JP2941500B2 - Bathtub cleaning equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bathtub apparatus, and more particularly, to a bathtub cleaning apparatus for detecting the presence or absence of hot water flowing in a circulation path, eliminating the flow of hot water, and running the circulation pump idle or keeping warm. The present invention relates to a safety device for preventing occurrence of empty heating of a heater.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, hot water in a bathtub is forcibly circulated by a circulating pump through a circulation path provided with a purifying device such as a filtering device or a sterilizing device to remove dirt and hair floating in the hot water. Bath tub hot water purifiers have been developed and are being actively used to purify hot water by filtering dirt with a filtration device, activating with an activated stone tank, or sterilizing with a sterilizer. Was.

[0003] More recently, in addition to simply purifying hot water, an electric heater for keeping warm has been provided to keep the temperature of the hot water constantly and to be able to take a comfortable bath at any time for 24 hours. A jet nozzle is provided at the outlet of the hot water treated into the bathtub to jet a jet stream,
Some people have enjoyed the so-called bubble bath.

In such an apparatus for cleaning bath water,
For example, the hot water in the bathtub may be drained, or air may be sucked into the pipe line due to damage to the device or other reasons, and the capacity of the circulating pump may be reduced. In some cases.

When the flow of hot water in the circulation path is lost, the circulation pump naturally runs out of operation and breaks, and the heater for keeping heat runs dry, damaging the apparatus and even causing a danger of fire. Results.

In order to prevent the above-mentioned accident from occurring, a safety device for detecting the presence or absence of the flow of hot water in the circulation path is provided. Hot water flow sensors that detect based on the operation of the sensor have been mainly used.

[0007] As a safety device, there is a case where a hot water detection electrode for detecting the presence or absence of a hot water flow based on a change in electric resistance between a pair of electrodes is used.

[0008]

However, when the presence or absence of hot water is detected by a flow rate sensor, which is a pressure switch, as in the prior art, if the dirt or foreign matter is caught by a long-term operation, the pressure switch is turned off. There is a drawback that the apparatus does not operate normally and malfunctions frequently, and even if the hot water runs out, the operation of the apparatus is continued without being detected.

When the presence or absence of hot water flow is detected by the change in electrical resistance between a pair of electrodes using a hot water flow detection electrode, the electrode is wet even when the hot water flow disappears, so that there is a creepage resistance. Erroneous detection that the hot water flows.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art and to provide a safety device capable of quickly and accurately detecting the presence or absence of hot water flow in any state.

[0011]

That is, the present invention circulates hot water in a bathtub pumped from a suction pipe by a circulation pump through a circulation path provided with various purifying devices such as a filter device, a heater for keeping warm, and a sterilizing device. In a bathtub hot water purifier that discharges water from a hot water pipe to a bathtub again after cleaning, a hot water flow is detected in the circulation path of the bathtub hot water based on a change in electrical resistance between a pair of electrodes. An apparatus for cleaning bathtub hot water, wherein a flow detection electrode is provided, and one of the hot water flow detection electrodes is a conductive flange of a heater for keeping heat.

[0012]

The present invention is constructed as described above, and the presence or absence of a molten metal flow is detected based on a change in electrical resistance between a pair of molten metal flow detection electrodes. Such a molten metal flow detection electrode has no movable part. In addition, the operation of the sensor is prevented by dirt or foreign matter in the hot water, and no malfunction occurs.

In addition, since one of the pair of electrodes for detecting the flow of hot water is used as the conductive flange portion of the heater for keeping heat, when the flow of the hot water disappears, the electrode adheres to the conductive flange as one electrode. The water was dried immediately by the heat of the heater, and even if there was no hot water flow, the electrodes were wet, so there was creepage resistance and there was no false detection that there was hot water flow. Quickly and accurately detect the absence.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a bathtub, and hot water in the bathtub 1 is pumped up by a circulation pump 5 of the purifying device 3 and dirt such as dirt and hair floating in the filtering device 4 in the purifying device 3 is removed by a filter. After the temperature is maintained at a predetermined temperature by the heater 6, a predetermined cleaning process such as ozone sterilization is performed by the sterilizing device 7, and the hot water after the cleaning process is returned from the drain pipe 8 into the bathtub 1 again. Is discharged.

In such a cleaning treatment apparatus, as described above, an organic matter adsorption treatment with activated carbon and an activation treatment with activated stone are performed as required, and the drainage pipe 8 is discharged.
A jet nozzle is attached to the tip of the bath to jet a jet stream into the bathtub 1 to form a so-called bubble bath.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a hot water temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of hot water flowing in the cleaning treatment device 3, reference numeral 10 denotes a conventional flow rate sensor for detecting the presence / absence of hot water flow by a pressure switch, and reference numeral 11 denotes a heater for keeping one of the electrodes warm. 6 is a molten metal flow detecting electrode which is a conductive flange and detects the presence or absence of molten metal flow based on a change in electrical resistance between a pair of electrodes, that is, a change in creeping resistance.

Reference numeral 12 denotes an input device for inputting various operating conditions of the apparatus. For example, it selects whether or not hot water is jetted from a jet nozzle in order to form a bubble bath as described above.

Reference numeral 13 denotes a control device for controlling the operation of the apparatus as a whole, 14 denotes a hot water temperature setting device for setting the hot water retention temperature, and 15 denotes a once-set operating condition such as hot water temperature. A storage device for backing up, and 16 is a display device for displaying set operating conditions.

In the apparatus constructed as described above, the presence or absence of the hot water flow is determined by the hot water flow detecting electrodes 11 of a pair of electrodes having the conductive flange of the heat retaining heater 6 as one electrode and the flow rate of the conventional pressure switch. The detection is performed by two types of different sensors from the sensor 10.

That is, when either the hot water detection electrode 11 or the flow rate sensor 10 detects that the hot water has run out, the operation of the cleaning device 3 is stopped by the control of the control device 13.

Even if the hot water flow detecting electrode 11 is provided alone, the presence or absence of the hot water flow can be detected much more accurately than when the conventional flow sensor 10 is provided. Even if a disconnection or other trouble occurs, the flow sensor 10 detects the presence or absence of the hot water flow, so that the presence or absence of the hot water flow can be more accurately detected and the safety can be maintained.

Next, a specific configuration of the flow detecting electrode 11 as a flow detecting sensor will be described with reference to FIGS.

The heat retaining heater 6 is provided with a conductive flange 18.
Is covered with a tank 20 provided with an inlet 21 and an outlet 22 for hot water. Hot water flows in the tank 20 as shown by an arrow, and 19 is an electric heater 17.
Is a power supply line.

The flow detecting electrode 11 is connected to the contact 23 of the flange 18 as one of a pair of electrodes and the tank 2.
0 and the other electrode 27 inserted in the
DC power supply 25 and ammeter 26 having a low voltage of about V or less
It is configured by being tied through.

Accordingly, in the hot water flow detecting electrode 11, a change in resistance between the electrodes 18 and 27 due to the presence or absence of the hot water flow in the tank 20 is detected by the ammeter 26, and the detection result is transmitted to the control device 13 by a signal line (not shown). Sent.

In the hot water flow detecting electrode 11, the flange 18 of the heater 6 used as one of the electrodes is constantly heated by the heat of the electric heater 17, and when the hot water in the tank 20 stops flowing, the flange 18 is heated. 18 immediately becomes dry.

Therefore, even if there is no hot water flow, there is no malfunction such that the creeping resistance is not lost and the resistance between the electrodes does not change because the electrodes are wet, and the resistance immediately increases and the hot water flow disappears. Is quickly detected.

[0029]

The present invention has the above-described structure and operation, and the presence / absence of hot water is accurately and quickly detected without malfunction, and when the hot water disappears, the control device is immediately notified. The cleaning device is prevented from being damaged by operating the circulating pump 5 from behind or making the heat retaining heater 6 idle.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a cleaning device,

FIG. 2 is a front view of a heater for keeping heat;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a heater for keeping heat.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bathtub 2 Water suction pipe 3 Cleaning device 5 Circulation pump 6 Heat retention heater 10 Flow rate sensor 11 Hot water detection electrode 18 Flange (one electrode) 27 The other electrode

Continuation of the front page (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) F24H 9/00 A47K 3/00 B01D 35/027 B01D 35/14 F24H 1/00 602 G01P 13/00

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. The hot water in a bathtub pumped up from a water suction pipe by a circulation pump is circulated through a circulation path provided with various purifying devices such as a filtering device, a heater for keeping warm, a sterilizing device and the like, and then is cleaned. In a bathtub hot water purifying device to be discharged again into a bathtub, a hot water flow detection electrode for detecting the presence or absence of a hot water flow based on a change in electric resistance between a pair of electrodes is provided in a bathtub hot water circulation path, An apparatus for cleaning bath water, wherein the flow detection electrode has one electrode as a conductive flange of a heater for keeping heat.