JP2017026254A - Water heater - Google Patents

Abstract

A hot water supply apparatus capable of automatically performing eco-mode operation without reducing comfort while reducing the complexity of user settings.
A hot water supply apparatus includes a heating unit that heats water, an information acquisition unit, and a control unit. The information acquisition unit 301 acquires information for automatically determining whether or not the hot water supply apparatus 100 performs an eco-drive that performs at least one of an energy-saving operation and a water-saving operation. When starting the hot water supply, the control unit 300 determines whether or not to automatically perform the eco operation based on the information transmitted from the information acquisition unit 301, and controls the operation of the hot water supply device 100.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a hot water supply apparatus, and more particularly to a hot water supply apparatus that automatically determines whether or not to perform an eco-operation that performs at least one of an energy saving operation and a water saving operation.

  Some hot water supply apparatuses have an eco mode for performing energy saving operation or water saving operation (hereinafter referred to as “eco operation”).

  The hot water supply device has several usage modes such as hot water supply to a currant or shower, hot water filling to a bathtub, and heat supply to a heating device. However, if eco-driving is enabled for all use modes, the function of the water heater may be too limited, and the user does not like to apply eco-driving for all use modes. Is also possible.

  Therefore, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-153805 (Patent Document 1), an eco-mode selection menu is called, and application of eco-driving to a plurality of usage modes in the eco-mode can be arbitrarily selected by a user operation in the operation unit. A remote controller is disclosed.

JP 2011-153805 A

  With the above technology, in order to perform appropriate eco-driving within the range where hot water can be comfortably used, the user operates the remote controller in a complicated manner and presets whether or not eco-driving is applied to a plurality of usage modes. It is necessary to keep.

  For example, for each usage mode such as hot water supply from a currant or shower, hot water filling in a bathtub, hot water supply to a heating device, etc., the display area and buttons indicate whether or not to limit the hot water supply temperature or the amount of hot water compared to normal operation. Setting with a limited remote controller was troublesome for the user.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and an object of the present invention is to automatically perform eco-mode driving that does not impair comfort while reducing the complexity of user settings. It is providing the hot water supply apparatus which can be performed.

  In one aspect, the present invention is a hot water supply device that performs eco-operation that performs at least one of energy-saving operation and water-saving operation, and acquires information for automatically determining whether or not to perform eco-operation. And a control unit that determines whether or not to perform eco-drive automatically based on the information transmitted from the information acquisition unit and controls the hot water supply device.

  Since the control unit performs control as described above, it is determined whether or not to perform eco-driving without bothering the user's setting and the hot water supply device is controlled.

  Preferably, the eco-driving includes a plurality of implementation items. The control unit automatically determines whether or not to implement each of the plurality of implementation items based on the information.

  Thereby, the eco-function can be activated so as not to deteriorate the usability of the hot water supply device by automatically switching the validity / invalidity of each implementation item.

  More preferably, the plurality of implementation items include at least two of an item related to hot water supplied from a hot water tap, an item related to hot water filled in a bathtub, and an item related to the amount of heat used for heating.

  Since the control unit performs the control as described above, it is not necessary to set whether or not the user performs each of the plurality of execution items. Therefore, the labor of the user is greatly reduced, and an energy saving or water saving effect can be obtained as long as comfortable hot water can be supplied.

  Preferably, the hot water supply apparatus further includes a hot water storage tank for storing hot water heated by the heating unit. The information includes at least one of the amount of hot water and the temperature of the hot water storage tank.

  In this case, whether or not the eco operation is automatically performed is set depending on whether or not the state of the hot water supply device performs the eco operation and the energy saving effect is obtained.

  Preferably, the information is a date when hot water is used. The information acquisition unit acquires the date from the outside of the hot water supply apparatus or from a built-in calendar. When acquiring the date from the outside, for example, reception is performed by communication.

  In this case, the setting of execution / non-execution of eco-driving adapted to the season of spring, summer, autumn and winter and the setting of the combination of eco-driving items are automatically performed based on the date. The trouble of setting for driving is reduced.

  More preferably, the information is an installation location of the hot water supply apparatus, and the information acquisition unit includes a storage unit that stores the installation location.

  For example, by storing in advance whether it was installed in a cold area or in a warm area, and automatically changing the setting to achieve eco-drive corresponding to the stored installation location, the user's setting effort Can be reduced.

  Preferably, the information acquisition unit includes a temperature sensor that detects a water temperature or an air temperature, and the information is a temperature detected by the temperature sensor.

  In this case, since the setting of execution / non-execution of eco-driving adapted to the user's sensible temperature and the setting of the combination of eco-driving items are automatically performed based on the water temperature or temperature, the user can This saves you the trouble of setting for eco-driving.

  Preferably, the information is a past use history of hot water supply, and the information acquisition unit includes a storage unit that stores the use history.

  For example, it is possible to estimate whether it is winter or summer from the frequency of hot water filling and the frequency of chasing. Specifically, when the frequency of hot water filling and chasing is high, it is possible that the season is winter or the user likes to immerse in a bathtub. In such a case, it is possible to cancel the application of the eco-driving to the action item relating to the hot water filling and automatically adjust to the season and the user's preference.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to change the driving | running | working content of eco mode appropriately, without making a user troublesome.

It is a figure of the hot-water supply system which concerns on this Embodiment. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a hot water supply device 100. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the operation panel of the remote controller. It is a flowchart for setting the implementation item of eco-driving. It is a figure which shows an example of the setting map for setting an implementation item automatically based on a date. It is a figure which shows an example of the setting map for setting an implementation item automatically based on the installation area of a hot water supply system. It is a figure which shows an example of the setting map for setting an implementation item automatically based on water temperature. It is a figure which shows an example of the hot water storage type hot-water supply system which concerns on the modification of this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the setting map for setting an implementation item automatically based on hot water storage temperature or the amount of hot water storage.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following, the same or corresponding parts in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated in principle.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram of a hot water supply system according to the present embodiment. The hot water supply system shown in FIG. 1 includes a hot water supply device 100, a remote controller (remote controller) 200, a hot water tap 105, a bathtub 400, and a heating device 410. An outline of the present embodiment will be described first with reference to FIG.

  Hot water supply apparatus 100 includes a heating unit 110 that heats water, an information acquisition unit 301, and a control unit 300. The information acquisition unit 301 acquires information for automatically determining whether or not the hot water supply apparatus 100 performs an eco-drive that performs at least one of an energy-saving operation and a water-saving operation. When starting the hot water supply, the control unit 300 determines whether or not to automatically perform the eco operation based on the information transmitted from the information acquisition unit 301, and controls the operation of the hot water supply device 100.

  Since the control unit 300 automatically determines whether or not to perform eco-driving, it is determined whether or not to perform eco-driving within a range that does not impair comfort without bothering the user for setting. Further, by automatically determining whether or not to perform the eco-operation when the hot water supply apparatus 100 starts the operation, it can be determined whether or not the eco-operation should be performed more accurately.

  The “eco-driving” may be any one as long as it performs an energy-saving operation or a water-saving operation. For example, the “eco-driving” includes 1) making the temperature of hot water from the hot water tap 105 (such as a currant or shower) more conservative than usual, 2) limiting the flow rate of hot water more than usual, and 2) hot water in the bathtub 400. 4) Limit the hot water level of the bathtub 400 more than usual, 5) Limit the temperature at which the hot water charged in the bathtub 400 is kept higher than usual, 6) The bathtub 400 Any one of making the warming interval of hot water filled with hot water longer than usual may be performed. Further, for example, “eco-driving” may be a combination of the above 1) to 6). In addition, about the control which makes the heat retention interval 6) longer than usual, specifically, when the interval for checking whether the hot water temperature has decreased is increased, or when it is determined that the hot water temperature has decreased. This can be done by lowering the temperature threshold.

  As will be described later with reference to FIG. 5, the eco-drive preferably includes a plurality of implementation items. Based on the information from the information acquisition unit 301, the control unit 300 automatically determines whether or not to implement each of the plurality of implementation items. By automatically switching validity / invalidity of each implementation item, the eco function can be activated so as not to deteriorate the usability of the hot water supply apparatus.

  The plurality of implementation items include at least two of an item related to hot water supplied from the hot water tap 105, an item related to hot water filled in the bathtub 400, and an item related to the amount of heat used for heating such as the heating device 410. Including.

  As described above, the control unit 300 automatically determines whether or not to implement eco-driving for each of the plurality of implementation items. For this reason, unlike the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-153805, there is no need for the user to set whether or not to implement each of the plurality of implementation items. Therefore, the labor of the user is greatly reduced, and an energy saving or water saving effect can be obtained within a range where comfortable hot water can be supplied.

  In one example, the information transmitted from the information acquisition unit 301 to the control unit 300 is a date when hot water is used. The information acquisition unit 301 acquires from the built-in calendar stored in the storage unit 304. Note that the information acquisition unit 301 may acquire the date from outside the hot water supply apparatus. When acquiring a date from the outside, for example, the information acquisition unit 301 receives date information through communication or the like.

  As a method of automatically switching each implementation item of eco-driving, there is a method of determining the season of the place where the hot water supply apparatus 100 is installed and switching the validity / invalidity of each implementation item of eco-driving along the season. In this case, the setting of execution / non-execution of eco-driving adapted to the season of spring, summer, autumn and winter and the setting of the combination of eco-driving items are automatically performed based on the date. The trouble of setting for driving is reduced.

  Preferably, the information transmitted from information acquisition unit 301 to control unit 300 may be an installation location of hot water supply device 100. For example, the installation location is stored in the storage unit 304 of the information acquisition unit 301 when the hot water supply device 100 is installed.

  For example, the storage unit 304 stores in advance whether it is installed in a cold region or in a warm region. As will be described later with reference to FIG. 6, it is possible to reduce the setting time of the user by automatically changing the setting of the eco-driving execution item by switching the map so that the eco-driving corresponding to the stored installation location is achieved. Can do.

  Preferably, the information acquisition unit 301 includes a temperature sensor 302 that detects water temperature or air temperature. As will be described later with reference to FIG. 7, the information transmitted from the information acquisition unit 301 to the control unit 300 may be the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 302.

  In this case, since the setting of execution / non-execution of eco-driving adapted to the user's sensible temperature and the setting of the combination of eco-driving items are automatically performed based on the water temperature or temperature, the user can This saves you the trouble of setting for eco-driving.

  In another example, the information transmitted from the information acquisition unit 301 to the control unit 300 may be a past use history of hot water supply. The control unit 300 stores the user usage history in the storage unit 304 of the information acquisition unit 301. The information acquisition unit 301 reads a use history of a user using a hot water supply device in the past from the storage unit 304 and transmits it to the control unit 300.

  For example, the use history includes a hot water filling frequency, a chasing frequency, and the like. Whether it is winter or summer can be estimated from the frequency of hot water filling and the frequency of chasing. Specifically, when the frequency of hot water filling and chasing is high, it is possible that the season is winter or the user likes to immerse in a bathtub. In such a case, it is possible to cancel the application of the eco-driving to the action item relating to the hot water filling and automatically adjust to the season and the user's preference.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the hot water supply apparatus 100 and the control executed by the control unit 300 will be described in more detail.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the hot water supply apparatus. Referring to FIG. 2, hot water supply apparatus 100 includes a heating unit 110 that heats water. The heating unit 110 includes a hot water supply circuit 111 for discharging hot water when the hot water tap 105 such as a currant or shower is opened, a memorial circuit 112 for heating and circulating hot water in the bathtub 400 of FIG. 1, and the heating of FIG. A heating circuit 113 for circulatingly supplying hot water, which is a liquid heat medium, to the apparatus 410 and a control unit 300 are included.

  The memorial circuit 112 is configured to form a memorial circulation path for heating and circulating hot water in the bathtub between the suction port 191 and the discharge port 192. The suction port 191 and the discharge port 192 are respectively connected to two openings disposed in the bathtub. The heating device 410 that receives the heat medium from the heating circuit 113 is connected between the heating return port 312 and the heating output port (low temperature) 314 or between the heating return port 312 and the heating output port (high temperature) 316. .

  Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the hot water supply circuit 111, the memory circuit 112, and the heating circuit 113 will be described in order.

  Hot water supply circuit 111 includes a primary heat exchanger 11 a, a secondary heat exchanger 21 a and a combustion burner 30 a, a water inlet pipe 50, a bypass pipe 60, and a hot water outlet pipe 70 stored in the can 10.

  The water in the inlet pipe 50 supplied to the hot water supply circuit 111 is first preheated by the latent heat of the combustion exhaust gas in the secondary heat exchanger 21a, and then heated by the sensible heat (combustion heat) of the combustion gas in the primary heat exchanger 11a. Is done. Hot water heated to a predetermined temperature by the primary heat exchanger 11a and the secondary heat exchanger 21a is discharged from the hot water discharge pipe 70. Hot water having an appropriate temperature in which high-temperature hot water output from the can 10 and water from the bypass pipe 60 are mixed in accordance with the opening degree of the distribution valve 80 is a predetermined hot water supply location such as a hot water tap 105 in a kitchen or bathroom. To be supplied.

  The memorial circuit 112 includes a bath return pipe 190, a bath outlet pipe 195, a memorial circulation pump 401, and a bath heat exchanger 402.

  During the memorial operation, the memorial circulation pump 401 is operated, so that hot water in the bathtub is sucked into the hot water supply device 100 from the suction port 191. Then, a memorial circulation path is formed in which the sucked hot water is returned from the discharge port 192 into the bathtub via the bath return pipe 190, the memorial circulation pump 401, the bath heat exchanger 402, and the bath outlet pipe 195. The

  During the memorial operation, the thermal valve 330 of the heating circuit 113 is opened. Thereby, the heat medium heated by the heating circuit 113 described later flows through the bath heat exchanger 402. As a result, the hot water in the bath is heated by the bath heat exchanger 402 so that the hot water temperature in the bathtub can be raised.

  In the following, hot water supply to the bathtub is referred to as “pouring”, while hot water supply to the hot-water tap 105 other than the bathtub (such as currant or shower) is simply referred to as “hot water”. During the pouring operation, the pouring solenoid valve 210 is opened, and hot water from the hot water supply circuit 111 is supplied to the junction 185 via the pouring pipe 180. During the pouring operation, the remedy circulation pump 401 is stopped, so that the supplied hot water passes through the bath return pipe 190 and the bath outlet pipe 195, respectively, from both the suction port 191 and the discharge port 192. Supplied in.

  The heating circuit 113 has a heat medium (representative) between the heating return port 312 and the heating output port (low temperature) 314 and between the heating return port 312 and the heating output port (high temperature) 316 during the heating operation. Specifically, it is configured to form a circulation path of warm water.

  The hot water returned to the hot water supply device 100 from the heating return port 312 is sent to the secondary heat exchanger 21b. The secondary heat exchanger 21b heats the circulated water by heat exchange by the latent heat of the combustion exhaust gas from the combustion burner 30b. The hot water heated by the secondary heat exchanger 21b is mainly sent to the heating expansion tank 320.

  The heating expansion tank 320 is connected to the suction port 311 of the heating circulation pump 310. The heating expansion tank 320 temporarily stores the heat medium circulating in the heating circuit 113. When the water level of the heating expansion tank 320 is lowered, water can be supplied from the pipe 51 by opening the water supply valve 305. When the water level rises, the heat medium can be discharged from the overflow tank 327 to the drain plug 106 via the pipe 325.

  A part of the hot water sent out by the heating circulation pump 310 is sent to the heating output port (low temperature) 314, and the rest is sent to the primary heat exchanger 11b. The primary heat exchanger 11b heats incoming water by heat exchange by sensible heat (combustion heat) of combustion gas by the combustion burner 30b.

  A part of the heat medium heated by the primary heat exchanger 11b circulates to the heating expansion tank 320 via the pipe 361, the orifice 365, and the pipe 390.

  When the thermal valve 330 is opened, the remaining part of the heat medium heated by the primary heat exchanger 11b is sent to the bath heat exchanger 402 for a memorial operation. When the thermal valve 330 is closed, the remainder of the heat medium heated by the primary heat exchanger 11b is mainly sent to the heating output port (high temperature) 316.

  Control unit 300 receives output signals (detected values) from various sensors and user operations, and generates control commands to each device in order to control the overall operation of hot water supply apparatus 100. The user operation includes an operation on / off command for the hot water supply apparatus 100, a set hot water temperature command, and the like. For example, a user operation is input to the remote controller 200 in FIG. The control unit 300 is configured by a microcomputer, for example.

  Examples of various sensors include the following. A temperature sensor 121 and a flow sensor 150 are disposed in the water intake pipe 50. The temperature sensor 121 detects the incoming water temperature Tw, and the flow rate sensor 150 detects the flow rate (can body flow rate) passing through the can body 10. Temperature sensors 122 and 123 are provided in the hot water outlet 70. The temperature sensor 122 detects the output hot water temperature from the can 10. The temperature sensor 123 detects the hot water temperature Th after the water from the bypass pipe 60 is mixed. In the memorial circulation path, temperature sensors 372 and 374 are provided on the input side and the output side of the bath heat exchanger 402, respectively. On the output side of the primary heat exchanger 11b, a temperature sensor 384 for detecting the output temperature (can body outlet side temperature) from the can body 10 in the heating circuit 113 is disposed. On the other hand, the heating expansion tank 320 is provided with a temperature sensor 382 for detecting the hot water temperature in the tank. The temperature sensors 121, 122, 123, 382, and 384 are constituted by, for example, thermistors.

  Further, the objects controlled by the control unit 300 include the gas amounts of the combustion burners 30a and 30b, the flow rate adjusting valve 90, the pouring electromagnetic valve 210, the additional circulation pump 401, the thermal valve 330, the water supply valve 305, and the heating circulation. The flow rate of the pump 310 etc., the rotational speed of the ventilation fan 40, etc. are mentioned.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the operation panel of the remote controller 200. Referring to FIG. 3, a display unit 280, an operation unit 270, and an audio output unit 260 are disposed on the front surface of the housing of the remote controller 200. The display unit 280 is a first unit for mainly displaying numerical values such as the temperature of hot water supplied from the hot water supply apparatus 100 (hereinafter also referred to as hot water supply temperature), the set temperature of hot water, and the set volume of the audio output unit 260. A first display area 282 and a second display area 284 for displaying numerical values, characters and graphs (graphics) indicating the amount of energy type used, and time are provided.

  The second display area 284 is a display area 286 for displaying a character indicating the energy type and a graph (graphic) indicating the usage amount of the energy type, and 7 for displaying a numerical value indicating the usage amount or time of the energy type. And a segment display area 288.

  Each segment in the display unit 280 is configured to be individually switched between a display state and a non-display state. In FIG. 3, all segments are shown in the display state.

  The operation unit 270 includes an “operating on / off” switch, a “calling” switch, a “tracking” switch, a “bath automatic” switch, an up / down switch 272 for changing settings such as a hot water supply temperature and selection items, A switch 271, a volume switch 274, a bath reservation switch 276, and a clock adjustment switch 273 are provided.

  The remote controller 200 has an automatic calendar function, and the time and date can be automatically updated by setting the date and time once using the clock setting switch 273. In the present embodiment, when the user operates the eco switch 271, the eco-driving operation item is appropriately selected based on the date recognized by the automatic calendar, and energy is saved within a range that does not impair the user's comfort. Or a water-saving operation can be performed.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for setting execution items for eco-driving. Referring to FIG. 4, the processing of this flowchart is called from the main routine and executed every predetermined time or every time a predetermined condition is satisfied in control unit 300 in FIGS. 1 and 2.

  First, in step S <b> 1, the controller 300 determines whether or not the eco switch 271 of the remote controller 200 has an ON operation. If there is no ON operation in step S1, the process proceeds to step S9, and the control is returned to the main routine.

  When the eco switch 271 is turned on in step S1, the process proceeds to step S2. In step S <b> 2, the control unit 300 determines whether or not there is a manual selection request for eco-implemented items.

For example, six items 1 to 6 described later are listed as eco-implemented items.
For example, the user can input a manual selection request for an eco-implemented item by pressing and holding (for a long time) the eco switch 271 for a predetermined time during an on operation.

  In step S2, if there is a manual selection request, the control unit 300 proceeds to step S3, waits for an input from the user, and turns on / off the item specified in step S4 as a user operation. Set based on. For example, the number corresponding to each of items 1 to 6 is input from the remote controller by operating the up / down switch 272 in step S3, the eco switch 271 is pressed again in step S4, and the up / down switch 272 is further operated to select as a setting candidate. ON / OFF of the selected item can be set.

  The processes in steps S3 and S4 are repeated until the setting is completed in step S5.

  However, since the buttons of the remote controller 200 are limited, it is difficult for the user to perform this operation smoothly.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, when there is no manual selection request in step S2, the eco implementation item is automatically selected. Specifically, the control unit 300 acquires date / temperature and other information in step S6, and automatically sets ON / OFF of items 1 to 6 based on these information in step S7.

  When all the item settings are completed in step S5, or when the ON / OFF automatic setting of items 1 to 6 is completed by the process of step S7, in step S8, based on the combination of the selected items, Control unit 300 controls the operation of hot water supply apparatus 100. In step S9, the process returns to the main routine.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting map for automatically setting an implementation item based on a date. This map is used in step S7 of FIG.

  With reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 5, the control unit 300 obtains today's date from the calendar stored in the storage unit 304, and the date is from 1 to March, 4 to June, 7 to September, It is determined in which period of October to December, and eco-driving is performed according to execution / non-execution of items 1 to 6 in the corresponding column. In FIG. 5, “◯” indicates that the item is selected as an execution item for eco-driving, and “×” indicates that it is not selected as an execution item for eco-driving.

  Item 1 is “hot water saving”, which is a process of limiting the hot water flow rate during hot water supply to a set flow rate (for example, any one of 8, 10, 12 liters per minute). When item 1 is set to non-selection, hot water can be supplied up to an upper limit determined by the supplied water pressure.

  Item 2 is “Hikaeme Hot Water Supply Temperature”, which is a process for reducing the hot water supply temperature by −1 ° C. from the standard.

  Item 3 is “Hikaeme Bath Insulation”, which is a process that allows the hot water in the bathtub to stay without being replenished until the temperature drops by 1 ° C. from the set temperature. For example, in the bath heat insulation control, when the heat insulation temperature is set to 40 ° C., the hot water is poured at 40 ° C. After the hot water is filled, when the water temperature falls to 39 ° C., the water is turned on, and after the water is heated up to 41 ° C. When the hot water temperature rises, control is performed to turn off the reheating, but when item 3 is selected as an execution item, the temperature at which reheating is turned on is set to -1 ° C and changed to 38 ° C. The bath temperature is measured by turning the memorial circulation pump 401 in order to introduce hot water in the bathtub to the temperature sensor 374 in FIG. 2, but it is not always turned. That is, when the item 3 is selected as the implementation item, the interval for measuring the temperature by turning the memorial circulation pump 401 may be extended to allow a decrease in the hot water temperature for a predetermined period.

  Item 4 is “Hikaeme Hot Water Filling”, which is a process for reducing the amount of hot water by −1 cm below the set water level when hot water is put in the bathtub.

  About these items 2-4, it is desirable to set to non-selection automatically in the cold time.

  Item 5 is “optimum bath automatic”, and is processing that prioritizes improving thermal efficiency over shortening the time when hot water is filled in the bathtub. Generally, in a hot water supply apparatus, when hot water is filled in a bathtub with the maximum capacity and the maximum amount of hot water, the time until the hot water filling is completed is shortened, but the thermal efficiency is lowered. On the other hand, when hot water filling is performed at a flow rate with high thermal efficiency, the time until the hot water filling is completed slightly increases. Since this item does not impair the comfort of the user while using hot water, it may be selected at all times during execution of eco-driving.

  Item 6 is “Hikame heating”, which is a process of lowering the temperature of the hot water supply to the floor heating by 5 ° C. below the set temperature.

  For example, in the severe cold season from January to March, eco-driving other than item 5 “optimum bath automatic driving” is not executed. Item 5 “optimum bath automatic operation” is executed when the eco switch is operated in order not to affect the comfort of the user during bathing.

  In October-December, it is considered that it is not colder than in January-March. Therefore, during eco-driving, the item 6 “Hikame heating” is executed in addition to the above item 5.

  In the spring season from April to June, eco-driving is performed for items 2 to 6 other than item 1 “hot water saving”.

  In the hottest season of July-September, eco-driving for any of items 1 to 6 is unlikely to impair the user's comfort. Executed.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting map for automatically setting execution items based on the installation area of the hot water supply system. As shown in FIG. 6, a map for cold regions and a map for warm regions are prepared. Each of these maps is a map as shown in FIG. Normally, the map for the cold region has a higher rate of not selecting the eco-driving item than the map for the warm region.

  For example, the installation location is input by the address, the postal code, or the like when it is first used after the installation work. Then, the control unit 300 determines whether the installation location corresponds to a warm region or a cold region. A map for a warm region and a map for a cold region may be stored in advance in the storage unit 304, and the control unit 300 may automatically select a map corresponding to the address. Note that the user may determine whether the installation location is a cold region or a warm region and input it in advance.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting map for automatically setting the execution items based on the water temperature. As shown in FIG. 2, the water heater 100 is equipped with a temperature sensor 121 that measures the water temperature. For this reason, even if a temperature sensor is not newly added, if the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 121 is used, the control unit 300 can automatically select an implementation item for eco-drive according to the map shown in FIG. . If the water temperature is 10 ° C or lower, it is winter, if it is 20 ° C or higher, summer, and if it is between these, spring or autumn, etc. Also good.

  Instead of water temperature, atmospheric temperature (air temperature) may be used. In many cases, a temperature sensor that measures the ambient temperature is provided to make a determination to operate a heater for preventing freezing of water in the internal flow path of the can body.

  As described above, according to the hot water supply apparatus according to the present embodiment, the control unit 300 automatically determines whether or not to perform eco-driving, so that comfort is not inconvenienced by the user. It is determined whether or not eco-driving is performed within a range that does not impair the vehicle.

  In addition, since the control unit 300 automatically determines whether or not to implement each of the plurality of implementation items, the eco-function adapted to the use environment, the use history, etc. can be activated without the user being aware of it. .

[Modification]
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hot water storage type hot water supply system according to a modification of the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 8, hot water supply apparatus 500 constitutes a part of a cogeneration system, for example. The hot water supply device 500 generates power with the generator 514 operated by the gas engine as the heat source device 510 and the solar battery panel 505, and boils hot water using the exhaust heat of the gas engine.

  The power conditioner (power conditioner) 520 converts the DC power generated by the solar battery panel 505 into AC power using an internal inverter and links it to a system 501 such as a commercial power source.

  System 501 is a commercial AC power source supplied from an electric power company or the like. The lead-in wire of the system 501 is connected to the distribution board 516 via the electric meter 518. The distribution board 516 supplies the electric power generated by the solar cell panel 505 and the generator 514 to a load facility (not shown) such as a home load or a premises load. Distribution board 516 is further configured to allow surplus power to flow backward to grid 501. Electric meter 518 includes a power purchase meter that measures the received power (power purchase power) from system 501 and a power sale meter that measures the power (power sales power) flowing backward to system 501.

  The exhaust heat from the heat source device 510 is sent to a heating unit 522 having a heat exchanger and used for generating hot water. The generated hot water is stored in a hot water storage tank 524. This hot water is heated by the auxiliary heat source unit 526 or adjusted to a predetermined temperature without being heated and used for general hot water supply or floor heating.

  Control unit 530 controls the operation of each unit of hot water supply apparatus 500. A gas meter 512 that measures the amount of gas used in the hot water supply device 500 and a water meter 528 that measures the amount of tap water used in the hot water supply device 500 are connected to the hot water supply device 500.

  Hot water supply device 500 includes a hot water storage tank 524 that stores hot water heated by heating unit 522, a hot water amount sensor 534 that detects the amount of hot water and the temperature of hot water storage tank 524, and a temperature sensor 532, respectively. Control unit 530 can automatically select a plurality of implementation items during eco-driving. The information used by the control unit 530 to select the eco-operation implementation item includes at least one of the hot water amount and the hot water temperature of the hot water storage tank 524.

  In the case of a storage-type hot water supply apparatus, hot water is prepared in advance in the hot water storage tank, but the amount of hot water and the hot water temperature in the hot water storage tank may be determined by factors other than the demand for hot water. In the case of the configuration shown in FIG. 8, when the amount of solar radiation is low, the amount of power generated by the solar battery panel 505 is small, and the demand for power is large, a large amount of hot water is generated in the hot water storage tank 524 by performing gas power generation. Stored. In such cases, even if eco-driving is specified, there is little need to save hot water. Therefore, it is preferable to set whether or not to perform the eco operation based on the amount of hot water in the hot water storage tank 524 and the hot water temperature.

  Note that the heat source device 510 may be an electric heater or a solar water heater panel unrelated to the generator 514. Even in these cases, it is possible to automatically determine whether or not the eco-driving is necessary because it is possible to know whether or not hot water is remaining based on the amount of hot water or the hot water temperature.

  When the present invention is applied to a fuel cell system, the heat exchanger for cooling the fuel cell may be the heat source unit 510. In the case of a fuel cell, the cooling water may not be used unless the hot water is discharged from the hot water storage tank. Therefore, when the power generation amount of the fuel cell is larger than the determination value, the eco driving may not be automatically performed.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a setting map for automatically setting the execution items based on the hot water storage temperature or the hot water storage amount. For items 1 to 6 similar to those in FIGS. 5 and 7, as shown in FIG. 9, if the implementation / non-implementation of the map is defined by the hot water storage temperature or the hot water storage amount, the optimum setting of eco-driving is automatically performed. be able to.

  As described above, in the hot water supply apparatus according to the modification of the present embodiment, the control unit 300 automatically determines whether or not to perform the eco operation based on whether or not the energy saving effect is obtained in the hot water supply apparatus. Therefore, it is determined whether or not to perform eco-driving within a range that does not impair the comfort without bothering the user of setting.

  In the embodiment described above, for example, the eco-driving is executed by the eco-switch ON operation in step S1 of FIG. 2, but this operation may also be automatically performed based on information such as temperature. good. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the amount of decrease in hot water supply temperature, hot water temperature, hot water level, heating temperature, etc. is fixed. The amount of decrease may be automatically changed based on the temperature or the like.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  10 Can body, 11a, 11b Primary heat exchanger, 21a, 21b Secondary heat exchanger, 30a, 30b Combustion burner, 40 Blower fan, 50 Inlet pipe, 51, 190, 325, 361, 390 Piping, 60 Bypass pipe, 70 Hot water outlet pipe, 80 Distributing valve, 90 Flow rate adjusting valve, 100,500 Hot water supply device, 105 Hot water tap, 106 Drain plug, 110,522 Heating part, 111 Hot water supply circuit, 112 Remembrance circuit, 113 Heating circuit, 121,122, 123, 302, 372, 374, 382, 384, 532 Temperature sensor, 150 Flow rate sensor, 180 Hot water pipe, 185 Merging section, 191, 311 Suction port, 192 Discharge port, 195 Bath outlet piping, 200 Remote controller, 210 Hot water electromagnetic Valve, 260 Audio output unit, 270 Operation unit, 271 Eco switch, 272 Lower switch, 273 Clock switch, 274 Volume switch, 276 Bath reservation switch, 280 Display section, 282 First display area, 284 Second display area, 286 display area, 288 segment display area, 300, 530 Control section, 301 Information Acquiring unit, 304 storage unit, 305 water supply valve, 310 heating circulation pump, 320 heating expansion tank, 327 overflow tank, 330 thermal valve, 365 orifice, 400 bath, 401 recirculation pump, 402 bath heat exchanger, 410 heating Equipment, 501 system, 505 solar panel, 510 heat source machine, 512 gas meter, 514 generator, 516 distribution board, 518 electricity meter, 524 hot water storage tank, 526 auxiliary heat source machine, 528 water meter, 534 hot water sensor.

Claims (8)

A hot water supply device that performs eco-operation that performs at least one of energy-saving operation and water-saving operation,
An information acquisition unit for acquiring information for automatically determining whether or not to perform the eco-driving;
A hot water supply apparatus comprising: a control unit that automatically determines whether or not to perform the eco-operation based on the information transmitted from the information acquisition unit and controls the hot water supply apparatus. The eco-driving
Including multiple action items,
The hot water supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit automatically determines whether or not to implement each of the plurality of implementation items based on the information. The plurality of implementation items are:
Items related to hot water supplied from the water tap,
Items related to hot water filling the bathtub,
The hot-water supply apparatus of Claim 2 containing at least 2 among the items regarding the calorie | heat amount used for heating. A heating section for heating water;
A hot water storage tank for storing hot water heated by the heating unit;
The hot water supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information includes at least one of a hot water amount and a hot water temperature of the hot water storage tank. The information is the date when using hot water,
The hot water supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the information acquisition unit acquires the date from the outside of the hot water supply apparatus or a built-in calendar. The information is the location of the hot water supply device,
The hot water supply apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the information acquisition unit includes a storage unit that stores the installation location. The information acquisition unit includes a temperature sensor that detects a water temperature or an air temperature,
The hot water supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the information is a temperature detected by the temperature sensor. The information is a past hot water usage history,
The hot water supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the information acquisition unit includes a storage unit that stores the use history.

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