JP2568749B2 - Water heater - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a water heater that remotely controls a water heater that heats water by gas, oil, electricity, or the like using a remote controller.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a hot water supply device that controls a hot water supply device by a remote control device to supply hot water has become mainstream.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in this type of hot water supply device, a wired type in which a signal line and a power supply line are connected between a water heater and a remote controller for remotely controlling the water heater has been widely put into practical use. In addition, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 57-77671, a water heater is controlled by a wireless remote controller using radio waves.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the case of such a conventional hot water supply device using a wired remote control device, a hole must be formed in a wall in order to wire a signal line and a power supply line between rooms. There is a problem that requires construction. In particular, recently, a bath system has been put on the market in which a bathroom is provided with a steam generator and the bathroom is used as a steam room. However, wiring work to a bathroom or the like where steam is generated as described above requires extremely difficult work.

On the other hand, in the case of a hot water supply device using a wireless remote control device, wiring work is unnecessary, and there is no problem in this respect, but there is a problem in reliability in terms of signal transmission by radio waves. In other words, there are certain regulations on the strength of radio waves, weak radio waves must be used, and the conditions of houses and buildings where water heaters are installed are different.
At present, communication reliability is considerably inferior to that of the wired type.

An object of the present invention is to solve such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a hot water supply device having a practical remote control device having both wired reliability and good wireless installation.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides first or second
A water heater equipped with a water heater controller for controlling hot water supply from a water heater based on a setting signal from a remote control device, and the water heater is provided in a room with a wall protruding, and the water heater is connected to a signal line and a power line. A first remote control device including a wired transceiver that communicates with the hot water heater via the signal line and a first wireless transceiver that transmits and receives radio signals, and a first remote control device are provided. A second remote control device provided with a second wireless transceiver that can communicate with the first remote control device by radio waves, the first remote control device Receives a radio signal transmitted from the second remote controller to the water heater, transmits the content as a wired signal to the water heater via a signal line, and is transmitted from the water heater via the signal line. The said second remo Receiving a cable signal to the emission device, in which a structure for transmitting to said second remote control device the contents as radio signal.

Further, the second remote control device includes a rechargeable power supply circuit containing a secondary battery, the first remote control device includes a charger for charging the secondary battery of the second remote control device, and the charging of the charger is performed. The second problem-solving means is that power for use is supplied through a power supply line connected to a water heater.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the setting device of the wireless-type second remote control device placed in a bathroom is operated, the operation signal is radiated as radio waves to the space and separated from a wall or the like. Is transmitted to the first remote control device which is attached. The first remote controller receives the radio signal transmitted from the second remote controller and transmits the content of the radio signal to the water heater via a signal line. The water heater controls the hot water supply based on the transmitted operation signal from the second remote controller.

Further, the monitor signal indicating the state of the water heater is finally transmitted to the second remote controller through a route reverse to the above-described route. As described above, the first remote control device serves as a relay device for communication between the second remote control device and the water heater, and also includes a setting device and a display device, thereby being used as a normal wired remote control device. Can also function.

Further, the second problem solving means enables the secondary battery stored in the second remote controller to be charged by the electric power supplied from the water heater via the power supply line.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

As shown in FIG.
Supply more water. The heater 5 boiles city water by burning gas, for example, gas. Hot water supply controller 6 controls heater 5 based on the hot water supply conditions set by first remote control device 7 and second remote control device 8. The water heater 1 is provided with a wired transceiver 9, which is connected to a cable 10.
The communication with the first remote control device 7 and the power supply to the first remote control device 7 are performed through.

The first remote control device 7 is provided with a wired transceiver 11 in the wired transceiver 7, and receives communication with the water heater 1 and power supply from the water heater 1 through the cable 10. Also,
A first wireless transceiver 12 is provided, and communicates with the second remote controller 8 via a first antenna 13 by radio waves. Further, a charger 14 is provided, and the second remote controller 8 is detachably mounted to charge.

The second remote control device 8 is provided with a second wireless transceiver 15, and the first remote control device 7 is provided via a second antenna 16.
Communicate with Battery 17 supplies power to second remote controller 8.

The first remote controller 7 is configured as shown in FIG. 2, and a main controller 18 controls a display 19, a setting device 20, a first wireless transceiver 12, a wired transceiver 11, and a charger 14. , First
Of the remote control device 7 as a whole. Usually, a one-chip microcomputer is used to realize the function by executing the program. Cable 10
The signal and the power supply are superimposed on each other, and the power supply circuit 21 includes the separation circuit. The power obtained by the power supply circuit 21 is supplied to each circuit block in the first remote controller 7 and also supplied to the second remote controller 8 via the charger 14.

The second remote controller 8 is configured as shown in FIG. 3, and the main controller 22 controls the display 23, the setting unit 24, and the second wireless transceiver 15, and the second remote controller 8 as a whole Demonstrate the function of. Normally, a one-chip microcomputer is used to realize the function by executing the program. The battery 17 is a secondary battery, and can be charged by the power supply circuit 25 by supplying power from the first remote controller 7.

The hot water supply controller 6 in the water heater 1 is configured as shown in FIG. 4, and the main controller 26 includes a water amount detector 27, an igniter 28, a combustion setter 29, an air setter 30, a combustion detector 31, The water level setting device 32 and the wired transmitter / receiver 9 are controlled to exhibit the function as a water heater. The above embodiment shows the configuration of a gas or oil instantaneous water heater for burning gas or oil to boil hot water. Normally, the main controller 26 uses a one-chip microcomputer, and the various controllers are operated organically by executing a program thereof, and the heater 5 is operated by their operation. The power supply circuit 33 receives power supply from a commercial power supply, supplies power to each circuit block in the hot water supply controller 6, and also supplies the power to the first remote controller 7 through the cable 10.

 The operation in such a configuration will be described.

When the hot water supply condition is set by the second remote control device 8, the setting signal is converted into a radio signal by the second wireless transceiver 15 and transmitted. The first remote control device 7 receives this radio signal at the first wireless transceiver 12, and immediately transmits the contents of the setting signal to the water heater via the cable 10 by the wired transceiver 11. Hot water heater 1 receives this through wired transceiver 9, and hot water supply controller 6 controls heater 5 based on the content of the received setting signal to perform a predetermined hot water supply operation. Further, the information on the water heater 1 side is finally transmitted to the second remote control device 8 by a route reverse to the above route.

The first remote controller 7 serves as a relay for communication between the second remote controller 8 and the water heater 1 as described above, and at the same time, the remote control of the water heater 1 by its own setting device 20 and display device 19. Is possible.

In addition, since the second remote control device 8 can be driven by a battery, it is portable. Therefore, by adopting such a configuration, use in the C room 36 is not limited to use in the A room 34 of FIG. As described above, if the room is near the room B where the first remote controller 7 is located, wireless control by radio waves can be reliably performed even if there are walls 37 and 38 between them.

As described above, according to the present invention, a wireless second remote control device is provided in a place where wiring work is difficult, and the second remote control device is provided in a place where wiring work is easy. It is possible to provide a first remote control device having a relay function of receiving a radio signal transmitted from the remote control device and transmitting the content to the water heater by wire, so that workability and reliability of communication can be improved. An excellent practical water heater can be provided.

The second remote control device includes a rechargeable power supply circuit containing a secondary battery, and the first remote control device is supplied with power via a power supply line from a water heater.
A remote control device having a charger for charging a secondary battery can be applied to a wide range of applications, such as realizing an easy-to-use water heater without the need for battery replacement.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram of a hot water supply apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a first remote control apparatus for the hot water supply, and FIG.
The figure is a block diagram of a second remote control device of the hot water supply device, and FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a hot water supply controller of a hot water supply function of the hot water supply device. 1 hot water heater, 6 hot water supply controller, 7 first remote control device, 8 second remote control device, 10 cable (signal line, power line), 11 wired transmitter / receiver, 12 ... first
Wireless transceiver, 15 ... second wireless transceiver.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Terue Takenaka 1006 Kadoma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-2-46098 (JP, A) JP-A-61-271783 (JP, A) JP-A-56-165531 (JP, U) JP-A-57-77671 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Showa 55-112648 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Utility Model Hei 4-33850 (JP, U)

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A water heater having a water heater controller for controlling hot water supply of a water heater based on a setting signal from a first or second remote control device, and the water heater is provided in a room with a wall protruding, A first wireless transceiver that is connected to the water heater with a signal line and a power supply line and communicates with the water heater via the signal line, and a first wireless transceiver that transmits and receives radio signals;
And a second wireless transmitter / receiver provided in a room separated from the remote control device and the room in which the first remote control device is provided and capable of communicating with the first remote control device by radio waves. The first remote control device receives a radio signal transmitted from the second remote control device to the water heater and transmits the content as a wired signal to the water heater through a signal line. A water heater configured to receive a wired signal transmitted from the water heater to the second remote controller via a signal line, and to transmit the content of the signal as a radio signal to the second remote controller. 2. A second remote control device includes a rechargeable power supply circuit containing a secondary battery, and the first remote control device includes the second power supply circuit.
The hot water supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a charger for charging a secondary battery of the remote control device, wherein charging power of the charger is supplied through a power supply line connected to the water heater.