JP3011292B2 - Water heater - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hot water supply apparatus which emits voice indicating guide information indicating a switch operation and accompanying hot water supply control.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a hot water supply apparatus is provided with a hot water supply device for heating supplied water to a desired temperature and supplying hot water, and a reheating for reheating water or hot water in a hot water storage means such as a bathtub or a tank. There are additional water heaters. In each case, advanced electronic control is performed using a microcomputer as control means, and high-precision hot water supply control and safety assurance are realized.

[0003]

By the way, in a hot water supply apparatus which performs such advanced control, the operation of equipment for hot water supply and initial setting tend to be complicated, and the handling thereof is very troublesome. It is. In addition, the consumer cannot grasp the operation method and the operation state of the automated water heater, and determines that the water heater is out of order, and the seller may be forced to deal with it. There is an inconvenience that handling becomes troublesome as much as the computerization is convenient, and improvement in operation is desired.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a hot water supply apparatus which informs information necessary for control processing by voice so as to be convenient for an operator.

[0005]

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a hot water supply apparatus according to the present invention supplies hot water by heating water.
A main controller (6) for controlling the water heater (2);
Of the main body side
Controller for controlling the water heater through a controller
Controller (8) and the remote controller
Operation switch for instructing the start of operation Te and (SW1), wherein
A hot water tap (18A, 18) for discharging hot water obtained from a water heater
B) determining means provided in the remote controller for determining whether the operation switch has been operated or not.
(CPU 82) , provided in the remote controller
Is a storage means for storing audio data (voice data ROM 89) representing the operation information of the operation switch, the Li
The operation switch is provided on the controller
When the hot water tap is opened without being operated, the determination means
A voice data reading means (CPU 82) for reading the voice data from the storage means in accordance with the result of the determination, and a voice synthesizing means (voice synthesis circuit 8) for synthesizing a voice signal with the voice data read by the voice data reading means.
8) and voice output means (voice output circuit 90 and speaker 46) for generating a voice representing operation information to turn on the operation switch based on the voice signal synthesized by the voice synthesis means. And

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the hot water supply apparatus of the present invention provides a hot water supply (2) for heating hot water to supply hot water.
Controller (6) that controls the
Through the main unit side controller linked with the
Controller (8) for controlling the water heater by remote control
When a driving switch for commanding the start operation provided in the remote controller side controller (SW1), said remote control
Temperature setting means (preset temperature increase switch SW2, the set temperature lowering switch SW3) which is provided in the controller to set the tapping temperature of the water heater and the remote control controller
And determining means for determining whether hot water temperature of the water heater reaches the set temperature provided over La (CPU 82), before
Provided serial remote control controller, storage means for storing voice data representing the tapping temperature information should be notified to the operator (the voice data ROM 89), the remote control controller
A voice data reading means (CPU 82) provided in the controller, for reading the voice data indicating that the tapping temperature is hot from the storage means when the tapping temperature reaches a set temperature after the operation of the operation switch; Based on the voice data read by the voice data reading means, a voice synthesizing means (voice synthesizing circuit 88) for synthesizing a voice signal indicating a language message indicating that the hot water temperature is hot, and the voice synthesized by the voice synthesizing means. A voice output means (voice output circuit 90 and speaker 46) for producing a language voice indicating that the hot water temperature is hot by a signal is provided.

The hot water supply device of the present invention is shown in FIGS.
As shown in the example, a water heater that heats water and supplies hot water
The main body controller (6) that controls (2) and this book
The main body side controller is linked with the body side controller.
Controller for controlling the water heater through a remote controller
And (8), and this is provided in the remote control side controller operation switch for instructing the luck <br/> rolling start (SW1), the remote
It is provided in the controller on the controller side and determines whether the rotation of the fan motor is normal through the operation of the operation switch and the combustion operation.
Determining means for determining whether the abnormal operation by (CPU 8
And 2), provided on the remote control controller, storage means for storing voice data representing should be notified the operation abnormality (voice data ROM 89), the remote control controller
Provided on the roller, after the operation switch is operated,
A voice data reading means (CPU 82) for reading the voice data indicating the operation abnormality from the storage means according to the determination result of the determining means, and indicating an abnormal state and processing guidance by the voice data read by the voice data reading means. Speech synthesis means (speech synthesis circuit 88) for synthesizing a speech signal representing a language message, and speech output means (voice An output circuit 90 and a speaker 46) are provided.

[0008]

A control command is given by a switch operation, and a control output corresponding to the control input is given to various control units and driving units of the water heater, and hot water supply control is performed according to the control output.

In this hot water supply control, the control output from the control means is transmitted to the first control means, and a control program set for performing necessary hot water supply control is executed, and the program is executed. In doing so, the control output obtained by each procedural operation is output to the control means. This control output is a control input from the operator ,
After the power switch is operated, the operation switch
Ignition operation accompanying operation, state of tapping temperature according to set temperature
Based on the operation abnormalities such as the state and poor combustion , a sound indicating guide information such as a message for prompting an operation and a message indicating an operation state is output. The operator performs necessary operations in accordance with the guide information output by voice, and provides a control input in accordance with the guide information to the control means by a switch operation, or realizes appropriate and safe hot water supply control such as ensuring safety. can do. Therefore, the hot water supply control desired by the operator can be quickly performed without waiting for the judgment of the operator.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the hot water supply apparatus of the present invention. The water heater 2 is provided with a water heater 2 for receiving hot water and supplying hot water at a desired temperature.
A remote control device 4 as a remote control means for remotely controlling the water heater 2 is provided, and the water heater 2 and the remote control device 4 constitute one voice guide system.
The water heater 2 is provided with a main body controller 6 as control means, and the remote control device 4 is provided with a remote control controller 8 as control means. Information is exchanged.

Water W to be heated is supplied to the water heater 2 through a water supply pipe 12, and the water W is added to a heat exchanger 16 as a heating means through a flow rate sensor 14, and is heated through the heat exchanger 16. The supplied hot water HW is guided to a desired location, for example, a bathroom, a washroom, a sink, or the like, and is supplied from hot water taps 18A and 18B as hot water outlet means. Flow sensor 14
A thermistor 20 is installed in the water supply portion between the heat exchanger 16 and the heat exchanger 16, and a thermistor 22 is installed in a pipe on the output side of the heat exchanger 16 as hot water detection means.

The heat exchanger 16 has a burner 2 as a combustion means for burning gas G as fuel and generating necessary heat.
The gas G is supplied to the burner 24 via a main solenoid valve 26, a hot water supply solenoid valve 28 and a proportional valve 30. The burner 24 is provided with a fan 32 for supplying air required for gas combustion by blowing air, and an igniter 34 for igniting the gas G of the burner 24. Frame rods 36 are arranged side by side. The igniter 34 is connected to an ignition transformer 38 for electrically igniting, and is supplied with a voltage and a current for ignition. Further, the heat exchanger 16 is provided with a switch 40 for preventing empty heating.

The main body controller 6 receives a flow rate detection signal S ₁ from the flow rate sensor 14, a thermistor 20,
2, the temperature detection signals S ₂ and S ₃ , the rotation detection signal S ₄ from the fan 32, the empty-fire detection signal S ₅ from the empty-fire prevention switch 40, and the flame signal S ₆ from the frame rod 36 are added. A control output is generated from the control valve 6, the control signals C ₁ , C ₂ and C ₃ for the original solenoid valve 26, the hot water supply solenoid valve 28 and the proportional valve 30, the rotation drive signal C ₄ for the fan motor 33, and the ignition transformer 38. control signal C ₅ is given for.

The remote controller 8 of the remote controller 4 is connected to a switch group 42 composed of a plurality of switches to which control inputs are to be given, and has a display 44 for displaying control information and other messages. Further, a speaker 46 as audio output means for outputting control information and other guide information by audio is connected.

Next, FIG. 2 shows a specific circuit configuration example of the main body controller 6 of the water heater 2 shown in FIG. 1 and the remote controller 8 of the remote controller 4. An input circuit 61 for receiving the flow rate detection signal S ₁ , the temperature detection signals S ₂ , S ₃ , the rotation detection signal S ₄ , the empty heating detection signal S _5, and the flame signal S ₆ is provided in the main body side controller 6. , Control signals C ₁ , C ₂ , C ₃ , rotation drive signal C ₄
And an output circuit 62 for outputting a control signal C ₅ is installed. Further, a central processing unit (CPU) 63 is installed as an arithmetic and control unit which receives these detection signals S _{1 to} S ₆ and a control input from the remote controller 8 to perform necessary calculations and generate a control output. In the CPU 63,
Of the input signals applied to the input circuit 61, the analog signals are input via an analog / digital converter (A / D) 64. The CPU 63 has an oscillating circuit 65 for forming a control timing signal, a read-only memory (ROM) 66 as storage means for storing various control programs such as a voice guide program, and a writable memory for storing information in the course of calculation. And a transmission / reception circuit 68 for transmitting / receiving control information to / from the remote controller 8.

The remote controller 8 is provided with a transmission / reception circuit 81 connected to the transmission / reception circuit 68 of the main controller 6 via the transmission / reception cable 10.
Central processing unit (CPU) 8 as an arithmetic control means for performing necessary arithmetic operations and generating control outputs
2, an input circuit 83 is connected to the CPU 82, and the operation switches SW1,
Set temperature rise switch SW2, Set temperature fall switch S
W3 is connected. These switches SW1 to SW
Reference numeral 3 denotes a momentary push button switch. The CPU 82 has an oscillating circuit 84 for forming a control timing signal, and a read-only memory (R) as storage means for storing a control program such as an audio guide program.
OM) 85, a writable memory (RAM) 86 for storing information in the course of calculation, an LCD drive circuit 87 for driving an LCD display 440 as output means, and a speech synthesis output based on the calculation output. Is connected. Voice synthesis circuit 88
Has audio data R as storage means for storing audio information.
OM89 is connected and C as voice data reading means
An audio output circuit 90 is connected as audio output means for receiving audio information from the audio data ROM 89 by the PU 82 and outputting a synthesized audio output to the speaker 46.

The hot water supply control and the voice guide program based on the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. When the power switch is turned on, each of the controllers 6 and 8 performs initial settings and prepares for a control operation. In FIG. 3, in step S1, it is determined whether the operation switch SW1 is on or not, and the operation switch SW1 is turned on.
If 1 is off, the process proceeds to step S2. In step S2, it is determined whether the hot water taps 18A and 18B are open. If neither hot water tap 18A or 18B is open, the process returns to step S1. If any one of the hot water taps 18A and 18B is open, the process proceeds to step S3, and after "turn on the operation switch" is output as a voice output, the process returns to step S1.

In step S1, the operation switch SW1
Is turned on, the process proceeds to step S4, and it is determined whether or not the hot water taps 18A and 18B are opened.
In this case, if neither of the hot water taps 18A and 18B is open, the process waits until one of the hot water taps is opened in step S4. When both or one of the hot water taps 18A and 18B is opened in step S4, the process proceeds to step S5, and the operation of the fan motor 33 is performed.

Next, in step S6, it is determined whether or not the rotation speed of the fan 32 is normal.
Move to step S7. In step S7, an ignition control signal is applied to the ignition transformer 38, and ignition is started.
Next, in step S8, after the main solenoid valve 26, the hot water supply solenoid valve 28, and the proportional valve 30 are controlled to be opened by the control output of the main body side controller 6, the process proceeds to step S9. In step S9, it is determined whether flame has been detected based on the presence or absence of a flame signal from the frame rod 36. If it is determined in step S9 that a flame has been detected,
The process proceeds to step S10, and “normally ignited” is output as a voice output.

Next, in step S11 (FIG. 4), the original solenoid valve 26, the hot water supply solenoid valve 28, and the proportional valve 30 are kept open in a state where the ignition signal to the ignition transformer 38 is released, and the process proceeds to step S12. I do. In step S12, it is determined whether or not a flame is detected. If the flame is detected, the process proceeds to step S13. Step S
At 13, it is determined whether the fan rotation is normal or not,
If the fan rotation is normal, the process proceeds to step S14. In step S14, it is determined whether or not the idle heating prevention switch 40 has not been operated. If not, the process proceeds to step S15. In step S15, hot water HW
It is determined whether or not the temperature has risen to the set temperature. If the temperature has risen to the set temperature, the process proceeds to step S16, and after "hot water becomes hot" and "be careful" are output as voice outputs Then, the process proceeds to step S17. Also, if it is determined in step S15 that the temperature has not risen to the set temperature, the process skips step S16 and shifts to step S17. In step S17, it is determined whether one or both of the hot-water taps 18A and 18B are open. If either one is open, the process proceeds to step S18,
It is determined whether or not the operation switch SW1 is on, and if it is on, the process returns to step S11.

If it is determined in step S6 (FIG. 3) that the fan speed is not normal, step S19 is performed.
Then, it is determined whether or not the delay time has elapsed. If the delay time has not elapsed, the process returns to step S5, and the operation of the fan motor 33 is continuously performed. If it is determined in step S19 that the delay time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S20, where the fan motor 33
After the stop operation is performed, the process proceeds to step S21 (FIG. 4).

Next, when it is determined in step S12 that the flame detection has not been performed, when it is determined in step S13 that the fan rotation is not normal, or in step S14.
Also, when it is determined that the empty-fire prevention switch 40 is operating, the process proceeds to step S21. Step S21
Then, after outputting "Abnormality has occurred in the water heater" and "Please contact the nearest service store" as an audio output notifying the occurrence of the abnormality, the process proceeds to step S22.

In step S17, hot water taps 18A, 1
If the switch 8B is not open, or if the operation switch SW1 is not on in step S18, the process also proceeds to step S22.

In step S9 (FIG. 3), it is determined that the flame has not been detected, and the process proceeds to step S23. If the predetermined delay time has not elapsed in step S23, the process proceeds to step S7, and the process proceeds to step S7. If the delay time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S22.

In step S22, the fan motor 33,
After stopping all operations of the ignition transformer 38, the original electromagnetic valve 26, the hot water supply electromagnetic valve 28, and the proportional valve 30, all control operations are ended.

In the voice guide control, a signal output from the main controller 6 is transmitted from the transmission / reception circuit 68 through the transmission / reception cable 10 and applied to the transmission / reception circuit 81 of the remote controller 8.
That is, in the remote controller 8, the signal is decoded by the CPU 82, the audio data is selected by the audio synthesis circuit 88, and the digital data is converted into an analog signal. In this case, audio data to be generated is stored as digital data in the audio data ROM 89, and the audio synthesis circuit 88
Based on the control information from the controller 6 on the main body side, the voice information therein, for example, “Please turn on the operation switch” is selected. This audio output is applied to the speaker 46 through the audio output circuit 90, and is output from the speaker 46 as audio.

In the embodiment, the operation switch operation guide or the operation leading to the occurrence of abnormality and the message about the guidance have been described as an example. However, the present invention can be used for a reheating water heater. The control operation and the operation procedure accompanying the reheating are output by voice.

In the embodiment, the controller on the main body and the controller on the remote controller are linked by a transmission / reception cable. However, instead of the transmission / reception cable, light or radio waves may be used as a signal transmission medium for wireless communication.

[0029]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The following effects can be obtained. (A) According to the first aspect of the present invention, the water heater is controlled.
The operator operates the power switch during the control processing of the control means
Language voice message
A message that can be known by a message
The operation switch based on the spoken voice message
The power switch and the operation switch can be weighted
Faster operation start with more safety
Wear. (B) According to the second aspect of the present invention, the operation switch
After the operation, normal control operation is performed and the tap water temperature is set to the set temperature.
When the status has changed, the situation is
And know safety. (C) According to the third aspect of the present invention, after the flame detection,
A language voice message indicates the operation abnormality that has occurred and how to deal with the abnormality.
Page, and resolves concerns about using the device.
It can be turned off and the safety of the equipment can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of a hot water supply apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration example of a controller in the hot water supply apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a voice guide program in the hot water supply apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a voice guide program in the hot water supply device shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 Water heater 6 Main body controller (control means) 8 Remote controller (control means) 42 Switch group SW1 Operation switch SW2 Set temperature rise switch SW3 Set temperature decrease switch 46 Speaker (Audio output means) 82 CPU (Audio data read means) 88 voice synthesis circuit (voice synthesis means) 89 voice data ROM (storage means) 90 voice output circuit

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Masaru Nagata 201 Nishi-Kashiwara Nitta, Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture Inside Takagi Sangyo Co., Ltd. ) Inventor Mochizuki Atsushi 201, Nishi-Kashiwara Shinden, Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture Inside Takagi Sangyo Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-2-55461 (JP, A) JP-A-2-37213 (JP, A) JP 62-194109 (JP, A) JP-A-3-199923 (JP, A) JP-A-3-199784 (JP, A) JP-A-64-194109 (JP, A) JP-A-3-129854 (JP, A) U) Fully open 1986-169352 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) F24D 17/00 D F24H 1/10 301 D G10L 3/00 Q H04Q 9/00 301 B H04Q 9/00 311 V

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A water heater for heating and supplying hot water.
And the main body controller linked to the main body controller.
A remote control that controls the water heater through a roller
A roller, an operation switch provided on the remote controller, for instructing operation start, a hot water tap for supplying hot water obtained by the water heater, and whether the operation switch provided on the remote controller is operated. determination means for determining, and storing means for storing the audio data provided to the remote control controller representative of the operating information of the operation switch, provided in the remote control controller, the operation Sui
When the hot water tap is opened without operating the switch,
Voice data reading means for reading the voice data from the storage means in accordance with the determination result of the determination means; voice synthesis means for synthesizing a voice signal with the voice data read by the voice data reading means; And a sound output means for uttering a sound indicating operation information to turn on the operation switch based on the synthesized sound signal. 2. A water heater for heating and supplying hot water.
And the main body controller linked to the main body controller.
A remote control that controls the water heater through a roller
A roller, an operation switch provided on the remote controller, for instructing start of operation, a temperature setting means provided on the remote controller, for setting a tapping temperature of the water heater , and the controller. determining means for determining whether hot water temperature of the water heater reaches the set temperature provided, provided in the remote control controller, storing voice data representing the tapping temperature information should be notified to the operator And voice data read from the storage means , provided in the remote controller, for reading out the voice data indicating that the tapping temperature is hot when the tapping temperature reaches a set temperature after the operation of the operation switch. Reading means; and a language message indicating that the hot water temperature is high, based on the voice data read by the voice data reading means. Voice synthesizing means for synthesizing a voice signal representing the sound, and voice output means for generating a linguistic voice indicating that the tapping temperature is hot by the voice signal synthesized by the voice synthesizing means. Water heater. 3. Controlling a water heater for heating and supplying hot water.
And the main body controller linked to the main body controller.
A remote control that controls the water heater through a roller
A roller, an operation switch provided on the remote controller, and instructing start of operation, and an operation switch provided on the remote controller, and the operation of the operation switch and the combustion operation make the rotation of the fan motor correct.
Determining means for determining whether the operation abnormality by determining normal or not, provided in the remote control controller, prior to be notified
Storage means for storing voice data representing the serial operation abnormality, provided on the remote control controller, after the operation switch is operated, the judgment result of the judging means,
Voice data reading means for reading the voice data indicating the operation abnormality from the storage means, and voice synthesis for synthesizing a voice signal representing a language message indicating an abnormal state and processing guidance with the voice data read by the voice data reading means. And a voice output means for uttering a language voice indicating processing guidance together with the operation abnormality by the voice signal synthesized by the voice synthesis means.