JP3989407B2 - Bath kettle with water heater - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a hot water bath equipped with a hot water filling function by pouring from a hot water supply circuit and a reheating function by a reheating circulation circuit, and more particularly, a circulation pump and a water flow switch installed in the reheating circulation circuit. The present invention relates to techniques for failure determination and determination of the presence or absence of hot water in a bathtub.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a hot water bath equipped with a hot water heater includes a hot water supply circuit and a recirculation circuit, and the hot water supply circuit and the recirculation circuit are connected by a pouring circuit. In general, the recirculation circuit is provided with a circulation pump and a water flow switch. When reheating operation is performed, the circulation pump is first operated to circulate hot water in the bathtub into the recirculation circuit, and then Control is performed to start combustion after confirming that the water flow switch receives the circulating flow and changes from OFF (closed) to ON (open), and this allows combustion without hot water in the bathtub. It is designed to prevent the occurrence of airing that starts. In other words, the water flow switch is used to prevent the occurrence of idling, and it is necessary to determine whether the water flow switch is operating normally or has failed.
[0003]
Patent Document 1 proposes the following as a method for determining a failure of the water flow switch. In this hot water heater-equipped bathtub, a circulation pump, a motorized valve, a water flow switch, and a heat exchanger for heating are interposed in this order in the recirculation circuit, and the downstream end of the water pouring circuit is located between the motorized valve and the water flow switch. The structure is such that the hot water from the pouring circuit is always dropped into the bathtub after passing through the water flow switch and the heat exchanger by closing the motor-operated valve. Is assumed. When the electric valve and the water pouring valve are closed, the water flow switch is turned off, and when the water pouring valve is opened and the water is poured, the water flow switch is determined to be normal. If the valve is closed or turned on, or if it is turned off, the water flow switch is judged to be abnormal (failure).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-72254
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the water flow switch failure determination method proposed in Patent Document 1 above, a bath with a water heater that can forcibly cut off the flow in the recirculation circuit by interposing an electric valve in the middle of the recirculation circuit Since the hook is premised on, the above-mentioned electric valve is interposed, resulting in an increase in manufacturing cost and a result that is contrary to downsizing. For this reason, the above motor valve is usually omitted.
[0006]
On the other hand, there is the following inconvenience in the case of control for preventing idling at the time of a chasing operation with a normal structure in which the above motorized valve is not provided. In other words, after filling is completed by pouring through the pouring circuit, when the reheating operation is started by turning on the reheating switch or the automatic bath switch, the water flow switch is first turned on by operating the circulation pump. In the case of reheating operation control that starts (permits) combustion after confirming the above, if the water flow switch remains off even if the circulation pump operation is controlled, it is determined that an error has occurred and the remote controller, etc. Thus, error notification (warning) is executed. Then, the user who sees the error notification contacts the manufacturer or the dealer, and repairs and inspections are performed by a worker dispatched from the dealer.
[0007]
However, in the above case, it may be due to equipment failure of the circulation pump or water flow switch, or the circulation pump and water flow switch are both normal, but there is no hot water in the bathtub (the water level is lower than the suction port of the circulation adapter). Despite this, it is unclear in terms of control whether the cause is a user's erroneous operation of turning on the retrace switch or the like. Nevertheless, as a result of uniform error notification, if the user's erroneous operation is the cause, the above repair / inspection by the worker is wasted.
[0008]
On the other hand, if the failure is due to equipment failure, the circulation pump is operating normally but the water flow switch is broken, whether the water flow switch is normal but the circulation pump is broken, or Since it is unclear from the control whether both the circulation pump and the water flow switch are malfunctioning, the above workers carry out repair and inspection work for both the circulation pump and the water flow switch. It must be.
[0009]
Even when the user's erroneous operation is excluded, the determination method for confirming whether or not the water flow switch is turned on at the start of the chasing operation is filled with water in the bathtub. It is assumed that there is hot water above the suction port of the circulation adapter, and if there is no hot water in the bathtub, failure judgment of the water flow switch is performed unless an electric valve as described in Patent Document 1 is installed. There is also the inconvenience that it cannot be obtained.
[0010]
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a hot water bath-equipped bath pot that can specify which one of the circulation pump and the running water detection means is malfunctioning. It is in. At the same time, it is possible to notify that there is a failure only when there is a true device failure, and to automatically stop execution of the control without being treated as a failure if caused by a user's erroneous operation. It is in.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a pouring circuit in which pouring water that flows into the reheating circuit through the pouring circuit is filled on the bathtub side without passing through the circulation pump and the flowing water detecting means. In this structure, the downstream end is connected to the reheating circuit, and the location where the abnormality has occurred in the circulation pump and / or the flowing water detection means can be reliably specified.
[0012]
Specifically, in the present invention, a hot water supply circuit for heating the hot water and a reheating circuit for circulating and heating the hot water in the bathtub are connected to each other via the pouring circuit, and the hot water is supplied from the hot water supply circuit. The following specific matters are provided for a hot water bath with a water heater that is configured such that hot water is filled in the bathtub through the reheating circuit by pouring the reheating circuit through the circuit.
[0013]
That is, an abnormality determination processing unit, and a circulating pump at a midway position of any one of the return path and the forward path constituting the reheating circuit, and a flowing water detection unit that detects flowing water at a discharge side position of the circulating pump. The downstream end side of the pouring circuit is branched and connected to the return path and the forward path at the bathtub side position rather than the circulation pump and the flowing water detection means. Then, as the abnormality determination processing means, after the start of the pouring operation through the pouring circuit, the operation of the circulation pump is started on condition that there is no detection of flowing water by the flowing water detection means. A change in the flow detection by the flow detection means is monitored at the start, and based on the change in the flow detection, it is determined whether both the circulation pump and the flow detection means are normal or at least one is abnormal. ).
[0014]
In the case of the present invention, since the downstream end side of the pouring circuit is branched and connected to each position of the return path and the outgoing path on the bathtub side rather than the interposition position of the circulation pump and the flowing water detection means, The hot water is dropped into the bathtub through the return path and the forward path without passing through the circulation pump and the running water detection means. For this reason, as a result of the staying state without flowing water on the return path and the outgoing path where the circulating pump and the flowing water detecting means are interposed, if the flowing water detecting means is normal, the flowing water by the flowing water detecting means Filling by pouring is performed in the absence of detection. When the operation of the circulation pump is started on the condition that there is no detection of flowing water by the flowing water detection means, the pouring hot water that has not been passed until then is sucked into the circulation pump and discharged to the flowing water detection means side, If the circulation pump is operating normally, the running water is detected. For this reason, it is determined that the circulating pump and the flowing water detecting means are both normal if there is flowing water detection, while the circulating pump is abnormal if the flowing water is not detected, the flowing water detecting means is abnormal, or both are abnormal. It can be determined. In this case, the abnormality of the water flow detection means means that, when this water flow detection means is constituted by, for example, a water flow switch, the flaps of the water flow switch are closed (OFF state) and the electrical contacts are separated to detect the water flow. It means that an OFF abnormality that is stuck in the closed state is generated because it is not present. As described above, whether or not the circulation pump and the running water detection means are both normal or abnormal occurs in the pouring operation stage, which is the stage before the start of the chasing operation, regardless of the presence or absence of hot water in the bathtub. It is possible to reliably determine whether or not It should be noted that after the operation of the circulating pump is continued for a predetermined time required for the determination process, the operation may be stopped.
[0015]
In the case of the above-described present invention, the following various specific items can be additionally adopted for the abnormality determination processing means.
[0016]
That is, first, as the abnormality determination processing means, when the flowing water detection means is detected after the start of the pouring operation and before the operation of the circulation pump, the flowing water detection means is abnormal. A configuration for determination may be added (claim 2). In this case, in combination with the adoption of a structure that does not allow the above-described pouring to pass through the circulation pump and the flowing water detecting means, the flowing water detecting means itself is abnormal in the pouring stage that is the stage before the start of the reheating operation. Occurrence can be determined with certainty, and subsequent measures can be taken.
[0017]
Secondly, it further comprises a temperature detection sensor for detecting the temperature of the hot water in the reheating circuit and at least the temperature of the hot water at the discharge side position of the circulation pump, and the operation of the circulation pump is performed as the abnormality determination processing means. If no running water is detected by the running water detection means even if it is started, the temperature of the hot water poured through the hot water pouring circuit is changed and the change in the temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor is monitored. You may make it add the structure which determines whether abnormality generation is a circulating pump or a flowing water detection means based on whether it changes according to the change of temperature (Claim 3). In this case, in addition to determining whether or not an abnormality has occurred in at least one of the circulation pump and the running water detection means, it is possible to identify which abnormality has occurred. That is, if a temperature change corresponding to the change in pouring temperature is detected by the temperature detection sensor, the circulating pump is operating normally, and there is no flowing water detection even though the circulating pump is normal. While the means can be determined to be abnormal, if the temperature change is not detected by the temperature detection sensor, it can be determined that the circulating pump is not operating normally and is abnormal.
[0018]
Thirdly, a notification unit is further provided, and when the circulation pump and / or the running water detection unit is determined to be abnormal, the notification unit notifies the abnormality occurrence together with the abnormality occurrence point. You may make it add the structure to perform (Claim 4). In this case, since the location of the abnormality is notified in addition to the fact that the abnormality has occurred, the inspection and repair by the worker can be performed quickly and reliably. In addition, since the user is informed at the pouring stage before the chasing operation, it becomes possible for the user to recognize the occurrence of the abnormality and deal with it before the actual failure occurs. It is possible for a worker who handles a repair or the like to deal with only an abnormality based on an equipment failure, not an abnormality based on a user's erroneous operation.
[0019]
Fourthly, as the abnormality determination processing unit, when both the circulation pump and the running water detection unit are determined to be normal by the determination process in the pouring operation, a subsequent reheating operation using the reheating circuit is permitted. May be added (claim 5). In this case, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of a situation in which a malfunction becomes apparent only when the recirculation operation is performed while the circulation pump and / or the running water detection means are abnormal.
[0020]
Fifth, as the abnormality determination processing means, when both the circulation pump and the running water detection means are determined to be normal by the determination process in the pouring operation, the reheating operation using the reheating circuit is started. A configuration for monitoring a change in water flow detection by the water flow detection means before and after the operation of the circulation pump is started, and determining whether there is hot water that can be rerun in the bathtub based on the change in the water flow detection May be added (claim 6). In this case, it is possible to reliably determine that the abnormality detection in the chasing operation is not based on a device failure but based on an erroneous operation of the user. That is, since both the circulation pump and the running water detection means are determined to be normal in the pouring operation stage before the reheating operation, when the circulation pump is activated to start the reheating operation, the reheating operation is performed in the bathtub. If there is hot water that can be operated, the hot water flows in the recirculation circuit by the circulation pump, so the flow detection means changes from no flow detection to the presence, so the output about the change in the flow detection is received in the bathtub. It can be determined that there is hot water. On the other hand, if running water detection does not change even if the circulating pump is activated, there is not enough hot water in the bathtub to allow reheating operation, and the user operation itself for starting this reheating operation is not performed by the user. It can be determined that the operation is incorrect. That is, it can be determined that there is no hot or cold water in the bathtub or that an ON operation such as a reheating switch or an automatic bath switch has been erroneously performed without forgetting to close the drain plug of the bathtub. Note that “whether there is hot water that can be rerun in the bathtub” usually means that the piping on the reflow circuit side is connected to the bathtub via a circulation adapter. If there is no hot water up to a level above the inlet of the pipe, it will be impossible to retreat, so if the water level in the bathtub is below the intake, it means that there is no hot water that can be rerun. If the water level is above the suction port, it means that there is hot water.
[0021]
In this case, a notification unit is further provided, and, as the abnormality determination processing unit, a configuration for forcibly terminating the execution of the chasing operation control when it is determined that there is no hot water that can be chased in the bathtub. (Claim 7). In this case, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of problems due to erroneous operations. In other words, if heating for reheating is started without hot water that can be rerun in the bathtub, empty fire will be generated. However, it will be possible to automatically stop before recognizing that there is no hot water and stopping chasing.
[0022]
In addition, a notification means is provided, and as the abnormality determination processing means, a process for notifying that the hot water in the bathtub is insufficient is also performed by the notification means when the execution of the chasing operation control is forcibly terminated. You may make it a structure (Claim 8). In this case, even if the user's operation is based on an erroneous operation, by notifying that the hot water is insufficient, the user is made aware that the operation is based on an erroneous operation, and hot water is placed in the bathtub. It becomes possible to take measures such as correcting forgetting to add or drain plugs.
[0023]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to any of the hot water baths with a hot water heater according to any one of claims 1 to 8, in a normal pouring operation, the pouring from the pouring circuit is connected to the circulation pump and the flowing water detecting means. Since it is dropped into the bathtub through the return path and the forward path without passing, the circulating pump and the flowing water detecting means are operated by operating the circulating pump during pouring and seeing the flow detection change of the flowing water detecting means. It is possible to determine whether both are normal, or whether the circulating pump is abnormal, the flowing water detection means is abnormal, or both are abnormal. For this reason, regardless of the presence or absence of hot water in the bathtub, at the pouring operation stage, which is the stage before the start of the chasing operation, whether both the circulation pump and the running water detection means are normal or an abnormality occurs in at least one of them. It is possible to reliably determine whether or not it is.
[0024]
In particular, according to claim 2, coupled with the adoption of a structure that does not allow the above-described pouring to pass through the circulation pump and the running water detection means, the running water detection is performed at the pouring stage that is the stage before the start of the reheating operation. It is possible to reliably determine the occurrence of an abnormality in the means itself and to take subsequent measures.
[0025]
According to the third aspect, in addition to the determination of the occurrence of an abnormality in at least one of the circulation pump and the running water detection means, it is possible to specify whether the occurrence of the abnormality is the circulation pump or the running water detection means.
[0026]
According to the fourth aspect, since the abnormality occurrence location is notified in addition to the occurrence of the abnormality, the inspection and repair by the worker can be performed quickly and reliably. In addition, since the user is informed at the pouring stage before the reheating operation, the user can recognize the occurrence of an abnormality and take measures against it before an actual failure occurs. For the worker who performs the countermeasures such as the above, it is possible to deal only with the abnormality based on the equipment failure, not the abnormality based on the user's erroneous operation.
[0027]
According to claim 5, unless both the circulation pump and the running water detection means are determined to be normal, the subsequent refueling operation is not permitted, so that the circulation pump and / or the running water detection means are kept abnormal. It is possible to avoid the occurrence of a situation in which a problem becomes apparent only after the whispering operation is performed.
[0028]
According to claim 6, since both the circulation pump and the running water detection means have already been determined to be normal at the pouring operation stage before the reheating operation, if there is an abnormality detected in the reheating operation, the cause is It is based on a user's mistaken operation, such as when there is no hot water in the interior or the user has forgotten to close the drain valve of the bathtub and accidentally turned on the rework switch or automatic bath switch. Yes, it is possible to reliably determine that there is no equipment failure.
[0029]
In this case, according to the seventh aspect, when it is determined that there is no hot water that can be rerun in the bathtub, the automatic process of forced termination of the rerun operation control causes the occurrence of a malfunction such as the occurrence of an empty operation based on an erroneous operation. It will be possible to avoid it. Further, according to claim 8, even if the user's operation is based on an erroneous operation, the user is made aware that the hot water is insufficient and that the user is based on the erroneous operation. It is possible to take measures such as adding hot water or correcting forgetting to close the drain valve.
[0030]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0031]
FIG. 1 shows a 1-can, 2-circuit-type water bath with a water heater 100 as an embodiment of the water bath with a water heater according to the present invention. This hot water heater-equipped bath tub 100 includes a hot water supply circuit 2, a reheating circuit 3 that replenishes hot water in the bathtub 200, and the hot water supply circuit 2 and the reheating circuit 3 that are connected to each other. A pouring circuit 4 for pouring hot water for filling the bathtub 200 via the watering circuit 3 and a controller 5 including a failure determination processing means to be described later are provided. The circulation circuit 3 is configured in a single-can two-circuit type that is heat-exchanged and heated in one common heat-exchange can body 6.
[0032]
The hot water supply circuit 2 includes a combustion burner 13 installed in the heat exchange can body 6 with water that enters the hot water heat exchanger 12 as a hot water supply heating unit 11 from a water supply path 11 connected to a water pipe or the like. Heat exchange heat is performed by combustion heat, and hot water after heating is supplied to the hot water tap 15 at the downstream end through the outlet 14. A bypass passage 16 that bypasses the heat exchanger 12 is provided between the water supply passage 11 and the hot water supply passage 14, and water for the hot water from the hot water supply passage 14 is adjusted by opening adjustment by position control of the bypass control valve 17. Thus, the hot water supply temperature for the hot water tap 15 and the like can be adjusted.
[0033]
The water supply passage 11 is provided with an incoming water flow rate sensor 18 and an incoming water temperature sensor 19, while the hot water supply passage 14 is provided with hot water from the heat exchange can body 4 at a position near the outlet of the heat exchanger 12. A can body temperature sensor 20 for detecting the temperature of the hot water immediately after the heating, a hot water supply flow rate control valve 21, and a hot water supply temperature sensor 22 for detecting the temperature of hot water supplied to the hot water tap 15 or the pouring circuit 4 described later. It is arranged.
[0034]
The recirculation circuit 3 is replenished by the combustion burner 13 with a recuperation heat exchanger 31 as a reheating heater, a return path 32 for returning hot water from the bathtub 200 to the heat exchanger 31 and a heat exchanger 31. A circulation path 34 including an outgoing path 33 for supplying the hot and cold water to the bathtub 200 and a circulation pump 35 for circulation are provided. The circulation pump 35 is interposed in the middle of the return path 32, and a return path 32 on the discharge side of the circulation pump 35 includes a bath return temperature sensor 36 as a temperature detection sensor for detecting the hot water temperature in the return path 32, and A water flow switch 37 serving as a water flow detecting means for opening the flapper 37a and outputting an ON signal by the passage of the running water is interposed in this order. When the water flow switch 37 is in a normally operating state, the flapper 37a is closed and the electrical contact is opened if there is no running water, and is turned OFF. On the other hand, if there is running water, the flapper 37a is pushed by the pressure of the running water. An ON signal is output because the electrical contact is closed by opening. That is, if it is normal, the water flow switch 37 being “ON” means that there is water flow detection, and “OFF” means that there is no water flow detection.
[0035]
The pouring circuit 4 is a pouring path for pouring hot water that is branched from the hot water supply path 14 of the hot water supply circuit 2 and heated in the hot water supply circuit 2 into the circulation path 34 and fills the bathtub 200. 41 and a negative pressure destruction valve 42 that opens the pouring passage 41 to the atmosphere when the water supply passage 11 side falls into a negative pressure state due to the occurrence of a water cut or the like due to a power failure or the like. The pouring passage 41 has an upstream end branched from a hot water supply passage 14 at a downstream position of the hot water supply flow rate control valve 21, a downstream end branched in two directions, and one end 411 is a return passage on the suction side of the circulation pump 35. 32, and the other end 412 is connected to a midway position of the outgoing path 33 via a check valve 413. That is, the downstream end side of the pouring channel 41 is connected to the return channel 32 and the forward channel 33 at the bathtub side position with respect to the circulation pump 35 and the water flow switch 37. A pouring flow rate sensor 42 that detects the pouring flow rate, a pouring valve 43 that switches between performing and stopping pouring by open / close control, and reverse flow into the hot water supply circuit 2 are prevented in the pouring channel 41. For this purpose, two-stage check valves 44 and 44 are interposed. In the negative pressure release valve 42, the water supply pressure from the water supply passage 11 is introduced to one side of the built-in valve, while the internal pressure of the pouring passage 41 is introduced to the other side from between the check valves 44, 44, Since the water supply pressure is always high, the valve is closed, and when the water supply passage 11 falls into a negative pressure state due to the water shutoff or the like, the valve is opened to open the pouring passage 41 to the atmosphere.
[0036]
As a result of adopting the connection structure of the downstream ends 411 and 412 of the pouring channel 41 to the reheating circuit 3, the path through which the pouring from the pouring circuit 4 is dropped into the bathtub 200 is as follows. Become. When the pouring valve 43 is opened by the controller 5 which will be described later and pouring is started, the hot water from the tapping channel 14 passes through the pouring channel 41 as shown by a thick line and an arrow in FIG. Branched into two downstream ends 411 and 412 and supplied to both the return path 32 and the forward path 33, and the supplied hot water passes through both the return path 32 and the forward path 33, and the circulation adapter 201 is supplied to the bathtub 200 by the both transport system. The hot water is poured and filled. At this time, the above-mentioned pouring does not flow into the circulation pump 35 and the water flow switch 37. For this reason, if the water flow switch 37 is normal, its flapper 37a is closed and turned off, and passes through the heat exchanger 31. Therefore, the heat is not reheated in the heat exchanger 31 by the combustion heat of the combustion burner 13. In other words, the hot water filling is poured into the bathtub 200 without passing through the circulation pump 35 and the water flow switch 37 and without being reheated by the heat exchanger 31. Since reheating is not performed as described above, the hot water temperature filled in the bathtub 200 is equal to the set hot water temperature for the hot water supplied from the hot water supply circuit 2 side unless the heat radiation is taken into consideration.
[0037]
Further, the heat exchange can body 6 is provided with a blower fan 61 for supplying combustion air to the combustion burner 13, and a gas supply pipe 62 for supplying fuel gas is connected to the combustion burner 13. The gas supply pipe 62 is provided with an original gas electromagnetic valve and an electromagnetic proportional valve, and a combustion system 7 is constituted by the blower fan 61, the original gas electromagnetic valve, the electromagnetic proportional valve, the combustion burner 13, and the like. Is controlled based on the detection value of the can body temperature sensor 20 or the like, thereby controlling the combustion operation of the combustion burner 13.
[0038]
The above-described hot water bath-equipped 100 is equipped with an MPU, a memory, and the like, and a controller 5 in which various control programs are stored allows various operation controls such as a hot water supply operation, a pouring operation, and a reheating operation to be performed from the remote controller 51. This is performed based on the output and the output from the various sensors described above. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the controller 5 performs a hot water supply control unit 52 that performs a hot water supply operation on the hot water tap 15 by the hot water supply circuit 2 and a hot water supply operation that fills the bathtub 200 by the hot water supply circuit 4. A hot water control unit 53, a reheating control unit 54 that performs a reheating operation in which hot water in the bathtub 200 is reheated to a predetermined temperature by the reheating circuit 3, and an abnormality such as a failure of the circulation pump 35 and the water flow switch 37 is mainly generated. An abnormality determination processing unit 55 is provided as an abnormality determination processing unit that performs various processes by determining and detecting or determining a user's erroneous operation on the remote controller 51.
[0039]
The hot water supply control by the hot water supply control unit 52 is performed as follows. That is, when the hot water tap 15 is opened, the water supply channel 11 receives water from a predetermined water pipe at a minimum operating flow rate (MOQ; for example, 3 liters / minute) or more. Combustion operation control of the system 7 is started, and then the hot water temperature set by the user in the remote controller 51 is set based on the detected values of the incoming water temperature from the incoming water temperature sensor 19 and the hot water temperature from the hot water temperature sensor 22. The combustion operation amount is controlled. When the hot water tap 15 is closed by the user, the detected incoming water flow rate of the incoming water flow rate sensor 18 becomes less than the minimum operating flow rate and eventually becomes zero, so the combustion operation is stopped and the hot water supply operation control is ended. .
[0040]
The pouring control by the pouring control unit 53 is started when the hot water filling switch or the automatic bath switch of the remote controller 51 is turned on by the user. That is, the combustion control by the combustion control system 7 is performed so that the pouring valve 43 is opened and the hot water is discharged at a predetermined set pouring temperature in the same manner as the hot water supply control. As a result, the hot water is poured from the hot water supply passage 14 through the pouring passage 41 to the reheating circuit 3 and then poured into the bathtub 200 through the above-described route. This pouring is performed in one or more stages until the bath 200 is filled with a predetermined amount of filling.
[0041]
The chasing control by the chasing control unit 54 is performed as follows. That is, if the user turns on the reheating switch of the remote controller 51, or if the user turns on the above-described bath automatic switch in the previous stage, the refilling command is issued when the filling by the pouring control is finished. 5 and is started in response to this revocation command. First, the operation of the circulation pump 35 is started, and when the ON signal is output from the water flow switch 37 by the start of this operation, the combustion operation control of the combustion system 7 is started and the combustion burner 13 is combusted. This combustion operation is performed so that the temperature detected by the bath return temperature sensor 36 maintains the set bath temperature. That is, the combustion operation is performed if the detected temperature of the bath return temperature sensor 36 is lower than the set bath temperature, and the combustion operation is stopped if the detected temperature is equal to or higher than the set bath temperature.
[0042]
The determination process is performed by the abnormality determination processing unit 55 in each operation control by the pouring control unit 53 and the reheating control unit 54 described above. That is, during the pouring operation, whether the circulation pump 35 and the water flow switch 37 are normal or abnormal is determined, the start of the reheating operation is permitted based on the determination result, and the bathtub is started when the reheating operation is started. The presence / absence of a user's erroneous operation is determined by determining whether there is a predetermined amount of hot water in 200. The process performed by the abnormality determination processing unit 55 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
[0043]
First, whether or not pouring is being performed is determined based on information from the pouring control unit 53 and it is confirmed that pouring by pouring operation has started (step S1; see FIG. 4). Confirm that it is OFF (no detection of running water). As described above, since the pouring does not pass through the circulation pump 35 or the water flow switch 37 as shown in FIG. 2A, it should be OFF if the water flow switch 37 is normal. Based on this principle, it is determined that the water flow switch 37 is OFF by confirming that the water flow switch 37 is OFF (YES in step S2), and then the operation of the circulation pump 35 is started ( ON) (step S3).
[0044]
When the circulation pump 35 is operated, the circulation pump 35 is normal, and if it operates normally, the pouring flow should be as shown by a thick line and an arrow in FIG. That is, most of the pouring from the pouring passage 41 is sucked into the circulation pump 35 through the downstream end 411 and pushes the flapper 37a of the water flow switch 37 to turn it on, and then passes through the heat exchanger 31 to the outgoing passage. 33, and the hot water is poured into the bathtub 200 through the outgoing path 33. Therefore, by confirming that the ON signal is output from the water flow switch 37 and changed from OFF to ON (YES in step S4), it is determined that the circulation pump 35 is operating normally together with the water flow switch 37. The determination result is stored (step S5). In this case, since the determination process ends, the operation of the circulation pump 35 is stopped (OFF) thereafter (step S6), and the pouring in the normal route (see FIG. 2A) is continued.
[0045]
On the other hand, after determining that the water flow switch 37 is normal in step S2 (YES in step S2), the circulation pump 35 is operated in step S3, but the water flow switch 37 does not change to ON but remains OFF. (NO in step S4), an abnormality such as a failure has occurred in either one of the circulation pump 35 or the water flow switch 37. Therefore, which one is abnormal is specified by the following processing. That is, while the operation of the circulation pump 35 is continued, a command for changing the set hot water temperature is output to the pouring controller 53, and the temperature of hot water poured from the hot water supply circuit 2 side is changed to, for example, the high temperature side (step S7). Then, it is confirmed whether or not the detected temperature of the return temperature sensor 36 installed on the discharge side of the circulation pump 35 has increased in response to the high temperature side change (step S8).
[0046]
If the circulating pump 35 is normal, the hot water changed to the high temperature side should be discharged from the circulating pump 35. Therefore, if the detected temperature rises, the circulating pump 35 is normal, but the water flow switch 37 is turned on. It is determined that there is an abnormality (OFF failure) (YES in step S8, step S9), and the remote controller 51 notifies that there is an abnormality (failure) in the water flow switch 37 (step S10). The notification by the remote controller 51 may be performed by outputting a pre-recorded voice guide by a built-in speaker or by displaying and outputting text information on the display unit of the remote controller 51, and a warning buzzer or a warning lamp blinking. Etc. may be combined. And it moves to said step S6 and stops the circulation pump 35. FIG. Note that the above-mentioned OFF failure is a state in which hair or the like is caught in the flapper 37a of the water flow switch 37 by the previous driving operation and becomes difficult to move, so that it does not open to the position where the ON signal is output even if it receives running water. That is.
[0047]
On the contrary, if the temperature detected by the return temperature sensor 36 is the same without increasing (if it does not change), it is determined that the water flow switch 37 is normal but the circulation pump 35 is abnormal (failure). (NO in step S8, step S11), the remote controller 51 notifies that the circulation pump 35 is abnormal (failure) (step S12). The notification of the remote controller 51 may be performed in the same manner as in the case of step S10 described above (the same applies to the following notifications), and the determination process is terminated by this notification.
[0048]
Further, in the confirmation / determination in step S2, when the ON signal is output to the water flow switch 37 even though the pouring does not pass through and remains originally OFF, the water flow switch 37 is output. Is determined to be abnormal (ON failure) and the determination result is stored (NO in step S2, step S13; see FIG. 5). Then, it is determined whether the circulation pump 35 is normal or abnormal. That is, the operation of the circulation pump 35 is started (step S14), and the pouring set temperature is changed (for example, changed to the high temperature side) similarly to the above step S7. It is confirmed whether or not it changes (steps S15 and S16).
[0049]
If the detected temperature changes to the high temperature side, it is determined that the circulation pump 35 is operating normally (YES in step S16), and the ON failure of the water flow switch 37 determined in step S13 is notified by the remote controller 51. (Step S17). And it returns to step S6 (refer FIG. 4), and the circulation pump 35 is stopped. On the other hand, if the detected temperature does not change in step S16 (NO in step S16), it is determined that the hot water whose hot water temperature has been changed is not discharged to the high temperature side, that is, the circulation pump 35 is also abnormal. (Step S18), the remote controller 51 notifies that both the circulation pump 35 and the water flow switch 37 are abnormal (Step S19). And it returns to said step S6 and the circulation pump 35 is stopped. The ON failure is an abnormality that does not return to the closed state even when there is no running water because the flapper 37a is constrained to be in an open state due to biting of hair or the like as in the case of the OFF failure.
[0050]
This completes the abnormality determination process for a device failure such as an abnormality of the circulation pump 35 and / or the water flow switch 37 in the pouring stage.
[0051]
Next, the determination process about the presence or absence of the hot water in the bathtub 200 performed at the time of starting a chasing operation is demonstrated based on FIG.
[0052]
First, it is confirmed whether or not the automatic switch or reheating switch of the remote controller 51 has been turned ON by the user, and if either is turned ON, the stored contents of the current determination result at the pouring stage are stored. The circulation pump 35 is actuated on the condition that both the circulation pump 35 and the water flow switch 37 are determined to be normal (see step S5) (YES in step S21, step S22). If the water flow switch 37 is turned on by starting the operation of the circulation pump 35, it is determined that there is an amount of hot water that can be recharged in the bathtub 200, and the reheating control operation of the combustion burner 13 by the reheating controller 54 is permitted. (Step S24).
[0053]
On the contrary, if the water flow switch 37 is not turned on even if the circulation pump 35 is operated, it is determined that there is no hot water in the bathtub 200 that can be rerun (NO in step S23, step S25), The bath automatic switch or the chasing switch is forcibly changed to OFF to stop the chasing control unit 54 from starting chasing control (step S26). At the same time, the remote controller 51 notifies that there is insufficient or no hot water in the bathtub 200 (step S27). As a result, the user confirms whether the drain valve has been forgotten to be closed or whether there is no hot water, recognizes his own erroneous operation and takes an appropriate action, and then turns on the above-mentioned reheating switch etc. again. It will be. That is, the control that is started based on the erroneous operation is not automatically handled without being treated as a failure, and is re-operated by the user who notices the erroneous operation.
[0054]
Such determination of the presence or absence of the amount of hot water in the bathtub 200 is possible for the first time because the determination processing of the circulation pump 35 and the water flow switch 37 is already performed in the pouring operation stage before the reheating operation. Be able to do.
[0055]
Moreover, since the user can be notified by the remote controller 51 separately for the device abnormality (failure) and the content caused by the user's erroneous operation, what the user can deal with by himself (responding to the erroneous operation), work Therefore, it is possible to distinguish from those that need to be irritated / repaired by a worker, and to reduce complaints caused by user's erroneous operation and the frequency of business trip inspection / repair by workers based on the complaints.
[0056]
<Other embodiments>
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, Other various embodiments are included. In other words, in the above embodiment, the temperature return sensor 36 as a temperature detection sensor is installed between the circulation pump 35 and the water flow switch 37. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be installed on the outgoing path 33.
[0057]
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a can with a two-circuit type hot water heater has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention may be applied to a hot water bath provided with a hot water heater in which the heat exchanger 12 for reheating and the heat exchanger 31 for reheating are combusted and heated by different combustion burners.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a flow path of pouring, FIG. 2 (a) shows a normal pouring path, and FIG. 2 (b) shows an operation of the circulation pump 35 by an abnormality determination processing unit 55. Shows the pouring route in the case of
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a controller.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing control contents of an abnormality determination processing unit during a pouring operation.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart constituting a part of the flowchart of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the control content of an abnormality determination processing unit at the start of a chasing operation.
[Explanation of symbols]
2 Hot water supply circuit
3 Reaping circuit
4 Pouring circuit
32 Return
33 Outbound
35 Circulation pump
36 bathing temperature sensor (temperature detection sensor)
37 Water flow switch (flow water detection means)
51 Remote control (notification means)
55 Abnormality determination processing unit (abnormality determination processing means)
100 Bathtub with water heater
200 bathtub

Claims (8)

A hot water supply circuit for heating the hot water and a reheating circuit for circulating and heating the hot water in the bathtub are connected to each other through the pouring circuit, and the hot water is poured from the hot water supply circuit to the reheating circuit through the pouring circuit. In a bathtub with a water heater that is configured so that the bathtub is filled with water through the reheating circuit,
An abnormality determination processing means,
A circulating pump and flowing water detecting means for detecting flowing water at the discharge side position of the circulating pump are interposed in the middle of one of the return path and the outgoing path constituting the reheating circuit, and The downstream end side is branched and connected to the return path and the forward path at the bathtub side position from the circulation pump and the running water detection means, respectively.
The abnormality determination processing means starts the operation of the circulation pump after the start of the pouring operation through the pouring circuit, on condition that there is no detection of the flowing water by the flowing water detection means. It is configured to monitor a change in water flow detection by the water flow detection means and to determine whether both the circulation pump and the water flow detection means are normal or at least one is abnormal based on the change in the water flow detection. A bath pot with a water heater. It is a bath pot with a water heater according to claim 1,
The abnormality determination processing means is configured to determine that the flowing water detection means is abnormal when the flowing water detection means is detected after the pouring operation is started and before the operation of the circulation pump is started. There is a water bath with a water heater. It is a bath pot with a water heater according to claim 1,
A temperature detection sensor that detects the temperature of hot water in the reheating circuit and at least the temperature of hot water at the discharge side position of the circulation pump;
The abnormality determination processing means changes the pouring temperature poured through the pouring circuit and detects the temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor when there is no running water detection even when the circulation pump is started. The change is monitored, and it is configured to determine whether the occurrence of abnormality is a circulation pump or flowing water detection means based on whether or not the detected temperature changes in response to the change of the pouring temperature. There is a water bath with a water heater. It is a bath pot with a water heater according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Further comprising a notification means,
The abnormality determination processing means is configured to perform processing for notifying the occurrence of an abnormality together with an abnormality occurrence position by the notification means when the circulation pump and / or the flowing water detection means are determined to be abnormal. Bath pot with. It is a bath pot with a water heater according to claim 1,
The abnormality determination processing means is configured to permit a subsequent reheating operation using the reheating circuit when both the circulation pump and the running water detection means are determined to be normal by the determination process in the pouring operation. There is a water heater with a water heater. It is a bath pot with a water heater according to claim 1,
When the circulation pump and the running water detection unit are both determined to be normal by the determination process in the pouring operation, the abnormality determination processing unit is configured to start the reheating operation using the reheating circuit. It is configured to monitor a change in the flow detection by the flow detection means before and after the operation is started, and to determine whether there is hot water that can be rerun in the bathtub based on the change in the flow detection. There is a water heater with a water heater. A bath with a water heater according to claim 6,
Further comprising a notification means,
The bath with a water heater is configured such that the abnormality determination processing unit is configured to forcibly end the execution of the chasing operation control when it is determined that there is no hot water that can be chased in the bathtub. A bath with a water heater according to claim 7,
Further comprising a notification means,
The abnormality determination processing unit is configured to perform a process of notifying that the hot water in the bathtub is insufficient by the notification unit when forcibly ending the running operation control. Bath pot with water heater.

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