tank so that the hot water is stored from the upper side of the hot water tank. It does not mix with the water supplied to the lower side of the tank. In other words, the hot water that has been warmed is not cooled unnecessarily, and the hot water from the hot water storage tank is made from the hot water piping connected to the uppermost part of the hot water storage tank.
JP 2002-168524 A

  As described above, there has been an attempt to use heat energy efficiently. However, when looking at the conventional dishwasher / dryer, no measures have been taken against the air supplied to and exhausted from the condenser that condenses moisture in the dishwasher and accelerates drying. The lower the temperature supplied to the condenser, the more efficient the air supplied to the condenser. However, conventionally, only air at an external environment temperature has been supplied. After being led to the exhaust port, it was simply discarded outside. However, paying attention here, it must be said that wasteful disposal of heat energy has occurred.

  On the other hand, in the hot water storage type water heater, it is necessary to increase the boiling temperature by flowing the hot water in the hot water storage tank through the circulation path only when the hot water in the hot water storage tank is cooled, not only at midnight when the electricity rate is low. At this time, the higher the external environment temperature to which the refrigerant heat exchanger is exposed, the higher the efficiency, and conversely, the temperature of the exhausted air becomes lower. However, in the past, this was merely recognized as a phenomenon, and the air supplied to the refrigerant heating exchanger was air at an outside temperature.

  The present invention pays attention to such facts, and by making effective use of heat energy, which was previously only wastefully discarded in each device, between the dishwasher / dryer and the hot water heater, It relates to an improvement to reduce the heat energy consumption in the interior, and thus the power consumption producing it.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention
A dishwasher / dryer for the refrigerant heating exchanger of the hot water storage water heater that heats the water in the hot water storage tank to the target heat storage amount by the refrigerant heating exchanger that operates with electricity and stores it in the hot water storage tank. In the drying process, the exhaust of the condenser for condensing the moisture in the washing chamber was blown.
We propose a thermal energy efficient utilization system in the home.

  In contrast to satisfying this basic configuration, the present invention also proposes a configuration in which the exhaust from the refrigerant heating exchanger is blown to the condenser.

  Further, preferably, when the condenser is operated, under the command of the control circuit provided in the dishwasher / dryer, the transmission circuit transmits a signal during operation of the condenser, while the control circuit provided in the hot water storage type water heater is It is also proposed that the refrigerant heating exchanger is operated when the condenser operating signal is received through the receiving circuit so that the hot water in the hot water storage tank is reheated.

  Although there is no limitation on the transmission / reception format of the signal during operation of the condenser, for example, signal transmission / reception between the transmission circuit and the reception circuit may be performed via a wired line, or using radio frequency, infrared rays, or the like. Also good. In particular, in the case of wired communication, a power line communication method (PLC: Power Line Communications), which is allowed to be used recently, and superimposes a signal on a domestic commercial AC power line and conveys it may be adopted.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the heating efficiency of the refrigerant heating exchanger by sending air that has become relatively hot from the condenser that has been wasted in the past to the refrigerant heating exchanger, Accordingly, energy consumption can be surely saved.

  Further, according to a specific aspect of the present invention, if the exhaust gas having a relatively low temperature from the refrigerant heat exchanger is also sent to the condenser, the condensation efficiency of the condenser is improved, and again, the energy consumption is reduced. Further savings can be achieved.

  Further, according to yet another specific aspect of the present invention, when a transmission / reception circuit is provided to notify the hot water storage hot water heater when the condenser is operated and the refrigerant heating exchanger is operated at that time, In a hot water storage type hot water heater that is absolutely necessary, it is possible to carry out a pre-boiling in advance while effectively using thermal energy at a highly desirable timing.

  FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of a domestic thermal energy efficiency utilization system to which the present invention is applied. In this system, the hot water storage type water heater 10 and the dishwasher / dryer 20 are used in combination in a thermally linked relationship. Each of the hot water storage water heater 10 and the dishwasher / dryer 20 as a single unit may have the same basic functions as those of existing ones except for the components for additional functions necessary for carrying out the present invention described later. No particular modification is required.

  For example, as a basic function, the hot water storage type water heater 10 is similar to the conventional hot water supply device 10 in that the water supplied from the lower part of the hot water storage tank is generally supplied to the hot water storage tank 14 through the heat exchanger 13 by the power-operated refrigerant heating exchanger 12. Heated and stored in the hot water storage tank 14. When the user twists a water tap (hot water tap) (not shown), the hot water in the hot water storage tank 14 is generally discharged from the upper part of the hot water storage tank 14 through a pipe.

  The water (hot water) in the hot water storage tank 14 is normally designed to be boiled using low-cost electricity at low prices, but if the temperature falls below a predetermined temperature with respect to the set temperature, the midnight power supply It is normal for people to be boosted even if it is not time.

  On the other hand, the dishwasher / dryer 20 also cleans dishes (not shown) stored in the washing cabinet 22 in accordance with a predetermined sequence even in existing models, and then rinses and enters the drying process to dry the dishes. Let In the drying process, a condenser 25 is used, and a condensation phenomenon is caused while the air in the washing cabinet is circulated by the fan 23, and the generated moisture is returned to the washing cabinet 22 through the drain pipe 26.

  However, when the condenser 25 is operated, the exhaust from the condenser 25 is usually higher than the temperature or the external environment temperature. Conventionally, the heat energy of the exhaust gas is simply discarded as waste heat, but this is effectively used in the present invention.

  That is, the exhaust from the condenser 25 is blown through the pipe 31 to the refrigerant heating exchanger 12 of the hot water storage type hot water heater 10 using, for example, the fan 15 or the like. Therefore, if the refrigerant heat exchanger 20 is operating at this time, air having a temperature higher than the ambient temperature or the external environment temperature is blown, so that the heating efficiency of the refrigerant heat exchanger 12 is increased, and accordingly, The energy consumption is surely reduced.

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, the exhaust of the refrigerant heating exchanger 12 is also blown to the condenser 25 through the pipe 32 using the fan 24 or the like. Therefore, the lower the external environmental temperature that is exposed, the better for the condenser 25, where the condensing effect is enhanced, and the relatively low temperature air is blown to improve the condensing efficiency, again saving energy consumption. The

  Such a rational exhaust utilization configuration is obtained by a mechanically simple configuration, and in that sense, it is a practical and highly effective method. Of course, it is desirable that the pipes 31 and 32 can be removed or can be arranged freely by a bellows structure or the like.

  However, although the hot water storage type water heater 10 basically uses midnight power to boil the hot water in the hot water storage tank 14 to the set temperature, it is natural that it falls below the set temperature even during the daytime. Can happen. When the degree of lowering reaches a predetermined lower limit temperature, it is absolutely necessary to perform a reheating operation by operating the refrigerant heating exchanger 12. Therefore, if the hot water in the hot water storage tank 14 can be boiled and increased as much as possible even if it has not reached the lower limit temperature, it is set by the user's forced boil-off command from there. When it is necessary to increase the boiling point to the temperature, the power required can be saved.

  In the present embodiment, such considerations are taken into consideration. That is, when the condenser 25 is operated, the control circuit 21 provided in the dishwasher / dryer 20 instructs the transmission circuit 27 to transmit a “condenser operating signal”, while the hot water storage-type water heater 20 is provided. When the control circuit 11 receives the condenser operating signal via the receiving circuit 16, the control circuit 11 operates the refrigerant heating exchanger 12 to reheat the hot water in the hot water storage tank 14.

  As a result, the refrigerant heat exchanger 12 that receives air at a relatively high temperature when the condenser 25 is operated can be operated efficiently at that time, for example, a high electricity charge during the day. Compared to the case where the waste heat from the condenser 25 cannot be received even if the boiling is increased, it is possible to increase the boiling to a higher temperature in a short time, which ultimately saves energy consumption. Become. There is a possibility that the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank 14 will not drop to the lower limit temperature to the extent that the refrigerant heat exchanger 12 must be forcibly operated. Compared to the case where the device according to the invention is not applied, the total energy used is surely reduced.

  In recent hot water storage hot water heaters 10 and dishwashers / dryers 20, a microcomputer is often used as a control circuit for controlling their operation, but of course, for the above-described additional functions of the present invention. The necessary control circuits 11 and 21 can be configured by utilizing a part of the functions of the microcomputer.

  The signal transmission / reception format between the transmission circuit 27 and the reception circuit 16 is not limited. For example, the signal transmission / reception format may be performed via a wired line, or may be performed using radio frequency, infrared rays, or the like. In particular, in the case of wired communication, as described above, a power line communication method (PLC: Power Line Communications) in which a signal is superimposed on a domestic commercial AC power line and carried may be employed.

It is a schematic block diagram in desirable one Embodiment of the domestic thermal energy efficiency utilization system of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10 Hot water storage type water heater
11 Control circuit
12 Refrigerant heating exchanger
13 Heat exchanger
14 Hot water storage tank
15 fans
16 Receiver circuit
20 Dishwasher
21 Control circuit
22 Cleaning cabinet
25 Condenser
27 Transmitter circuit

Claims (7)

A dishwasher / dryer for the refrigerant heating exchanger of the hot water storage water heater that heats the water in the hot water storage tank to the target heat storage amount by the refrigerant heating exchanger that operates with electric power and stores it in the hot water storage tank. In the drying process, the exhaust of the condenser for condensing the moisture in the washing chamber was blown.
A heat energy efficiency utilization system in the home. A home thermal energy efficiency utilization system according to claim 1;
The exhaust from the refrigerant heat exchanger is also blown to the condenser;
A heat energy efficiency utilization system in the home. A home thermal energy efficiency utilization system according to claim 1;
When the condenser is operated, under the instruction of the control circuit provided in the dishwasher / dryer, the transmission circuit transmits a signal indicating that the condenser is operating, while the control circuit provided in the hot water storage type water heater receives the signal. When the condenser operating signal is received through the circuit, the refrigerant heating exchanger is operated to reheat the hot water in the hot water storage tank:
A heat energy efficiency utilization system in the home. A domestic thermal energy efficiency utilization system according to claim 3;
The above-mentioned condenser operation signal is transmitted and received through a wired line;
A heat energy efficiency utilization system in the home. A domestic thermal energy efficiency utilization system according to claim 3;
The above-mentioned condenser operation signal is transmitted and received using radio frequency;
A heat energy efficiency utilization system in the home. A domestic thermal energy efficiency utilization system according to claim 3;
The above-mentioned condenser operation signal is transmitted and received using infrared rays;
A heat energy efficiency utilization system in the home. A domestic thermal energy efficiency utilization system according to claim 3;
The transmission / reception of the condenser operating signal is performed by a power line communication method using a domestic commercial AC power line;
A heat energy efficiency utilization system in the home.

Images