JP2021135029A - Hot water system - Google Patents

Abstract

To enable a residual hot water amount in a hot water storage tank to be grasped when a power failure occurs.SOLUTION: According to the present disclosure, a hot water system includes: a hot water storage type water heater having a hot water storage tank; a control device that can estimate a residual hot water amount in the hot water storage tank; a cloud server for receiving and storing information on an operation state of the hot water storage type water heater transmitted from the control device, and transmitting a command about the operation state of the hot water storage type water heater to the control device; and a remote communication terminal provided with notification means which transmits and receives the information on the operation state of the hot water storage type water heater with the cloud server, and notifies information received from the cloud server. The information on the operation state transmitted by the control device includes information on the residual hot water amount in the hot water storage tank. In the case that a power failure occurs, the latest information in the information on the residual hot water amount stored in the cloud server is determined to be a residual hot water amount during a power failure, and the notification means makes a notification of the residual hot water amount during the power failure.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present disclosure relates to a hot water supply system connected to a cloud server via an external communication device.

In preparation for power outages and water outages in the event of a disaster such as an earthquake, it is being considered to make it possible to use the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank of a hot water storage type water heater. For example, the hot water storage type water heater described in Patent Document 1 is configured to be operable by switching between an "earthquake generation mode" and a "normal mode". Then, when the water heater detects the occurrence of an earthquake, the operation in the "earthquake occurrence mode" is started. When the operation in the earthquake occurrence mode is started, the hot water temperature of the hot water storage tank is adjusted to a low temperature. As a result, the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank is adjusted to a temperature at which it can be safely and directly used in preparation for a subsequent power outage or water outage. Further, it is described that the amount of remaining hot water is displayed on the display means in the control in the earthquake occurrence mode.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-255753

The hot water storage type water heater of Patent Document 1 is controlled in advance in preparation for a power outage or water outage. According to the control of Patent Document 1, even if the control is performed in the earthquake generation mode, the amount of remaining hot water in the hot water storage tank 50 can be grasped before the power failure. However, there is no function to display information such as how many times and how much hot water can be actually used by the user when a power outage actually occurs. Therefore, with the control of Patent Document 1, it is difficult for the user to systematically use the hot water for a power failure whose duration is unknown, and in this respect, there is room for improvement.

In order to solve the above problems, the present disclosure has been improved so that the amount of remaining hot water in the hot water storage tank can be grasped in the event of a power failure and the amount of hot water at what temperature can be easily known. It provides a system.

The hot water supply system of the present disclosure controls the operation of a hot water storage type water heater having a hot water storage tank and the operation of the hot water storage type water heater, and is connected to a control device capable of estimating the amount of remaining hot water in the hot water storage tank so as to be communicable with the control device. , Receives and stores information on the operating status of the hot water storage water heater transmitted from the control device, and connects to the cloud server that sends commands regarding the operating status of the hot water storage water heater to the control device so that it can communicate with the cloud server. The remote communication terminal is provided with a notification means capable of transmitting and receiving information on the operating state of the hot water storage type water heater to and from the cloud server and notifying the information received from the cloud server. The information regarding the operating state transmitted by the control device includes information on the amount of remaining hot water in the hot water storage tank. When a power failure occurs, the latest information among the information on the amount of remaining hot water stored in the cloud server is set as the amount of remaining hot water at the time of power failure, and the notification means is configured to notify the amount of remaining hot water at the time of power failure.

According to the present disclosure, the user can easily grasp the amount of remaining hot water in the hot water storage tank when a power failure occurs. As a result, when a power outage occurs, the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank can be used systematically.

It is a figure which shows typically the whole structure of the hot water supply system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows typically the whole structure of the hot water storage type water heater which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the display example of the residual hot water amount of the hot water storage tank at the time of a power failure, which is displayed on the remote communication terminal of the hot water supply system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this disclosure. It is a figure for demonstrating the calculation method of the heat radiation amount in Embodiment 1 of this disclosure. It is a figure for demonstrating the calculation method of the heat dissipation amount. It is a figure which shows the display example of the hot water temperature fluctuation which is displayed on the remote communication terminal of the hot water supply system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this disclosure.

Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. In each of the figures used in the present specification, the same reference numerals are given to common elements, and duplicate description will be omitted. In the present disclosure, the term "water" or "hot water" may include liquid water of any temperature, from cold water to hot water. Further, in the present disclosure, the amount of heat possessed by hot water may be treated as the amount of hot water converted into hot water having a predetermined temperature. That is, in the present disclosure, the description of "the amount of hot water" may substantially mean the amount of heat.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an overall configuration of a hot water supply system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the hot water supply system includes a hot water storage type water heater 1, a server 210 on the cloud 200, and a remote communication terminal 130.

The hot water storage type water heater 1 includes a heat pump unit 11, a hot water storage tank unit 10, and a control device 12. The heat pump unit 11 heats water by a heat pump cycle. The heat pump unit 11 and the hot water storage tank unit 10 constitute a hot water storage type water heater 1. The heat pump unit 11 and the hot water storage tank unit 10 are connected to each other by a heat pump forward pipe and a heat pump return pipe.

The control device 12 of the hot water storage type water heater 1 is connected to the home remote controller 110 and the external communication terminal 120. The home remote controller 110 is an example of a user interface. The home remote controller 110 is equipped with a display unit that displays information such as the operating state of the hot water storage type water heater 1, an operation unit such as a switch operated by the user, a speaker, a microphone, and the like. Although FIG. 1 shows a configuration example having one home remote controller 10, a plurality of remote controllers may be installed, and in this case, the plurality of remote controllers may be connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other.

The external communication terminal 120 is bidirectionally connected to the server 210 on the cloud 200 via an external network such as the Internet. The home remote controller 110 is connected to the external communication terminal 120 by wire or wirelessly, and is communicably connected to the server 210 via the external communication terminal 120. However, the home remote controller 110 may be configured to have an external communication function. In this case, the configuration may not include the external communication terminal 120. Further, the server 210 can communicate with a database such as the Japan Meteorological Agency 300 via an external network.

The remote communication terminal 130 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, and can be carried outdoors. The remote communication terminal 130 is bidirectionally connected to the server 210 via an external network. Dedicated application software (hereinafter abbreviated as "dedicated application") is installed in the remote communication terminal 130. This dedicated application functions as a notification means for notifying the user of information on the state of the hot water storage type water heater 1 by displaying various data related to the hot water storage type water heater 1 possessed by the server 210 by a process described later. However, the notification means may be configured to notify the user of various information by voice guidance or the like.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of the hot water storage tank unit 10 of the hot water storage type water heater 1 according to the present disclosure. In the hot water storage tank unit 10, water supplied from a water source such as city water can be stored in the hot water storage tank 50 from the water inlet at the bottom of the hot water storage tank 50.

In the hot water storage type water heater 1, when the heat source pump 53 and the heat pump unit 11 are operated during the boiling operation, the water at the lower part of the hot water storage tank 50 is supplied to the heat pump unit 11 from the heat pump going pipe via the three-way valve 52. NS. The hot water heated by the heat pump unit 11 is returned to the hot water storage tank unit 10 from the heat pump return pipe. The hot water returned to the hot water storage tank unit 10 flows into the upper part of the hot water storage tank 50 via the four-way valve 51. When boiling water with the heat pump unit 11, the pressure inside the hot water storage type water heater 1 rises, so that the hot water storage tank unit 10 is provided with a pressure relief valve 54.

The hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 50 is taken out from the upper outlet. The hot water from the hot water storage tank 50 and the water from the water source flow into the bath side mixing valve 55 when the hot water supply destination is a bathtub, and when the hot water supply destination is an external faucet or other hot water tap. Flows into the hot water supply side mixing valve 56. The mixing ratio of hot water and water in the bath side mixing valve 55 or the hot water supply side mixing valve 56 is such that hot water of the bath set temperature or the hot water supply set temperature set by the home remote control 110 or the like is supplied to the hot water storage tank unit 10. It is set according to the water inlet temperature, which is the temperature of the water supplied from the hot water storage tank 50, and the tank hot water temperature, which is the temperature of the hot water supplied from the hot water storage tank 50. As a result, the hot water supply temperature is adjusted by the bath side mixing valve 55 or the hot water supply side mixing valve 56, and is supplied to the bathtub or the hot water tap.

The hot water storage type water heater 1 performs a reheating operation to keep the hot water supplied to the bathtub warm or raise the temperature. In the reheating operation, the bath pump 58 is operated to circulate the bath water supplied to the bathtub to the circulation circuit connected to the bathtub. A flow path on the secondary side of the heat exchanger is connected in the middle of the circulation circuit. Further, during the reheating operation, the high temperature tank water above the hot water storage tank 50 is introduced into the primary side of the heat exchanger 57. The bath water is heated by heat exchange between the hot tank water and the bath water, and then returned to the bathtub.

Next, the control operation of the hot water supply system of the present embodiment will be described. First, the control device 12 transmits information regarding the operating state of the hot water storage type water heater 1 from the home remote controller 110 and the external communication terminal 120 to the server 210 on the cloud 200 via the external network at regular intervals. When the server 210 receives the information from the control device 12, the server 210 stores the received information.

The information transmitted by the control device 12 includes at least the amount of hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 50 at the time of communication, the tank hot water temperature, the incoming water temperature, the hot water supply set temperature set by the home remote controller 110, and the hot water supply side mixing valve 56. The mixing ratio is included. Further, the information transmitted by the control device 12 includes the position information of the place where the hot water storage type water heater 1 is installed. It should be noted that these information are a part of the information transmitted by the control device 12, and the control device 12 transmits various information other than the above to the server 210.

When a power outage occurs due to a disaster or the like, the transmission of information from the hot water storage type water heater 1 that has been performed at regular intervals is stopped at all times. When the server 210 detects that the transmission of information from the hot water storage type water heater 1 has stopped, it determines that a power failure has occurred.

When the server 210 determines that a power failure has occurred, the remaining hot water amount received immediately before the power failure occurs in the information on the amount of boiling water in the hot water storage tank unit 10 received, that is, the remaining hot water amount in the hot water storage tank 50, at the time of the power failure. It is stored as the amount of remaining hot water at the time of a power failure, which is the amount of hot water.

Next, the server 210 calculates the amount of usable hot water at the hot water supply set temperature based on the stored amount of remaining hot water at the time of power failure and the information such as the mixing ratio of the hot water supply side mixing valve 56 received immediately before the occurrence of the power failure. .. During a power failure, the mixing ratio by the hot water supply side mixing valve 56 cannot be changed, and is fixed to the mixing ratio set immediately before the occurrence of the power failure. Therefore, the calculated usable hot water amount is the usable hot water amount at the hot water supply set temperature set immediately before the occurrence of the power failure.

The dedicated application of the remote communication terminal 130 is configured to be able to browse the amount of remaining hot water and the hot water supply temperature stored in the server 210. FIG. 3 shows an example of displaying the amount of remaining hot water on the remote communication terminal 130. By checking the display screen 131 of the remote communication terminal 130 as shown in FIG. 3, the user can grasp the amount of remaining hot water and the hot water supply temperature at the time of power failure. This makes it possible to grasp how much hot water can be used during a power outage.

The dedicated application of the remote communication terminal 130 is provided with a function that allows the amount of hot water used by the user to be input as the amount of hot water used. When the amount of hot water used is input to the dedicated application, the remote communication terminal 130 transmits the input amount of hot water used to the server 210. The server 210 calculates a value obtained by subtracting the received hot water amount from the stored usable hot water amount, and updates the usable hot water amount to the calculated value. The updated usable hot water amount can be viewed with the dedicated application of the remote communication terminal 130. As a result, the user can more accurately grasp the current amount of hot water that can be used even when hot water is used.

Further, the server 210 acquires the data of the outside air temperature of the area where the hot water storage type water heater 1 is installed, for example, from a database of the Japan Meteorological Agency 300 or the like based on the position information. The server 210 calculates the amount of heat radiated from the hot water storage tank unit 10 from the time of the occurrence of the power failure to the present time based on the acquired outside air temperature and the amount of residual hot water. Then, the usable hot water amount is recalculated using the value obtained by subtracting the calculated heat dissipation amount from the remaining hot water amount at the time of power failure.

Specifically, the calculation of the amount of heat radiation based on the outside air temperature and the amount of residual hot water will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a heat dissipation calculation model of the hot water storage tank unit 10. As shown in FIG. 4, thermistors 61 to 65, for example, are attached to the hot water storage tank 50 at different heights as means for measuring the fluid temperature in the hot water storage tank 50. The temperatures measured by the thermistors 61 to 65 are T1 to T5 in order from the top of the hot water storage tank 50.

In the following, the outside air temperature T0 is used as the space temperature inside the hot water storage tank unit 10 coincides with the outside air temperature T0 acquired based on the position information of the hot water storage type water heater 1. Further, a heat insulating material 60 is attached to the hot water storage tank 50. The thickness of the heat insulating material 60 is t1 to t6 in order from the upper part of the hot water storage tank 50. The thickness of the heat insulating material 60 does not have to be the thickness in each category. For example, the average value t of the thickness of the heat insulating material 60 may be used in all categories. Let A be the surface area of the hot water storage tank 50. For example, the inside of the hot water storage tank 50 is divided based on the positions of thermistors 61 to 65 arranged as shown in FIG. 4, and the surface area of the hot water storage tank 50 in each section is divided from above. A1 to A6 in order. Further, let h be the natural convection in the hot water storage tank unit 10, and let λ be the thermal conductivity of the heat insulating material 60.

The amount of heat radiation is calculated for each category divided based on the positions of thermistors 61 to 65. Here, heat dissipation occurs when the heat in the hot water storage tank 50 is thermally conducted to the heat insulating material 60 and transferred from the heat insulating material 60 to the atmosphere. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method of calculating the amount of heat radiation of heat conduction to the heat insulating material 60 and heat transfer to the atmosphere. The heat quantity Q of heat conduction to the heat insulating material 60 and the heat quantity Q of heat transfer to the atmosphere are calculated by the following formulas, respectively.

Summarizing the above equations, the heat dissipation amount Q can be expressed by the following equation.

In the above formula, R represents the combined resistance and is calculated by the following formula.

The heat dissipation amount Q is calculated for each category using the above formula. For example, in the uppermost _segment, and T A = T1, A = A1 . Assuming that the amount of heat released in this category is Q1, the following equation holds.

Further, an example of a specific value calculated by the above formula is shown. For example, λ = 0.020 [W / m · K], h = 6 [W / m ² · K], T0 = 10 [° C.], T1 = 90 [° C.], t1 = 50 [mm], A1 = When it is set to 475,000 [mm ² ] and substituted into the above formula for calculation, the heat dissipation amount Q1 in the uppermost category is 14.3 [W].

In the same manner as described above, the heat dissipation amount of each category is calculated, and the calculated Q1 to Q6 are added together to calculate the heat dissipation amount Q of the entire hot water storage tank 50. T1 and T5 are used as the temperatures of the uppermost part and the lowermost part of the hot water storage tank 50, respectively, and the average value of the temperatures above and below the division can be used as the temperature of the division between them. That is, for example, in the second category from the top, the average value of T1 and T2 is calculated as the temperature of that category. However, the temperature of each category is not limited to the one using the average value.

Further, an example of a specific value calculated by the above formula is shown. For example, T2 = 70 [° C.], T3 = 50 [° C.], T4 = 30 [° C.], T5 = 10 [° C.], t1 = t2 = t3 = t4 = t5 = t6, A2 = A3 = A4 = A5 = Assuming that it is 501084 [mm ² ], the heat dissipation amount Qn of the second and subsequent categories is Q2 = 13.2 [W], Q3 = 9.4 [W], Q4 = 5.6 [W], Q5 = 1. 9 [W] and Q6 = 0 [W].

Then, the heat radiation amount Q obtained by adding all the heat radiation amounts is Q = Q1 + Q2 + Q3 + Q4 + Q5 + Q6 = 44.3 [W]. That is, in this example, it is estimated that 44.3 [J] of heat is generated per second in the hot water storage tank unit 10.

The server 210 recalculates the usable hot water amount by subtracting the hot water amount corresponding to the calculated heat dissipation amount Q from the usable hot water amount. After the recalculation, the usable hot water amount stored in the server 210 is updated to the value after the recalculation. The updated usable hot water amount can be viewed with the dedicated application of the remote communication terminal 130.

Further, the current hot water supply temperature is recalculated based on the information on the usable hot water amount recalculated using the heat radiation amount, the water input temperature to the hot water storage tank unit 10, and the mixing ratio of the hot water supply side mixing valve 56, and the server 210 The value of the hot water supply temperature of is updated to the value after recalculation. The updated hot water supply temperature can be displayed on the dedicated application of the remote communication terminal 130, whereby the user can view the hot water supply temperature.

Further, in the hot water storage tank 50, a temperature distribution is formed from the lower part to the upper part such as a low temperature layer, a medium temperature layer, and a high temperature layer. Therefore, as the hot water in the hot water storage tank 50 is used, the temperature of the hot water supplied to the hot water supply side mixing valve 56 decreases, and as a result, the temperature of the hot water supplied to the hot water supply tap decreases. The server 210 recalculates the tank hot water temperature by subtracting the temperature corresponding to the amount of hot water used or the amount of heat radiated from the current hot water temperature of the tank. Further, the hot water supply temperature is recalculated using the recalculated tank hot water temperature, the incoming water temperature, and the mixing ratio of the hot water supply side mixing valve 56.

When the difference between the recalculated hot water supply temperature and the hot water supply set temperature is larger than the first reference value, the server 210 displays the decrease in the hot water supply temperature on the dedicated application of the remote communication terminal 130. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example when the temperature drops. The display 132 indicating that the hot water supply temperature decreases as shown in FIG. 6 allows the user to know the change in the hot water supply temperature in advance.

Hot water can be used even after the temperature drop is notified. However, if the use is continued, the hot water in the hot water storage tank 50 will eventually be exhausted, and the water temperature in the hot water storage tank 50 will drop to the same level as the entry temperature. Therefore, when the difference between the recalculated hot water supply temperature and the hot water supply set temperature is lower than the second reference value, the server 210 alerts the user on the dedicated application of the remote communication terminal 130. To display. This display indicates, for example, that the hot water supply from the faucet is stopped and the direct hot water discharge from the emergency water intake tap 59 installed in the hot water storage tank 50 is recommended. By discharging hot water directly from the hot water storage tank 50, the user can obtain hot water having a temperature higher than the desired temperature, and the user can efficiently utilize the hot water in the hot water storage tank unit 10 to the end.

The second reference value here is a value larger than the first reference value. The second reference value is set to a value close to the value of the difference between the minimum temperature that the user wants to use as hot water and the set temperature for hot water supply.

Further, the first reference value and the second reference value are set to appropriate temperatures in advance as initial values and stored in the server 210. Further, these reference values can be set by the user from the remote communication terminal 130 or the home remote controller 110 and can be transmitted to the server 210.

As described above, the present disclosure makes it easy to check the usable hot water amount and hot water supply temperature by the dedicated application of the remote communication terminal 130 even when the power of the hot water storage type water heater 1 is turned off in the event of a power failure due to a disaster or the like. It can be carried out. In addition, fluctuations in the amount of hot water and the temperature of hot water supply after a power outage are predicted to some extent. As a result, the user can use the hot water in the hot water storage type water heater 1 systematically and efficiently until the end when a power failure occurs.

In the present embodiment, the case where the usable hot water amount is calculated from the remaining hot water amount at the time of power failure and the like and the calculated usable hot water amount is displayed by the remote communication terminal 130 has been described. By displaying the amount of available hot water, the user can relatively easily and correctly grasp the amount of remaining hot water in the hot water storage tank 50. However, the hot water supply system is not limited to this configuration, and the remaining hot water amount (or heat storage amount) at the time of a power failure may be displayed as it is on the dedicated application of the remote communication terminal 130. Even in this case, the user can grasp the amount of remaining hot water to some extent.

Further, in the present embodiment, the configuration in which the calculation of the usable hot water amount is performed on the server 210 side has been described. However, the calculation of the amount of usable hot water may be performed on the control device 12 side. In this case, the control device 12 may calculate the usable hot water amount each time when transmitting the remaining hot water amount, and transmit the calculated usable hot water amount to the server 210 together with the remaining hot water amount. The server 210 stores the received usable hot water amount and various data used for the calculation. When a power outage occurs, the latest information on the amount of hot water that can be used is displayed as the amount of hot water that can be used when a power outage occurs. By configuring the control device 12 to perform calculations in this way, it is not necessary to add a function for calculating the amount of hot water that can be used to the server 210, and a complete system can be configured only in the hot water storage type water heater 1. .. As a result, the configuration can be simplified as a whole.

Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the incoming water temperature acquired immediately before the power failure is used for the calculation of the usable hot water amount and the hot water supply temperature at the time of the power failure has been described. As a result, the calculation result becomes a somewhat accurate value based on the actual result of the incoming water temperature at the time of power failure, and the difference from the actual value can be reduced.

However, the entry temperature is likely to fluctuate during periods of large daily temperature changes, such as summer and winter. Since the mixing ratio in the hot water supply side mixing valve is constant when a power failure occurs, the hot water supply temperature will fluctuate if the incoming water temperature changes. That is, when the incoming water temperature is low immediately before the occurrence of a power failure and then the incoming water temperature rises, the actual hot water supply temperature becomes higher than the calculated hot water supply temperature. It is considered that the actual hot water supply temperature will not be so high as to cause burns due to hot water supply, but if the difference between the displayed hot water supply temperature and the actual hot water supply temperature becomes large, the usability of the user may be impaired. Therefore, for example, the average value of the incoming water temperature in the period from immediately before the occurrence of the power failure to the past fixed period (for example, about one week) may be used as the incoming water temperature for the calculation of the usable hot water or the hot water supply temperature. As a result, the error between the hot water supply temperature displayed by the dedicated application of the remote communication terminal 130 and the actual hot water supply temperature can be suppressed to be smaller.

As the incoming water temperature used for the calculation, either the incoming water temperature immediately before the power failure or the average value may be used. Further, for example, a period in which the fluctuation of the incoming water temperature is large may be specified, the average value of the past fixed period may be used for that period, and the incoming water temperature immediately before the power failure may be used for the other period.

Further, in the present embodiment, the user can transmit the amount of hot water used when the hot water supply is used, and when the amount of hot water used is transmitted, the amount of hot water used is the amount of hot water used minus the amount of hot water used. The case where it is updated to the value was explained. As a result, the user can more accurately grasp the amount of hot water that can be used. However, the hot water supply system is not limited to a system for inputting the amount of hot water used and a structure for recalculating the amount of hot water used according to the amount of hot water used.

Further, in the present embodiment, the configuration in which the heat dissipation amount is calculated and the usable hot water amount is updated based on the heat dissipation amount has been described. By updating the amount of hot water that can be used based on the amount of heat released, the user can more accurately grasp the amount of hot water that can be used. However, the hot water supply system is not limited to a system having a configuration for calculating the amount of heat radiation and a configuration for recalculating the amount of usable hot water according to the amount of heat radiation.

Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the hot water supply temperature is recalculated using the recalculated usable hot water amount and the heat radiation amount has been described. By recalculating the hot water supply temperature, the difference between the hot water supply temperature and the set hot water supply temperature can be grasped, and the user can be alerted or recommended to use the hot water directly from the hot water storage tank 50 according to the difference. .. However, the hot water supply system is not limited to those having such a configuration.

1 Hot water storage type water heater, 10 Hot water storage tank unit, 11 Heat pump unit, 12 Control device, 50 Hot water storage tank, 51 Four-way valve, 52 Three-way valve, 53 Heat source pump, 54 Pressure relief valve, 55 Bath side mixing valve, 56 Hot water supply side mixing Valve, 57 heat exchanger, 58 bath pump, 59 emergency water heater, 60 insulation, 61-65 thermista, 110 home remote control, 120 external communication terminal, 130 remote communication terminal, 200 cloud, 210 server, 300 Meteorological Agency

Claims (10)

A hot water storage type water heater with a hot water storage tank and
A control device that can control the operation of the hot water storage type water heater and estimate the amount of remaining hot water in the hot water storage tank.
It is communicably connected to the control device, receives and stores information on the operating state of the hot water storage type water heater transmitted from the control device, and commands the control device regarding the operating state of the hot water storage type water heater. With a cloud server to send
A notification means that is communicably connected to the cloud server, can transmit and receive information on the operating state of the hot water storage type water heater to and from the cloud server, and can notify the information received from the cloud server. With a remote communication terminal
With
The information regarding the operating state transmitted by the control device includes information on the amount of remaining hot water in the hot water storage tank.
When a power failure occurs, the latest information among the information on the amount of remaining hot water stored in the cloud server is set as the amount of remaining hot water at the time of power failure, and the notification means is configured to notify the amount of remaining hot water at the time of power failure. A hot water supply system that features this. In the hot water storage type water heater, the temperature of the hot water to be supplied is set to a preset hot water supply set temperature by adjusting the mixing ratio of the hot water in the hot water storage tank and the water of the water source supplied to the hot water storage type water heater. Further equipped with a mixing valve that adjusts to
The information regarding the operating state transmitted by the control device to the cloud server includes the tank hot water temperature, which is the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank, the incoming water temperature, which is the temperature of the water supplied from the water source, and the hot water supply set temperature. And the mixing ratio of the mixing valve.
The cloud server calculates the amount of hot water that can be used at the time of power failure by using the tank hot water temperature, the water inlet temperature, the hot water supply set temperature, the mixing ratio, and the remaining hot water amount at the time of power failure. ,
The notification means notifies the calculated amount of usable hot water.
The hot water supply system according to claim 1, wherein the hot water supply system is configured as follows. The hot water storage type water heater sets the temperature of the hot water to be supplied to a preset hot water supply set temperature by adjusting the mixing ratio of the hot water in the hot water storage tank and the water of the water source supplied to the hot water storage type water heater. Further equipped with a mixing valve that adjusts to
The control device sets the tank hot water temperature, which is the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank, the incoming water temperature, which is the temperature of the water supplied from the water source, the hot water supply set temperature, and the mixing ratio of the mixing valve. Using it, the amount of hot water that can be used at the present time is calculated and transmitted to the cloud server as information on the operating state.
When a power failure occurs, the latest information of the usable hot water amount stored in the cloud server is set as the usable hot water amount at the time of the power failure, and the notification means notifies the usable hot water amount.
The hot water supply system according to claim 1, wherein the hot water supply system is configured as follows. The hot water supply system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the incoming water temperature used for calculating the usable hot water amount is the incoming water temperature acquired immediately before the occurrence of a power failure. The hot water supply system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the water entry temperature used for calculating the usable hot water amount is an average value of the water entry temperatures over a certain period in the past. The remote communication terminal transmits information on the amount of hot water used, which is the amount of hot water discharged from the hot water storage type water heater, to the cloud server after the occurrence of a power failure.
When the cloud server receives the used hot water amount, the cloud server changes the value of the usable hot water amount to a value obtained by subtracting the used hot water amount from the usable hot water amount at the time of a power failure.
The hot water supply system according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the hot water supply system is configured as described above. The information regarding the operating state transmitted by the control device to the cloud server includes location information of the area where the hot water storage type water heater is installed.
The cloud server
The amount of heat radiated from the hot water storage tank from the time of the power failure to the present time is calculated according to the outside air temperature acquired according to the position information.
The usable hot water amount is changed to a value obtained by subtracting the hot water amount corresponding to the heat radiation amount from the usable hot water amount.
The hot water supply system according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the hot water supply system is characterized by the above. The cloud server
The information on the tank hot water temperature is updated by subtracting the temperature corresponding to the heat radiation amount from the tank hot water temperature which is the hot water temperature of the hot water storage tank when a power failure occurs.
The current hot water supply temperature is estimated according to the incoming water temperature, the tank hot water temperature, and the mixing ratio, and the notification means notifies the current hot water supply temperature.
The hot water supply system according to claim 7, wherein the hot water supply system is configured as described above. The cloud server estimates the current hot water supply temperature from the information of the usable hot water amount, the tank hot water temperature, the incoming water temperature, and the mixing ratio.
When the difference between the estimated current hot water supply temperature and the hot water supply set temperature is larger than the first reference value, the notification means notifies that the hot water supply temperature is low.
The hot water supply system according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the hot water supply system is configured as described above. When the difference between the current hot water supply temperature and the hot water supply set temperature is larger than the second reference value larger than the first reference value, the notification means recommends the use of direct hot water discharge from the hot water storage tank. The hot water supply system according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the hot water supply system is configured to notify the user.

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