JP2013250015A - Water heater - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a water heater capable of achieving a comfortable feeling after taking a bath, while reducing a power consumption.SOLUTION: A water heater includes a heat source 13 for heating a hot water, a discharge unit 5 for tapping the hot water heated by the heat source 13, and a control device 21, wherein the control device 21 stops the hot water heating by the heat source 13 for a predetermined time during tapping from the discharge unit 5. The water heater has a superior comfortability in comparison with a cold bath owing to a shower having a slight temperature change, and also can achieve a comfortable feeling after taking a bath that is reduced in perspiration and reduce power consumption compared with a shower bath without a usual temperature change.

Description

  The present invention relates to a water heater having a shower function.

  Conventional hot water heaters discharge hot water heated by a heat source from a discharge section such as a shower head so that a user can enjoy a shower bath. Moreover, in order to improve comfort and economical efficiency, a hot / cold bath operation in which hot water with different temperatures is alternately discharged was possible (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-7432 A

  However, with a conventional water heater, a constant temperature shower bath or a shower bath in which hot water of different temperatures is alternately discharged can be performed. However, in a constant temperature shower bath, sweating occurs after use, and comfort is impaired. There was a problem.

  As a countermeasure, there is a shower bath that alternately discharges hot and cold water at different temperatures. However, the cold water bath has a problem that some people have a feeling of resistance to cold and cannot be used on a daily basis.

  This invention solves the said conventional subject, and it aims at providing the water heater which can implement | achieve a comfortable hot water rise, reducing power consumption.

  In order to solve the conventional problems, a water heater of the present invention includes a heat source that heats hot water, a discharge unit that discharges hot water heated by the heat source, and a control device, and the control device includes the discharge device. The hot water heating by the heat source is stopped for a predetermined time while the hot water is discharged from the section.

  As a result, a shower with a slight temperature change provides superior comfort compared to a cold water bath, and a comfortable bathing with less sweating can be achieved, reducing power consumption compared to a shower bath with no normal temperature change. You can also.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the water heater which can implement | achieve comfortable hot water rise can be provided, reducing power consumption.

Front external view of a water heater in Embodiment 1 of the present invention External view of the main parts of the water heater Configuration of the water heater State diagram when the hot water supply mode of the water heater is OFF State diagram when the hot water supply mode of the water heater is ON (A) Heat source output state diagram when hot water rising mode of the water heater is OFF (b) Heat source output state diagram when hot water rising mode of the water heater is ON

  1st invention is equipped with the heat source which heats hot water, the discharge part which taps out the hot water heated with the said heat source, and the control apparatus, The said control apparatus is the hot water by the said heat source in the hot water from the said discharge part. It is a water heater characterized by stopping heating for a predetermined time.

  As a result, a shower with a slight temperature change provides superior comfort compared to a cold water bath, and a comfortable bathing with less sweating can be achieved, reducing power consumption compared to a shower bath with no normal temperature change. be able to.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the temperature control unit that sets a temperature of the hot water heated by the heat source, and a temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the hot water heated by the heat source, the control is provided. The apparatus is a hot water supply apparatus that operates the heat source so that the temperature of the hot water heated by the heat source becomes the set temperature.

  As a result, the temperature changes slightly with respect to the temperature desired by the user, so it is more comfortable than a cold water bath, and it can realize a comfortable bathing with less sweating and a normal temperature-free shower. Compared to a bath, power consumption can be reduced.

  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 an external front view of a water heater in the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a detail view of a main part, and FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram. First, the external configuration of the water heater in Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the water heater in the present embodiment includes a casing 1 that forms an outer shell, a hot water outlet 2 through which hot water is discharged from a hot water supply pipe 14 in the casing 1, A water supply port 3 for supplying hot water to the water supply pipe 15 is provided.

  A shower hose 4 that constitutes a part of the hot water supply path is connected to the hot water outlet 2, and a shower head 5 that is a discharge portion is provided at the end of the shower hose 4. When the hot water heater is used, the shower head 5 is provided. Hot water is discharged from the user toward the user.

  In addition, a flow rate adjusting valve 6 that adjusts the amount of water supply is attached to the water supply port 3 to adjust the amount of water supplied from the water supply source to the water supply port 3 via the water inlet pipe 7.

  Normally, when the water heater is installed, the flow rate adjustment valve 6 is operated to set the amount of water supply. However, even when the water heater is in use, the user can operate the flow rate adjustment valve 6 to connect the water heater. The amount of water supply can be set.

  In addition, the front of the housing 1 has a hot water switch 8 for starting / stopping hot water from the shower head 5, and when the user presses the hot water switch 8 once when the water heater is stopped. When the hot water is discharged from the shower head 5 and the hot water switch 8 is pressed again, the hot water being discharged from the shower head 5 is stopped.

In addition, the housing 1 has a heater 13 that is a heat source for generating hot water by heating the low-temperature water supplied from the water supply port 3. 13 outputs can be changed. Therefore, the front surface of the housing 1 has a temperature adjustment volume 9 that is an output operation unit that changes the output of the heater 13.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, it has a hot water up switch 10 provided with an ON button 10a and an OFF button 10b, and further, a hot water up lamp 11 that lights up when the ON button 10a is pressed (denoted as SAVING SHOWER). have.

  That is, when the hot water up switch 10 is on, the hot water up lamp 11 is turned on, so that the user knows that the hot water up switch 10 is on.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a tank 12 for storing a small amount of hot and cold water and a heater 13 that is a heat source for heating the hot water are disposed inside the housing 1, and the heater 13 is disposed inside the tank 12. doing.

  The tank 12 is provided with a temperature sensor 24 that detects the temperature of hot water heated by the heater 13. Furthermore, a hot water supply pipe 14 for guiding hot water heated in the tank 12 to the hot water supply port 2 and a water supply pipe 15 for guiding low temperature water from the water supply port 3 to the tank 12 are provided.

  The water supply pipe 15 is connected to the bottom of the tank, and the end of the hot water supply pipe 14 is embedded in the tank 12 so that hot water in the upper part of the tank 12 is supplied.

  The water supply pipe 15 is provided with a flow rate sensor 16 that is a flow rate detection means for detecting the amount of water supplied, and a water stop cock 17 that opens and closes the water flow path of the water supply pipe 15. When is opened, water is supplied to the tank 12, and when the stop cock 17 is closed, water supply to the tank 12 is stopped. Further, a flow rate adjusting valve 23 for adjusting the flow rate of hot water supplied to the water supply port 3 by operating the flow rate adjusting valve 6 is provided outside the housing 1.

  Further, a power supply control device 18 composed of electronic components or the like is provided to control the heater 13, and the power supply control device 18 controls the power of the heater 13 via the heater energization control element 19.

  In addition, instructions from the heat source controller 20 and the hot water switch 10 constituted by electronic components and the like that perform output control of the heater 13 so that the temperature set by the temperature adjustment volume 9 and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 24 coincide with each other. A control device 21 composed of electronic components and the like for receiving and controlling the heater 13 is provided.

  In addition, a power switch 22 for supplying power from an external power source to each component is provided, and the power switch 22 is turned on and off by operating the hot water switch 8.

  In the present embodiment, the power supply control device 18, the heat source control device 20, and the control device 21 are described as being provided with three control devices. However, there is no problem even if these are configured integrally. . Moreover, each control apparatus may be comprised with the electronic component which comprises a microcomputer and its periphery.

  Hereinafter, the operation and action of the water heater configured as described above will be described.

  When using the water heater of the present embodiment, first, the hot water switch 8 is pressed once. When the hot water switch 8 is pressed, the stop cock 17 is opened and the power switch 22 is turned on to start supplying power to each component.

As a result of opening the stop cock 17, water supply to the water supply port 3 is started. When the flow rate sensor 16 detects the supply water flow rate and the flow rate sensor 16 detects a predetermined flow rate (for example, 1 L / min), the heater is energized. The power supply control device 18 performs power control of the heater 13 through the control element (for example, triac) 19 so that the temperature set by the temperature adjustment volume 9 and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 24 coincide.

  In this hot water heater, since the power supply control device 18 adjusts the output of the heater 13 so that the temperature set by the temperature adjustment volume 9 is reached, there is a temporary hot water temperature fluctuation due to a flow rate fluctuation or an incoming water temperature fluctuation. However, the power supply control device 18 can always supply a shower having a constant temperature.

  First, the shower bath when the hot water up switch 10 is OFF will be described. In the hot water supply apparatus of the present embodiment, the user operates the temperature adjustment volume 9 to adjust the output of the heater 13 so that the temperature becomes a desired temperature.

  For this reason, the user sets the desired temperature in advance, and then adjusts the temperature by adjusting the temperature adjustment volume 9 while directly contacting the hot water discharged from the shower head 5. That is, when the hot water discharged from the shower head 5 is touched, if the temperature is too hot, the temperature adjustment volume 9 adjusts the output of the heater 13 to decrease, and if it is too cold, the temperature adjustment volume 9 adjusts the output of the heater 13 to increase. To do.

  When the temperature adjustment volume 9 is turned to the final point in the lowering direction, the output of the heater 13 becomes zero, and unheated hot water is discharged from the shower head 5.

  Therefore, first, the user presses the hot water switch 8 to start discharging hot water from the shower head 5.

  At this time, the power switch 22 is also turned on, and power is supplied to each control device and the like. When a predetermined flow rate is detected by the flow rate sensor 16, energization of the heater 13 is started to start warming hot water in the tank 12.

  In this embodiment, when the flow rate sensor detects a flow rate of 1 L / min, energization of the heater 13 is started, but the predetermined flow rate is not limited to this.

  The user adjusts the output of the heater 13 with the temperature adjustment volume 9 while directly touching the temperature of the hot water discharged from the shower head 5. If the hot water discharged from the shower head 5 by pressing the hot water switch 8 is an appropriate temperature, there is no need to operate the temperature adjustment volume 9.

  FIG. 4 is a state diagram of temperatures detected by the temperature sensor 24 when the hot water switch 10 is OFF. When the hot water switch 8 is pressed to start hot water from the shower head 5, the power switch 22 is also turned on, and power is supplied to each control device and the like.

  When a predetermined flow rate is detected by the flow rate sensor 16, energization of the heater 13 is started to start warming hot water in the tank 12. In this embodiment, when the flow rate sensor detects a flow rate of 1 L / min, energization of the heater 13 is started, but the predetermined flow rate is not limited to this.

Then, the user operates the temperature adjustment volume 9 to set the temperature. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, even if the hot water switch 8 is pressed and the hot water from the shower head 5 is started, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 24 is the temperature adjustment volume when the hot water switch 10 is OFF. The output of the heater 13 is adjusted so that the set temperature TH set in 9 is reached.

  When the user again presses the hot water switch 8 to stop the hot water from the shower head 5, the output from the heater 13 is also stopped, and the user ends the shower bath.

  FIG. 5 is a state diagram of temperatures detected by the temperature sensor 24 when the hot water switch 10 is ON. As shown in FIG. 5, first, the hot water switch 8 is pressed to start the hot water from the shower head 5.

  Then, the temperature of the hot water discharged from the shower head 5 is set to an appropriate temperature by operating the temperature adjustment volume 9 in the same manner as when the hot water switch 10 is OFF. At this time, since the ON button 10a has not been pressed yet, the output of the heater 13 is always maintained at the value set by the temperature adjustment volume 9.

  Next, the ON button 10a is pushed in the state where the hot water from the shower head 5 is continued. When the ON button 10a is pressed, the mode changes to the hot water bathing mode, and the hot / cold lamp (labeled SAVING SHOWER) 11 is turned on.

  Then, the control device 21 starts counting a predetermined time after the ON button 10a is pressed, and after the first predetermined time α has elapsed, further counts the predetermined time β therefrom, and sets the output of the heater 13 to zero ( The energization to the heater 13 is stopped).

  Then, after the energization of the heater 13 is stopped, the control device 21 starts counting a predetermined time, starts energizing the heater 13 when the predetermined time γ elapses, and reaches the temperature set by the temperature adjustment volume 9. The heater output is controlled.

  When energization of the heater 13 is resumed, the predetermined time β starts to be counted again, and the above operation is repeated. In this embodiment, the predetermined time α is set to 300 seconds, the predetermined time β is set to 19 seconds, and γ is set to 1 second. After the predetermined time α has elapsed, the temperature is slightly increased by 1 second every 20 seconds. You can take a changed shower.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the energization of the heater 13 is turned off by the predetermined time γ after the predetermined time β, so that the user can take a shower whose temperature slightly changes, but the α time is constant. After taking a shower of temperature, there is no sense of incongruity with a slight temperature change, and the average shower temperature is low, so there is no burning of the body after the shower bath, and energization to the heater 13 is stopped every predetermined time As a result, power consumption can be reduced by the amount of time that energization of the heater 13 is stopped.

  Even if the output of the heater 13 cannot be adjusted to the set temperature as described above, the temperature of the heater 13 can be adjusted directly by adjusting the output of the heater 13 as described below. Sensors and temperature control circuits can be reduced, and the configuration can be simplified.

  In order to adjust the temperature of the hot water coming out of the shower head 5, an output adjustment volume is provided instead of the temperature adjustment volume 9. During the shower bath, the user can set the desired shower temperature by operating the output adjustment volume while touching the shower.

  FIG. 6A is a heater output state diagram during a normal shower bath, and FIG. 6B is a heater output state diagram during a hot / cold bath with the hot water switch turned on. The output of the heater 13 during use is a value set by the user with the output adjustment volume 30.

  The predetermined time α is set to 300 seconds, β is set to 20 seconds, and γ is set to 1 second. After the predetermined time α elapses, it is possible to take a shower in which the hot water temperature slightly fluctuates at regular intervals.

  Thus, by turning off the energization of the heater 13 for a predetermined time β and then turning OFF only for the predetermined time γ, the user can take a shower whose temperature changes slightly, but has taken a shower at a constant temperature for α time. Afterwards, there is no sense of incongruity with a slight temperature change, and the average shower temperature is low, so there is no burning of the body after the shower bath, and energization to the heater 13 is stopped every predetermined time. The power consumption can be reduced by the amount of time during which the current supply is stopped.

  As described above, the water heater of the present invention can provide a hot water heater that can realize a comfortable hot water rise while reducing power consumption, and thus can be applied to a water heater that uses a heat source such as a heat pump or a gas.

5 Shower head (discharge section)
9 Temperature adjustment volume (temperature operation section)
13 Heater (heat source)
21 Control device

Claims (2)

A heat source for heating hot water, a discharge unit for discharging hot water heated by the heat source, and a control device are provided, and the control device stops heating the hot water by the heat source for a predetermined time during the hot water from the discharge unit. A water heater characterized by that. A temperature operation unit configured to set a temperature of hot water heated by the heat source; and a temperature detection unit configured to detect a temperature of hot water heated by the heat source, wherein the control device is a temperature of the hot water heated by the heat source. The water heater according to claim 1, wherein the heat source is operated so that the temperature becomes the set temperature.