JP2016056975A - Hot water storage type water heater with air bubble function - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hot water storage type water heater capable of preventing any additional boiling operation through a heat exchanger for an additional boiling by air bubble bath.SOLUTION: This invention relates to a hot water storage type water heater with air bubble bath function comprising a hot water storage tank 1 for storing hot water; a heat pump unit 8 for boiling up hot water accumulated in the hot water storage tank 1; air bubble supply devices 61, 62, 63 and 65 for supplying air bubbles in a bath tub 2 to enable air bubble bath to be taken; and a controller 16 for controlling the heat pump unit 8 and the air bubble supply devices 61, 62, 63 and 65. The boiling-up operation for hot water accumulated in the hot water storage tank 1 is automatically started by the heat pump unit 8 when it is judged that heat storage heat quantity in the hot water storage tank 1 is lacked at the time of starting the air bubble bath function.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a water heater that heats water in a heat pump unit and uses hot water stored in a hot water tank for hot water, chasing, hot water supply, and the like.

  As a conventional electric water heater, there is an electric water heater disclosed in Patent Document 1. This electric water heater has a function of supplying bubbles into the bathtub and a function of heating the bathtub water. When the bathtub temperature is lowered by using the bathtub water containing bubbles, heat exchange for reheating is performed. The hot water in the bathtub is circulated in the vessel, and the temperature of the bathtub water in the bathtub is set to a predetermined temperature.

JP 2014-20714 A

  In the technique described in Patent Document 1, when the temperature of hot water in the hot water storage tank is low in a state where a bubble bath for supplying bubbles into the bathtub is generated, the bathtub is reheated by a reheating heat exchanger. There is a problem that the temperature of water cannot be raised.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a hot water storage type hot water heater that can prevent a reheating operation by a reheating heat exchanger due to a bubble bath.

  In order to achieve the above object, the hot water storage type water heater of the present invention automatically starts the heating operation by the heat pump unit when it is determined that the amount of heat in the hot water storage tank is insufficient in a state where a bubble bath is required. By doing so, the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank is raised in advance. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the hot water storage tank from running out of heat during the bubble bath, and to reliably perform the reheating operation by the reheating heat exchanger.

  Moreover, in order to achieve the said objective, the hot water storage type water heater of this invention is made not to perform bubble bath operation, when it determines with the calorie | heat amount for chasing operation being insufficient. As a result, the amount of heat in the hot water storage tank can be prevented from being deficient due to the bubble bath operation, and the reheating operation by the reheating heat exchanger can be surely executed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the reheating operation by the reheating heat exchanger from being disabled by the bubble bath. And the temperature in a bathtub can be made into setting temperature by a chasing operation, and the convenience can be improved.

System diagram of the present invention 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system of an electric water heater S. FIG. It is a flowchart at the time of operating a bubble bath function.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of an electric water heater S according to the present invention.

<Overall configuration of electric water heater S>
As shown in FIG. 1, the electric water heater S includes a pipe 7 that is supplied with water from a water supply pipe 22, a heat pump unit 8 that heats low-temperature tap water supplied from the pipe 7, and a heat pump unit 8. The hot water storage tank 1 for storing the heated hot water, the hot water filling circuit for supplying the hot water in the hot water storage tank 1 to the bathtub 2, and the tap water from the water pipe 22 are heated by exchanging heat with the hot water in the hot water storage tank 1. A hot water supply heat exchanger 4 for generating hot water for hot water supply, a reheating heat exchanger 24 for heating the hot water extracted from the bathtub 2 by exchanging heat with the hot water in the hot water storage tank 1, and the bathtub 2. A reheating circuit for deriving taffle water and reheating it with the reheating heat exchanger 24 and returning it to the bathtub 2; An operation unit 60 such as a remote control 46; And it is configured with a controller 16 that controls the overall electric water heater S according to the operation instruction or the like from the operation unit 60.

<Outline of operation of electric water heater S>
As shown in FIG. 1, the electric water heater S introduces tap water supplied from the water pipe 22 into the lower part of the hot water tank 1 through the pressure reducing valve 6 and the pipe 23 from the pipe 7, and is introduced into the hot water tank 1. Tap water is introduced into the heat pump unit 8 through the pipe 32, the three-way valve 33, and the pipe 34, heated by the gas cooler of the heat pump unit 8 to make hot water, and this hot water is introduced into the upper part of the hot water storage tank 1 through the pipe 35.

  The hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 1 is used to supply the use place, for example, the bathtub 2 or the like through various pipes, to supply hot water from the mixing tap 19, or to replenish the boiling water in the bathtub 2. ing.

When hot water is supplied from the mixing tap 19 in the electric water heater S, tap water supplied from the water pipe 22 is heated by the hot water supply heat exchanger 4 through the pipe 7 as hot water, and the pipe 36, accumulator 39, pipe The mixing plug 19 is supplied through 40.
The hot water filling to the bathtub 2 takes hot water in the hot water storage tank 1 from the outlet 10 at the top of the hot water storage tank 1, mixes it with the second mixing valve 11 and hot water in the tank through the pipes 41 and 9, and While leading to one mixing valve 14, tap water in the water pipe 22 is introduced into the first mixing valve 14 via the pipe 7 and the pressure reducing valve 6, and the hot water from the hot water storage tank 1 and the water pipe 22 are introduced by the first mixing valve 14. The hot water is adjusted by the degree of mixing with the tap water, and the hot water filling of the bathtub 2 is performed.

  The reheating of the bath water in the bathtub 2 is performed by circulating the hot water (hot water) or water in the bathtub 2 to the reheating heat exchanger 24 disposed at the upper part of the hot water storage tank 1. In 24, reheating is performed by indirectly heating the hot water in the upper part of the hot water storage tank 1 with hot water.

  When supplying air bubbles into the bathtub 2, the pump 27 is first operated, and the follow-up return circuit is set to a negative pressure. Next, when the air solenoid valve 61 is opened using the Venturi effect and introduced into the bath circulation adapter 63 through the pipe 62, bubbles can be supplied to the bathtub 2.

  Hereinafter, the structure of each part of the electric water heater S will be described in detail.

<Heat pump unit 8>
The heat pump unit 8 shown in FIG. 1 absorbs the external heat with a refrigerant such as expanded low-temperature carbon dioxide, and then heats it with the refrigerant compressed to a high temperature and the low-temperature water from the hot water storage tank 1 flowing through the pipe 34. It is a device that exchanges and heats low temperature water.

  The heat pump unit 8 repeatedly expands and compresses the refrigerant, absorbs heat from the outside and heats the low-temperature water, and a circulation pump (not shown) that circulates the low-temperature water in the hot water storage tank 1 flowing through the pipe 34. And.

  The heat pump includes a compressor that compresses the refrigerant, a gas cooler (not shown) that heats the low-temperature water by exchanging heat between the compressed high-temperature refrigerant and the low-temperature water from the hot water storage tank 1, and decompresses the refrigerant by expanding the pressure. And an endothermic device that absorbs the heat of the outside air to the refrigerant whose pressure has been reduced and reduced in temperature.

  The circulation pump pumps the low-temperature water in the hot water storage tank 1 through the pipes 32 and 34, passes the gas cooler of the heat pump and heats it, and then returns the heated hot water to the upper part of the hot water storage tank 1 through the pipe 35. .

<Hot water storage tank 1>
In the hot water storage tank 1 shown in FIG. 1, tap water from the water pipe 22 is introduced through the pipe 7, the pressure reducing valve 6, and the pipe 23, and the water in the hot water storage tank 1 is supplied with the pipe 32, the three-way valve. After being led to the heat pump unit 8 through the pipe 33 and the pipe 34 and heated by the gas cooler of the heat pump to become hot water, it is led to the upper part of the hot water storage tank 1 through the pipe 35 and stored in the hot water storage tank 1.

  The temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank 1 becomes higher as it goes from the lower side to the upper side in the vertical direction, that is, the temperature distribution becomes relatively low, medium and high as it goes from the lower part to the upper part in the hot water storage tank 1. For example, the temperature inside the hot water storage tank 1 is about 90 ° C. and the middle portion is about 50 ° C. In addition, the warm water in the intermediate part of the vertical direction in the hot water storage tank 1 is called intermediate warm water.

  In the hot water storage tank 1, a plurality of temperature sensors 47, 48, 49, 50, 51 for detecting the temperature of the hot water stored are arranged in this order from the upper part to the lower part in the vertical direction. A detection signal indicating the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank 1 detected by the temperature sensors 47, 48, 49, 50, 51 is output to the controller 16 and used for controlling the electric water heater S.

<Water-filled circuit>
The hot water filling circuit is a circuit for supplying hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 1 to the bathtub 2 and filling the bathtub 2 with hot water.

  This hot water filling circuit takes out hot hot water at the upper part of the hot water tank 1 to a pipe 41 connected to the outlet 10 at the upper part of the hot water tank 1 and guides it to the second mixing valve 11 through the pipe 9 branched from the pipe 41. The two mixing valves 11 are mixed with hot water in the tank 1, and are further led to the first mixing valve 14. The hot water guided to the first mixing valve 14 is mixed with tap water that has passed through the pipe 7, the pressure reducing valve 6, and the pipe 23 from the water pipe 22 in the first mixing valve 14, and is downstream of the first mixing valve 14. The first passage passing through the pipes 29b and 29a, the pipe 29b, the branching section 30, the pipe 25, the pump 27, and the circulation mixing valve 31 through the solenoid valve 28 that is disposed and controlled to be opened, and the pipe 3 It is the structure which fills up the bathtub 2 with two paths with the 2nd path | route connected to.

  Here, the piping 29a is connected to the reheating entrance 2i of the bathtub 2, and the piping 3 is connected to the retreating outlet 2o of the bathtub 2, via the reheating entrance 2i and the retreating outlet 2o. The hot water filling is performed.

<Heat exchanger 4 for hot water supply>
A hot water supply heat exchanger 4 shown in FIG. 1 supplies tap water supplied through a water pipe 22 and a pipe 7 from the upper part of the hot water storage tank 1 by a hot water circulation pump 18 that is controlled when hot water is requested from the controller 16. This is a device for supplying hot water by supplying heat to the mixing plug 19 by heating with the hot water that has been led out for heat exchange and heating the tap water to a predetermined temperature.

  The mixing plug 19 is used, for example, for supplying hot water or for showering in a bathroom.

  At the time of hot water supply, the tap water introduced from the water pipe 22 through the pipe 7 to the hot water supply heat exchanger 4 is supplied by the hot water supply circulation pump 18 from the first outlet 10 at the upper part of the hot water storage tank 1 through the pipe 41 to the hot water supply heat exchanger 4. After being heated by the hot water at the top of the hot water storage tank 1 introduced into the hot water tank 1, the hot water is supplied as hot water to the mixing plug 19 through the pipe 36, the accumulator 39 and the pipe 40. On the other hand, in the hot water supply heat exchanger 4, the hot water that is cooled by exchanging heat with tap water and is discharged from the hot water supply heat exchanger 4 is returned to the lower part of the hot water storage tank 1 through the pipe 42 and the hot water supply circulation pump 18. .

<Hot water supply circulation pump 18>
The hot water supply circulation pump 18 shown in FIG. 1 uses an inverter circuit (not shown) of the controller 16 so that the hot water temperature detected by the hot water temperature sensor 37 in the pipe 36 becomes the hot water temperature set by the operation unit 60. The rotation speed is freely controlled.

  That is, when the hot water temperature detected by the hot water temperature sensor 37 is lower than the hot water temperature set by the operation unit 60, the controller 16 determines the rotational speed of the hot water circulation pump 18 that circulates hot hot water in the hot water storage tank 1. When the hot water temperature is higher than the hot water temperature set by the operation unit 60 while increasing the amount of heat applied to the tap water to increase the hot water temperature, the controller 16 reduces the rotation speed of the hot water circulation pump 18. The hot water supply circulation pump 18 is controlled so as to reduce the amount of heat applied to the tap water and lower the hot water supply temperature.

<Reheating heat exchanger 24>
The reheating heat exchanger 24 shown in FIG. 1 has, on the inlet 24i side, a pipe 29a, a pipe 25, a pump 27, a circulation mixing valve 31, and a pipe 58 from which the bath water in the bathtub 2 is led, Connected to the outlet 24o side is a pipe 26 for returning to the bathtub 2 the bath water heated and reheated by heat exchange with the high-temperature water in the upper part of the hot water storage tank 1 in the reheating heat exchanger 24.

<Turning circuit>
The chasing circuit is a circuit for chasing the bath water stretched on the bathtub 2.

  At the time of reheating, the bath water in the bathtub 2 is led out from the reheating entrance 2i of the bathtub 2, and the piping 29a, the branch part 30, the piping 25, the pump 27, the circulation mixing valve 31, which are connected to this reheating entrance 2i, It returns to the bathtub 2 through the reheating outlet 2o connected to the piping 3 through the piping 58, the reheating heat exchanger 24, the piping 26, and the piping 3 which are arranged in the high-temperature hot water at the upper part of the hot water storage tank 1. It is configured as follows.

  The low-temperature bath water in the bathtub 2 is indirectly heat-exchanged with the high-temperature hot water in the upper part of the hot water storage tank 1 in the reheating heat exchanger 24 so that it can be replenished efficiently in a short time. It is configured.

  Here, the reheating temperature is set to the reheating set temperature set by the user using the operation unit 60 such as the bath remote controller 45 or the kitchen remote controller 46, and the hot water before reheating through the pipe 29a by the temperature sensor 56. , And the temperature sensor 59 detects the temperature of the hot water passing through the pipe 26 after the reheating, and inputs each detection signal to the controller 16. Then, in the controller 16, a pump that circulates the water in the bathtub 2 to the reheating heat exchanger 24 until the temperature sensor 56 detects that the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub 2 has reached the set temperature of the user. 27 is operated and the chasing mode is continued. Then, when the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub 2 reaches the set temperature of the user, the operation of the pump 27 is stopped and the reheating mode is ended.

<Bubble bath function>
When the user starts the bubble bath function from the operation unit 60 of the bath remote controller 45, the hot water led out from the reheating entrance 2i of the bathtub 2 passes through the pipes 29a and 25, the pump 27, and the circulation mixing valve 31, and the pipe 58 May flow to the pipe 3, may flow to the pipe 3, or may flow to both circuits. The pump 27 is operated, the portion upstream of the reheating outlet 2o in the bath circulation adapter 63 is set to a negative pressure, and the venturi effect is used to bring air from the opened air solenoid valve 61 through the pipe 62, When introduced into the bath circulation adapter 63, air bubbles can be supplied to the bathtub 2. When stopping the bubble bath function, the air solenoid valve is closed and then the pump 27 is stopped. The check valve 65 prevents the backflow of hot water from the circulation adapter 63 to the electric water heater S.

  Air solenoid valve 61, pipe 62, circulation adapter 63, check valve 65, pipes 29 a, 25, 3, circulation mixing valve 31, and pump 27 supply bubbles into the bathtub 2 to enable a bubble bath. Configure the supply device.

<Operation unit 60>
The operation unit 60 shown in FIG. 1 is a device that allows a user to perform input operations for performing hot water filling, chasing, hot water supply, etc., with the electric water heater S, and is disposed in a bath remote controller 45 or a kitchen. There is a kitchen remote control 46 and the like.

  The operation unit 60 can select a filling mode for filling the bathtub 2, a reheating mode for replenishing the bath water in the bathtub 2, a hot water supply mode for supplying hot water from the mixing tap 19, and the like. The temperature can be set such as the temperature of hot water during hot water filling, the temperature of hot water during reheating, the temperature of hot water during hot water supply, and the like.

  The operation unit 60 is electrically connected to the controller 16 in a wired or wireless manner, and an input operation to the operation unit 60 by a user is input to the controller 16 as an operation signal.

<Controller 16>
The controller 16 is a control device that electronically controls the electric water heater S, and includes a microcomputer 16a that performs control in accordance with signals detected by various sensors such as the operation unit 60 and the temperature sensor 48, and the like. An input interface 16b for inputting detection signals detected by the operation unit 60 and various sensors to the microcomputer 16a, an output interface 16c for outputting drive signals of various actuators such as the hot water supply circulation pump 18, and detection signals of various sensors And a ROM (Read Only Memory) 16d for storing a program for controlling various actuators. The ROM 16d may be built in the microcomputer 16a.

  The configuration of the control system of the electric water heater S will be specifically described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the electric water heater S. As shown in FIG.

  The input interface 16b includes various sensors such as an outside air temperature sensor 64, an operation unit 60 including a bath remote controller 45 and a kitchen remote controller 46, temperature sensors 37, 47 to 51, 56, 59, a water level sensor 57, and a hot water supply flow rate. The sensor 38, the water temperature / temperature sensor 53, and the bath flow sensor 55 are connected, and detection signals from these sensors are input to the microcomputer 16a through the input interface 16b. The input interface 16b includes an amplification circuit, an A / D conversion circuit, and the like that convert detection signals of various sensors into input signals suitable for the microcomputer 16a.

  In the output interface 16c, as various actuators, a hot water supply pump 27, a hot water supply circulation pump 18, a three-way valve 33, a circulation mixing valve 31, a solenoid valve 28, an air solenoid valve 61, and a first mixing valve 14 are provided. The second mixing valve 11 is connected. The heat pump unit 8 is connected to the output interface 16c. The output interface 16c includes a drive circuit, a relay drive circuit, and the like for driving various actuators such as the hot water supply pump 27 and the hot water supply circulation pump 18 in accordance with a control signal (output signal) from the microcomputer 16a. In addition, the drive circuit of the hot water supply pump 27 and the drive circuit of the hot water supply circulation pump 18 may be provided on the hot water supply pump 27 side and the hot water supply circulation pump 18 side, respectively.

  The control signals for the various actuators and the heat pump unit 8 generated by the microcomputer 16a are output to the various actuators and the heat pump unit 8 through the output interface 16c.

  Needless to say, the controller 16 may be provided with sensors and actuators other than those described above to electronically control the electric water heater S.

  As described above, the controller 16 controls the electromagnetic valve 28 of the electric water heater S, the hot water pump 27, the various pumps such as the circulation pump 18 and the heat pump unit 8 according to the program stored in the ROM 16d of the microcomputer 16a. It controls various modes such as tension, chasing, hot water supply, and bubble function.

<< Details of operation of piping system of electric water heater S >>
Next, operation details of the piping system of the electric water heater S will be described.
<Storage of hot water in hot water storage tank 1>
The supply of tap water to the hot water storage tank 1 is performed by reducing the tap water in the water pipe 22 from the pipe 7 by a water pressure of, for example, 6 to 8 kg / cm ² in the water pipe 22 as shown by the arrow in FIG. The pressure is reduced to a predetermined pressure, for example, about 2 kg / cm ² by the pressure reducing valve 6 and then introduced into the lower part of the hot water storage tank 1 through the pipe 23 and the check valve 20. The check valve 20 plays a role of preventing the backflow of tap water from the hot water storage tank 1 to the water pipe 22 side.
The tap water introduced into the hot water storage tank 1 is introduced into the heat pump unit 8 through the pipe 32, the three-way valve 33, and the pipe 34, and heated by a gas cooler (not shown) of the heat pump unit 8 to obtain hot water. Through the hot water storage tank 1 and stored in the hot water storage tank 1.

<Hot water supply mode from the mixer tap 19>
Next, hot water supply from the mixing plug 19 in the electric water heater S will be described. The electric water heater S includes a circulation circuit in which hot hot water in the hot water storage tank 1 circulates through the hot water supply heat exchanger 4, and hot water from the mixing tap 19 is supplied to the water pipe using the hot water supply heat exchanger 4. The tap water is heated by exchanging heat between the tap water from 22 and the hot hot water from the hot water storage tank 1.

  When the user uses the bath remote controller 45 to select the hot water supply mode, for example, a hot water supply mode selection signal is input to the controller 16, the hot water circulation pump 18 is operated by the signal from the controller 16, and the hot water in the upper part of the hot water storage tank 1 is operated. Is taken out from the outlet 10 to the hot water supply heat exchanger 4 through the pipe 41, and hot water whose temperature has been lowered by exchanging heat with low-temperature tap water in the hot water supply heat exchanger 4 is passed through the pipe 42 to supply the hot water storage tank 1 Return to the bottom of the.

  A check valve 43 in the middle of the path from the outlet 10 of the hot water storage tank 1 to the hot water supply heat exchanger 4 serves to prevent natural circulation of the hot water storage tank 1, and hot water storage from the outlet of the hot water supply heat exchanger 4 is performed. The check valve 44 in the middle of the path to the lower part of the tank 1 plays a role of preventing the backflow of hot water in the hot water storage tank 1 when the hot water supply circulation pump 18 is replaced.

  When hot water is supplied using the hot water supply heat exchanger 4, tap water from the water pipe 22 is introduced into the hot water supply heat exchanger 4 through the pipe 7 by the water pressure, and is heated by the hot water supply heat exchanger 4 to be heated. The tap water is supplied to one side of the mixing plug 19 through the pipe 36, the hot water supply temperature sensor 37, the hot water supply flow rate sensor 38, the accumulator 39, and the pipe 40. And in the mixing plug 19, a user mixes the tap water from the water pipe 22 connected to the other side of the mixing plug 19 and the supplied hot water, and adjusts the temperature of the hot water supply.

Note that the accumulator 39 has a hot water remaining in the accumulator 39 in order to prevent an overshoot phenomenon in which hot water blows out from the faucet of the mixing tap 19 when the hot water flow rate is about 2 to 3 liters / min. It is arranged to mix with water and cool to an appropriate temperature.
The temperature of the hot water supplied to the mixing tap 19 from the hot water supply heat exchanger 4 of the hot water storage tank unit 5 is the temperature of hot water detected by the tank top temperature sensor 47 using the controller 16 in the hot water storage tank unit 5, Based on the temperature detected by the water temperature sensor 53 of the tap water going from the pipe 22 to the hot water supply heat exchanger 4 through the pipe 7, the flow rate detected by the hot water flow sensor 38, the kitchen remote controller 46, the bath remote controller 45, etc. A hot water storage tank that controls the rotational speed of the hot water supply circulation pump 18 so as to reach a predetermined hot water supply temperature set by the operation unit 60 and flows on the primary side that gives heat to tap water in the hot water supply heat exchanger 4. The flow rate of hot water from 1 is controlled.

  According to this structure, since the high water pressure of the tap water from the water pipe 22 can be utilized, for example, a shower on the third floor is possible, and a pressure reducing valve and a negative pressure breaking valve can be dispensed with. In addition, by introducing tap water depressurized via the pressure reducing valve 6 into the hot water storage tank 1 to provide a sealed hot water supply system, parts such as a cistern tank, an overflow switch, and a level switch are unnecessary, and the system is simplified. At the same time, hygiene concerns are eliminated, and noise during water supply is also eliminated.

<Water filling mode for bathtub 2>
Next, hot water filling to the bathtub 2 in the electric water heater S will be described. When the user selects the hot water filling mode using the operation unit 60 such as the kitchen remote controller 46 and the bathroom remote controller 45, the electric water heater S fills the bathtub 2 with water. When the user selects the hot water filling mode with the operation unit 60, the hot water filling mode selection signal is input from the operation unit 60 to the controller 16, and the normally closed electromagnetic valve 28 is controlled to open by the control of the controller 16. At the same time, the second mixing valve 11, the first mixing valve 14, and the circulation adjusting valve 31 are each controlled in the hot water filling mode.

  When the electromagnetic valve 28 is controlled to open, the tap water supplied from the water pipe 22 is decompressed by the pressure reducing valve 6 and the water pressure supplied to the hot water storage tank 1 through the pipe 23 causes a high temperature in the hot water storage tank 1. Of hot water is pushed out from the outlet 10 at the top of the hot water storage tank 1. Then, the hot water pushed out from the outlet 10 is divided into high-temperature hot water that has passed through the pipe 9 branched from the pipe 41 and intermediate hot water that has passed through the pipe 13 from the outlet 12 in the middle portion of the hot water storage tank 1 in the vertical direction. It is mixed by the second mixing valve 11 and further guided to the first mixing valve 14, where it is mixed with the tap water from the pipe 7 connected to the water pipe 22 through the pressure reducing valve 6 and the pipe 23. The first path passing through the pipes 29b and 29a, the pipe 29b, the pipe 25 branched from the pipe 29b, the pump 27, and the circulation mixing valve via the electromagnetic valve 28 disposed downstream of the first mixing valve 14 Hot water is supplied to the bathtub 2 and hot water filling is performed using two paths, the second path that passes through the pipe 3 through 31.

  The second mixing valve detects the temperature of the hot water detected by the top temperature sensor 47 of the hot water tank 1 and the hot water detected by the temperature sensor 49 disposed at the middle of the hot water tank 1 in the vertical direction. And the controller 16 predicts the temperature of hot water flowing out of the second mixing valve 11 from these two temperatures, and determines the valve opening degree of the second mixing valve 11. Is controlling. In addition, as a middle part in the vertical direction of the volume of the hot water storage tank 1, a position of about 2/5 to 3/5 from above the volume of the hot water storage tank 1 is preferable. By providing an outlet 12 for deriving and supplying intermediate water at an intermediate temperature in the hot water storage tank 1 at an intermediate portion in the vertical direction of the volume of the hot water storage tank 1, for example, hot water as much as in the upper part of the hot water storage tank 1 is not necessarily provided. In hot water filling of the bathtub 2 that is not required, the amount of tap water mixed from the pipe 23 in the first mixing valve 14 is reduced and the heat energy is wasted by actively using warm water at an intermediate temperature. The hot water required for the hot water supply heat exchanger 4 can be efficiently used.

  Thus, by actively using intermediate water at an intermediate temperature, it is possible to efficiently use high-temperature water necessary for the hot water supply heat exchanger 4 and the reheating heat exchanger 24.

  Here, the temperature of the hot water supplied to the bathtub 2 is controlled by the controller 16 so that the temperature of the hot water detected by the temperature sensor 56 becomes a predetermined bath temperature set by the operation unit 60. That is, the hot water passing through the pipe 29a at the time of hot water filling by the temperature sensor 56 so that the temperature of the hot water filling becomes the hot water filling temperature set by the user using the operation unit 60 such as the bath remote controller 45, the kitchen remote controller 46 or the like. The temperature is detected, and a detection signal of the detected temperature is input to the controller 16. In the controller 16, the set temperature of the user and the detected temperature of the temperature sensor 56 are compared, and the first mixing valve is set so that both are equal. 14 is performed to adjust the mixing ratio of the hot water from the hot water storage tank 1 and the tap water supplied from the pipe 23 or the like.

  The amount of hot water supplied to the bathtub 2 is detected by the flow rate sensor 55, the flow rate detection signal is input to the controller 16, and the controller 16 calculates the predetermined hot water amount. The amount is controlled, and when the predetermined amount of hot water is reached, the solenoid valve 28 is closed and the supply of hot water is stopped.

  Further, the water level of the bathtub 2 is detected by the water level sensor 57 to detect the pressure of the hot water in the pipe 25, and this detection signal is input to the controller 16, where the controller 16 calculates the water level by the head and the like to reach a predetermined set water level. Thus, the solenoid valve 28 and the like are controlled.

  In this way, the bathtub 2 is filled with water through the pipe 25 on the downstream side of the branch point 30 of the pipe 29b, the circulation adjusting valve 31, and the pipe 3 on the downstream side of the pipe 26 on the outlet side of the reheating pipe. Thus, the hot water filling is performed with two pipes together with the hot water filling from the pipe 29 a, and the hot water filling is performed with a constant water pressure via the pressure reducing valve 6. Therefore, the hot water filling time can be set to about 8 minutes, for example, at a preset temperature of 42 ° C. and 180 liter hot water filling, and the hot water filling time can be shortened by about 4 minutes compared to the conventional case.

<Chance mode>
Next, replenishment of the bath water in the bathtub 2 in the electric water heater S will be described. Reheating water in the bathtub 2 is performed using a heat exchanger 24 for reheating.

  In the reheating heat exchanger 24, the pipe 25 from the bathtub 2, the pump 27, the circulation mixing valve 31, and the pipe 58 are connected to the inlet 24i side, and the pipe 26 returning to the bathtub 2 is connected to the outlet 24o side. It is connected. When using the reheating heat exchanger 24, the pump 27 is driven by the controller 16, and the bath water is introduced into the reheating heat exchanger 24 through the circulation mixing valve 31 from the pipe 25. In the heat exchanger 24, heat is exchanged between the hot water in the upper part of the hot water storage tank 1 and the introduced bath water.

  When the user selects the reheating mode with the operation unit 60 such as the kitchen remote controller 46 or the bathroom remote controller 45, the bathroom 2 is reheated in the electric water heater S. That is, when the reheating mode is selected by the operation unit 60, a reheating mode selection signal is input from the operation unit 60 to the controller 16. Under the control of the controller 16, the boiling water in the bathtub 2 is reheated. The pump 27 for circulating through is operated, and the circulation mixing valve 31 is controlled to the reheating mode.

  By the pump 27 operated by the command of the controller 16, the bath water in the bathtub 2 passes from the reheating entrance 2 i of the bathtub 2 through the pipe 29 a, the branch part 30, the pipe 25, the pump 27, the circulation mixing valve 31, and the pipe 58. Then, after being led to the reheating heat exchanger 24, heat exchange with the hot water at the upper part of the hot water storage tank 1 is performed in the reheating heat exchanger 24, and after heating and reheating, the pipes 26 and 3 And then returned to the bathtub 2 through the reheating outlet 2o of the bathtub 2.

  Here, the bath water led to the reheating heat exchanger 24 is heated and reheated in the reheating heat exchanger 24 by heat exchange with the hot water at the upper part of the hot water storage tank 1. A large amount of heat is given to the bath water, making it possible to catch up efficiently.

  In this case, since the reheating heat exchanger 24 is disposed in the upper part of the hot water storage tank 1, at the start of reheating, in order to prevent high-temperature hot water from being supplied to the bathtub 2, The temperature detection signal of the temperature sensor 59 for detecting the temperature of the heated high-temperature water flowing out from the reheating heat exchanger 24 and the temperature detection signal of the temperature sensor 56 for detecting the return temperature are input to the controller 16. In the controller 16, the opening degree of the circulating and mixing valve 31 is predicted so that the temperature of the heated reflux water returned to the bathtub 2 is 60 ° C. or less, and the opening degree of the circulating and mixing valve 31 is controlled.

  According to this configuration, at the start of reheating, the temperature detection signal of the temperature sensor 59 that detects the temperature of the heated hot water flowing out from the reheating heat exchanger 24 and the temperature sensor 56 that detects the return temperature. Based on the temperature detection signal, the opening degree of the circulating mixing valve 31 is controlled so that the temperature of the heated fountain returned to the bathtub 2 is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature. It is possible to prevent the high-temperature water staying at 24 from being discharged directly to the bathtub.

  Further, by circulating the hot water in the bathtub 2 to the reheating heat exchanger 24, heat is indirectly exchanged with the hot water in the upper part of the hot water storage tank 1, and the hot water in the bathtub 2 is discharged. By providing a circulation circuit that performs reheating, it is possible to prevent heat from being wasted from the reheating heat exchanger 24 during reheating and to prevent waste of heat energy.

<Bubble bath function>
When the user starts the bubble bath function from the operation unit 60 of the remote controller 45, when the temperature of the temperature sensor 50 that detects the temperature of the stored hot water is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature, the heat pump unit 8 Driving automatically. Moreover, the temperature of the air supplied to the bathtub is measured at the outside air temperature 64. The amount of heat stored in the hot water storage tank 1 is calculated from the temperature sensors 48, 49, and 50 that detect the temperature of the stored hot water by calculating the amount of heat that falls from the outside air temperature 64, the bath set temperature, the amount of hot water filling, and the operation time of the bubble bath function. When it is determined that the amount of heat in the hot water storage tank 1 is insufficient, the heat pump unit 8 automatically performs the boiling operation.

  This will be specifically described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart when operating the bubble bath function. When the bubble bath function is selected (input) by the remote controller 45 (operation unit 60), the operation of the bubble bath function is started (S301). At this time, the operation time of the bubble bath function is set by the bath remote controller 45. When the operation time of the bubble bath function is not set, a preset initial value (time) is set.

  Next, calculation of the amount of heat stored in the hot water storage tank 1 is executed (S302), and the current amount of stored heat is determined (S303). If the amount of heat stored in the hot water storage tank 1 is insufficient at the present time, the operation of the bubble bath function is stopped (stopped) (S304). This corresponds to disabling the operation of the bubble bath function when the amount of heat stored in the hot water storage tank 1 is insufficient at the start of operation of the bubble bath function.

  If it is determined in S303 that the amount of heat stored in the hot water storage tank 1 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, it is determined whether there is a necessary amount of heat during the operation of the bubble bath function (S305). In S305, when it is determined that there is not a necessary amount of heat during operation of the bubble bath function (when it is determined that the amount of heat in the hot water storage tank 1 is insufficient), the boiling operation by the heat pump unit 8 is automatically started (S306). ), And proceeds to the next Step S307. If it is determined in S305 that the necessary amount of heat is stored during the operation of the bubble bath function, the process passes step S306 and proceeds to the next step S307.

  In step S307, it is determined whether or not the amount of heat stored in the hot water storage tank 1 is insufficient during operation. This is equivalent to determining whether or not the current heat storage heat amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, as in step S303. If it is determined in step S307 that the amount of heat stored in the hot water storage tank 1 is insufficient or insufficient, the operation of the bubble bath function is stopped (stopped) (S308). If the amount of heat stored in the hot water storage tank 1 is not insufficient in step S307, the process proceeds to the next step S309.

  In step S309, it is determined whether or not the operation time of the bubble bath function has elapsed. If the operation time of the bubble bath function has not passed the set time, the process returns to step S307, and if the amount of heat stored in the hot water storage tank 1 is not insufficient, the operation of the bubble bath function is continued. If it is determined in step S309 that the operation time of the bubble bath function has reached the set time, the operation of the bubble bath function ends.

  In any case, the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank 1 can be raised and the temperature can be raised by reheating, the temperature in the bathtub can be set to the set temperature, and convenience can be improved. In the operation of the bubble bath function, since the air is put into the bathtub, the temperature of the bath water in the bathtub is lowered. In particular, since the temperature of air is low in winter, the temperature of the bath water in the bathtub is greatly reduced. In the embodiment according to the present invention, since the reheating operation can be reliably performed during the operation of the bubble bath function, the convenience can be improved.

  In addition, as described with reference to FIG. 3, when the amount of heat stored in the hot water storage tank 1 is insufficient during operation of the bubble bath function, the operation of the bubble bath function is stopped. Alternatively, if the amount of heat stored in the hot water storage tank 1 is insufficient at the start of operation of the bubble bath function, the operation of the bubble bath function is disabled. This means that the operation of the bubble bath function is stopped when the amount of heat necessary for the replenishing operation of warm water using hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 1 is insufficient. Specifically, when the temperature of the temperature sensor 48 is lower than the bath temperature set by the operation unit 60 of the bath remote controller 45 plus 5 ° C., it is preferable not to operate the bubble bath function. Thereby, it can prevent that the temperature in a bathtub falls by execution of a bubble bath function, and can suppress the calorie | heat amount required for reheating.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Hot water storage tank, 2 ... Bath, 2i ... Reheating inlet, 2o ... Reheating outlet, 3 ... Piping, 4 ... Heat exchanger for hot water supply, 6 ... Pressure reducing valve, 7 ... Piping, 8 ... Heat pump unit, 9 ... Piping DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Outlet of upper part of hot water storage tank 1, 11 ... Second mixing valve, 12 ... Hot water outlet of hot water storage tank 1, 13 ... Piping, 14 ... First mixing valve, 16 ... Controller, 16a ... Microcomputer, 16b ... Input interface, 16c ... Output interface, 16d ... ROM (Read Only Memory), 18 ... Hot-water circulation pump, 19 ... Mixing tap, 20 ... Check valve, 22 ... Water pipe, 23 ... Piping, 24 ... Reheating heat exchange 24i ... Inlet of reheating heat exchanger 24, 24o ... Outlet of reheating heat exchanger 24, 25, 26 ... Piping, 27 ... Hot water pump, 28 ... Solenoid valve, 29a, 29b ... Piping, 30 ... Bifurcation, 31 ... Ring mixing valve, 32 ... piping, 33 ... three-way valve, 34, 35, 36 ... piping, 37 ... hot water supply temperature sensor, 38 ... hot water supply flow sensor, 39 ... accumulator, 40, 41, 42 ... piping, 44 ... check valve 45 ... Bathroom remote control, 46 ... Kitchen remote control, 47,48,49,50,51 ... Temperature sensor, 53 ... Water temperature sensor, 55 ... Bath flow sensor, 56 ... Temperature sensor, 57 ... Water level sensor, 58 ... Piping, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 59 ... Temperature sensor, 60 ... Operation part, 61 ... Solenoid valve for air, 62 ... Piping, 63 ... Bath circulation adapter, 64 ... Outside temperature sensor, S ... Electric water heater.

Claims (3)

A hot water storage tank that stores hot water, a heat pump unit that performs a heating operation of the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank, a bubble supply device that enables bubble bathing by supplying bubbles into the bathtub, the heat pump unit, and the bubbles In a hot water storage type hot water heater with a bubble bath function provided with a controller for controlling the supply device,
Hot water storage with a bubble function, wherein when the heat storage heat amount of the hot water storage tank is determined to be insufficient at the start of the bubble bath function, the heating operation of warm water stored in the hot water storage tank is automatically started by the heat pump unit. Type water heater. In the hot water storage type water heater with a bubble function according to claim 1,
The bath in the bathtub calculated from the bath temperature, the outside air temperature, and the bubble bath function operation time with respect to the heat storage heat amount of the hot water tank calculated from the temperature of the hot water stored in the hot water tank at the start of the bubble bath function A hot water storage type hot water heater with a bubble function, wherein when the amount of heat corresponding to the temperature of water drop is larger, it is determined that the amount of heat stored in the hot water storage tank is insufficient. A hot water storage tank that stores hot water, a heat pump unit that performs a heating operation of the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank, a bubble supply device that enables bubble bathing by supplying bubbles into the bathtub, the heat pump unit, and the bubbles In a hot water storage type hot water heater with a bubble bath function provided with a controller for controlling the supply device,
A hot water storage type hot water heater with a bubble function, wherein the operation of the bubble bath function is stopped when the amount of heat of the hot water storage tank necessary for the reheating operation of bath water is insufficient.

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