JP2014089011A - Hot water storage type hot water supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hot water storage type hot water supply device, while performing hot water storage in a hot water storage tank during a midnight power time zone according to a predicted hot water usage amount of the next day on a day-to-day basis, also capable of performing additional boiling by utilizing inexpensive electric power during the midnight power time zone as much as possible even when a large amount of hot water exceeding the capacity of the hot water storage tank is scheduled to be used the next day due to visitors and the like.SOLUTION: When total heat quantity of predicted usage heat quantity of the next day based on an actual result of the past hot water usage amount and additional heat storage quantity preset by a user exceeds maximum heat storage quantity of a hot water storage tank 3, hot water supply of a bathtub 92 is performed in the middle of heat storage by a heat pump 2 during a midnight power time zone. After that, by operating the heat pump 2 before the end time of the midnight time zone, the remaining necessary heat quantity is stored in the hot water storage tank 3.

Description

  The present invention relates to a hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus that stores hot water by heating hot water in a hot water storage tank by a heating means such as a heat pump in the late-night power hours when electricity charges are low.

  This type of conventional hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus includes a hot water storage apparatus having a hot water storage tank and a heat pump for heating the water in the tank as disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 below, and is relatively inexpensive at midnight. The midnight power is heated by a heat pump and stored in a hot water storage tank.

  Further, in Patent Document 2 below, in a similar hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus, in order to reduce the size of the hot water storage tank and save space, the hot water boiled in the hot water storage tank is sequentially supplied to the heat insulating bathtub to store heat in the bathtub. A technique for miniaturizing a hot water storage tank by using it as a tank is disclosed.

JP 2002-286286 A Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 2-17785

  In the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus described in Patent Document 2, when the hot water is stored in the hot water storage tank by the heat pump, the hot water storage tank is always used to reduce the size of the hot water storage tank by using the bathtub as the second heat storage tank. is there.

  However, when hot water is always stored in the bathtub, the humidity in the bathroom is maintained at a high daily level, and the occurrence of mold is not promoted hygienically, and the hot water is automatically supplied to the bathtub every day. It is necessary for the user to close the drain plug of the bathtub and cover the bathtub in advance, and such daily work is too complicated for the user.

  Therefore, on a daily basis, it is necessary to install a hot water storage tank with a capacity that can store a sufficient amount of hot water necessary for the daily life of the family, and to boil the hot water of the estimated hot water the next day during late-night power hours. Preferably, for household use, for example, products with a tank capacity of 370 L to 550 L are lined up, and a family of up to 7 people is assumed.

  On the other hand, even if it is known the day before that the amount of hot water used is much larger than the number of people expected to use hot water on a daily basis, such as when a relative's family comes together, the installed tank capacity If the amount of hot water used is large only for the day of the visitor, it can be heated by daytime electricity with a high electricity rate, or an inefficient instantaneous gas water heater can be installed in parallel as an auxiliary heat source Thus, it is necessary to perform hot water supply with the gas water heater.

  Therefore, the present invention routinely stores hot water in the hot water storage tank in the late-night power hours according to the predicted hot water usage of the next day, while the use of a hot water amount exceeding the hot water storage tank capacity by the customer the next day is used. Even if it is scheduled, the purpose is to make it possible to increase boiling using cheap power during the midnight power hours.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention takes the following technical means.

  That is, the present invention relates to a hot water storage tank, heating means for storing hot water in the hot water storage tank by heating the hot water in the hot water storage tank during operation, and a predetermined hot water filling temperature using the hot water in the hot water storage tank during operation. In the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus comprising a hot water filling means for filling the hot tub in the bathtub and a control means for controlling the operation of the hot water filling means and the heating means, the control means is an additional heat storage for setting an additional heat storage amount. When the total heat amount of the predicted heat use amount on the next day based on the past hot water usage results and the additional heat storage amount exceeds the maximum heat storage amount of the hot water storage tank, Alternatively, a preset hot water set amount is set by operating the hot water filling means in the middle of heat storage by the heating means in the late-night power time period to move a part from the hot water storage tank to the bathtub. The hot water filling of the bathtub is performed as a limit, and then the remaining necessary heat amount obtained by subtracting the heat amount moved to the bathtub from the total heat amount by operating the heating means by the end time of the midnight time zone is stored in the hot water storage tank. It is comprised so that it may carry out (Claim 1).

  According to the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus of the present invention, by using a hot water storage tank with a capacity sufficient to store the predicted usage heat amount used by a family on a daily basis, by not setting the additional heat storage amount, As in the prior art, hot water can be stored in the midnight power time zone according to the predicted heat usage of the next day. The hot water stored in the hot water storage tank can be used as a heat source for heating in the bathtub of the next day, hot water supply from a hot water tap, and various hot water heaters. In addition, when there is a plan to suddenly increase the amount of hot water supply due to reasons such as a visitor on the next day, the additional heat storage amount setting means sets the additional heat storage amount. When the total heat amount of the set additional heat storage amount and the planned use heat amount based on the past results is smaller than the maximum heat storage amount of the hot water storage tank, the heating means is stored in the midnight power time zone in the same manner as in the past. All of the above total heat can be stored in the hot water storage tank. On the other hand, when the total heat amount exceeds the maximum heat storage amount, the hot water is being stored in the middle of heat storage by the heating means in the late-night power time period in order to move all or part of the excess heat amount from the hot water storage tank to the bathtub. The hot water filling of the bathtub is performed up to a preset hot water set amount by operating the tensioning means, and then the heating means is operated by the end time of the midnight time zone to move the total heat amount to the bathtub. By storing the remaining necessary heat amount after subtracting the transferred heat amount in the hot water storage tank, it becomes possible to store a larger amount of heat with inexpensive electric power in the midnight power hours, and to reduce the running cost. it can.

  In the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus of the present invention, “next day” means the day to which the time when the midnight power time period ends belongs, for example, when the midnight power time period ends at 7:00 am on the 30th The predicted heat of use from morning to midnight on the 30th is that of the next day. In addition, a hot water storage tank can store a predetermined volume of hot water at a predetermined boiling temperature (for example, about 80 ° C.), and a state where a full capacity of hot water is stored at this boiling temperature is the maximum heat storage amount. It becomes a state. That is, the amount of heat stored in the hot water storage tank is determined by the amount of hot water boiled and its boiling temperature, and as the boiling temperature increases, the maximum heat storage amount increases accordingly, and the boiling temperature is constant. If there is, there is a linear relationship between the amount of hot water stored in the hot water storage tank and the amount of heat stored. It is preferable to fill the bath with a preset hot water temperature, or at a temperature that takes into account the temperature drop due to heat dissipation from the hot water filling at midnight until the scheduled bathing time on the next day. Since the hot water temperature is lower than the boiling temperature, the hot water in the heated hot water storage tank can be mixed with the low temperature water from the water supply to adjust the hot water to the bathtub. Therefore, when the excess heat amount is transferred from the hot water storage tank to the bathtub, the hot water amount to the bathtub is the total amount of hot water in the hot water tank used for hot water filling and the mixed water. The amount of moving heat and the amount of hot water are not necessarily in a linear relationship because they are also affected by the temperature of the mixed water (however, the amount of hot water discharged from the hot water storage tank and the amount of moving heat are in a linear relationship). In addition, the predicted use heat amount of the next day may be calculated as a value of heat capacity, or may be calculated as a value of the amount of hot water stored at the boiling temperature of the hot water storage tank, In addition, when the hot water in the hot water storage tank is used only for hot water supply to hot water taps and bathtubs (including hot water filling), the total amount of hot water at the set hot water temperature (mixed with the amount of hot water used from the hot water storage tank) It may be calculated as an approximate conversion to the value of the sum of the amount of water to be made.

  Further, the process of heat storage by the heating means includes a case where hot water filling is performed while continuing the heat storage operation by the heating means, and a case where the heat storage operation by the heating means is temporarily interrupted when hot water filling is performed. In addition, hot water filling in the bathtub may be performed up to the hot water set amount in the late-night power hours, and when the excess heat amount is small, the hot water set amount is less than the hot water set amount so that only the excess amount is moved to the bathtub. Filling with hot water can be done. Lastly, the remaining necessary heat amount is stored in the hot water storage tank. However, the present invention does not exclude performing heat storage in an amount exceeding the remaining necessary heat amount, as long as at least the remaining necessary heat amount is stored. The present invention corresponds to a sudden increase in the amount of hot water supply, but such a sudden increase in the amount of hot water use is various and difficult to predict depending on the lifestyle of the visitor, etc. When performing the additional heat storage control of the present invention, it is possible to store heat until the hot water storage tank is fully stored by the end time of the midnight power time zone. In addition, when the above-mentioned remaining necessary heat amount is larger than the maximum heat storage amount of the hot water storage tank, it is sufficient to store heat until the hot water storage tank is fully stored by the time when the midnight power hours end, and the insufficient heat amount is It can be supplemented by an auxiliary heat source such as an instantaneous gas water heater.

  In the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus of the present invention, the control means includes bath temperature setting means for setting a hot water set temperature for the bathtub during normal hot water filling operation, and movement of excess heat amount in the midnight time zone For this reason, when the hot water filling means is operated, the hot water filling means can be filled at a temperature higher than the hot water filling temperature (Claim 2). According to this, hot water filled in the bathtub at the time of bathing is set by filling the hot water at a temperature that takes into account the amount of heat released from the time of filling the bathtub at midnight until the next scheduled bathing time on the next day. The temperature can be set, and the convenience for the user is further improved.

  Further, the setting of the additional heat storage amount of the additional heat storage amount setting means is configured to be performed by a user operation, and the control means is configured such that when the additional heat storage amount is set by a user operation, the total heat amount is If it exceeds the maximum heat storage amount, it may be further provided with notification means for performing predetermined notification to the user (Claim 3). According to this, when the filling of the bathtub is automatically performed at midnight, it is possible to notify the user to close the bathtub stopper and lid during the setting operation by the user. It is possible to effectively prevent the hot water dropped into the bathtub due to the hot water from being drained as it is, or the hot water filled from the hot water due to forgetting to close the lid to be naturally radiated. In addition, it is preferable to use a heat insulation bathtub as a bathtub.

  Further, the additional heat storage amount setting means can be configured such that when the user designates the additional number of persons, the additional heat storage amount is automatically set according to the additional number of persons (claim 4). According to this, it is possible to easily set the additional heat storage amount by the user by having an average additional heat storage amount corresponding to the additional number of people as a set value in advance, and to add some reasonable The amount of heat storage can be set.

  As described above, according to the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention, when the total heat amount exceeds the maximum heat storage amount, all or a part of the excess heat amount from the hot water storage tank. In order to move to the bathtub, the hot water filling means is operated in the middle of the heat storage by the heating means in the middle of the night to perform the hot water filling of the bathtub with the preset hot water set amount as the upper limit, and then the late night time period By operating the heating means by the end time of the above, by storing the remaining necessary heat amount obtained by subtracting the heat amount moved to the bathtub from the total heat amount in the hot water storage tank, a larger amount of heat amount can be obtained in the midnight power time zone. It becomes possible to store heat with inexpensive electric power, and it is possible to reduce the running cost.

  Further, according to the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus according to claim 2 of the present invention, bathing is performed by bathing at a temperature that takes into account the amount of heat released from the bathing to the bath at midnight until the scheduled bathing time on the next day. Sometimes the hot water temperature previously filled in the bathtub can be set to the set temperature, and the convenience for the user is further improved.

  Further, according to the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus according to claim 3 of the present invention, when hot water filling to the bathtub is automatically performed at midnight, the user is alerted to close the bathtub plug and lid at the time of the setting operation. Notification can be made, and hot water dropped into the bathtub due to forgetting to close the drain tap will be drained as it is, or hot water filled for hot water will be radiated naturally by forgetting to close the lid Can be effectively prevented.

  Moreover, according to the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus according to claim 4 of the present invention, it is possible to easily set the additional heat storage amount by the user by previously having an average additional heat storage amount corresponding to the additional number of people as a set value. It is possible to set an additional amount of heat storage that is reasonably reasonable.

It is a schematic block diagram of the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the additional hot water storage operation process in the hot water supply apparatus.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a hot water storage type heat pump hot water supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The heat pump type hot water storage apparatus mainly includes a heat pump operating system 2 (heating means) and a hot water storage tank 3, and tap water from the outside. Water supply path 4 for supplying hot water to the hot water storage tank 3 and the like, and a hot water supply path for supplying hot water to the hot water tap 7 etc. using hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 3 or heated by the instantaneous gas water heater 6 (backup heat source machine) 5, a heating circuit 8 that uses hot water from the hot water supply passage 5 as a heating heat source, a bath reheating circuit 9 that uses hot water from the hot water supply passage 5 as a reheating heat source, and controls the operation of this hot water storage type hot water supply system. And a controller 10 (control means).

  The heat pump operating system 2 is for heating and warming the hot water in the hot water storage tank 3 to a predetermined temperature by the heat exchange heating with the exhaust heat of the heat pump 21 as the main heat source, and storing the hot water in the hot water storage tank 3. The heat pump operating system 2 includes the heat pump 21, a circulation pump 22, a boiling switching valve 23, an inlet side temperature sensor 24, and an outlet side temperature sensor 25. Then, at the time of the operation by the control by the controller 10, for example, heat is exchanged between the refrigerant at a high temperature in the heat exchanger for condensation (not shown) of the heat pump 21 and the water supplied from the bottom of the hot water storage tank 3 by the circulation pump 22. By doing so, water is heat-exchanged and heated, and the heated hot water is returned to the top of the hot water storage tank 3 to form a temperature stratification in the hot water storage tank 3 to be stored. At this time, information on the temperature difference between the hot water temperature from the bottom of the hot water storage tank 3 by the inlet side temperature sensor 24 and the hot water temperature after heat exchange heating by the outlet side temperature sensor 25, the refrigerant temperature on the heat pump 21 side, and boiling Based on the adjustment of the flow rate to the heat pump 21 side by the switching valve 23, operation control is performed so that the hot water temperature after the heat exchange heating returned to the top of the hot water storage tank 3 becomes a predetermined boiling temperature.

  The hot water storage tank 3 is a sealed type and has a heat insulation structure with the outside, and has a capacity that can cover the amount of hot water used for one day according to the family structure, family lifestyle, etc., for example, about 370L to 550L Are used. Hot water storage temperature sensors 31a, 31b, 31c, and 31d that detect internal hot water storage temperatures at the respective positions in the vertical direction are installed at predetermined positions in the vertical direction of the hot water storage tank 3.

  In the water supply channel 4, the upstream end of the main water supply channel 41 is connected to an external water supply or the like, and the downstream end is connected to the bottom of the hot water storage tank 3 via a check valve 42. A mixed water supply channel 44 branched from the upstream side of the main water supply channel 41 via a check valve 43 is connected to a first mixing valve 55 (to be described later) of the hot water supply channel 5 so that water can be supplied. Further, a branch water supply passage 45 branched from the downstream side of the main water supply passage 41 is connected to a second mixing valve 53 (to be described later) of the hot water supply passage 5 so that water can be supplied. Reference numeral 46 in FIG. 1 is a water supply temperature sensor that detects the temperature of water supplied through the water supply passage 4.

  The hot water supply path 5 includes an auxiliary heating path 51 where hot water discharged from the top of the hot water storage tank 3 is supplied for auxiliary heating to the instantaneous gas water heater 6 serving as an auxiliary heat source, and the hot water is directly discharged as it is. The hot water storage can be branched into two branches: a hot water storage direct hot water supply path 52. The auxiliary heating channel 51 guides hot water storage to the instantaneous gas water heater 6 through the second mixing valve 53 and the heating pump 54 that can be mixed with the water supplied from the branch water supply channel 45, and assists with the instantaneous gas water heater 6. After heating, the hot water is guided through the outlet 60 to the first mixing valve 55 for final temperature adjustment. At this time, hot water after auxiliary heating (auxiliary hot water) passes through the first proportional valve 56 with a closing function in the hot water outlet 60 between the instantaneous gas water heater 6 and the first mixing valve 55. Yes. The hot water storage direct hot water supply passage 52 can supply hot water to the first mixing valve 55 by having the downstream end join the hot water discharge passage 60 on the downstream side of the first proportional valve 56 at the junction 50. It has become. Reference numeral 58 in FIG. 1 is a hot water supply temperature sensor that detects the hot water supply temperature of hot water that is finally supplied at a downstream position of the first mixing valve 55, and reference numeral 59 is high-temperature water due to the occurrence of equipment abnormality or the like. This is a high-temperature hot water avoidance valve that is opened to supply water from the mixed water supply channel 44 to prevent and avoid hot water supply. Reference numeral 61 is a second proportional valve for hot water supply, and 62 is a post-heating temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of hot water after auxiliary heating by the instantaneous gas water heater 6.

  The heating circuit 8 heats the circulating heat medium for heating in the heating circuit 81 by liquid-liquid heat exchange in the heat exchanger 82, and the heated circulating heat medium is heated to a high-temperature heating terminal (for example, a bathroom dryer) 83, A low temperature heating terminal (for example, floor heating) 84 is circulated and supplied. And as the heating source (heating heat source) of the liquid-liquid heat exchange in the heat exchanger 82, the heated hot water discharged from the instantaneous gas water heater 6 or the non-actuated instantaneous gas water heater The hot water in the hot water storage tank 3 passing through 6 is circulated and supplied to the heat source side of the heat exchanger 82. That is, hot water is supplied as a heat source to the heat exchanger 82 as a heat source through the heat source supply path 85 branched from the branch point 80 of the outlet hot water path 60 on the downstream side of the instantaneous gas water heater 6, and the temperature is changed by liquid-liquid heat exchange. The lowered hot water is led out to the branch water supply passage 45 through the open / close electromagnetic valve 86 and, in normal times, is led to the second mixing valve 53 through the branch water supply passage 45 and then instantaneously through the heating pump 54. It is circulated such that it is returned to the gas water heater 6 and reheated. The circulating heat medium heated by the liquid-liquid heat exchange in the heat exchanger 82 is supplied to the high-temperature heating terminal 83 or the low-temperature heating terminal 84 to radiate heat, and then passes through the expansion tank 87 and the heating pump 88. It is returned to the heat exchanger 82 and reheated.

  The bath reheating circuit 9 operates the reheating pump 91 to circulate hot water in the bathtub 92 through the recirculation path 93 and the heat exchanger 94, and the liquid-liquid heat in the heat exchanger 94 is obtained. It is designed to heat up by exchanging. On the heat source side of the heat exchanger 94, similarly to the heating circuit 8, the heated hot water discharged from the instantaneous gas water heater 6 or the hot water in the hot water storage tank 3 is branched from the branch point 90. The hot water, which is circulated and supplied as a heating source for reheating and reduced in temperature by the liquid-liquid heat exchange in the heat exchanger 94, is led out to the branch water supply passage 45 through the open / close solenoid valve 96, and thereafter, at normal times. In the same manner as described above, the gas is circulated so that it is returned to the instantaneous gas water heater 6 and reheated. A pouring passage 97 for diverting hot water after temperature regulation by the first mixing valve 55 is connected to the recirculation circulation passage 93, and the temperature is regulated via the pouring passage 97. After the hot water is supplied to the bathtub 92, the hot water filling can be performed. The pouring passage 97 is provided with a bath drop valve 98 (hot water filling means) comprising an electromagnetic on-off valve, and when the bath drop valve 98 is operated, that is, opened, a hot water supply path from the hot water storage tank 3 to the bathtub 92 is opened. The hot water can be poured into the bathtub 92.

  Each of the above circuits 5, 8, 9 constitutes a heat load operating system 11. The operation of the heat pump operating system 2 and the heat load operating system 11 includes an input setting signal and an operation signal output from the remote controller 100, and various temperature sensors 24, 25, 31a to 31d, 46, 58, 62. The operation is controlled by the controller 10 in response to the output of the detection signal from the etc. In particular, the boiling operation of the hot water in the hot water storage tank 3 (hot water storage operation) by the heat pump operating system 2 is 11:00 at night. ~ It is to be done in the late-night power hours until 7am. In the present embodiment, the controller 10 and the remote controller 100 serve as a hot water supply passage 5 and a bath drop valve 98 as hot water filling means for performing the hot water filling operation, and as hot water heating means in the hot water storage tank 3. Control means for controlling the heat pump operating system 2 is configured. Although only one remote controller 100 is shown in FIG. 1, it is possible to provide two or more remote controllers such as a kitchen remote controller and a bathroom remote controller. The remote controller 100 is configured so that the hot water supply temperature to the hot water tap 7 and the bathtub 92 can be set by a user's operation, and the controller 10 uses the set temperature as a target temperature of the final hot water supply temperature, and the controller 10 performs the hot water supply temperature sensor 58 and the water supply temperature. The mixing ratio of hot water and water in the first mixing valve 55 is controlled based on the detection value of the sensor 46 and the like. Thus, the remote controller 100 constitutes a bath temperature setting means for setting a hot water set temperature for the bathtub 92 during a normal hot water filling operation.

  The controller 10 is mainly composed of a CPU and a microcomputer having a rewritable memory. Based on the program and various data stored in the memory, the heat storage operation control and hot water supply control to the hot water storage tank 3 and the hot water to the bathtub 92 are performed. Tensioning operation control is performed. Various types of control can be used in the prior art. Particularly in the present embodiment, in relation to the heat storage operation control by the heat pump operating system 2, the controller 10 is provided with a record information storage means for storing past hot water use record information. The storage means can be provided, for example, for each day of the week. As hot water usage results information for each day of the week, the hot water in the hot water storage tank 3 to the hot water tap 7, the heating circuit 8, the bath reheating circuit 9, and the bathtub 92 is provided. The actual usage value for one day for each day of the week can be stored, and when auxiliary heating by the instantaneous gas water heater 6 is performed, the amount of hot water corresponding to the auxiliary heating amount is also used. Actual values can be taken into account. The actual amount of hot water usage for each day of the week can be set based on the actual usage of the same day of the past, and in order to respond to changes in the lifestyle of the user, the controller 10 Calculated and acquired based on the detected value of the flow sensor provided at an appropriate position such as the hot water supply channel 5 etc., and an average value between the acquired actual use amount on the most recent day and the actual hot water use amount on the corresponding day of the week is appropriately determined. After performing rounding processing or the like, it can be updated and stored as a hot water usage amount actual value for the day of the week. Such a learning method of the actual amount of hot water used may be any other appropriate method and is not limited to a specific learning method.

  Further, the controller 10 predicts the predicted usage heat amount on the next day of the midnight power time zone based on the above-described hot water usage amount history information stored in the hot water usage amount information storage means. In addition, although the unit of this predicted use heat quantity may be a joule (J) or a calorie (cal) used as a thermodynamic heat quantity unit, in the hot water supply apparatus of the present embodiment, the hot water storage tank 3 is used. The hot water storage temperature (boiling temperature) is controlled to be a predetermined temperature such as 80 ° C., and the amount of stored hot water and the amount of stored heat are in a substantially linear relationship. It is possible to control the amount of hot water stored at a predetermined hot water storage temperature as the amount of heat stored and the amount of hot water at a predetermined hot water temperature predicted to be discharged from the hot water storage tank 3 on the next day as the predicted amount of heat used. . In the present embodiment, the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 3 is also used for heat exchange heating with the heating circuit 8 and the bath reheating circuit 9. The relationship between the total hot water supply amount of the day and the amount of hot water discharged from the hot water storage tank 3 on that day is indefinite (depending on the degree of heating operation or reheating operation). In the case of a hot water supply apparatus that is not equipped, the total amount of hot water for one day at the set hot water temperature and the amount of hot water discharged from the hot water storage tank 3 have a substantially linear relationship. It is also possible to control it.

  The prediction of the predicted usage heat amount may use information corresponding to the day of the operation day stored as hot water usage amount actual information as the predicted usage heat amount as it is, or based on the weather, temperature, water supply temperature, etc. It is also possible to predict the amount of hot water to be used for each time period after correcting appropriately, and to correct the amount of heat released from the hot water storage tank 3 until it is actually used after being stored at midnight. It is also possible.

  Based on the predicted usage heat amount of the next day obtained in this way, the controller 10 operates the heat pump operating system 2 in the late-night power time zone to thereby transfer the predicted usage heat amount to the hot water storage tank 3 by the end time of the late-night power time zone. Control to store heat. Preferably, from the output (heat storage speed) of the heat pump operating system 2 and the amount of stored hot water remaining in the hot water storage tank 3, the time required for boiling until the predicted amount of heat used (hot water) is stored (hot water) is calculated, It is preferable to obtain the boiling start time by calculating the required boiling time from the end time of the midnight power time period, and to start the heat storage operation by the heat pump operation system 2 from this boiling start time. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is of course possible to operate the heat pump operating system 2 from the start time of the midnight power time zone.

  In addition, the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus according to the present embodiment is configured to be able to add a large amount of heat storage at night by a predetermined operation of the remote controller 100 when a large capacity hot water supply is required in a temporary manner such as when visiting a visitor. The remote controller 100 constitutes additional heat storage amount setting means. In addition, the controller 10 uses the hot water heated up in the midnight power time zone only when the total heat amount of the additional heat storage amount and the predicted heat use amount on the next day exceeds the maximum heat storage amount of the hot water storage tank 3. It is configured to perform all or part of the hot water filling of the next day in advance during the electric power period. FIG. 2 illustrates a processing flowchart when additional hot water storage is set by the control means including the controller 10 and the remote controller 100. In addition, when the additional heat storage amount is not set, the hot water storage operation similar to the conventional one can be performed as described above.

  In addition, the setting method of additional heat storage amount can be various, for example, if the hot water storage amount addition operation part provided in the remote control 100 is operated, a certain amount of additional heat storage amount (for example, heat amount for 100 L at the set hot water supply temperature) In addition, when the additional hot water supply amount at the set hot water supply temperature is set by arbitrarily specifying a numerical value with the remote controller 100, the additional heat storage amount corresponding to the set value is calculated and set. Alternatively, it may be configured such that the additional heat storage amount corresponding to the setting item selected by the user selecting from a plurality of setting items prepared in advance is set. In addition, display the predicted amount of heat used (hot water amount) and allow the user to directly input the total amount of stored heat (predicted amount of stored heat + additional amount of stored heat), and obtain the difference between the total amount of stored heat and the predicted amount of used heat You can also set additional heat storage. Further, the remote controller 100 is configured so that the user can specify the additional number of people by a visitor or the like, and when the additional number is specified by the user, a predetermined additional heat storage amount is automatically set according to the additional number of people. May be. For example, the additional heat storage amount can be a value obtained by multiplying the estimated heat usage per person by the additional number of people. As a specific example, the additional heat storage amount = {(shower flow rate × shower time × set hot water supply temperature) + (washing surface It can be calculated based on a calculation guideline such as flow rate × washing time × set hot water temperature)} × additional number of people.

  Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 2, features and operations of the control configuration in the hot water supply apparatus of the present embodiment will be described.

  When the setting of the additional heat storage amount is changed by the user's operation (step S1), the remote controller 100 has a total heat amount of the set additional heat storage amount and the predicted usage heat amount of the next day exceeding the maximum heat storage amount of the hot water storage tank 3. If so (step S2), the user is notified to alert the user to close the drain plug and the lid of the bathtub 92 (step S3). Thus, when the additional heat storage amount is set by a user operation, the remote controller 100 constitutes notification means for performing a predetermined notification to the user if the total heat amount exceeds the maximum heat storage amount. Yes.

  Next, the system waits until the current time is in the midnight power time zone (step S4), and starts heat storage (hot water storage) in the hot water storage tank 3 by operating the heat pump operating system 2 after the midnight power time zone is reached (step S4). Step S5). As described above, heat storage may be started immediately after the start of the midnight power period, but the heat storage is performed by calculating back the time required to complete the storage so that the heat storage is completed at the end time of the midnight power period. It is preferable to set a start time for starting the operation.

  After the start of heat storage, if the total heat amount of the predicted heat use amount and the additional heat storage amount does not exceed the maximum heat storage amount of the hot water storage tank 3 (step S6), the process proceeds to step 11 and the heat pump operating system 2 until the heat storage of the total heat amount is completed. Continue the heat storage operation. On the other hand, when the total heat amount exceeds the maximum heat storage amount of the hot water storage tank 3, the hot water filling control including Steps S7 to S10 is performed during the heat storage.

  That is, in step S7, hot water filling to the bathtub 92 is started by controlling the opening of the bath drop valve 98 during the heat storage operation, and to the bathtub 92 by controlling the first mixing valve 55 and the like of the hot water supply passage 5. Adjust the supplied hot water temperature to the filling temperature. Here, the timing of starting the hot water filling preferably waits for the hot water heated up in an amount corresponding to the hot water supply amount for hot water filling to the bathtub to be stored in the hot water storage tank 3, and then temporarily stores heat. It is preferable to perform the operation while the operation is interrupted. However, if hot water filling is possible at an appropriate temperature, the hot water filling may be started while continuing the heat storage operation immediately after the start of the heat storage. In addition, the hot water supply temperature (drop temperature) to the bathtub 92 can be set to a temperature slightly higher than the set hot water supply temperature in consideration of the heat decrease until the bathing time zone of the next day, taking into account the temperature decrease due to such heat dissipation. .

  After the hot water filling starts, when the amount of hot water dropped into the bathtub 92 exceeds the hot water setting hot water set by the remote controller 100 (step S8), the hot water filling valve 98 is closed to stop the hot water filling (step S10). In this way, by controlling the hot water filling of the bathtub 92 with the preset hot water setting hot water amount as an upper limit, it is possible to prevent the hot water from overflowing from the bathtub 92 and wasting the amount of heat.

  While the amount of hot water dropped below the hot water set amount, the amount of heat in the hot water tank 3 used for hot water filling the bathtub 92 (the amount of hot water stored) exceeds the total heat amount above the maximum heat storage amount of the hot water tank 3 The dropping into the bathtub 92 is continued until the amount of heat is exceeded (step S9), whereby the excess amount of heat is moved into the bathtub 92 in the state of hot water filled with hot water. Instead of step S9, the hot water filling can be continued even if the hot water use heat amount exceeds the excess heat amount, and the hot water filling can be dropped to the bathtub 92 to the set hot water amount.

  Then, the hot water filling is stopped by controlling the bath drop valve 98 to be closed (step S10), and then the heat storage of the remaining necessary heat amount obtained by subtracting the heat amount transferred to the bathtub 92 from the total heat amount in the hot water storage tank 3 is completed. The heat storage operation by the heat pump operation system 2 is continued until it is done.

  Note that, when the filling of the bathtub 92 is stopped in the middle of filling with the condition that the condition of the above step S9 is satisfied, the amount of filling to the bathtub 92 is less than the set amount of filling, just before the boiling time set by the remote controller 100 is reached. In addition, the control can be configured so as to drop the amount of hot water into the bathtub 92. Moreover, even when using a thermal tub, the hot water temperature in the bathtub 92 may drop to about 35 ° C. because there are about 12 hours from the end time of the midnight power period to the bathing time the next day. In this case, it is only necessary to start the chasing operation by the chasing operation of the user and to set the temperature appropriately. In this case, it is more efficient than using the midnight power to fill the bath immediately before bathing without pre-filling, The product can be saved and can be made environmentally friendly.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the design can be changed as appropriate. For example, as a heating means, it is possible to employ an electric heater although the power efficiency is inferior instead of a heat pump.

2 Heating means (heat pump operating system)
3 Hot water storage tank 5,98 Hot water filling means 10,100 Control means

Claims (4)

Hot water storage tank, heating means for storing hot water in the hot water storage tank by heating the hot water in the hot water storage tank during operation, and hot water filling in the bathtub at a predetermined hot water filling temperature using hot water in the hot water storage tank during operation In a hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus comprising: a hot water filling means for performing the operation, and a control means for controlling the operation of the hot water filling means and the heating means,
The control means includes additional heat storage amount setting means for setting an additional heat storage amount, and the total heat amount of the predicted use heat amount on the next day based on the past hot water use amount and the additional heat storage amount is the maximum heat storage amount of the hot water storage tank. Is set in advance by operating the hot water filling means in the middle of heat storage by the heating means in the late-night power time period in order to move all or a part of the excess heat amount from the hot water storage tank to the bathtub. The remaining hot water needs to be subtracted from the total calorific value by operating the heating means until the end time of the midnight time zone, while performing the hot water filling of the bathtub with the upper limit of the set hot water filling amount set. A hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus configured to store heat in the hot water storage tank.   2. The hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means includes bath temperature setting means for setting a hot water set temperature for a bathtub during normal hot water filling operation, and an excess heat amount in the midnight time zone. When the hot water filling means is operated to move the hot water, the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus is configured to fill the hot water at a temperature higher than the preset hot water temperature.   The hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the setting of the additional heat storage amount of the additional heat storage amount setting means is configured to be performed by a user operation, and the control means is configured to perform an additional heat storage amount by a user operation. The hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus is further provided with a notification means for performing a predetermined notification to the user if the total heat amount exceeds the maximum heat storage amount when the setting is performed.   The hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the additional heat storage amount setting means is configured to automatically set an additional heat storage amount according to the additional number of people when the user designates the additional number of people. A hot water storage type hot water supply device characterized by having

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