JP2013036708A - Water heater - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a water heater that predicts a possible time for starting a heat recovery operation from a bathing pattern of a user and automatically starts the heat recovery operation, thus improving the usability.SOLUTION: The water heater includes: a hot water storage tank 1, a bathtub 3, a heat exchanger 4 for exchanging heat between hot water in the hot water storage tank 1 and hot water in the bathtub 3, a consumed heat amount measuring unit 50 for measuring an amount of consumed heat; a consumed heat amount memory 52 for storing the amount of consumed heat measured; and a control unit 18. The water heater predicts a bathing finish time from information of the consumed heat amount stored in the consumed heat amount memory 52, and starts a hear recovery operation at the bathing finish time for transferring the heat of the hot water in the bathtub 3 to the hot water in the hot water storage tank 1 through the heat exchanger 4.

Description

  The present invention relates to a hot water supply apparatus having a heat recovery function.

  Conventionally, when a heat recovery execution signal is input to this type of hot water supply device, after the bath automatic heat insulation operation is finished, and when the temperature of the low-temperature water at the bottom of the hot water tank is lower than the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub Some perform a heat recovery operation (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 14 shows a hot water supply apparatus having a heat recovery operation as a function. 1 is a hot water storage tank, 2 is a heat pump unit, 3 is a bathtub, 4 is a heat exchanger, 5a is a hot water tank water transport pump, and 5b is a bath water transport pump. , 6 is a heat recovery branch pipe, 7 is a three-way valve, 8 is a high temperature water supply pipe, 9 is a low temperature water supply pipe, 10 is a hot water supply pipe, 11 is a mixing valve, 12 is a bath water circulation pipe, 13 is an on-off valve, 14 is A water supply pipe, 15 is a hot water supply branch pipe, and 16 is a heat exchange return pipe. The bathtub water circulation pipe 12 is configured by connecting the forward pipe and the return pipe of the bathtub 3 in an annular shape, and includes a heat exchanger 4 and a bathtub water conveyance pump 5b on the circuit.

  The mixing valve 11 is configured to connect the high temperature water supply pipe 8 and the low temperature water supply pipe 9 to the inlet side, and connect the hot water supply pipe 10 to the outlet side, and the bathtub water circulation pipe 12 via the on-off valve 13. Connected. Further, a bathtub water temperature detecting means 17 for detecting the water temperature in the bathtub is provided in the middle of the bathtub water circulation pipe 12.

  When this hot water supply apparatus performs bath automatic operation, first, hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 1 and water supplied from the water supply pipe 14 are mixed with hot water at a desired temperature by the mixing valve 11 to supply hot water to the bathtub 3. . After the hot water is supplied to the bathtub 3, a heat retaining operation is performed in order to keep the temperature of the hot water constant for a certain period of time.

  The heat insulation operation is performed when the bath water temperature falls below a certain temperature. The hot water storage tank water transport pump 5a and the bath water transport pump 5b are operated, and the heat exchanger 4 performs hot water (for example, The hot water (for example, about 35 ° C.) in the bathtub 3 is heated by about 80 ° C.).

  Moreover, in order to judge whether the water temperature of the bathtub 3 has fallen below the fixed temperature, the bathtub water temperature detection operation | movement which drives only the bathtub water conveyance pump 5b is performed intermittently. When the bath water temperature detecting means 17 detects that the water temperature of the bathtub 3 is lowered below a certain temperature, the heat retaining operation is performed, and when the bath water temperature detecting means 17 is not lowered, it waits as it is. After a certain period of time has elapsed, automatic bath operation is automatically terminated.

  Next, when the reheating operation is performed, the hot water storage tank water transfer pump 5a and the bathtub water transfer pump 5b operate, and the hot water in the hot water storage tank 1 (for example, about 80 ° C.) is stored in the bathtub in the heat exchanger 4. The hot water in 3 (for example, about 35 ° C.) is heated. As a result, the water temperature in the bathtub 3 rises, and the amount of heat (heat storage amount) stored as hot water in the hot water tank 1 decreases.

  Finally, in the case of performing the heat recovery operation, the hot water tank water transfer pump 5a and the bath water transfer pump 5b are similarly operated. In the heat exchanger 4, the water in the hot water tank 1 (for example, about 10 ° C.) Cools the water (for example, about 35 ° C.) in the bathtub 3 and recovers heat. As a result, the water temperature in the bathtub 3 drops and the amount of heat (heat storage amount) stored as hot water in the hot water tank 1 increases, so that the amount of heat heated up by the heat pump unit 2 can be reduced.

Further, as a method for controlling such operation, the user instructs the execution of the heat recovery operation in advance, and after stopping the automatic bath operation, the heat recovery operation is performed when a predetermined time expires. .

JP 2009-192107 A

  However, in the conventional hot water supply apparatus, the user has to instruct execution of the heat recovery operation in advance, which has a problem in usability.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, predicts the heat recovery operation startable time from the user's bathing pattern, and automatically starts the heat recovery operation, thereby improving the usability. An object is to provide an apparatus.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the hot water supply apparatus of the present invention measures a heat storage tank, a bathtub, a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the hot water in the hot water tank and the hot water in the bathtub, and the amount of heat used. A heat utilization amount measuring means, a utilization heat amount storage section for storing the measured utilization heat amount, and a control means, predicting a bathing end time from information on the utilization heat amount stored in the utilization heat amount storage section, At the predicted bathing end time, a heat recovery operation is started to recover the heat of the hot water in the bathtub to the hot water in the hot water tank by the heat exchanger.

  Thereby, the heat recovery operation startable time is predicted from the user's bathing pattern, and the heat recovery operation is automatically started.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the hot water supply apparatus which improved usability can be provided by estimating the heat recovery operation start possible time from a user's bathing pattern, and starting heat recovery operation automatically.

Configuration diagram of hot water supply apparatus in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Block diagram of heat recovery operation control means of the hot water supply device Conceptual diagram of the control method for bath automatic operation and heat recovery operation of the water heater Conceptual diagram of control method for reheating operation and heat recovery operation of the water heater Conceptual diagram of determining the bathing end time used to predict the heat recovery operation start time of the water heater Circuit configuration diagram showing the direction of water and hot water when hot water is supplied to the bathtub during automatic bath operation of the hot water supply device Circuit configuration diagram showing the flow direction of water and hot water during the warming operation during automatic bath operation of the hot water supply device and during the chasing operation Circuit configuration diagram showing the flow direction of water and hot water during bath water temperature detection operation during automatic bath operation of the water heater Circuit configuration diagram showing the flow direction of water and hot water during the heat recovery operation of the water heater The figure which showed the change of the temperature distribution in the hot water tank by the heat recovery operation of the hot water supply device The figure which showed the efficiency of the heat pump unit of the water heater The figure which showed the relationship between the heat recovery amount of the hot water supply device and the input of the heat pump unit Flow chart of heat recovery operation of the hot water supply device Configuration diagram of conventional hot water supply equipment

  1st invention is the said hot water storage tank, the bathtub, the heat exchanger which heat-exchanges the hot water in the said hot water tank, and the hot water in the said bathtub, the utilization heat amount measuring means which measures utilization heat amount, and the said measurement A use heat amount storage unit that stores use heat amount, and a control unit, predicting a bathing end time from information on the use heat amount stored in the use heat amount storage unit, and at the predicted bathing end time, the heat exchange The hot water supply device is characterized in that a heat recovery operation for recovering the heat of the hot water in the bathtub into the hot water in the hot water storage tank is started by a vessel.

  Thereby, the heat recovery operation startable time is predicted from the user's bathing pattern, the heat recovery operation is automatically started, and usability can be improved.

  2nd invention is equipped with the heating means which heats the hot water in the said hot water storage tank, The said heat recovery operation is stopped so that the input at the time of the heating operation of the said heating means after the said heat recovery operation stop may become substantially the minimum It is characterized by making it.

  Thus, based on the temperature distribution of the hot water storage tank during the heat recovery operation, the time point at which the heat consumption (power consumption) for boiling up the predetermined hot water storage amount by the heating means is judged to be minimum, and the heat recovery operation is stopped. Therefore, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the entire system, which is the original purpose, and to improve energy saving.

  3rd invention is equipped with the several hot water storage temperature detection means which detects the water temperature of the said hot water storage tank, and stops the said heat | fever collection | recovery driving | operation based on at least 1 detection temperature among these hot water storage temperature detection means. In the heat recovery operation, by optimizing the stop of the heat recovery operation, it is possible to provide a hot water supply device with improved system efficiency and energy saving.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water supply pipe connected to the hot water storage tank, a high temperature water supply pipe connected to supply high temperature water of the hot water storage tank, and the lower part of the hot water storage tank or to supply low temperature water. A low-temperature water supply pipe connected to the water supply pipe; a mixing valve for connecting the high-temperature water supply pipe and the low-temperature water supply pipe to the inlet side to mix the high-temperature water and the low-temperature water; and the heat exchange A hot water supply connected to the outlet side of the mixing valve and the bathtub circulation pipe so as to supply hot water of a predetermined temperature to the bathtub. A pipe, an on-off valve connected in the middle of the hot water supply pipe, a hot water branch pipe branched upstream of the on-off valve and connected to the heat exchanger, and heat exchange with hot water in the bathtub in the heat exchanger The heat exchanger and the storage so that the hot water in the hot water storage tank is returned to the hot water storage tank again. A heat exchange return pipe connected to the tank, a first transfer pump for circulating hot water in the hot water storage tank and the heat exchanger, and a second transfer pump for circulating hot water in the bathtub and the heat exchanger; The open / close valve is closed, the mixing valve is adjusted to an opening degree for supplying water from the low temperature water supply pipe to the hot water pipe with priority over hot water from the high temperature water supply pipe, and the first One transport pump and the second transport pump are operated to perform the heat recovery operation.

  As a result, the three functions of hot water supply, reheating, and heat recovery can be realized with the minimum configuration of piping and valves, and the installation space in the casing of the hot water tank can be saved and the apparatus can be downsized. Can be planned. In addition, since the three functions of hot water supply, chasing, and heat recovery can be realized by controlling the opening of the mixing valve, there is an effect that the control is simplified and malfunctions such as malfunctions are reduced.

5th invention is the position where the said 1st hot water pipe was connected in the up-down direction of the said hot water storage tank, and the 1st hot water pipe connected to the said high temperature water supply pipe and connected to the substantially upper part of the said hot water storage tank And a second hot water discharge pipe connected between the water supply pipe and the position where the water supply pipe is connected, and the heat exchange return pipe is located in the vertical direction of the hot water storage tank and the hot water storage tank of the second hot water discharge pipe. At a position higher than the connection position of
It is connected to the hot water tank.

  As a result, it is possible to effectively use water at a medium temperature (hereinafter referred to as medium hot water) between the hot water at the upper part of the hot water tank and the cold water at the lower part, which is unavoidable in the temperature stratified hot water tank. The amount of heat recovered from the bath water can be increased because a large amount of low-temperature water can be secured below the hot water tank.

  In addition, flowing the warm water generated by the heat recovery into the relatively upper part of the hot water tank means that the hot water that moves below the hot water tank while increasing the temperature of the hot water that is below the inflow position of the hot water recovered. Since it can be used for hot water supply through the hot water outlet, the amount of heat stored in the hot water can be used to the maximum extent possible. At the same time, when the heating means is a heat pump unit, the medium temperature water in the hot water tank that reduces the boiling efficiency can be reduced, so that the efficiency of the entire system can be prevented from being reduced. Realize high energy savings.

  Furthermore, normally, the time period during which the heat recovery operation is performed is midnight, but assuming a case where a user's bathing is detected during the heat recovery operation, a bath water reheating operation is required from that point. At this time, the middle temperature water is effectively used at the time of hot water supply before that, and the water in the upper part of the hot water tank remains relatively high even at midnight, so that the reheating performance can be secured. In addition, the rise in the water temperature at the bottom of the hot water tank is small because the medium temperature water is returned to the relatively upper part of the hot water tank, so when the heat recovery operation is resumed after the user completes bathing, the temperature of the water flowing into the heat pump unit Efficient operation is performed while being kept low, and energy efficiency is not impaired.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a hot water supply apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, a hot water supply apparatus includes a hot water tank 1, a heat pump unit 2 as a heating means for heating the water in the hot water tank 1, a bathtub 3 to be subjected to heat recovery, water in the bathtub 3, and the hot water tank 1. A heat exchanger 4 configured to exchange heat with water, a water supply pipe 14 connected to the hot water tank 1, a first hot water pipe 22 connected to substantially the upper part of the hot water tank 1, and a first Between the position where the hot water pipe 22 and the water supply pipe 14 are connected, that is, in the height direction, the second hot water pipe 23 connected to the substantially central part of the trunk of the hot water storage tank 1, and the first hot water pipe 22 A high temperature water mixing valve 24 connected to the inlet side of the second hot water discharge pipe 23, and a high temperature water supply pipe 8 connected to the outlet side of the high temperature water mixing valve 24 for supplying high temperature water in the hot water tank 1 A low-temperature water supply pipe 9 branched from the water supply pipe 14 and supplying low-temperature water in the hot water tank 1 or from the water supply pipe 14; And a mixing valve 11 to these and hot water supply pipe 8 and the low temperature water supply pipe 9 is connected to the inlet side.

  Further, a hot water pipe 10 connected to the outlet side of the mixing valve 11, an on-off valve 13 connected in the middle of the hot water pipe 10, and a first flow of the heat exchanger 4 branching upstream of the on-off valve 13. The hot water supply branch pipe 15 connected to the road and the first flow path and the hot water storage of the heat exchanger 4 so as to return the water of the hot water storage tank 1 heat-exchanged with the water of the bathtub 3 by the heat exchanger 4 back to the hot water storage tank 1 A heat exchange return pipe 16 connected to the tank 1, a hot water tank water transport pump 5a as a first transport pump for circulating water in the first flow path of the hot water tank 1 and the heat exchanger 4, and a heat The bathtub water circulation pipe 12 connected so that the water of the bathtub 3 circulates in the second flow path of the exchanger 4, and the second for circulating the water in the second flow path of the bathtub 3 and the heat exchanger 4. The bathtub water conveyance pump 5b as a conveyance pump is provided.

Here, the heat exchange return pipe 16 is connected to the hot water tank 1 at a position between the first hot water pipe 22 and the second hot water pipe 23 in the vertical direction of the hot water tank 1. Moreover, the hot water supply pipe 10 is connected in the middle of the bathtub water circulation pipe 12, and this hot water supply pipe 12 is used when hot water is supplied to the bathtub 3.

  The remote controller 25 installed in the bathroom is provided with an infrared sensor 26 as a human body detecting means and a heat recovery operation operating means 27 for the user to arbitrarily start the heat recovery operation. The plurality of hot water temperature detecting means 28a to 28e for detecting the water temperature in the hot water tank 1 and the bathtub water circulation pipe 12 are provided with a bath water temperature detecting means 17 for detecting the water temperature of the bathtub 3.

  Furthermore, based on the outputs of the plurality of hot water storage temperature detection means 28a to 28e, the infrared sensor 26, the bath water temperature detection means 17 and the operation of the heat recovery operation operation means 27, the hot water supply to the bathtub 3 and the time set in advance thereafter Only bath automatic operation control means 29 as hot water supply control means for controlling automatic bath operation for maintaining the temperature of the bathtub water and maintaining the amount of water, and reheating operation control means 30 for controlling the reheating operation for heating the water in the bathtub 3. The hot water storage tank 1 is provided with operation control means 18 including heat recovery operation control means 21 for controlling the heat recovery operation for recovering the heat of the water in the bathtub 3.

  FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the heat recovery operation control means 21. The heat consumption measuring means 50 for measuring daily heat consumption, the time measuring means 51, and the heat consumption up to the previous day measured by the heat utilization measuring means 50 are shown in advance. The heat recovery operation for predicting the time at which the heat recovery operation can be started based on the stored heat amount storage unit 52 stored together with the hot water time measured by the time measuring means 51 for a set period of time. The start time prediction unit 53, the output of the infrared sensor 26, the operating state of the bath automatic operation control means 29, or the heat recovery operation start time predicted in advance by the heat recovery operation start time prediction unit 53, and further the heat recovery operation operation means A heat recovery operation start determination unit 31 that determines the start of the heat recovery operation from 27 and the like, and a boiling operation control means (not shown) for controlling the boiling operation by the heat pump unit 2 The required hot water storage heat acquisition unit 32 for acquiring the hot water storage amount of heat required for hot water later use hot water storage consists of hot water storage temperature distribution measuring unit 33 for measuring the hot water storage temperature distribution by hot-water temperature detecting means 28a to 28e.

  Further, the required boiling heat quantity calculation unit 34 that calculates the required boiling heat quantity based on the results obtained by the required hot water storage heat quantity acquisition unit 32 and the hot water storage temperature distribution measurement unit 33, and the current hot water storage temperature distribution measurement unit 33 The boiling completion hot water storage temperature distribution estimation unit 35 for estimating the temperature distribution at the time of completion of boiling from the temperature distribution and the required boiling heat amount calculation unit 34, and further, when the boiling is completed from the current temperature distribution by the hot water storage temperature distribution measurement unit 33 The boiling required input estimation unit 36 for estimating the input to the heat pump unit 2 while reaching the estimated temperature distribution at the completion of boiling in the hot water storage temperature distribution estimation unit 35, and the input estimated value by the boiling required input estimation unit 36 The hot water storage tank water transport pump 5a and the bath water transport pump 5b are controlled based on the time change of the pump control unit 37.

  About the hot water supply apparatus comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below.

  As a basic operation in the use of hot water in a general home, hot water for the day is stored in the hot water tank 1 in the morning, and is sequentially used for hot water supply during an active time. When the amount of hot water storage is insufficient during use of hot water, the heat pump unit 2 may be operated as necessary, and an additional hot water storage operation may be performed. In recent years, there have been an increasing number of hot water supply apparatuses having a function of automatic bath operation that automatically performs from hot water supply to the bathtub 3 to heat insulation.

  When the bath automatic operation control means 29 performs hot water supply to the bathtub 3 and heat insulation operation, the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 1 is used to supply hot water to the bathtub 3, and when the bath water temperature decreases, the hot water storage tank A heat insulation operation is performed using the heat of hot water stored in 1, and the bath water temperature is maintained at a preset temperature.

In addition, when the reheating operation is performed by the reheating operation control means 30 and the hot water in the bathtub 3 is heated, the heat of the hot water stored in the hot water tank 1 is used. Most of the hot water in the hot water storage tank 1 is replaced with hot water at the time when heat use such as hot water supply for one day is finished, and hot water storage operation for the next use is performed again at midnight thereafter. At this time, the hot water supplied to the bathtub 3 for bathing is often left at a relatively high temperature with respect to the water temperature in the hot water tank 1 at the end of use of the hot water supply. A heat recovery operation is performed before or during midnight boiling operation by the heat pump unit 2 to recover heat in the hot water tank 1.

  Next, a control method for bath automatic operation, chasing operation, and heat recovery operation will be described. The bath automatic operation control means 29 automatically supplies a predetermined amount of hot water to the bathtub 3 at a predetermined temperature, and then intermittently performs a heat retaining operation so as to maintain the bath water temperature at a preset temperature for a preset time. Perform (automatic bath operation). During bath automatic operation, bath water temperature detection operation for detecting bath water temperature periodically is performed in order to determine whether or not it is necessary to perform heat insulation operation.

  The bath water temperature is detected by the bath water temperature detecting means 17, and as a result, when the bath water temperature is lower than a preset temperature by a predetermined temperature or more (for example, 1K or more), a heat insulation operation is performed to maintain the bath water temperature. If it is less than 1, do not keep warm.

  During this preset time, the automatic bath operation is prioritized, and the heat recovery operation control means 21 is automatically operated or the heat recovery operation start means 27 is operated by the user by operating the heat recovery operation operation means 27. Control is performed so that the heat recovery operation is performed after a preset time has elapsed without performing the recovery operation. On the contrary, when the bath automatic operation control means 29 receives an instruction to start the bath automatic operation during the heat recovery operation, the heat recovery operation control means 21 stops the heat recovery operation, giving priority to the bath automatic operation. The automatic operation control means 29 starts bath automatic operation (conceptual diagram is shown in FIG. 3).

  The reheating operation control means 30 circulates and warms the hot water in the bathtub 3 and ends when the bath water temperature detected by the bath water temperature detection means 17 reaches a predetermined temperature or when a predetermined time elapses from the start of the operation (refreshing). operation). While the reheating operation control means 30 is performing the reheating operation, the renewal operation is prioritized, and the heat recovery operation control means 21 does not perform the heat recovery operation. After the reheating operation is completed, the heat recovery operation is performed. Control to do.

  Conversely, even when the reheating operation control means 30 receives an instruction for reheating operation during the heat recovery operation, the recuperation operation is given priority, and the heat recovery operation control means 21 stops the heat recovery operation and retreats. The operation control means 30 starts a chasing operation (a conceptual diagram is shown in FIG. 4).

  Here, the function of predicting the time when the heat recovery operation is possible according to the bathing pattern of the user of the hot water supply apparatus in the present embodiment and automatically starting the heat recovery operation will be described.

  In FIG. 5, the conceptual diagram of bathing end time determination used for prediction of heat recovery operation start time is shown.

  First, when the user uses the hot water in the hot water storage tank 1, the use heat quantity measuring means 50 measures the use heat quantity, and the use heat quantity is stored in the use heat quantity storage unit 52 together with the hot water time counted by the time measuring means 51. The And the utilization heat amount (for example, 5MJ) more than predetermined value is extracted from the storage information of utilization heat amount of the utilization heat amount memory | storage part 52, The thing of the latest time is made into the bathing end time of the day, and heat recovery driving | operation is carried out. It is transmitted to the heat recovery operation start time prediction unit 53 as prediction information of the time that can be started.

The heat recovery operation start time prediction unit 53 calculates an average bathing end time from the daily bathing end time accumulated as the prediction information, and determines a predetermined time (for example, 2 hours) after that time as the heat recovery start time. When the time measured by the time measuring means 51 reaches the time determined by the heat recovery operation start time prediction unit 53, the heat recovery operation start determination unit 31 determines the start of the heat recovery operation and can start the heat recovery operation. The heat recovery operation control means 21 performs a heat recovery operation.

  As a result, even if the user does not set an instruction for executing the heat recovery operation in advance, the heat recovery operation is automatically started.

  The operation of the valve and the pump when performing each operation and the flow of water and hot water associated therewith will be described with reference to FIGS. In the figure, the flow path is indicated by a bold line.

  First, the operation when the bath automatic operation control means 29 performs bath automatic operation will be described. FIG. 6 shows the flow of water and hot water in the circuit when hot water is first supplied to the bathtub 3. From the hot water storage tank 1, hot water from the first hot water discharge pipe 22 and the second hot water discharge pipe 23 is mixed by the high temperature water mixing valve 24 and supplied to the high temperature water supply pipe 8.

  The hot water supplied to the high-temperature water supply pipe 8 and the water supplied from the water supply pipe 14 to the low-temperature water supply pipe 9 are mixed with hot water having a desired hot water supply temperature by the mixing valve 11 and supplied to the hot water supply pipe 10. The Here, the temperature of the hot water supplied from the high-temperature water mixing valve 24 to the high-temperature water supply pipe 8 is a temperature higher than the above-mentioned desired hot water supply temperature by a predetermined temperature or more (for example, 45 ° C. or more when the desired hot water supply temperature is 40 ° C.). It is adjusted to. The on-off valve 13 is opened, and hot water having a desired temperature supplied to the hot water supply pipe 10 is supplied to the bathtub 3 from the bathtub water circulation pipe 12.

  The opening degree of the high temperature water mixing valve 24 and the mixing valve 11 is generally feedback controlled based on the temperature of hot water supplied to the high temperature water supply pipe 8 and the hot water supply pipe 10 respectively connected to the outlet side. For the high temperature water mixing valve 24, the hot water from the first outlet pipe 22 and the second outlet pipe, and for the mixing valve 11, the hot water from the high temperature water supply pipe 8 and the temperature of the feed water from the low temperature water supply pipe 9. It depends on.

  FIG. 6 shows the flow of water and hot water in the circuit when the hot water in the bathtub 3 is kept warm. The hot water storage tank water transfer pump 5a and the bathtub water transfer pump 5b start operation, and the hot water storage tank water transfer pump 5a starts operation from the upper part of the hot water storage tank 1 through the first hot water discharge pipe 22 through the high temperature water mixing valve 24. Hot water is supplied to the hot water supply pipe 8 and further supplied to the hot water supply pipe 10 via the mixing valve 11.

  At this time, the on-off valve 13 is closed and the hot water supplied to the hot water supply pipe 10 is supplied to the hot water supply branch pipe 15 to heat the hot water in the bathtub 3 circulating through the bathtub water circulation pipe 12 in the heat exchanger 4. Increase the bath water temperature. On the other hand, the hot water that has left the heat exchanger 4 and has become relatively cold returns to the hot water tank 1 through the heat exchange return pipe 16.

  At this time, the opening degree of the high temperature water mixing valve 24 and the mixing valve 11 is such that the first hot water outlet pipe 22 and the high temperature water supply pipe 8 side are fully opened, and the hot water in the upper part of the hot water tank 1 is supplied to the heat exchanger 4. It is generally controlled so that a certain amount of hot water or water flows from the second hot water outlet pipe 23 and the low temperature water supply pipe 9 and mixes them.

  FIG. 7 shows the flow of water and hot water in the circuit when the bathtub water temperature detection operation for detecting the water temperature in the bathtub 3 is performed. The bathtub water conveyance pump 5b starts operation, and the hot water in the bathtub 3 circulates in the bathtub water circulation pipe 12. At this time, the on-off valve 13 is closed and the hot water tank water transfer pump 5a does not operate. The bathtub water temperature detection means 17 detects the bathtub water temperature and determines whether or not to perform a heat retaining operation.

  Next, the operation when the reheating operation control means 30 performs the reheating operation, the flow of water and hot water in the circuit when the reheating operation is performed, when the bath automatic operation control means 29 performs the heat retaining operation. Since this is the same as shown in FIG.

  Finally, FIG. 9 shows the flow of water and hot water in the circuit when the heat recovery operation control means 21 performs the heat recovery operation of hot water left in the bathtub 3. When the heat recovery operation is started, water is supplied from a substantially lower portion of the hot water tank 1 to the low-temperature water supply pipe 9 by the operation of the hot water tank water transfer pump 5 a, and supplied to the hot water supply pipe 10 through the mixing valve 11.

  At this time, the on-off valve 13 is closed, and the water supplied to the hot water supply pipe 10 is supplied to the hot water supply branch pipe 15 and exchanges heat with the hot water of the bathtub 3 circulating through the bathtub water circulation pipe 12 in the heat exchanger 4. Go and recover heat. On the other hand, the water that has left the heat exchanger 4 and has reached a relatively high temperature returns to the hot water tank 1 through the heat exchange return pipe 16. At this time, the opening degree of the mixing valve 11 is generally controlled so that the low temperature water supply pipe 9 side is fully opened, but a certain amount of hot water flows from the high temperature water supply pipe 8 and mixes. There may be.

  The temperature distribution in the hot water tank 1 when the heat recovery operation is performed changes in the order of 38, 39, and 40 shown in FIG. That is, the temperature of the water 41 that exchanges heat with the bathtub 3 and flows into the hot water tank 1 from the heat exchange return pipe 16 is often lower than the hot water temperature of the hot water tank 1, and the hot water tank is caused by the action of the hot water tank water transfer pump 5a. It moves toward the lower side of the hot water tank 1 while being mixed with the hot water of No. 1. Since the connection position of the second hot water discharge pipe 23 is below the connection position of the heat exchanger return pipe 16, when hot water is generated, the medium temperature water 42 that has come down is discharged from the second hot water discharge pipe 23, and the first It can be used by mixing with hot water 43 from the hot water outlet pipe.

  44 shown in FIG. 10 shows a temperature distribution when hot water is generated after heat recovery. Thus, since the 2nd hot water discharge pipe 23 exists below the connection position to the hot water storage tank of the heat exchange return pipe 16, the collect | recovered heat | fever can be utilized effectively.

  The generation of hot water is relatively small, and the medium-temperature water that remains without being used up is reheated and used in the heat pump unit 2, but the operating efficiency of the heat pump unit 2 is as shown in FIG. The higher the water temperature, the lower it.

  As can be seen from the temperature distribution of the hot water storage tank 1 shown in FIG. 10, the necessary heating amount by the heat pump unit 2 after the heat recovery operation decreases as the recovered heat amount from the bathtub 3 increases. Since the water temperature before heating becomes high and the operation efficiency at the time of reheating is reduced, it is not necessarily energy saving to perform as much heat recovery as possible.

  That is, the input (heat consumption or power consumption) to the heat pump unit 2 is obtained by subtracting the recovered heat amount obtained by the heat recovery operation from the necessary heat amount before heat recovery for obtaining the required hot water storage heat amount. As shown in FIG. 12, this value may have a minimum value with respect to the recovered heat amount.

  Therefore, in order to obtain a higher energy saving effect, it is necessary to stop the heat recovery operation from the bathtub 3 at the time when the input to the heat pump unit 2 becomes substantially minimum in the reheating operation performed after the heat recovery operation is stopped. It is.

  As a specific method for finding the time point at which the minimum value is reached, the change of the input value to the heat pump unit 2 that is predicted based on the temperature distribution of the hot water tank 1 measured at predetermined time intervals is obtained. Judgment is made when the degree of decrease in the value is small or no longer decreases, or starts to increase.

As shown in FIG. 11, when the hot water in the hot water tank 1 is heated by the heat pump unit 2, the temperature at the site where water is transported from the hot water tank 1 to the heat pump unit 2 (in this embodiment, the hot water tank 1 The operating efficiency of the heat pump unit 2 increases as the temperature of the lower part of the heat pump unit 2 decreases. However, when the heat recovery operation from the bathtub 3 is performed, the water recovered from the bathtub 3 flows into the hot water tank 1. There is a state in which the temperature of the part that transports water from the hot water tank 1 to the heat pump unit 2 starts to rise.

  Therefore, at the time of the heat recovery operation from the bathtub 3, the temperature of the part that transports water to the heat pump unit 2 of the hot water tank 1 is measured, and the heat recovery operation operation from the bathtub 3 is performed in the vicinity where the increase in the temperature starts to increase. By stopping the operation, it is possible to achieve substantially the maximum operating efficiency of the heat pump unit 2 during the heating operation after the heat recovery operation.

  A control method of the heat recovery operation control means 21 for obtaining a high energy saving effect in consideration of the above will be described.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the operation of the heat recovery operation control means 21. When the heat recovery operation start determination unit 31 determines the start of the heat recovery operation, such as the operation of the heat recovery operation operation means 27 by the user or the elapse of a predetermined time after the completion of the automatic bath operation by the bath automatic operation control means 29, first Then, the presence or absence of a bather is detected by the infrared sensor 26 (S1). If a bather is detected here, the heat recovery operation is not started and the process ends (S2).

  If no bather is detected in step 1, the required hot water storage amount acquired by the required hot water storage amount acquisition unit 31, the current temperature distribution of the hot water tank 1 measured by the hot water storage temperature detection means 28 a to 28 e, and the heat pump unit 2 Predict the temperature distribution in the hot water storage tank 1 when the hot water storage operation is completed from the operating conditions such as the boiling temperature, compare it with the current temperature distribution, and the remaining heating amount when heating with the heat pump unit 2 from that point Qr is obtained (S3).

  Next, the average water temperature before boiling in the heat pump unit 2 is estimated from the measured current temperature distribution until the predicted temperature distribution at the completion of the hot water storage operation is reached (S4).

  Further, the average efficiency at the time of hot water storage operation is obtained from the average water temperature obtained at S4 and the characteristics of the heat pump unit 2 shown in FIG. 11, and the remaining heating amount Qr obtained at S3 is divided by this average efficiency. Is estimated (S5).

  Qin is obtained as a difference from Qin−f, which is a value obtained at the previous evaluation time, and when it is smaller than a predetermined deviation q, that is, when a change in the estimated input is gradually reduced and it is determined as a minimum value (S6). ) In step 2, the hot water tank water transfer pump 5a and the bath water transfer pump 5b are stopped to end the heat recovery operation. When the difference between Qin and Qin−f is equal to or greater than q, the heat recovery operation is continued, and when the next evaluation time is reached (S8), the above operation is repeated.

  As a supplement, at the first operation after the start of the heat recovery operation, S7 is executed without performing the comparison at S6.

  Here, the case where the bather is detected at the start of the heat recovery operation has been described, but in S1, the heat recovery operation is also stopped when the bather is detected after the heat recovery operation is started. (S2).

  Further, although not shown in this flowchart, when the bathing is over and the infrared sensor 26 no longer detects the human body, the heat recovery operation is restarted by performing this procedure again, and the above operation is performed.

  The above is the explanation of the operation. However, the stop of the heat recovery operation not based on the human body detection is performed by determining the minimum value of the input of the heat pump unit 2 because the degree of decrease is small. In addition to this method, when the input difference q between the evaluation times is 0, or when the sign of q is reversed from the previous evaluation time, that is, when the estimated input starts to increase, the heat recovery operation is set to the minimum value. May be stopped.

  In addition, the estimated input often increases or decreases while reaching the minimum value due to a measurement error of the temperature value of the hot water tank 1 to be measured. Therefore, by storing the estimated input at the latest several evaluation times, and determining whether the minimum value has been reached by using the moving average value, the determination accuracy of whether the minimum value has been reached is further improved. Can be increased.

  Furthermore, as described above, the method of evaluating the temperature distribution each time and obtaining the input is highly accurate, but the calculation is complicated and the load on the heat recovery operation control means 21 is large. In that case, when a change in hot water storage temperature at a position that most affects the input is grasped in advance, and one of the hot water storage temperature detection means 28a to 28e corresponding to that position starts to rise. When the predetermined temperature rise is observed or, for example, while the detection temperature of the hot water storage temperature detection means 28d is increased and the detection temperature of the hot water storage temperature detection means 28e is not increased, the heat recovery operation is continued. The stop may be determined according to a combination of two or more temperatures.

  Specifically, by detecting that the temperature relatively close to the lower part of the hot water tank 1 is rising and stopping the heat recovery operation, the efficiency of the heat pump unit 2 is less likely to be impaired, and a desired effect is obtained. Can be obtained. Furthermore, if the change of the temperature of the upper part of the hot water tank 1 is taken into consideration, it is possible to simultaneously evaluate the amount of recovered heat by the heat recovery operation, and the accuracy is improved.

  Thus, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the hot water tank 1, the bathtub 3, the heat exchanger 4 that performs heat exchange between the water in the hot water tank 1 and the water in the bathtub 3, and the heat exchanger 4, a heat recovery operation control means 21 for controlling a heat recovery operation for recovering heat from the water in the bathtub 3 to the water in the hot water tank 1, a utilization heat quantity measurement means 50 for measuring daily utilization heat quantity, and a timing means 51. And a used heat amount storage unit 52 that stores the used heat amount measured by the used heat amount measuring unit 50 up to the previous day together with the hot water time counted by the time measuring unit 51 for a predetermined period of time, and storage of the used heat amount storage unit 52 By providing a heat recovery operation start time predicting unit 53 that predicts the time when the heat recovery operation can be started based on the information, the heat recovery operation startable time is predicted from the user's bathing pattern, and the heat recovery operation is performed. It will start automatically, improving usability Door can be.

  Further, when it is detected that a human body is present in the bathroom, the heat recovery operation is not performed, and it is possible to prevent the hot water temperature in the bathtub from being lowered due to the heat recovery function and preventing bathing. At this time, if there is a bather at the timing of starting the heat recovery operation, the heat recovery operation is not started, and if there is a bather during the heat recovery operation, the heat recovery operation is immediately stopped. Does not impair comfort. Furthermore, when bathing is completed, the heat recovery operation is started or restarted, so that the operation without impairing the energy saving performance can be performed.

  The resumption of the heat recovery operation is automatically performed when a predetermined time elapses after the bather is no longer detected. However, the heat recovery operation is immediately performed by operating the heat recovery operation operation means 27 when the bather leaves the room. Since it can be restarted, wasteful heat dissipation from the bathtub 3 over time is suppressed, and energy saving is enhanced.

Further, in the configuration of the piping system for realizing the automatic bath operation, the reheating operation, and the heat recovery operation, they are switched by adjusting the opening of one mixing valve 11, so that the function is improved in the housing. In addition, it is not necessary to secure an installation space for new members, and there is no increase in weight, material, and standby power, contributing to resource and energy savings. In addition, heat exchanger 4
Is a plate type with high heat exchange efficiency, and is installed in the vicinity of the connection position of the heat exchange return pipe 16 of the hot water tank 1 so that the heat exchanger 4 itself is compact and the minimum pipe length is the same. To save resources.

  When the heat recovery operation is performed, the heat recovery operation is stopped when the input to the heat pump unit 2 for boiling up the required hot water storage amount is minimized, so that the efficiency of the entire system, which is the original purpose, is reduced. Improvement can be realized and energy saving can be improved.

  As a configuration, the water in the lower part of the hot water tank 1 is taken out and heated by the heat exchanger 4 and returned to the relatively upper part of the hot water tank 1. It depends on the difference in the return position. Furthermore, the heat recovery speed and the like can be controlled by controlling the capacity of the hot water tank water transfer pump 5a, and the operation efficiency changes depending on the difference in configuration and control.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to set an appropriate take-out position and return position in consideration of usage, the capacity of the hot water tank 1, and the like, and to optimize the design of the hot water tank water transfer pump 5a. Since the degree is high, it is easy to apply to a plurality of different models, and as a result, a large energy saving effect can be obtained by providing it to many users.

  Furthermore, in hot water supply from the hot water tank 1, hot water from the first hot water discharge pipe 22 and the second hot water discharge pipe 23 is appropriately mixed by the high temperature water mixing valve 24 to effectively use the medium temperature water in the hot water storage tank 1. In addition, by making the connection position of the heat exchange return pipe 16 to the hot water storage tank 1 higher than the second hot water discharge pipe 23, the hot water in the upper part of the hot water tank and the lower temperature in the lower part are inevitable in the temperature stratified hot water tank. As a result of the effective use of the medium-temperature water that can be formed between the water and the water, the amount of heat recovered from the bath water can be increased because a large amount of low-temperature water can be secured below the hot water tank even with the same heat storage amount.

  In addition, the flow of the intermediate warm water generated by the heat recovery into the relatively upper portion of the hot water storage tank 1 means that the intermediate warm water that moves below the hot water storage tank 1 while increasing is lower than the inflow position of the hot recovered hot water. Since it can be used for hot water supply through the two hot water outlet pipes 23, the amount of stored hot water can be used to the maximum extent possible. At the same time, the medium temperature water in the hot water tank 1 that reduces the heating efficiency of the heat pump unit 2 is reduced, so that the efficiency of the entire system can be prevented from being lowered. To do.

  Furthermore, normally, the time period during which the heat recovery operation is performed is midnight, but assuming a case where a user's bathing is detected during the heat recovery operation, a bath water reheating operation is required from that point. At this time, the middle temperature water is effectively used at the time of hot water supply before that, and the water in the upper part of the hot water tank 1 remains relatively high even at midnight, so that the reheating performance can be secured. In addition to being effective, the warm water is returned to the relatively upper part of the hot water tank 1 so that the rise in the water temperature at the lower part of the hot water tank 1 is small, and when the heat recovery operation is resumed after the user completes bathing, the heat pump unit 2 The inflow water temperature is kept low and efficient operation is performed, and energy saving is not impaired.

  That is, it is possible to provide a hot water supply device that realizes high energy saving performance without impairing the comfort of the user.

  As described above, the hot water supply apparatus according to the present invention achieves both comfort and energy saving in consideration of the behavior of the bather during the heat recovery operation from the hot water in the bathtub. In addition to being applicable to large-scale applications such as commercial use, it is possible to provide a hot water supply device control system with excellent practicality.

1 Hot water tank 2 Heating means (heat pump unit)
3 Bathtub 4 Heat exchanger 5a First transfer pump (hot water storage tank transfer pump)
5b Second transfer pump (tub water transfer pump)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 8 High temperature water supply pipe 9 Low temperature water supply pipe 10 Hot water supply pipe 11 Mixing valve 12 Bath water circulation pipe 13 On-off valve 14 Water supply pipe 15 Hot water branch pipe 16 Heat exchange return pipe 17 Bath water temperature detection means 18 Operation control means 21 Heat recovery operation control means 22 1st tap pipe 23 2nd tap pipe 24 High temperature water mixing valve 25 Remote control 26 Human body detection means (infrared sensor)
27 Heat recovery operation operation means 28 Hot water storage temperature detection means 29 Bath automatic operation control means 30 Reheating operation control means 50 Utilization heat amount measurement means 51 Timing means 52 Utilization heat quantity storage section 53 Heat recovery operation start time prediction section

Claims (5)

A hot water storage tank, a bathtub, a heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the hot water in the hot water tank and the hot water in the bathtub, a use heat amount measuring means for measuring the use heat amount, and a use for storing the measured use heat amount A heat amount storage unit, and a control unit, predicting a bathing end time from information on the use heat amount stored in the use heat amount storage unit, and hot water of the bathtub by the heat exchanger at the predicted bathing end time The hot water supply apparatus is characterized by starting a heat recovery operation for recovering the heat of the hot water in the hot water storage tank. A heating means for heating the hot water in the hot water storage tank is provided, and the heat recovery operation is stopped so that an input at the time of the heating operation of the heating means after the heat recovery operation is stopped is substantially minimized. The hot water supply apparatus according to claim 1. The said heat recovery driving | operation is stopped based on at least one detection temperature among the said several hot water storage temperature detection means, provided with the several hot water storage temperature detection means which detects the water temperature of the said hot water storage tank. The hot water supply device described in 1. A hot water supply pipe connected to the hot water storage tank, a high temperature water supply pipe connected to supply hot water of the hot water storage tank, and a lower part of the hot water storage tank or the water supply pipe to supply low temperature water. A low-temperature water supply pipe, a mixing valve for connecting the high-temperature water supply pipe and the low-temperature water supply pipe to the inlet side to mix the high-temperature water and the low-temperature water, the heat exchanger and the bathtub A bathtub circulation pipe connected to circulate hot water, a hot water pipe connected to the outlet side of the mixing valve and the bathtub circulation pipe to supply hot water of a predetermined temperature to the bathtub, and the hot water pipe An on-off valve connected in the middle of the hot water, a hot water branch pipe branched upstream of the on-off valve and connected to the heat exchanger, and hot water of the hot water tank that exchanged heat with hot water of the bathtub by the heat exchanger Connected to the heat exchanger and the hot water tank so as to return it to the hot water tank again. A heat transfer return pipe, a first transfer pump that circulates hot water in the hot water storage tank and the heat exchanger, and a second transfer pump that circulates hot water in the bathtub and the heat exchanger. The valve is closed, the mixing valve is adjusted to an opening degree that supplies water from the low-temperature water supply pipe to the hot water pipe with priority over hot water from the high-temperature water supply pipe, and the first transport pump and The hot water supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second transport pump is operated to perform the heat recovery operation. The hot water supply pipe communicates with the first hot water pipe connected to substantially the upper portion of the hot water storage tank, and the position where the first hot water discharge pipe is connected in the vertical direction of the hot water tank and the water supply pipe is connected. A second hot water pipe connected between the hot water storage tank and the heat exchange return pipe in a vertical direction of the hot water storage tank is higher than a connection position of the hot water storage tank of the second hot water pipe. The hot water supply apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the hot water supply apparatus is connected to the hot water storage tank at a position.