JP2768631B2 - Water heater maintenance device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a plurality of operating units for hot water supply, a plurality of detecting means for detecting an operating state of each operating unit or a state of an object controlled by the operating unit, The present invention relates to a water heater maintenance device including a control unit that controls the operation of each of the operation units based on detection information of a detection unit and control command information, and a command unit that provides a control command to the control unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the above-mentioned water heater, the control unit is provided on the water heater main body side, and a command means for giving a control command to the control unit is provided, for example, in a bathroom or a place distant from the water heater main unit. It is provided in a kitchen or the like, and the command means is provided with a display unit for displaying a set temperature for hot water supply or a hot water supply temperature. The control unit is provided so as to be switchable between a normal operation mode and a maintenance control mode in order to easily detect the detection state of each of the detection means and the operation state of each operation unit. In the state where the mode is set, various inspection results are configured to be displayed by using the display unit of the instruction means. Further, the display unit is limited to the minimum necessary display contents for the purpose of simplifying the structure and reducing the cost, and is configured to display the temperature by, for example, a digital numeral display.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional configuration, various kinds of inspection results, for example, the detection results of various types of detecting means and the display of failure contents are displayed using a display unit provided in the instruction means. When the display is performed, the display content is limited, for example, the display mode is limited to a digital number display with a small number of digits. As a result, when the number of inspection items is large, such as when the operation check of each operation unit is performed after the water heater is installed, it is only possible to display the procedure number of the inspection process on the display unit. For example, the inspection contents cannot be determined only from the displayed contents, and the inspection work is troublesome, such as performing a check while looking at a separately prepared inspection item column table.

Therefore, as a method of solving such disadvantage, for example, it is conceivable to change the display unit of the instruction means to one capable of simultaneously displaying a plurality of display contents. However, the structure of the display unit is complicated, the connection structure between the control unit and the command means is also complicated, and the control contents of the control unit are also complicated. As a result, the structure and cost of the water heater are complicated. There is. The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object thereof is to provide a water heater maintenance device capable of easily performing various inspections without complicating the structure of the water heater. Points.

[0005]

The features of the first invention are as follows.
A plurality of hot water supply operation units, and the operation state of each operation unit, or
A plurality of detection means for detecting the state of the object controlled by the operation unit, a control unit for controlling the operation of each operation unit based on detection information and control command information of the detection means, And a commanding means for giving a control command to the water heater, wherein an external inspection device provided with a monitor device can be connected to the control unit in a communicable state. A connection unit is provided, wherein the external inspection device is configured to output inspection command information for causing each of the operation units to perform a setting operation based on an inspection start instruction, and the connection unit includes the external inspection device The configuration is such that the inspection command information is input from an apparatus, and the operation information of each operation unit and the detection information of each detection unit are output to the external inspection apparatus.

A characteristic configuration of the second invention is to specify a configuration suitable for implementing the first invention, wherein the external inspection device transmits the input / output information to / from the personal computer and the control unit to the personal computer. And signal conversion means for converting the information into transmission information based on the serial transmission standard communication standard.

A feature configuration of the third invention specifies a configuration suitable for implementing the first or second invention, and stores operation information of each of the operation units and detection information of each of the detection means. The control unit is configured to output the storage information of the storage unit to the external inspection device via the connection unit based on the inspection command information from the external inspection device. It is in the point.

A feature configuration of the fourth invention specifies a configuration suitable for implementing the first, second, or third invention. The control unit is provided with a normal operation control mode and a maintenance control mode. Control mode switching instructing means for instructing switching of the maintenance control mode, and wherein the control unit is configured to output information to the external inspection device in a state where the control unit is switched to the maintenance control mode. .

[0009] The characteristic structure of the fifth invention is the first, second, and third aspects.
Alternatively, the control unit is configured by a microcomputer, and the microcomputer and the command unit are configured to transmit information based on a serial transmission standard communication standard. Is transmitted.

[0010]

According to the characteristic structure of the first aspect of the invention, when inspection is performed on the operation state of each operation unit and the detection result of each detection unit, an external inspection device is connected to the connection unit provided in the control unit. In this state, by displaying the operation information of each operation unit and the detection information of each detection means by the monitor device provided in this external inspection device, various kinds of information can be easily determined, and maintenance work can be performed efficiently. It is possible to perform well. Further, the external inspection device only needs to be appropriately connected only when performing maintenance work, and the structure of the water heater side is not complicated.

Moreover, when maintenance work is performed in a state where the external inspection device is connected to the control unit via the connection unit, the inspection command information output from the external inspection device based on the inspection start command is transmitted. The information is input to the control unit via the connection unit to cause each operation unit to perform a predetermined operation, and the operation information of each operation unit and the detection information of each detection unit are output to the external inspection device. The operation check of each operation unit and the inspection of each detection unit can be easily performed only by giving a start command for use.

According to the characteristic configuration of the second invention, the following operation is obtained in addition to the operation of the characteristic configuration of the first invention. In a state where the input / output information for the control unit is converted into transmission information based on the serial transmission standard communication standard, by using a personal computer which is widely used, the communication means on the personal computer side is changed to a special communication means. No modification is required, and there is no need to provide an inspection device dedicated to maintenance work.

According to the characteristic configuration of the third invention, the following operation is obtained in addition to the operation of the characteristic configuration of the first or second invention.
Since the storage means for storing the operation information of each of the operation units and the detection information of each of the detection means is provided, for example, in the past normal operation state of the water heater, when any abnormality occurs, at that time, The operation information and the detection information can be stored, and the information at the time of such an abnormality can be easily determined by outputting the information to an external inspection device, and the subsequent response can be easily performed.

According to a fourth feature of the invention, the first and second features are provided.
Alternatively, there is the following effect in addition to the effect of the characteristic configuration of the third invention. The control unit is output from the connection unit in the state switched to the maintenance control mode, and is not output from the connection unit in the normal operation control mode. Therefore, when another external device is erroneously connected to the connection unit in the normal operation control mode. However, the control operation does not become abnormal.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the following operation is obtained in addition to the operation of the first, second, third or fourth aspect of the invention. The control unit is configured by a microcomputer, and the information transmission to the command means is performed by a serial signal based on the serial transmission standard communication standard, so that the number of connection wires between the control unit and the command means is small. The configuration of the water heater is simplified.

According to the characteristic structure of the first aspect of the present invention, the maintenance work can be performed only by operating the external inspection device without complicating the structure of the water heater, and the operating part on the water heater side is operated. Thus, it is possible to perform an operation check of each operation unit and an inspection of each detection unit, and to provide a water heater maintenance device capable of performing maintenance work efficiently.

According to the characteristic configuration of the second invention, the following effect is obtained in addition to the effect of the characteristic configuration of the first invention. By using a highly versatile personal computer as it is, maintenance processing can be performed efficiently at low cost.

According to the feature configuration of the third invention, the following effect is obtained in addition to the effect of the feature configuration of the first or second invention.
Even in the case of an abnormality that has occurred in the past, it is possible to easily determine the operation information of each operation unit and the detection result of the detection unit at the time of the abnormality, so that the maintenance process can be easily performed thereafter.

According to the characteristic configuration of the fourth invention, the first and the second
Alternatively, the following effect is obtained in addition to the effect of the characteristic configuration of the third invention. In the normal operation control mode, even if erroneous information is given to the connection part of the control unit, there is little possibility of causing a malfunction in the control operation.

According to the characteristic configuration of the fifth invention, the following effect is obtained in addition to the effect of the characteristic configuration of the first, second, third or fourth invention. Even when the control unit and the commanding unit are installed at separate places, the connection structure between them can be simply configured, and the structure of the water heater can be simplified.

It should be noted that the fifth configuration is different from the characteristic configuration of the second invention.
When the characteristic configuration of the invention is limited, the following effects are further obtained. Even when the command means is connected to the connection terminal based on the serial transmission standard communication standard in the microcomputer as the control section, the input / output information from the connection section is output by the signal conversion means provided in the external inspection device. Since it is converted into transmission information based on the serial transmission standard communication standard, it is not necessary to provide two or more sets of connection terminals based on the serial transmission standard communication standard on the microcomputer side, and the microcomputer provided on the water heater side can be used. There is an advantage that the cost can be reduced.

[0021]

Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG.
2 shows a water heater maintenance device according to the present invention. This device is provided with a main remote controller R1 as a command means for giving an operation control command to the water heater main body A and the water heater main body A.
And a bath remote controller R2 and an external inspection device B which can be connected to and separated from the water heater main body A. The main remote controller R1 is installed in a kitchen, and the bath remote controller R2 is installed in a bathroom.

The water heater main body A includes, as a plurality of operating parts D, a heat exchanger 1 for heating water, a burner 2 for heating the heat exchanger 1, and a fan for supplying combustion air to the burner 2. And a water supply passage W1 for supplying water and a hot water supply passage W2 for supplying heated hot water to a hot water tap or a bathtub (not shown). Is connected to a middle part of the hot water supply path W2 via a mixing valve 9 as an operation part D, which can change and adjust the mixing ratio. An inlet water temperature sensor S for detecting the inlet water temperature to the heat exchanger 1 is provided in the water supply passage W1.
2 and a water amount sensor S1 for detecting the amount of water supplied to the heat exchanger 1
The hot water supply path W2 is provided with a hot water temperature sensor S3 for detecting the hot water temperature of the heat exchanger 1, and a mixed hot water temperature sensor S4 for detecting the hot water temperature in the mixing valve 9. The fan 3 is provided with a rotation speed sensor S5 for detecting the rotation speed of the fan 3. The fuel gas supply path G1 for the burner 2 is provided with two opening / closing valves 4 and 5 for intermittently supplying the fuel gas and an electromagnetic gas amount adjusting valve 6 for adjusting the fuel gas supply amount. In the vicinity of the burner 2, there is provided an igniter 7 for ignition as another operating part D, and a frame rod 8 as detecting means for detecting whether or not the burner 2 has been ignited.

Each of the sensors S1 to S1 as detecting means
A control unit C for performing hot water supply control based on the detection information of No. 5 is provided. The control unit C includes a microcomputer 10 (hereinafter, abbreviated as a water heater microcomputer) as a control unit, performs signal processing for inputting an input signal from each sensor to the water heater microcomputer 10, and controls each operation unit. A control circuit 11 for outputting a control drive signal to the control circuit 11;
An electrically writable and erasable nonvolatile memory as a remote control communication circuit 12 for transmitting a signal to each of the remote controls R1 and R2, and a storage unit for storing detection information of each sensor and operation information of each operation unit. Memory 13 (EEPROM
Or a flash memory). The water heater microcomputer 10 is provided with a UART (Universal Async).
Hronous Receiver transmit
ter) An 8-bit one-chip microcomputer with one port is used. When the hot water supply control described later is executed, the nonvolatile memory 13
When any abnormality occurs, the detection information of each sensor and the operation information of each operation unit when the abnormality occurs are sequentially stored.

The remote control communication circuit 12 is configured to transmit a signal between the control unit C and each of the remote controls R1 and R2 in an asynchronous serial communication system (serial transmission standard communication standard). It is configured to supply power to the control circuits on the R1 and R2 sides. In addition, in order to simplify connection wiring between them, digital power is supplied to the two-core cable 14 for power supply via the connection terminal 15. It is configured to transmit a signal superimposed. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, serial data output from a connection terminal (UART port) 15A for start-stop synchronous serial communication provided in the
(Amplitude Shift Keying) modulator 16 for converting the ON / OFF signal of the AC waveform of 250KH _Z by a method, the power amplifier 17 for amplifying the modulated signal, a power line for each remote R1, R2 2
A power line superimposing section 18 for superimposing the modulation signal on the core cable 14 and transmitting the modulated signal to the remote controller side; similarly, a filter section 19 for removing a noise component of the modulation signal superimposed on the power line and transmitted from the remote controller side; , And a demodulation unit 20 that converts the modulated signal into the original serial data.

The main remote controller R1 is provided with an operation switch 21 for instructing start / stop of operation, a hot water temperature display 22 for displaying the hot water temperature by digital numeral display, a hot water temperature setting device 23, and the like. The bath remote control R2 is provided with an operation switch 24, a hot water supply temperature display section 25, a hot water supply temperature setting device 26, and the like. Also, each remote control R1,
R2 is provided with a maintenance switch SW (an example of a control mode switching command unit) for switching to a maintenance control mode as described later. The on / off signal of each switch and the data such as the display contents of the temperature display section and the set temperature are transmitted by the two-core cable 14 as described above.

In the water heater microcomputer 10, a hot water supply control program executed in the normal operation control mode and a maintenance control program executed in the maintenance control mode are previously set and stored in a memory (not shown). Alternatively, control is performed based on an operation of the bath remote control R2. That is, in the normal operation control mode, the control is started in accordance with the ON operation of the operation switches 21 and 24, and when the hot water tap is opened and the water amount detected by the water amount sensor S1 exceeds the set value, the ignition control of the burner 2 is performed. And controls the gas amount adjusting valve 6 based on the detection information of the incoming water temperature sensor S2, the detection information of the water amount sensor S1, and the detection information of the outlet water temperature sensor S3 such that the hot water supply temperature is maintained at the set temperature. When filling is performed, the combustion amount of the burner 3 is set to the maximum combustion amount, and the high-temperature water and the low-temperature water supplied from the heat exchanger 1 are supplied so that the temperature of the mixed water becomes the set temperature. Is controlled so as to adjust the mixing ratio in the mixing valve 9.

When the maintenance switch SW is turned on, the water heater microcomputer 10 is switched to a maintenance control mode, and various inspections can be performed by the external inspection device B.

As shown in FIG. 3, the external inspection device B
Is a battery-powered personal computer 27,
A relay circuit unit 28 as signal conversion means for converting input / output information to / from the water heater microcomputer 10 into transmission information based on a start-stop synchronous serial communication system (serial transmission standard communication standard) in the personal computer 27 is provided. The circuit unit 28 and the personal computer 27 are connected via a connection cable 29 in accordance with a communication standard (RS-232C).
The personal computer 27 is provided with a key input device 30 that can be manually operated, a liquid crystal display unit 31 of a graphic display format as a monitor device, and the like.

The relay circuit unit 28 converts serial data input / output to / from the water heater microcomputer 10 into RS data.
Microcomputer 32 (hereinafter abbreviated as a relay microcomputer) for signal conversion so as to conform to the standard of 232C, an RS-232C line driver, a receiver circuit 33, and a 25-pin standard based on the standard of RS-232C. And a connector 34.

The control unit C of the water heater supplies power to the relay microcomputer 32,
5-pin connection terminal 35 for transmitting serial data
(An example of a connection unit) is provided.
A 5-pin connection terminal 36 corresponding to the connection terminal 35 of the control unit C is provided. The connection terminal 35 includes two power supply lines (Vcc, GND), a serial data output terminal S _OUT , a serial data input terminal S _IN , and a clock output terminal for setting a data transfer timing. It is composed of _SCLK . Then, a five-core cable 3 made up of five wires so that each terminal corresponds to each terminal.
7 connected. Thus, the relay microcomputer 32
Is supplied from the water heater side, so that the external inspection device B
Can be inspected without using a commercial power supply.

A signal communication method between the water heater microcomputer 10 and the relay microcomputer 32 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, a clock output terminal S on the water heater microcomputer 10 side.
_The clock signal output from _CLK is ON at a constant cycle
(5 volts) and OFF (0 volts) are alternately repeated. When the clock signal switches from OFF to ON, the water heater microcomputer 10 outputs the first bit data. When the relay microcomputer detects that the clock signal has been switched from ON to OFF, the first microcomputer reads the signal of the first bit and outputs return data. Next, when the clock signal switches from OFF to ON, the second bit data is output from the water heater microcomputer 10 and the return data is read from the relay microcomputer 32. Thereafter, the above procedure is repeated to sequentially input and output serial data.

The maintenance control operation for checking the operation of each operation unit will be described. When the external inspection device B is connected to the connection terminal 35 of the control unit C and the maintenance switch SW of the main remote controller R1 or the bath remote controller R2 is turned on, the water heater microcomputer 10 switches to the maintenance control mode. When a predetermined key is operated in the key input device 30 of the personal computer 27 to start the maintenance control, the operation check of the water amount sensor S1, which is the first check item, is performed. That is, the key input device 30
Is equivalent to an inspection start command. That is, a display as shown in FIG. 5 is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 31 of the personal computer 28, and the water flow rate is changed from the minimum flow rate (2.5 l / min) to the maximum flow rate (14.0 l / min) to the water heater microcomputer 10. ) Is controlled so as to automatically adjust the mixing valve so as to change every set time. Then, the detection value of the water amount sensor S1 at that time is read and displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 31 simultaneously with the normal value set and stored in advance. Next, the operation proceeds to the next check item based on the operation of the key, and the liquid crystal display 31
In addition, a display as shown in FIG. 6 is performed, and the rotation speed of the fan 3 is controlled so as to increase or decrease the rotation speed of the fan 3 from the minimum rotation speed to the maximum rotation speed at a set time interval. The detected value of S5 and a preset normal value are simultaneously displayed. Thereafter, such a procedure is sequentially repeated to check the operation of each operation unit and inspect each sensor.

Further, in the key input device 30 of the personal computer 27, based on the operation of another key, the hot water heater microcomputer 10 stores in the nonvolatile memory 13 the detection information at the time of occurrence of a past abnormality. Are sequentially transmitted to the personal computer 27 side, and this information can be displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 31 at the same time.

Alternative Embodiment (1) In the above embodiment, the personal computer 27 is used as the external inspection device B. However, a dedicated inspection device equipped with a monitor device is connected to the connection terminal 35 for inspection. May be configured to be performed. (2) In the above embodiment, the nonvolatile memory 13 is provided to store various types of information. However, a configuration in which detection information and operation information are transmitted in real time without using such a nonvolatile memory. It may be. (3) In the above embodiment, the water heater microcomputer 10 switches between the normal operation control mode and the maintenance control mode based on the operation of the maintenance switch SW. A control terminal is provided, and a control signal is supplied to a corresponding terminal on the external inspection device side. By simply connecting a cable to this connection terminal, the normal operation control mode can be switched to the maintenance control mode. You may comprise. (4) In the above embodiment, the configuration using the microcomputer as the control unit has been exemplified. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a dedicated control circuit using a gate array may be used.

In the claims, reference numerals are provided to facilitate comparison with the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the configuration shown in the attached drawings.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a water heater maintenance device.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a remote control communication circuit.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an external inspection device.

FIG. 4 is a timing chart of data transmission.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing display contents in maintenance control.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing display contents in maintenance control.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 control unit 13 storage unit 27 personal computer 28 signal conversion unit 31 monitor unit 35 connection unit B external inspection device D operation unit R1, R2 command unit S1 to S5 detection unit SW control mode switching command unit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) F23N 5/26 101

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A plurality of hot water supply operation units (D) and a plurality of detection means for detecting an operation state of each operation unit (D) or a state of an object controlled by the operation unit (D). (S1
To S5), a control unit (10) for controlling the operation of each of the operation units (D) based on the detection information and control command information of the detection means (S1 to S5), and a control unit (10). (R1) and (R2) for giving a control command by means of a water heater, wherein the control unit (10) includes an external inspection device (31) provided with a monitor device (31). B) is the connecting portion which can be connected to and can communicate state (35) is provided, et al is, the external test device (B) is, before based on the inspection start command
Inspection finger for causing each operation unit (D) to perform a setting operation
And the connection unit (35) is configured to output command information from the external inspection device (B).
The inspection command information is input, and each operation is performed.
Operation information of the section (D) and each of the detection means (S1 to S5)
Is output to the external inspection device (B).
Water heater maintenance device that is configured in . 2. The external inspection device (B) includes a personal computer (27) and the control unit (1).
0) to the personal computer
(27) based on the serial transmission standard communication standard
2. The hot water heater maintenance device according to claim 1 , further comprising signal conversion means for converting the information into transmission information . 3. The operation information of each of said operation units (D) and said operation information
Storage means for storing detection information of each detection means (S1 to S5)
A step (13) is provided, and the control unit (10) is configured to perform a control based on inspection command information from the external inspection apparatus (B)
The storage information of the storage means (13)
(35) and output to the external inspection device (B).
The maintenance device for a water heater according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance device is configured to be configured as follows. 4. A normal operation for the control unit (10)
Specify switching between control mode and maintenance control mode.
Control mode switching command means (SW) for instructing, the control unit (10) is switched to the maintenance control mode,
The water heater maintenance device according to claim 1, wherein the device is configured to output information to the external inspection device (B) . 5. The microcomputer according to claim 1, wherein said control unit is a microcomputer.
The microcomputer and the finger
Command means (R1) and (R2) are serial communication standard
The maintenance device for a water heater according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein the device is configured to transmit information based on a communication standard .