JP2016194401A - Water heater - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a water heater capable of encouraging a user to make an inquiry to a trader at a timing when maintenance and inspection are needed.SOLUTION: A water heater includes a hot water supply portion constituted to supply hot water to a tapping portion, a control portion for controlling an operation state of the hot water supply portion, and an operating portion capable of inputting a command to be given to the control portion by user's operation. The operating portion is provided with a sound output portion capable of outputting a sound, and the control portion has a determining portion (S10) for determining whether the hot water supply portion reaches a long-term use state in which the hot water supply portion is used for a prescribed long time or more, or not, and an output state changing portion (S40, S50) for changing an output state of the sound output from the sound output portion between a case when the determining portion does not determine the long-term use state, and a case when it determines the long-term use state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a water heater.

  A latent heat recovery type water heater is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). This type of latent heat recovery type water heater is provided with a neutralizer to neutralize acidic drain (condensed water). The neutralizing agent in the neutralizer decreases as the drain is neutralized. Therefore, when a water heater is used over a long period of time, maintenance of the neutralizer (replenishment with a neutralizing agent) is necessary. Therefore, in this type of water heater, a notification (warning) is displayed to the effect that the replenishment time of the neutralizing agent is approaching.

  Moreover, when a water heater is used over a long period of time, deterioration over time may occur in components of the water heater. When such deterioration over time is expected, special measures such as special display or voice notification (warning) may be taken, or the error recovery operation may be complicated.

JP 2009-92286 A

  However, even if the above-mentioned special display or voice notification is given, such notification alone does not cause any inconvenience in actual use of the water heater, and the user of the water heater has a problem in using the device. Can continue without. Therefore, there is a possibility that the user of the water heater will continue to use the water heater without making an inquiry to the trader (manufacturer, dealer, etc.).

  On the other hand, when the return operation from the error is complicated, the user cannot use the water heater until a specialized engineer visits the site. For this reason, if even maintenance / inspection is received, the user is forced to be inconvenienced even though the situation where the use of the water heater should not be immediately prohibited has been reached.

  In view of the above circumstances, it is desirable to provide a water heater that can prompt the user to make an inquiry to a supplier when maintenance and inspection are required.

  A water heater described below includes a hot water supply unit configured to be able to supply hot water to a hot water outlet, a control unit that controls an operation state of the hot water supply unit, and an operation unit that can input a command to be given to the control unit by a user operation. The operation unit is provided with a sound output unit capable of outputting sound, and the control unit determines whether or not the hot water supply unit has been used for a long period of time longer than a predetermined period. And an output state changing unit that changes the output state of the sound output from the sound output unit when the determination unit determines that the long-term use state has not been reached and when it has been determined that the long-term use state has been reached. Have.

  According to the water heater configured in this manner, the sound output from the sound output unit when the hot water supply unit has not been used for a long period of time longer than a predetermined value and when the hot water supply unit has not been used for a long time has been reached. The output state of is changed. As for the sound whose sound output state is changed, other operations can be used as long as a special setting operation for the purpose of changing the sound is not performed among at least one sound that can be output from the sound output unit. Then, the sound whose sound output state is not changed is selected.

  For such sounds, the user does not think that the sound output state will change normally. Therefore, when the output state of a sound that should not change changes, the user feels uncomfortable and suspects that the device is out of order. In particular, if the sound output state changes to an unpleasant state for the user (for example, a state where the volume is excessive and noisy, a state where the dissonance is annoying) or a state where it is difficult to use (for example, a state where the volume is too low to be heard). The possibility that the user wants to correct the malfunction of the device is also increased. Therefore, it is possible to increase the possibility that the user of the water heater makes an inquiry to the supplier, and it is possible to suppress the user from continuing to use the water heater without undergoing maintenance / inspection.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a configuration of a water heater. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the sound output process.

Next, the above-described water heater will be described with reference to an exemplary embodiment.
[Configuration of water heater]
As shown in FIG. 1, the water heater 1 has a hot water supply function for supplying hot water to a hot water tap or a bathtub 3 at a hot water outlet (not shown), and a bath function for keeping warm and reheating the hot water in the bathtub 3. It is an apparatus provided with.

  The water heater 1 has a hot water combustion chamber 5 and a bath combustion chamber 6. In the hot water combustion chamber 5, a hot water burner 11, a hot water primary heat exchanger 12A, a hot water secondary heat exchanger 12B, a hot water spark plug 13, a hot water frame rod 14, and the like are disposed. Further, a bottom burner 15, a bottom primary heat exchanger 16A, a bottom secondary heat exchanger 16B, a bottom spark plug 17, a bottom frame rod 18, a bottom combustion chamber thermistor 19 and the like are disposed in the bottom combustion chamber 6. ing.

  The hot water supply primary heat exchanger 12 </ b> A is a heat exchanger that mainly recovers sensible heat from the high-temperature exhaust gas generated by combustion in the hot water supply burner 11. The hot water supply secondary heat exchanger 12B is a heat exchanger that mainly recovers latent heat from the exhaust gas whose temperature has decreased due to heat exchange in the hot water supply primary heat exchanger 12A. The bath primary heat exchanger 16 </ b> A is a heat exchanger that mainly recovers sensible heat from the high-temperature exhaust gas generated by combustion in the bath burner 15. The bottom secondary heat exchanger 16B is a heat exchanger that mainly recovers latent heat from the exhaust gas whose temperature has decreased due to heat exchange in the bottom primary heat exchanger 16A.

  In the hot water supply secondary heat exchanger 12B and the bath secondary heat exchanger 16B, heat is further removed from the exhaust gas having a correspondingly high relative humidity. Therefore, the water vapor in the exhaust is condensed and drain (condensed water) is generated. In order to treat this drain, the water heater 1 is provided with drain drain pipes 20A and 20B, a neutralizer 21, and a drain pan 22. The drain collected by the drain pan 22 flows into the neutralizer 21 through the drain drain pipe 20A. The neutralizer 21 is provided to neutralize acidic drain containing nitrogen oxide or sulfur oxide. The neutralizer 21 is filled with a neutralizing agent (for example, calcium carbonate) that neutralizes the drain. Further, a neutralizer water level electrode 21 </ b> A that switches from off to on when the water level in the neutralizer 21 exceeds the upper limit value is provided inside the neutralizer 21. The neutralized drain that flows out from the neutralizer 21 is discharged to the outside through the drain drain pipe 20B.

  The water heater 1 has a combustion fan 23, and is configured to supply air to the hot water combustion chamber 5 and the bottom combustion chamber 6 by rotationally driving the combustion fan 23 by a fan motor 23A. . An exhaust top 24 is provided in the upper part of the hot water combustion chamber 5 and the bottom combustion chamber 6, and the exhaust can be exhausted to the outside of the hot water combustion chamber 5 and the bottom combustion chamber 6 through the exhaust top 24. In addition, an overheat prevention device 25 that forcibly stops the operation of the water heater 1 by fusing when the surroundings are in an abnormally high temperature state is provided near the hot water combustion chamber 5.

  Further, the water heater 1 includes a gas supply pipe 26 serving as a gas supply path to the hot water burner 11 and the bottom burner 15. The gas supply pipe 26 has a main pipe 260 whose upstream end is connected to a gas supply source (for example, a city gas pipe or a propane gas pipe), and branch pipes 261, 262, 263, 264 branched from the main pipe 260. The gas is supplied to the hot water supply burner 11 and the bottom burner 15 through the branch pipes 261 to 264. In the gas supply pipe 26, the main pipe 260 is provided with an original gas electromagnetic valve 27 and a gas proportional valve 28. The branch pipes 261 to 264 are provided with hot water supply gas solenoid valves 291, 292 and 293 and bath gas solenoid valves 294.

  Furthermore, the hot water heater 1 includes hot water supply pipes 30 that form a water inlet to the hot water secondary heat exchanger 12B, hot water pipes 31 that form a hot water outlet from the hot water primary heat exchanger 12A, A bypass pipe 32 that branches off from the middle of the flow path of the water supply pipe 30 and communicates with the hot water discharge pipe 31 is provided. Further, as a bathing function piping, a bathing return pipe 33 that forms a bathing return passage for returning hot water in the bath 3 to the bathing secondary heat exchanger 16B, and bathing from the bathing primary heat exchanger 16A to the bath 3 A forward piping 34 that forms a flow path is provided. The bottom return pipe 33 and the bottom return pipe 34 form a circulation flow path that returns from the bathtub 3 to the bathtub 3 via the bottom secondary heat exchanger 16B and the bottom primary heat exchanger 16A. A branch pipe 35 that branches from the middle of the flow path of the hot water pipe 31 and communicates with the middle of the flow path of the bath return pipe 33 is provided between the hot water pipe 31 and the bath return pipe 33.

  Among these pipes, the water supply pipe 30 has an upstream end connected to a water supply source (for example, a water pipe). In the middle of the flow path from the upstream end side to the downstream end side of the water supply pipe 30, a strainer 36 for filtering water flowing from the upstream side to the downstream side in order from the upstream end side, and the amount of water flowing in the water supply pipe 30 are detected. There are provided a hot water supply water amount sensor 37, a hot water supply water thermistor 38 for detecting the temperature of the water flowing to the hot water primary heat exchanger 12A, a water amount control motor 39 for increasing / decreasing the amount of water flowing in the water supply pipe 30, and the like.

  The downstream hot water pipe 31 has a downstream end connected to a hot water outlet through a pipe. In the middle of the flow path from the upstream end side to the downstream end side of the hot water discharge pipe 31, in order from the upstream end side, a hot water supply emptying safety device 40 for forcibly stopping the hot water supply device 1 when hot water is detected, hot water supply Hot water supply heat exchanger thermistor 41 for detecting the temperature of hot water flowing out of the primary heat exchanger 12A, hot water supply hot water thermistor 42 for detecting the temperature of hot water downstream of the junction of the hot water discharge pipe 31 and the bypass pipe 32, and the hot water discharge pipe 31 An overpressure relief valve / water drain plug 43 that operates when the internal pressure becomes excessive and releases the pressure, and a water hammer buffer valve 44 that alleviates the water hammer action that occurs when hot water is stopped are provided. The bypass pipe 32 is provided with a bypass control motor 45 that performs increase / decrease control of the amount of water flowing through the bypass pipe 32.

  The branch pipe 35 is a pipe that forms a hot water supply path to the bath return pipe 33 on the downstream side with the hot water discharge pipe 31 side as the upstream side. In the middle of the flow path from the upstream end side to the downstream end side of the branch pipe 35, a dropped water electromagnetic valve 46 that is opened when hot water is supplied to the bathtub 3 through the branch pipe 35, and the amount of water flowing through the branch pipe 35 Are provided, and a check valve 48A, 48B and the like for preventing backflow in the branch pipe 35 are provided. The branch pipe 35 is provided with an edge cut-off valve 49, and due to a decrease in water pressure on the water supply side (water supply pipe 30 side) or the like, the flow that should be on the upstream side from the flow path that should be on the downstream side of the branch pipe 35. When a negative pressure that sucks water into the road is generated, the edge cut valve 49 is opened to prevent water from flowing back through the branch pipe 35.

  The upstream return pipe 33 is attached to the bathtub 3 via the bus adapter 50 on the upstream end side. In the middle of the flow path from the upstream end side to the downstream end side of the bath return pipe 33, hot water is supplied from the upstream side to the downstream side in the bath return thermistor 51 for detecting the temperature of hot water flowing in from the bathtub 3. Pump 52 for pumping, bath water flow switch 53 for detecting the flow of water (hot water) through the bath return pipe 33, a water level sensor 54 for detecting the water level in the bathtub 3 based on the pressure in the bath return pipe 33, etc. Is provided.

  Incidentally, when the hot water in the bathtub 3 is pressure-fed to the bath secondary heat exchanger 16B, the bath return pipe 33 has the upstream end on the bus adapter 50 side and the downstream end on the bath secondary heat exchanger 16B side as described above. However, when hot water is supplied to the bathtub 3 through the branch pipe 35, the hot water flows in the opposite direction from the junction of the bath return pipe 33 and the branch pipe 35 toward the bus adapter 50. It becomes a state.

  The downstream pipe 34 is attached to the bathtub 3 via the bus adapter 50 on the downstream end side. In the middle of the flow path from the upstream end side to the downstream end side of the bath piping 34, a bath safety device 55 and a bath primary heat exchanger 16 </ b> A for forcibly stopping the hot water heater 1 when it is detected. An outflow thermistor 56 is provided for detecting the temperature of hot water flowing out from the water.

  Moreover, drain pipes 57A, 57B, 57C, 57E, and 57F are provided in various pipes with which the water heater 1 is provided. By opening these drain pipes 57A to 57F, the water in the pipes is discharged to the outside. It is configured to be possible.

  In addition, the water heater 1 includes a controller 60 (corresponding to an example of a control unit in this specification) for controlling the operation state of the water heater function and the bath function, and a hot water remote controller 61 ( The operation unit and the first operation unit in this specification are equivalent to an example.) And the bathroom remote control 62 (corresponding to an example of the operation unit and the second operation unit in this specification) disposed in the bathroom. I have. The controller 60 incorporates a microcomputer having a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like. The various sensors described above (the hot-water supply frame rod 14, the bath frame rod 18, the hot-water supply water thermistor 38, the hot-water supply heat exchanger thermistor 41, the hot-water supply hot water supply). The information is input from the thermistor 42, the return thermistor 51, the forward thermistor 56, etc.), and the above-described various solenoid valves (the original gas solenoid valve 27, the gas proportional valve 28, the hot water supply solenoid valves 291 to 293, the bath gas solenoids). Valve 294, drop water electromagnetic valve 46, etc.), various motors (fan motor 23A, water amount control motor 39, bypass control motor 45), and operation of pump 52, etc. are controlled.

  In addition, the controller 60 is configured to store history information to that effect in a nonvolatile memory (corresponding to an example of a history storage unit in the present specification) when a long-term use state is reached. In the case of the present embodiment, the water heater 1 has been used for 10 years or more without being subjected to maintenance / inspection since the start of use, or has been used for 10 years or more since the last maintenance / inspection. In this case, it is determined that a long-term use state has been reached, and history information to that effect is stored in the nonvolatile memory.

  The hot water remote controller 61 and the bathroom remote controller 62 are both an input unit that receives an input operation from the user, an output unit that displays information and outputs sound to the user (corresponding to an example of a sound output unit in the present specification), and the like. The information input from the input unit is transmitted to the controller 60, and information display and sound output are performed from the output unit based on the information transmitted from the controller 60. The input unit is provided with a plurality of switches including an operation switch that can switch whether the water heater 1 is in an operation state or an operation stop state.

  The sounds output from the hot water remote controller 61 and the bathroom remote controller 62 include an alarm sound or an alarm message for alerting the user, an acceptance sound output when various switches are operated, and the like. The hot water remote controller 61 and the bath remote controller 62 are configured such that a user can execute a call between the hot water remote controller 61 and the bath remote controller 62. When the user performs an operation for starting a call on one of the hot water remote controller 61 and the bath remote controller 62, a ringing tone is output on the other remote controller. When a predetermined operation is performed on the other remote controller according to the ringing tone, a call can be started between the hot water remote controller 61 and the bath remote controller 62.

[Operating state during hot water operation]
Next, the outline | summary is demonstrated about the operating state of the water heater 1 when a user performs hot water supply operation. When the user opens the hot water tap at the hot water outlet, the water flowing in from the water inlet goes to the hot water primary heat exchanger 12A through the hot water quantity sensor 37 and the hot water secondary heat exchanger 12B. At this time, a signal having a frequency corresponding to the flow velocity is output from the hot water supply amount sensor 37, and when the controller 60 senses that this signal has reached a specified frequency, the controller 60 controls the fan motor 23A to control the combustion fan 23. Rotate.

  After the combustion fan 23 rotates and the pre-purge operation is performed, the original gas solenoid valve 27 and the hot water supply gas electromagnetic valves 291 to 293 are simultaneously opened, the gas proportional valve 28 is operated in a slow ignition operation, and gas is supplied to the hot water supply burner 11. Is done. At the same time, the hot water supply spark plug 13 is continuously discharged to ignite the hot water supply burner 11. After ignition, when the flame is detected by the hot water supply frame rod 14 and it is confirmed that it is burning, the slow ignition operation is terminated.

  When the slow ignition operation is finished, the proportional control is subsequently started. When there is a difference between the hot water temperature detected by the hot water supply hot water thermistor 42 and the set temperature arbitrarily set by the user, the controller 60 determines that there is a difference, and opens and closes the hot water supply gas electromagnetic valves 291 to 293 and the gas proportional valve. By 28, the amount of gas is continuously changed to keep the hot water temperature constant. In addition, since the water amount control motor 39 adjusts to an appropriate amount of water, the maximum amount of tapping water is always ensured. At this time, a signal is sent from the controller 60 to the fan motor 23A in accordance with a change in the gas amount by the gas proportional valve 28, whereby the relationship between the gas amount and the air amount is always kept constant.

  In a situation where hot water is being supplied as described above, when the user closes the hot water tap, the frequency signal from the hot water supply amount sensor 37 disappears, so the controller 60 uses the original gas solenoid valve 27 and the hot water supply gas solenoid valve 291. ˜293 is closed, the fire is extinguished, and the post-purge operation is started. Thereafter, when the post-purge operation times out, the combustion fan 23 stops.

[Operation state during bath operation]
Next, the outline | summary is demonstrated about the operating state of the water heater 1 when a user performs bathing operation. When the user presses the automatic switch of the hot water remote controller 61 or the bath remote controller 62, the dropped water electromagnetic valve 46 is turned on, the hot water quantity sensor 37 is turned on, and the hot water combustion operation is started. Hot water is supplied to the bathtub 3 through the check valves 48 </ b> A and 48 </ b> B and the bath water sensor 47. Thereafter, when the amount of water detected by the boiling water amount sensor 47 becomes the set amount of water, the dropped water electromagnetic valve 46 is turned off, the hot water supply water amount sensor 37 is turned off, and hot water supply combustion stops.

  Next, the pump 52 is activated to start circulating hot water. Circulation of hot water is detected by the bath water flow switch 53. At this time, if the temperature sensed by the return thermistor 51 is equal to or lower than the set temperature, the controller 60 controls the fan motor 23A to rotate the combustion fan 23. When the combustion fan 23 is rotated and a rotation speed signal is transmitted to the controller 60, the original gas solenoid valve 27 and the bottom gas solenoid valve 294 are then opened and the bottom burner 15 is supplied with gas and the bottom ignition is performed at the same time. The plug 17 is continuously discharged.

  When the bottom burner 15 is ignited, flame is detected by the bottom frame rod 18, discharge by the spark plug is stopped, and heating of the bottom is started. When the bath water circulated by the pump 52 reaches the set temperature, the bath return burner 15 is extinguished by detecting the temperature by the bath return thermistor 51 and the pump 52 is stopped. Then, a notification buzzer is sounded to inform the boiling.

  When the reheating combustion as described above is stopped and the interval time until the bath 3 hot water temperature is confirmed thereafter, only the pump 52 is operated to circulate the bath water. At this time, if the temperature of the bath is lower than the set temperature, retreat is performed. Thereafter, when the temperature of the bath becomes equal to or higher than the set temperature, the operation of the pump 52 stops there, and the pump 52 is activated after the interval time has elapsed, and the same operation as described above is repeated. The series of operations are stopped when the hot water supply remote controller 61 or the bath remote controller 62 is pressed automatically.

[Sound output processing]
Next, the sound output process performed in the water heater 1 will be described. The sound output process described below is a process executed by the controller 60. The sound output process is executed in a process step of outputting a sound when a certain process (hereinafter, also referred to as a main process) having a process step of outputting a sound is performed in the water heater 1. For example, when a switch operation on the hot water remote controller 61 or the bath remote controller 62 is accepted, a sound output process is executed in a process step that generates an acceptance sound. Or when it has the function to talk between the hot-water supply remote control 61 and the bath remote control 62, a sound output process is performed in the process step which outputs the ringing tone when calling the other from one side.

  When the sound output process is started, the controller 60 determines whether or not the water heater 1 has been in a long-term use state (S10). The controller 60 that executes S10 corresponds to an example of a determination unit referred to in this specification. In the case of this embodiment, when the water heater 1 has been used for 10 years or more without receiving maintenance / inspection since the start of use, or when it has been used for more than 10 years since the last maintenance / inspection. It is determined that the water heater 1 has reached a long-term use state (S10: YES). In this case, history information indicating that the water heater 1 has been in a long-term use state is stored in the nonvolatile memory of the controller 60 (S20).

  When S20 is finished, the controller 60 determines whether or not the sound is permitted to change the output state (S30). In the case of this embodiment, it outputs when the operation switch which can switch whether the water heater 1 is made into an operation state or an operation stop state among a plurality of switches provided in the hot water supply remote controller 61 and the bath remote controller 62 is operated. For the first received sound, the change of the output state is prohibited. In addition, for the second reception sound that is output when a switch other than the operation switch is operated next after the operation switch is operated, the change of the output state is permitted. Moreover, the change of an output state is prohibited about the alarm sound or alarm message for alerting a user. As for the ringing tone when starting a call between the hot water remote controller 61 and the bath remote controller 62, the change of the output state is permitted.

  The main processing side that calls the sound output process recognizes which sound is output, so for example, specify which sound is output by a parameter such as a number and transmit it to the sound output process. To do. On the sound output processing side, based on the number designated on the main processing side in S30, the correspondence table between the number and permission / prohibition is referred to, and the sound designated by the number is permitted to change the output state. Determine whether or not.

  When it is determined in S30 that the sound is permitted to change the output state (S30: YES), the process proceeds to S40. On the other hand, when it is determined in S10 that the water heater 1 has not reached the long-term use state (S10: NO), or when it is determined in S30 that the change of the output state is prohibited (S30: NO), go to S50.

  When the process proceeds to S40, the controller 60 sets the sound output state to the long-term use mode (S40). On the other hand, when the process proceeds to S50, the controller 60 sets the sound output state to the standard mode (S50). Here, the standard mode is a mode in which an optimized sound is output in consideration of the point that it is easy for the user to hear and there is no harsh impression. On the other hand, the long-time use mode is a mode in which a sound that is intentionally adjusted so as to increase the impression that it is harder to hear or harsh than the standard mode is output.

  To give a specific example, for example, in the standard mode, volume setting is performed such that sound is output at an appropriate volume according to volume adjustment performed by the user. On the other hand, in the long-time use mode, the sound volume is set so that sound is output at an excessively high volume or an excessively low volume regardless of the volume adjustment performed by the user. Alternatively, in the standard mode, settings are made such that the pitch of the sound is output at a predetermined level, whereas in the long-term use mode, a higher sound than the standard mode (for example, a sound that is one octave or more higher). Or a sound lower than the standard mode (for example, a sound lower by one octave or more) is set.

  Alternatively, in the standard mode, settings are made so that the sound quality is output at a predetermined sound quality, whereas in the long-term use mode, settings that output a sound with a tone different from the standard mode are included, including noise Settings are made so that sound is output. By passing a sound corresponding to the standard mode through a low-pass filter, a high-pass filter, a band-pass filter, and the like, only a specific frequency band may be extracted and used as a sound for a long-term use mode. Alternatively, in the standard mode, the setting is made such that the time from the start to the end of the sound is about 0.5 to 1 second, whereas in the long-term use mode, the time from the start to the end of the sound output is set. May be set to be about 3 to 5 seconds. These may be changed in combination of two or more.

  The controller 60 that executes S40 and S50 as described above corresponds to an example of an output state changing unit referred to in this specification. After the above setting is made in S40 or S50, the controller 60 outputs a sound in the set mode (S60), and the process shown in FIG.

[effect]
According to the hot water heater 1 described above, the hot water remote controller 61 and the bath remote controller 62 are used when the hot water heater 1 has not been used for a long period of time longer than a predetermined value and when it has not been used for a long time. The output state of the sound output from is changed. For this reason, when the sound output state changes, the user feels uncomfortable and suspects that the device is out of order. In particular, if the sound output state changes to a state uncomfortable or difficult to use for the user, the possibility that the user wants to correct a device failure or the like increases. Therefore, it is possible to increase the possibility that the user of the water heater 1 makes an inquiry to the supplier, and it is possible to suppress the user from continuing to use the water heater 1 without undergoing maintenance / inspection.

  In the case of the water heater 1, the sound output state is not uniformly changed even when the water heater 1 has been used for a long period of time longer than a predetermined value. Therefore, it is possible to prevent such a change from being made with respect to a sound that is undesirable when the sound output state is changed. Moreover, since the sound in which the sound output state is changed and the sound that is not changed are mixed, these sounds can be compared, so that the user can easily notice the change in the sound output state.

  For example, since the sound output state of the warning sound or warning message is not changed, it is possible to prevent the warning sound or warning message from becoming difficult to hear. For the first reception sound that is output when the operation switch is operated, the sound output state is not changed, and the second reception sound that is output when the next switch is operated is Since the output state can be changed, it is possible to make the second reception sound feel uncomfortable from the comparison between them.

  Further, in the case of the water heater 1, by checking the history information, whether the sound output state has changed due to reaching the long-term use state, or the sound output state due to the true failure It can be easily determined whether or not there has been a change.

[Supplement]
As mentioned above, although the hot water heater was mentioned and demonstrated with exemplary embodiment, the above-mentioned embodiment is only what was illustrated as 1 aspect of this invention. That is, the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the technical idea of the present invention.

  For example, in the embodiment described above, the processing steps S10 and S20 are executed in the sound output processing described above. However, the processing steps of S10 and S20 are performed separately from the sound output processing, and sound output is performed. May be executed at different timings. In that case, in the sound output process described above, the process step of S20 may be omitted. Further, in the sound output process described above, instead of the process step of S10, a process step of determining whether or not history information stored by the separate process as described above is stored in the nonvolatile memory of the controller. May be adopted.

In addition, it can grasp | ascertain from the exemplary embodiment demonstrated above that the water heater demonstrated by this specification may be further provided with the structure as mentioned below.
First, in the water heater described in the present specification, the output state changing unit has at least the volume of sound, the pitch, the sound quality, and the time from the start to the end of the sound as the sound output state. It may be configured to change one.

  According to the water heater configured in this manner, the sound output from the sound output unit when the hot water supply unit has not been used for a long period of time longer than a predetermined value and when the hot water supply unit has not been used for a long time has been reached. At least one of the size, the pitch, the sound quality, and the time from the start to the end of the sound output is changed. The loudness of the sound may be set larger or smaller than usual. The pitch of the sound may be made higher or lower than usual. The sound quality may be changed by changing the sound waveform, or only a specific frequency band may be extracted by a low-pass filter, a high-pass filter, a band-pass filter, or the like. The time from the start to the end of sound output may be longer or shorter than usual. These may be changed in combination of two or more. If at least one of the loudness, pitch, sound quality, and time from the start to the end of sound output is changed, the user feels uncomfortable and suspects a malfunction of the device. Therefore, it is possible to increase the possibility that the user of the water heater makes an inquiry to the supplier, and it is possible to suppress the user from continuing to use the water heater without undergoing maintenance / inspection.

  Further, in the water heater described in the present specification, the output state changing unit determines the result of the determination by the determining unit for the sound that is allowed to change the output state among the plurality of types of sounds output from the sound output unit. The sound output state may be changed in accordance with the sound output, while the sound output state may be configured not to be changed for the sound whose change in the output state is prohibited.

  According to the water heater configured as described above, even if the hot water supply unit has been in a long-term use state in which the hot water supply unit has been used for a long period of time that is greater than or equal to a predetermined period, the sound output state is not uniformly changed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent such a change from being made with respect to a sound that is undesirable when the sound output state is changed. Moreover, since the sound in which the sound output state is changed and the sound that is not changed are mixed, these sounds can be compared, so that the user can easily notice the change in the sound output state.

  Further, in the water heater described in the present specification, the operation unit includes a first operation unit disposed outside the bathroom and a second operation unit disposed inside the bathroom, and the sound output unit is Attached to each of the first operation unit and the second operation unit, the first operation unit and the second operation unit are configured so that a user can perform a call between the first operation unit and the second operation unit, When a user performs an operation for starting a call in one of the first operation unit and the second operation unit, a ringing sound is output from the sound output unit in the other operation unit. The output state changing unit may be configured to change the sound output state of the ringing tone according to the determination result by the determination unit.

  According to the water heater configured as described above, when the user makes a call between the first operation unit and the second operation unit, the output state of the ringing tone is changed, so that the user feels uncomfortable. It is possible to increase the possibility that a user makes an inquiry to a contractor.

  Further, in the water heater described in the present specification, an alarm sound or an alarm message for alerting the user can be output from the sound output unit, and the output state changing unit is configured to output an alarm sound or an alarm message. May be configured not to change the sound output state.

  According to the water heater configured as described above, since the sound output state of the alarm sound or the alarm message is not changed, it is possible to prevent the alarm sound or the alarm message from becoming difficult to hear.

  Further, in the hot water heater described in the present specification, the operation unit has a plurality of switches including an operation switch that can switch whether the hot water supply unit is in an operation state or an operation stop state, and the output state change unit is The first reception sound that is output when the operation switch is operated is configured not to change the sound output state, and is output when the next switch is operated after the operation switch is operated. The second reception sound may be configured to change the sound output state according to the determination result by the determination unit.

  According to the water heater configured as described above, the first reception sound that is output when the operation switch that is likely to be operated first when the water heater is in the operation stop state is sounded. The output state of is not changed. On the other hand, for the second reception sound that is output when the next switch is operated after the operation switch is operated, the sound output state can be changed. Therefore, when the user hears the first reception sound, the user can recognize the standard sound output state, and then listen to the second reception sound whose sound output state has been changed. As compared with the case of listening to the second reception sound without listening to the output state of a simple sound, it is possible to make the second reception sound feel uncomfortable.

  Moreover, in the water heater described in the present specification, the control unit may include a history storage unit that stores history information to that effect when the determination unit determines that a long-term use state has been reached.

  According to the water heater configured as described above, history information indicating that the determination unit has determined that a long-term use state has been reached is stored in the history storage unit. Therefore, when a professional engineer visits the site, by checking the history information, whether the sound output state has changed due to the long-term use state or due to a true failure Thus, it is possible to easily determine whether the sound output state has changed.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Hot water heater, 3 ... Bathtub, 5 ... Hot water combustion chamber, 6 ... Bath combustion chamber, 11 ... Hot water burner, 12A ... Hot water primary heat exchanger, 12B ... Hot water secondary heat exchanger, 13 ... Hot water spark plug, 14 ... Hot water frame rod, 15 ... Buro burner, 16A ... Buro primary heat exchanger, 16B ... Buro secondary heat exchanger, 17 ... Buro spark plug, 18 ... Buro frame rod, 19 ... Buro combustion chamber thermistor, 20A, 20B ... Drain drain pipe, 21 ... neutralizer, 21A ... neutralizer water level electrode, 22 ... drain pan, 23 ... combustion fan, 23A ... fan motor, 24 ... exhaust top, 25 ... overheat prevention device, 26 ... gas supply pipe, 260 ... Main pipe, 261,262,263,264 ... Branch pipe, 27 ... Original gas solenoid valve, 28 ... Gas proportional valve, 291,292,293 ... Hot water gas solenoid valve, 294 ... Buro gas solenoid valve, 30 ... Water pipe 31 ... Hot water supply pipe, 32 ... Bypass pipe, 33 ... Full return pipe, 34 ... Full return pipe, 35 ... Branch pipe, 36 ... Strainer, 37 ... Hot water supply water quantity sensor, 38 ... Hot water supply water thermistor, 39 ... Water quantity control motor, 40 ... Hot water supply emptying safety device, 41 ... Hot water supply heat exchanger thermistor, 42 ... Hot water supply hot water thermistor, 43 ... Overpressure relief valve and water drain valve, 44 ... Water hammer buffer valve, 45 ... Bypass control motor, 46 ... Drop water solenoid valve 47 ... Blow water amount sensor, 48A, 48B ... Check valve, 49 ... Edge cut valve, 50 ... Bus adapter, 51 ... Blow back thermistor, 52 ... Pump, 53 ... Blow water flow switch, 54 ... Water level sensor, 55 ... Buff Evacuation safety device, 56 ... Flood thermistor, 57A, 57B, 57C, 57E, 57F ... Drain plug, 60 ... Controller, 61 ... Hot water supply remote control, 62 ... The filtrate remote control.

Claims (7)

A hot water supply section configured to be able to supply hot water to the hot water outlet,
A control unit for controlling the operating state of the hot water supply unit;
An operation unit capable of inputting a command given to the control unit by a user operation,
The operation unit is provided with a sound output unit capable of outputting sound,
The controller is
A determination unit that determines whether or not the hot water supply unit has been used for a long period of time greater than or equal to a predetermined period;
An output state changing unit that changes the output state of the sound output from the sound output unit when the determination unit determines that the long-term use state has not been reached and when it has been determined that the long-term use state has been reached. And a water heater. The water heater according to claim 1,
The output state changing unit is configured to change at least one of a sound volume, a sound pitch, a sound quality, and a time from the start to the end of sound output as the sound output state. There is a water heater. The water heater according to claim 1 or 2,
The output state changing unit is configured to change an output state of the sound according to a determination result by the determination unit for a sound whose change of the output state is permitted among the plurality of types of sounds output from the sound output unit. On the other hand, the water heater is configured so as not to change the output state of the sound for the sound whose change is prohibited while changing the output state. It is a water heater as described in any one of Claim 1- Claim 3,
As the operation unit, a first operation unit disposed outside the bathroom, and a second operation unit disposed in the bathroom,
The sound output unit is attached to each of the first operation unit and the second operation unit,
The first operation unit and the second operation unit are configured such that a user can perform a call between the first operation unit and the second operation unit, and the first operation unit and the second operation unit Among them, when a user performs an operation for starting a call in one of the operation units, a ringing tone is output from the sound output unit in the other operation unit,
The said output state change part is comprised so that the output state of the said sound may be changed according to the determination result by the said determination part about the said ringing tone. It is a water heater as described in any one of Claim 1- Claim 4,
A warning sound or warning message for alerting the user is configured to be output from the sound output unit,
The output state changing unit is configured not to change the output state of the sound for the warning sound or warning message. It is a water heater as described in any one of Claim 1-5,
The operation unit has a plurality of switches including an operation switch capable of switching whether the hot water supply unit is in an operation state or an operation stop state,
The output state change unit is configured not to change the output state of the sound for the first reception sound that is output when the operation switch is operated, and the next switch after the operation switch is operated. The water heater is configured to change the output state of the sound according to the determination result by the determination unit for the second reception sound that is output when the is operated. A water heater according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The said control part has a history memory | storage part which memorize | stores the historical information to that effect, when it determines with the said determination part having reached the said long-term use state.