JP2890878B2 - Freezing judgment device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to determination of freezing in a hot and cold water mixing control apparatus for adjusting a mixing ratio of hot water and water to obtain an optimum mixed hot water temperature.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an example of this type of freezing judging device, there is a hot water mixing device as shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, 1 is a hot water flow path, 2 is a water flow path, and an automatic pressure regulating valve 3 is provided in connection with each flow path. The automatic pressure regulating valve 3 includes a hot water side valve body 4 and a hot side valve seat 5 for reducing the primary pressure PH1 of the hot water flow path 1, a water side valve body 6 for reducing the primary pressure PC1 of the water flow path 2, and a water side. It comprises a valve seat 7, a valve shaft 8 connecting the hot water side valve element 4 and the water side valve element 6, and a piston 9 which operates with a pressure difference between the primary pressures PH <b> 1 and PC <b> 1 after decompression of hot water and water. Yes. Even if the pressure of the hot water or the water changes suddenly, the automatic pressure regulating valve 3 moves to the left and right by the pressure, so that the secondary pressure PH2 of the hot water and the water and the PC2 are always kept equal. Mixing ratio of hot water and water is motor 1
The hot water regulating valve 12 energized by 1 is moved to the left and right to change the temperature, thereby changing the mixing temperature. Reference numeral 13 denotes a mixing part of hot water and water, and after mixing, the hot water is discharged via a flow rate control opening / closing valve 14, and its temperature is detected by a mixed hot water temperature detecting means (for example, a thermistor).
15 and the flow rate thereof is detected by the flow rate detecting means 16, and the control means 18 urges the motor 11 and the flow rate control opening / closing valve 14 to match the value of the setting means 17.

[0003] In the above configuration, if there is no signal input to the flow rate detecting means 16 after the start of tapping, it is determined that the water is frozen.

[0004]

However, in the above configuration, the flow rate detecting means 16 for detecting the flow of the mixed hot water is partially frozen due to a complicated configuration at a low temperature, and a flow is generated. However, the flow rate cannot be detected, so that the flow rate may be erroneously determined to be frozen or the flow rate detection means 16 itself may be damaged due to the freezing, and the flow rate may not be detected correctly.

An object of the present invention is to solve such a conventional problem, and it is an object of the present invention to accurately determine a frozen state without depending on the structure of a flow rate detecting means.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided a hot water mixing apparatus comprising: a hot water flow path and a water flow path; a mixing valve for adjusting flow rates of the hot water flow path and the water flow path; Mixing valve driving means for driving the valve, a flow control on / off valve for adjusting the mixing flow rate, a flow control on / off valve driving means for driving the flow control on / off valve, and a mixed hot water temperature detecting means for detecting the mixed hot water temperature, Control means for controlling the mixing valve drive means and the flow rate control on / off valve drive means, and setting means for setting the opening and closing of the flow rate control on / off valve drive means, wherein the control means controls the flow rate by a signal from the setting means. Timer means for operating when a signal for opening the control on-off valve is input, and when the value of the timer means exceeds a preset value, the signal value of the mixed hot water temperature detecting means is used when the operation of the timer means starts. Value and more than a certain value If the temperature detected by the case in and mixed water temperature detecting means that is not is less than a predetermined value is obtained by the structure determines the freezing.

[0007]

According to the above construction, when a signal for opening the flow control on-off valve is input by a signal from the flow control on-off valve driving means at the start of tapping, the timer means starts operating, while the control means controls the timer time of the timer means. Even if it is too long, the value of the detected temperature of the mixed hot water temperature detecting means does not change more than a certain value from the start of the timer operation, and if the detected temperature is less than the certain value, it is determined to be frozen.

[0008]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the freeze judging device, and the same parts as those in FIG.
The different parts will be mainly described.

Reference numeral 19 denotes an urging means, and 20 denotes the urging means 1
9 is a variable bias means for applying a variable bias force in opposition to the force of No. 9. The variable bias means 20 has a plunger 21 made of a magnetic material and a coil 22 which is waterproof and insulated around the plunger 21. The coil 22 is connected to the control means 18. The flow control on-off valve 14 is driven by a flow control on-off valve driving unit 23.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the control means 18. Reference numeral 24 denotes a driving amount calculating means for calculating a driving amount based on signals from the mixed hot water temperature detecting means 15 and the setting means 17, and 25 denotes a mixing valve driving means 2
A first driving amount setting means for setting a driving amount of 0, and a second driving amount setting means 26 for setting a driving amount of the flow rate adjusting on / off valve driving means 23. Reference numeral 27 denotes timer means for starting operation when a signal for opening the flow control on / off valve is input from the setting means 17.

Next, the operation of the configuration of the present invention will be described. When a current is passed from the control means 18 to the coil 22, the plunger 21 made of a magnetic material applies a bias force to the valve shaft 8 according to Fleming's law. When the bias force and the urging force of the urging means 19 are balanced, the automatic pressure regulating valve 3 is balanced.

Therefore, the balance point of the automatic pressure regulating valve 3 can be moved by changing the current flowing through the coil 22. For example, when the current is small, the urging means 19
Is stronger, the water-side valve element 6 opens more than the hot-water-side valve element 4, and the tapping temperature decreases. When the current is increased, the plunger 21 is pushed out against the force of the urging means 19, so that the hot-water-side valve body 4 opens, and as a result, the hot-water temperature rises.

In this way, the control means 18 adjusts the current flowing through the coil 22 so that the tapping water temperature becomes the set temperature by inputting the signal of the mixed hot water temperature detecting means 15 and the signal of the setting means 17. From this, the automatic pressure regulating valve 3 also has the function of a mixing valve. The flow rate is controlled by operating the flow rate control on / off valve 14 by the flow rate control on / off valve driving means 23.

The case where the ambient temperature drops after once closing the flow control on-off valve 14 will be described below. When the ambient temperature decreases in winter or the like, water in the piping freezes or the valve body freezes and does not operate, so that hot water may not be supplied.

Normally, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), when a signal for opening the flow control on / off valve is input from the setting means 17 to the control means 18 at time t1, the drive amount calculating means 24 causes the second drive amount setting means 26 to Flow control on / off valve driving means 23
And the flow control on-off valve 14 is opened. At the same time, the driving amount calculating means 24 sends a signal to the timer means 27 to operate the timer. Similarly, the driving amount calculating means 24 sends a signal to the mixing valve driving means 20 via the first driving amount setting means to operate the mixing valve 9 so that the temperature of the mixed hot water is set.

FIG.
At time t2 in (a), the signal of the mixed hot water temperature detecting means is x
From y to y. For this reason, since the temperature of the mixed hot water has risen, the control means 18 determines that there is a flow in the mixing section 13 and that each valve is operating normally, and continues the control.

However, when the water in the pipe freezes or the valve element freezes and stops operating, the time t is increased as shown in FIG.
In 1, when a signal for opening the flow control on / off valve is input from the setting means 17 to the control means 18, the drive amount calculating means 24
A signal is sent to the flow rate adjusting on / off valve driving means 23 via the driving amount setting means 26 of FIG. At the same time, the driving amount calculating means 24 sends a signal to the timer means 27 to operate the timer. Similarly the first
A signal is sent to the mixing valve driving means 20 via the driving amount setting means. At this time, if the flow control on-off valve 14 is frozen, the drive signal is sent out, but it is not actually operating. Therefore, even if the timer means has passed for a certain time,
At time t2 in (b), the signal of the mixed hot water temperature detecting means is x
Does not change from. Therefore, the control means 18 determines that there is no flow in the mixing section 13 because the temperature of the mixed hot water does not change, and that each valve is not operating, and determines that the valve is frozen.

However, at the start of tapping, the temperature in the pipe does not change easily because the temperature in the pipe is constant. Therefore, the drive amount calculating means 24 performs the above operation when the signal of the mixed hot water temperature detecting means 15 when the timer means 27 is operated falls below a certain value (for example, the temperature at which freezing starts: point z in FIG. 3). Do it.

After it is determined that the valve is frozen, the drive current is maximized in the solenoid-driven valve to release the freezing inside the valve by the heat generated in the coil portion, and in the case of a valve having a heater, the heater is energized to defrost. Do it. In this way, positive control can be performed so as to quickly escape from the frozen state.

On the other hand, if a signal for closing the valve is sent to the flow control on-off valve 14, the signal for opening the flow control on-off valve is left in the freezing state while leaving the signal open, so that the tapping starts after the freezing is thawed. There is also an advantage that the hot water of the heat source unit is not emptied and that the user does not start hot water after leaving the vicinity of the setting means.

[0021]

As described above, according to the freeze judging device of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. (1) Since the freezing is determined by a change in the signal of the mixed hot water temperature detecting means, the configuration can be simplified except for the flow rate detecting means. (2) Since the flow rate detecting means which may be damaged by freezing can be eliminated, reliability is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a hot and cold water mixing apparatus employing one embodiment of a freeze determination device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the freeze determination device.

FIG. 3 (a) is an output characteristic diagram of the mixed hot water temperature detecting means in a normal state; FIG. 3 (b) is an output characteristic diagram of the mixed hot water temperature detecting means in an abnormal state;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional hot water mixing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hot water flow path 2 Water flow path 3 Automatic pressure regulating valve (mixing valve) 14 Flow control on-off valve 15 Mixed hot water temperature detecting means 17 Setting means 18 Control means 20 Mixing valve drive means 23 Flow control on-off valve drive means

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Yasuo Kidouchi 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) F16K 37/00 F24D 17/00

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A hot water flow path and a water flow path, a mixing valve for adjusting the flow rates of the hot water flow path and the water flow path, a mixing valve driving means for driving the mixing valve, and a flow rate adjusting on / off valve for adjusting a mixing flow rate. A flow control on / off valve driving means for driving the flow control on / off valve, a mixed hot water temperature detecting means for detecting a mixed hot water temperature, a control means for controlling the mixing valve drive means and the flow control on / off valve driving means, Setting means for setting the opening and closing of the flow control on / off valve driving means, wherein the control means has a timer means that operates when a signal for opening the flow control on / off valve is input by a signal of the setting means, and the timer When the value of the means exceeds a preset value, the signal value of the mixed hot water temperature detecting means does not change by more than a certain value from the value at the start of operation of the timer means, and the temperature detected by the mixed hot water temperature detecting means. Is below a certain value Freezing judgment device judges that freezing if that.