JP4910490B2 - Automatic diagnosis method for hot water supply system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a hot water supply system and an automatic diagnosis method for a hot water supply system, and more particularly to a hot water supply system capable of automatically diagnosing whether or not the entire system normally operates during construction and an automatic diagnosis method for the hot water supply system.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a heat pump hot water supply system that heats hot water by heat exchange has attracted attention as a hot water supply system that can supply hot water with energy saving. The heat pump hot water supply system is composed of two units, a tank unit and a heat pump unit. And piping for circulating hot water between both units is provided. Therefore, the heat pump hot water supply system has a more complicated piping structure than the conventional hot water supply system. Therefore, when installing such a hot water supply system, in order to confirm whether or not the hot water supply system operates normally, the contractor not only pipes for supplying hot water from the tank unit, but also each of the components constituting the heat pump cycle. It is also necessary to diagnose the unit and piping connecting the heat pump unit and the tank unit. As a method that can be used for failure diagnosis of such a water heater, for example, a failure diagnosis method for a water heater that performs a specific failure diagnosis by individually operating the flow rate adjustment valve of the water heater has been developed (Patent Literature). 1). However, in a heat pump hot water supply system, there are many places where failure diagnosis should be performed. Therefore, if all of them are diagnosed individually, a great amount of time and man-hours are required.

  On the other hand, in order to simplify the operation at the time of the trial run, a control device for trial run is provided, and a control device capable of starting the trial run control mode by multiple pressing of the remote control switch has been developed (Patent Document) 2). In the control device described in Patent Document 2, even in the test operation control mode, the hot water supply system performs the same operation as in the normal operation control mode except for the amount of hot water supply and the set temperature for reheating.

  However, in the heat pump hot water supply system, if air enters the pipe connecting the tank unit and the heat pump unit, the operation of the heat pump unit becomes unstable. For this reason, particularly when diagnosing the hot water supply system at the time of construction, it is necessary to exhaust the air in the piping, and it is necessary to cause the hot water supply system to perform an operation different from that during normal operation.

JP-A-11-153354 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 05-60392

In view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a hot water supply system and an automatic diagnosis method thereof that can perform diagnosis of the entire system with a simple operation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a hot water supply system capable of diagnosing system piping in a short time and an automatic diagnosis method thereof.
Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide a hot water supply system that can easily identify the cause of an abnormality when the system is abnormal, and an automatic diagnosis method thereof.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a hot water supply system according to the present invention is configured to heat a hot water from a plurality of pipes that form a flow path of hot water, or to discharge hot water at a predetermined temperature from a bathtub or a hot water tap. And a control unit (35) for controlling a plurality of functional units that perform predetermined operations. The control unit (35), as means for operating the hot water supply system, is a test operation means (352) for diagnosing a plurality of pipes by operating at least a plurality of functional units in a predetermined procedure, and among the plurality of functional units, A function unit continuous diagnosis means (353) for operating a series of functional units related to a predetermined process and diagnosing whether or not the series of functional units normally operates, and operating any one of a plurality of functional units independently And a function unit single diagnosis means (354) for diagnosing whether or not the function unit that has been independently operated functions normally, and any one of the means for operating the hot water supply system is selected and used. It is characterized by.
By having a plurality of means for operating the hot water supply system in different ways, the entire hot water supply system can be properly diagnosed only by performing a simple operation of selecting any means. In addition, since the function unit continuous diagnosis means is provided, the diagnosis can be performed by operating a plurality of function units at a time, so that an appropriate diagnosis can be performed even when the cause of the abnormality is not specified. Furthermore, since it is possible to verify only a specific functional unit when it is considered that the specific functional unit is defective by providing the functional unit single diagnosis means, it is possible to make a diagnosis in a short time.

Also, predetermined processing in the function unit continuous diagnosis means (353) includes a hot water heating treatment for heating the hot water, and hot water process for tapping hot water of a predetermined temperature, any water filling process of the hot water filling to the bathtub It is preferable that

Also, at least one of the multiple pipes has a sensor for detecting the hot water flow rate of the hot water temperature information or the pipe in the pipe, functional units continuous diagnosis means (353) is based on the temperature information or the flow Thus, it is preferable to diagnose whether or not a series of functional units operate normally.

Also, control unit (35) as a means for operating the hot water supply system, among the plurality of functional units, to operate the set of functional units associated with a given process, the series of functional units or predetermined processing It is preferable to further include an abnormality cause identifying means (355) for determining whether or not an abnormality occurs in the related piping and identifying the abnormality cause of the hot water supply system when the abnormality occurs. With such a configuration, even when there is a system abnormality, the cause of the abnormality can be identified without individually operating each functional unit, so that the man-hours and time required for identifying the cause of the abnormality can be reduced.

Also, at least one of the multiple pipe, when a sensor for detecting the warm water temperature information in the pipe, the malfunction cause identification means (355) is that generated relating to abnormality abnormality cause there are plural, a plurality Among the functional units, the functional unit related to the occurred abnormality is operated, the operation information and the temperature information of the operated functional unit are acquired, and the operation information or the temperature information corresponds to one of a plurality of abnormal causes. It is preferable to identify the cause of the abnormality by determining whether or not a predetermined condition is satisfied. By using the operation information of the functional unit or the temperature information of the hot water in the piping, the cause of the abnormality can be accurately identified.

In addition, hot water supply system includes a heat pump unit for heating hot water (10) includes a tank unit for tapping into the heated hot water of the hot water and bath or hot-water tap (20), a plurality of piping, heat pump From the heat pump pipes (3a, 3b) for circulating hot water between the unit (10) and the tank unit (20), the bathtub pipe (5) for discharging hot water from the tank unit (20) to the bathtub, and the tank unit (20) It is preferable to include a hot water supply pipe (6) for discharging to the hot water tap.

According to the form of claim 1 of the present invention, an automatic diagnosis method for a hot water supply system according to the present invention comprises a test operation mode for diagnosing a plurality of pipes forming a hot water flow path, heating the hot water, or A function unit single diagnosis mode for independently diagnosing any of a plurality of functional units that perform a predetermined operation to discharge hot water of a predetermined temperature from a bathtub or a hot water tap, and related to a predetermined process among a plurality of functional units A step (S103, S105) of selecting any one of the functional unit continuous diagnosis mode for diagnosing a series of functional units.
Then, when the test operation mode is selected, when the plurality of functional units are operated in a predetermined procedure to diagnose the plurality of pipes, and when the functional unit continuous diagnosis mode is selected, A second diagnostic step (S106) of operating a series of functional units related to a predetermined process among the plurality of functional units and diagnosing whether or not the series of functional units normally operate; When the mode is selected, there is a third diagnosis step (S107) for diagnosing whether any one of the plurality of function units is operated independently and whether the function unit operated independently is functioning normally.
Moreover, according to this form, the hot water supply system has a heat pump unit (10) for heating hot water, a hot water storage for heated hot water and a tank unit (20) for discharging hot water to a bathtub or hot water tap, and a plurality of The pipe includes a heat pump pipe (3a, 3b) for circulating hot water between the heat pump unit (10) and the tank unit (20), and a bathtub pipe (5) for discharging hot water from the tank unit (20) to the bathtub. In the first diagnosis step (S104), when the pump (11) provided in the heat pump pipe continues to operate for a first predetermined time under predetermined conditions, the air in the heat pump pipe (3a, 3b) is vented. The first determination step (S204) for determining that the water has been normally performed, and hot water filling is performed up to a predetermined water level in the bathtub supplied with hot water from the tank unit (20). Step (S202, S203), a second determination step (S207) for determining that the hot water filling has been normally performed when the hot water is filled to a predetermined water level within the second predetermined time, and a second determination step When it is determined in (S207) that the hot water filling has been normally performed, a step (S210) of confirming the presence or absence of water leakage in the bathtub or bathtub pipe (5) by detecting a decrease in the water level from the predetermined bath water level; It is preferable to have.

Furthermore, according to the aspect of claim 2 of the present invention, the selection step (S103, S105) includes the trial operation mode, the functional unit single diagnostic mode, the functional unit continuous diagnostic mode, and the cause of abnormality in the hot water supply system. Any one of the abnormality cause identification modes for identifying is selected.
In addition to the first to third diagnosis steps described above, when an abnormality cause identification mode is selected, a series of functional units related to a predetermined process among a plurality of functional units are operated, and a series of functional units Alternatively, it is determined whether or not an abnormality occurs in the piping related to the predetermined processing, and when the abnormality occurs, an abnormality cause identifying step (S108) is performed for identifying the cause of the abnormality in the hot water supply system.
By having a plurality of diagnostic modes for operating the hot water supply system in different ways, the entire hot water supply system can be properly diagnosed by simply performing a simple operation of selecting one of the diagnostic modes. In addition, since the functional unit continuous diagnosis mode is provided, diagnosis can be performed by operating a plurality of functional units at a time, so that appropriate diagnosis can be performed even when the cause of the abnormality is not specified. Furthermore, by having the functional unit single diagnosis mode, when it is considered that a specific functional unit is defective, only the specific functional unit can be verified, so that diagnosis can be performed in a short time.
According to this aspect, at least one of the plurality of pipes includes a sensor that detects temperature information of the hot water in the pipes, and the abnormality cause identifying step (S108) includes a series of functional units related to a predetermined process. To determine whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the series of functional units or piping related to the predetermined processing (S402), and if it is determined that an abnormality has occurred, an abnormality related to the abnormality that has occurred A step of determining whether or not there are a plurality of causes (S403) and, if it is determined that there are a plurality of related abnormality causes, a step of operating a functional unit related to the occurred abnormality among the plurality of functional units (S405). A step of acquiring the operation information of the operated functional unit and the temperature information of the hot water in the pipe (S406), and the operation information or the temperature information includes a plurality of abnormalities. By determining whether a predetermined condition is satisfied and the corresponding one of factors, and the step (S407) for specifying the abnormality cause, it is preferable to have a. By using the operation information of the functional unit or the temperature information of the hot water in the piping, the cause of the abnormality can be accurately identified.

Moreover, according to the form of Claim 3 of this invention, a hot water supply system is a heat pump unit (10) which heats warm water, and a tank unit (the hot water storage hot water and the tank unit which performs hot water discharge to a bathtub or a hot-water tap) 20), and the predetermined process in the second diagnosis step includes a hot water heating process in which the heat pump unit (10) heats the hot water, a hot water supply process in which the tank unit (20) is supplied with hot water at a predetermined temperature, and a tank It is preferable to include at least one of hot water filling treatment for causing the unit (20) to hot water the bathtub.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, at least one of the plurality of pipes includes a sensor for detecting temperature information of the hot water in the pipe or a flow rate of the hot water in the pipe, and the second diagnosis. In the step (S106), it is preferable to diagnose whether or not a series of functional units operate normally based on temperature information or flow rate.

  In addition, the code | symbol in the parenthesis attached | subjected to each said means is an example which shows a corresponding relationship with the specific means as described in embodiment mentioned later.

Hereinafter, a hot water supply system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration diagram of a hot water supply system according to the present invention. A hot water supply system 1 according to the present invention includes a heat pump unit 10 and a tank unit 20.

  The heat pump unit 10 includes an electric pump 11, an electric expansion valve 12, an evaporator 13, a compressor 14, an electric fan 15, a water refrigerant heat exchanger 16, a control unit 17, an influent water thermistor 18 a, an effluent water thermistor 18 b, and a pressure sensor 19. Have. The electric pump 11 includes a heat pump pipe for circulating hot water between the heat pump unit 10 and the tank unit 20 (a heat pump pipe 3 a for flowing hot water from the tank unit 20 to the heat pump unit 10, and a tank unit from the heat pump unit 10. 20 is provided in the heat pump return pipe 3b) for returning the hot water to 20, and the hot water is circulated between both units through the heat pump pipes 3a and 3b.

  Moreover, the electric expansion valve 12, the evaporator 13, the compressor 14, the electric fan 15, and the water refrigerant heat exchanger 16 constitute a heat pump cycle. In the heat pump cycle, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 14 and having a high pressure flows into the water refrigerant heat exchanger 16. In the water refrigerant heat exchanger 16, the high-pressure refrigerant exchanges heat with the hot water sent from the tank unit 20 to heat the hot water. On the other hand, the high-pressure refrigerant after heat dissipation that has passed through the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 16 is sent to the electric expansion valve 12 and depressurized to a low-pressure state. Then, the refrigerant in a low pressure state is sent to the evaporator 13 and absorbs heat from the atmosphere or the like in the evaporator 13 to evaporate, and then is sucked into the compressor 14 and compressed again. The electric fan 15 blows outside air toward the evaporator 13 to help evaporate the refrigerant.

  The inflow water thermistor 18 a is provided in the pipe 3 a going to the heat pump, and detects the temperature of the hot water flowing into the water refrigerant heat exchanger 16. Furthermore, the effluent water thermistor 18 b is provided in the heat pump return pipe 3 b and detects the temperature of the hot water flowing out from the water refrigerant heat exchanger 16. On the other hand, the pressure sensor 19 detects the pressure of the refrigerant flowing out of the water refrigerant heat exchanger 16 in the heat pump unit 10.

The control unit 17 of the heat pump unit 10 includes, for example, an embedded microprocessor and a nonvolatile memory. And the control part 17 is electrically operated in order to adjust the heating temperature of warm water based on control signals etc., such as setting temperature received from the control part 35 of the tank unit 20 through a communication wire (not shown). The pump 11, the electric expansion valve 12, the compressor 14, and the electric fan 15 are controlled.
Further, the control unit 17 acquires feedback signals representing the operation information from the functional units of the electric pump 11, the electric expansion valve 12, the compressor 14, and the electric fan 15. Further, sensor signals such as temperature information are acquired from the sensors such as the thermistors 18a and 18b. Then, the obtained operation information and sensor signal are transmitted to the control unit 35 of the tank unit 20 through a communication wire in order to be used for operation control or diagnosis of the hot water supply system 1.

  The feedback signal representing the operation information of each functional unit is, for example, as follows. About the electric pump 11, the compressor 14, and the electric fan 15, the actual rotation speed of the motor which drives them becomes a feedback signal. On the other hand, for the electric expansion valve 12, it is not possible to obtain a signal that directly represents the operating state. Therefore, in the electric expansion valve 12, the abutting member is arranged at a position where the valve contacts the abutting member when the valve is moved from the initial position by a predetermined number of steps by the stepping motor, and the sound when the valve contacts the abutting member is collected. Detected with a sound microphone and used as a feedback signal.

On the other hand, the tank unit 20 includes a hot water storage tank 21, a bathtub pipe 5, a hot water supply pipe 6, and a water pipe 9 connected to the hot water storage tank 21. Furthermore, the tank unit 20 includes sensors such as various valves and thermistors provided in the hot water storage tank 21 and each pipe, and a control unit 35 that controls them.
The hot water storage tank 21 is connected to a heat pump pipe (a heat pump pipe 3 a and a heat pump return pipe 3 b) connected to the heat pump unit 10. The hot water storage tank 21 keeps hot hot water heated by the heat pump unit 10 while keeping it warm.
In addition, tank remaining hot water thermistors 33 a to 33 e are attached to the outer surface of the hot water storage tank 21 in order from the upper side to the lower side of the hot water storage tank 21. Then, the remaining tank hot water thermistors 33 a to 33 e detect the hot water temperature in the hot water storage tank 21 and notify the control unit 35 of it.

Further, the tank unit 20 can cause hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 21 to be discharged from the intake port to the bathtub 7 through the bathtub pipe 5 or from the intake port to the hot water tap 8 through the hot water supply pipe 6. Further, tap water supplied from the water supply is supplied through the water supply pipe 9. The water supply pipe 9 is connected to the bathtub pipe 5 by a hot water filling mixing valve 22. Similarly, the water supply pipe 9 is connected to the hot water supply pipe 6 by the hot water supply mixing valve 30. The hot water mixing valve 22 and the hot water mixing valve 30 mix hot water discharged from the hot water storage tank 21 and tap water supplied through the water pipe 9 at a predetermined ratio based on a control signal from the control unit 35. Then, hot water having a predetermined temperature is supplied to the bathtub 7 or the hot-water tap 8.
Further, the water pipe 9 is also connected to the hot water storage tank 21 to supply tap water to the hot water storage tank 21. The water pipe 9 is provided with a tap water temperature thermistor 34 to detect the temperature of the supplied tap water and notify the control unit 35 of the temperature.

The bathtub pipe 5 is provided with a hot water solenoid valve 23, a bathtub flow rate counter 24, and a bathtub circulation temperature thermistor 29 in order from the upstream side on the downstream side (tub 7 side) of the hot water mixing valve 22. The hot water solenoid valve 23 opens and closes the bathtub pipe 5 based on a control signal from the control unit 35 and controls the amount of hot water discharged to the bathtub 7. The bathtub flow rate counter 24 measures the flow rate of hot water flowing through the bathtub pipe 5 and notifies the control unit 35 of the flow rate. The bathtub circulation temperature thermistor 29 detects the temperature of the hot water discharged from the bathtub 7 and notifies the controller 35 of the temperature.
The bathtub pipe 5 branches into a bathtub-bound pipe 51 and a bathtub return pipe 52 on the downstream side of the bathtub flow counter 24. The bathtub-facing pipe 51 is provided with a flow switch 28. On the other hand, the tub return pipe 52 is provided with a circulation pump 25 and a circulation electric valve 26 in order from the upstream side (the hot water storage tank 21 side).
The circulation pump 25 discharges the air accumulated in the bathtub-bound pipe 51 and the bathtub return pipe 52 to the bathtub 7. Therefore, the circulation pump 25 circulates hot water in the bathtub-bound pipe 51 and the bathtub return pipe 52.
The circulation electric valve 26 opens and closes the bathtub return pipe 52, and controls the hot water filling to the bathtub 7 and the circulation of hot water in the bathtub connection pipe 51 and the bathtub return pipe 52 together with the circulation pump 25.

  As the flow switch 28, for example, one that operates according to the principle of an area flow meter can be used. And the flow switch 28 detects the flow volume of the warm water which flows through the pipe 51 for bathtubs, and notifies the control part 35 of the signal which is different when the flow volume is below a predetermined threshold value (for example, 5 liters / minute) or less. .

  The bathtub 7 is provided with a water level sensor 27 that detects the water level of the hot water stored in the bathtub 7. As the water level sensor 27, for example, a pressure detection type can be used. In this case, the water level sensor 27 is attached to the side surface in the bathtub 7 and outputs a higher signal value as the water pressure applied to the water level sensor 27 becomes higher. The signal output from the water level sensor 27 is notified to the control unit 35.

  Further, the hot water supply pipe 6 is provided with a hot water supply temperature thermistor 31 and a hot water supply counter 32 closer to the hot water tap 8 than the hot water supply mixing valve 30. The hot water supply temperature thermistor 31 detects the temperature of hot water discharged from the hot water tap 8. On the other hand, the hot water supply counter 32 detects the amount of hot water discharged from the water tap 8. The detected temperature and the amount of hot water are notified to the control unit 35.

The control unit 35 includes an embedded microprocessor and a non-volatile memory. Then, it operates according to the program read from the built-in memory, and controls the entire hot water supply system 1 based on the operation signal received from the operation unit 36 that can communicate with the control unit 35.
FIG. 2 shows a functional block diagram of the control unit 35. The control unit 35 includes a selection unit 351, a trial operation unit 352, a functional unit continuous diagnosis unit 353, a functional unit single diagnosis unit 354, an abnormality cause identification unit 355, and a normal operation unit 356. Each of these means is mounted as a functional module based on a program read into the control unit 35.

The selection means 351 is one of the test operation means 352, the functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353, the function unit single diagnosis means 354, the abnormality cause identification means 355, or the normal operation means 356 based on an operation signal from the operation unit 36 described later. Select the driving method.
Then, the control unit 35 operates the hot water supply system 1 according to each operation mode executed by the selected operation means. In particular, when any one of the trial operation means 352, the function unit continuous diagnosis means 353, the function unit single diagnosis means 354, or the abnormality cause identification means 355 is selected, each part of the hot water supply system 1 is diagnosed. The operation mode executed by any one of the test operation means 352, the function unit continuous diagnosis means 353, the function unit single diagnosis means 354, or the abnormality cause specifying means 355 is hereinafter referred to as a diagnosis mode.

In the trial operation mode executed by the trial operation means 352, the control unit 35 sequentially executes the hot water supply system 1 from the start to the hot water filling to the bathtub 7, and diagnoses whether there is any abnormality in the operation of the hot water supply system 1 as a whole. In the functional unit continuous diagnosis mode executed by the functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353, the control unit 35 performs a series of operation units such as hot water heating by the heat pump unit 10, hot water supply at a predetermined temperature by the tank unit 20, and hot water to the bathtub 7. Then, the related functional unit is operated to diagnose whether any of the functional units related to each operation is abnormal. In the functional unit single diagnostic mode executed by the functional unit single diagnostic unit 354, the control unit 35 performs the electric pump 11 of the heat pump unit 10, the electric expansion valve 12, the hot water solenoid valve 23 of the tank unit 20, and the circulation pump 25. Each functional unit is individually operated to diagnose whether there is any abnormality for each functional unit. Furthermore, in the abnormality cause identification mode executed by the abnormality cause identification means 355, when an abnormality is detected somewhere in the hot water supply system 1, the control unit 35 identifies a malfunctioning functional unit or a defective piping installation location.
In addition, the detail of the process about these diagnosis modes which diagnose each part of the hot water supply system 1 is mentioned later.

  Further, the control unit 35 transmits a predetermined control signal to each functional unit of the tank unit 20, such as the hot water mixing valve 22, the hot water electromagnetic valve 23, the circulation pump 25, the circulation electric valve 26, and the hot water supply mixing valve 30. Control by. On the other hand, the control unit 35 acquires a feedback signal representing the operation information from each functional unit.

  As an example, the hot water mixing valve 22 will be described. The hot water mixing valve 22 includes a stepping motor and a mixing valve attached to the rotating shaft of the motor. When the control signal is transmitted to the hot water mixing valve 22 so that the control unit 35 operates for a predetermined step, the stepping motor rotates by the predetermined number of steps. Further, the hot water mixing valve 22 has a hall element or the like at the original position of the mixing valve (for example, a state in which only hot water from the hot water storage tank 21 flows) and a predetermined position of the mixing valve where the hot water and tap water have a predetermined mixing ratio. The position sensor comprised is comprised. The position sensor at the origin position transmits a signal indicating that the mixing valve has been detected to the control unit 35 when the mixing valve is at the origin position. Similarly, when the mixing valve is in the predetermined position, the position sensor at the predetermined position transmits a signal indicating that the mixing valve has been detected to the control unit 35.

  Therefore, when the controller 35 checks whether or not the hot water mixing valve 22 operates normally, the control valve 35 moves the mixing valve from the state where the hot water mixing valve 22 is located at the origin position to the predetermined position. The operation is instructed to rotate by a predetermined number of steps necessary to move to the position. And the control part 35 can judge that the hot water mixing valve 22 is operating normally, if the detection signal which shows that the mixing valve reached | attained the predetermined position from the hot water mixing valve 22 is received.

  Further, the control unit 35 includes a bathtub flow rate sensor 24, a water level sensor 27, a flow switch 28, a bathtub circulation temperature thermistor 29, a hot water supply temperature thermistor 31, a hot water supply counter 32, tank remaining hot water thermistors 33a to 33e, a tap water temperature thermistor 34, and the like. Connected with various sensors. As described above, sensor signals such as temperature information are acquired from these sensors.

  Further, the control unit 35 obtains a necessary response signal from the control unit 17 of the heat pump unit 10 through the communication wire in order to set the warm water taken from the tank unit 20 to the set temperature, and also controls the control unit of the heat pump unit 10. A control signal for 17 is transmitted through the communication wire.

  The operation unit 36 is composed of, for example, a remote control device that performs infrared communication with the control unit 35. The operation unit 36 includes a plurality of operation buttons, a display unit including a liquid crystal display, and the like. The operation unit 36 transmits a predetermined operation signal to the control unit 35 when the user presses the operation button. The operation unit 36 displays various information on the display unit based on the notification signal received from the control unit 35. The operation signal is, for example, a signal indicating the set temperature of hot water taken from the tank unit 20, an on / off signal of the hot water supply system 1, a hot water filling execution signal to the bathtub 7, and the like.

  Furthermore, the operation unit 36 can cause the hot water supply system 1 to perform a diagnostic operation by performing a special operation in which the user simultaneously presses a plurality of operation buttons according to a predetermined combination. Such special operation is uniquely associated with each diagnosis mode described above, and the user can arbitrarily select the diagnosis mode and execute it in the hot water supply system 1 by performing the operation corresponding to each diagnosis mode. Can be made.

  Below, the process in each diagnosis mode of the hot water supply system 1 which concerns on this invention is demonstrated using FIGS. The operation in each diagnosis mode is controlled according to a program read into the control unit 35 of the tank unit 20.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure for selecting an operation mode of the hot water supply system 1.
First, when receiving the activation signal of the hot water supply system 1 from the operation unit 36, the control unit 35 of the tank unit 20 determines whether the operation in the normal operation mode or any one of the diagnosis modes is performed by the selection unit 351 (step S101). . When the activation signal indicates the normal operation mode, the control unit 35 passes control to the normal operation means 356. Then, a normal hot water supply operation is started (step S102). On the other hand, when the activation signal indicates any diagnostic mode in step S101, the selection unit 351 selects any diagnostic mode (step S103).

  When the trial operation mode is selected in step S103, the control unit 35 passes control to the trial operation means 352. And the trial run means 352 performs the trial run process for diagnosing each piping (step S104). Details of the processing in step S104 will be described later.

  On the other hand, when the functional unit continuous diagnostic mode or the functional unit single diagnostic mode is selected in step S103, the control unit 35 further determines which functional unit diagnostic mode is selected (step S105). When the functional unit continuous diagnosis mode is selected, the control unit 35 passes control to the functional unit continuous diagnosis unit 353. Then, the functional unit continuous diagnosis unit 353 executes a functional unit continuous diagnosis process (step S106). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S105 that the functional unit single diagnostic mode is selected, the control unit 35 passes control to the functional unit single diagnostic unit 354. Then, the functional unit single diagnostic means 354 executes a functional unit single diagnostic process (step S107). Details of the processing in step S106 and step S107 will also be described later.

  Furthermore, when the abnormality cause identification mode is selected in step S103, the control unit 35 passes control to the abnormality cause identification means 355. Then, the abnormality cause identification unit 355 executes an abnormality cause identification process (step S108). Details of the processing in step S108 will also be described later.

Next, the operation of the hot water supply system 1 in the trial operation mode, which corresponds to the above step S104, will be described.
FIG. 4 is an operation flowchart of the hot water supply system 1 in the trial operation mode. As shown in FIG. 4, when the trial operation mode is selected, the trial operation means 352 of the control unit 35 operates the electric pump 11 through the control unit 17 of the heat pump unit 10. Then, trial operation of the heat pump pipes 3a and 3b is performed, and the air accumulated in the pipes is removed (step S201). Further, the trial operation means 352 instructs the bathtub mixing valve 22 of the tank unit 20 to have a water opening degree of 100% (that is, a state where only tap water is supplied to the bathtub pipe 5) (step S202). . Then, the trial operation means 352 instructs the bathtub filling 5, 51, and 52 to be 100% open to the hot water solenoid valve 23 of the tank unit 20, and instructs the bathtub 7 to a predetermined water level. Water is accumulated (step S203).

  The trial operation means 352 determines whether or not the electric pump 11 has continued to operate at the rotation speed as instructed for a certain period (for example, 20 minutes) through the control unit 17 (step S204). Note that whether or not the electric pump 11 is operating at the rotational speed as instructed is indicated by the test operation means 352 by obtaining a feedback signal indicating the rotational speed from the electric pump 11 through the control unit 17 of the heat pump unit 10. It is judged by comparing with the rotation speed. Then, when the difference between the rotational speed of the electric pump 11 and the instructed rotational speed is within the allowable error range, the trial operation means 352 determines that the electric pump 11 is operating at the instructed rotational speed. On the other hand, when the difference between the rotational speed of the electric pump 11 and the instructed rotational speed is out of the allowable error range, the trial operation means 352 determines that the electric pump 11 is not rotating at the instructed rotational speed.

  In step S <b> 204, the trial operation means 352 stops the electric pump 11 through the control unit 17 when determining that the electric pump 11 has continued to operate for a certain period. Further, the trial operation means 352 notifies the operation unit 36 of a signal indicating that the air removal from the heat pump pipes 3a and 3b has been completed (step S205). Then, the operation unit 36 displays that air removal from the heat pump pipes 3a and 3b has been completed. On the other hand, in step S204, when the trial operation means 352 determines that the electric pump 11 has not continued to operate, it is considered that there is an abnormality in the heat pump unit 10 or the heat pump pipe 3a or 3b. A signal indicating that there is an abnormality in the heat pump unit 10 or the like is notified (step S206). Then, the operation unit 36 displays that an error has occurred in the heat pump unit 10 or the like.

  After step S205 or step S206, the test operation means 352 confirms whether or not the tank unit 20 has finished filling the bathtub 7 within a predetermined time (for example, within 15 minutes) from the start of filling (step S207). . And when the trial run means 352 judges that the hot water filling of the bathtub 7 has been completed, the hot water electromagnetic valve 23 is closed and the hot water filling is stopped. Further, the trial operation means 352 notifies the operation unit 36 of a signal indicating completion of the trial run hot water filling. And the operation part 36 displays that trial run hot water filling was completed (step S208). On the other hand, if the trial run means 352 determines in step S207 that the hot water filling of the bathtub 7 has not been completed within a predetermined time, the hot water electromagnetic valve 23 is closed and the hot water filling is stopped. Further, the trial operation means 352 notifies the operation unit 36 of a signal indicating that the trial operation hot water filling has not been completed. And the operation part 36 displays that the test run hot water filling could not be completed (step S209). Whether or not the filling of the bathtub 7 has been completed is determined by comparing the sensor signal from the water level sensor 27 with the signal value corresponding to the predetermined water level. When the sensor signal received from the water level sensor 27 is equal to or higher than the signal value corresponding to the predetermined water level, the trial operation means 352 determines that the hot water filling is completed, and conversely, the sensor signal falls below the signal value corresponding to the predetermined water level. It is judged that the hot water filling is incomplete.

  After step S208, the test run means 352 checks whether there is water leakage in the bathtub pipes 5, 51 and 52. Therefore, the trial operation means 352 compares the first sensor signal of the water level sensor 27 immediately after completion of filling with the second sensor signal of the water level sensor 27 after a certain period (for example, one day) has elapsed since completion of filling. Then, it is examined whether or not the water level is lowered (step S210). Then, when the absolute value of the difference between the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, the trial operation means 352 determines that there is a water leak location. On the other hand, when the absolute value of the difference between the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal is less than a predetermined threshold value, the trial operation means 352 determines that there is no water leakage point. The predetermined threshold value is, for example, the sensor signal value of the water level sensor 27 when the water level in the bathtub 7 is the predetermined water level, and the sensor signal value of the water level sensor 7 when the water level is lowered by 1 cm from the predetermined water level. And the difference.

  In step S <b> 210, when it is determined that the bathtub pipes 5, 51, and 52 have a water leak location, the trial operation unit 352 notifies the operation unit 36 of a signal indicating that there is a water leak location. Then, the operation unit 36 displays that fact (step S211). On the other hand, in step S210, when it is determined that the bathtub pipes 5, 51, and 52 have no water leakage location, the trial operation means 352 notifies the operation unit 36 of a signal indicating that there is no water leakage location. Then, the operation unit 36 displays that fact (step S212). After step S211 or step S212, the trial run process is terminated.

  Thus, in the trial operation mode, the diagnosis of the entire hot water supply system 1 can be performed in a short time by operating the heat pump unit 10 and the tank unit 20 at the same time and performing the diagnosis. Moreover, since the air venting of the heat pump pipes 3a and 3b is also executed, the hot water supply system 1 can be stably operated thereafter by operating in the trial operation mode once during construction.

  Next, the operation of the hot water supply system 1 in the functional unit continuous diagnostic process executed in the functional unit continuous diagnostic mode and the functional unit single diagnostic process executed in the functional unit single diagnostic mode will be described. In the functional unit continuous diagnosis process, the related functional unit or the related functional unit or the like is operated by a series of processing units such as hot water heating by the heat pump unit 10, hot water supply of a predetermined temperature by the tank unit 20, hot water to the bathtub 7, etc. Diagnose whether there is any abnormality in the piping. In the functional unit single diagnosis process, any one of the functional units is operated independently to diagnose whether there is any abnormality.

  5 and 6 are operation flowcharts of the hot water supply system 1 in the function unit continuous diagnosis process and the function unit independent diagnosis process. As shown in FIG. 5, the functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353 firstly sends the functional units (electric pump 11, electric expansion valve 12, electric motor) of the heat pump unit 10 related to the hot water heating operation through the control unit 17 of the heat pump unit 10. The fan 15 or the like is operated according to a predetermined target value (step S301). The predetermined target value is, for example, the rotational speed of the electric pump 11 or the electric fan 15. Then, the functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353 determines whether there is any abnormality in each functional unit and the heat pump pipes 3a and 3b related to the hot water heating operation through the control unit 17 of the heat pump unit 10 (step S302). Specifically, the functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353 receives a feedback signal from each functional unit related to the hot water heating operation through the control unit 17. Then, the functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353 acquires measurement values (for example, the number of revolutions of the electric pump 11 and the electric fan 15) of the operation state of each functional unit based on the feedback signal. The functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353 checks whether the difference between the measured value and the predetermined target value is within an allowable error range. If the tolerance is out of the allowable error range, the functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353 determines that there is an abnormality in any of the functional units related to the hot water heating operation and the heat pump pipes 3a or 3b. On the other hand, if the difference between the measured value of the operating state and the predetermined target value is within the allowable error range in step S302, it is determined that all the functional units related to the hot water heating and the heat pump pipes 3a and 3b are normal. To do.

  In order to make the above determination, the functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353 not only provides feedback signals from each functional unit related to the hot water heating operation, but also detects detection signals from other sensors instead of the feedback signals. May be used. For example, the hot water storage tank acquired from the temperature of the hot water discharged from the heat pump unit 10 obtained from the effluent water thermistor 18b provided in the heat pump return pipe 3b or the tank remaining hot water thermistors 33a to 33e provided in the hot water storage tank 21. Whether the temperature of the hot water in 21 has reached the target value set by the control unit 35 may be used to determine whether there is an abnormality. Similarly, whether or not the flow rate of hot water detected by the bathtub flow rate counter 24 provided in the bathtub pipe 5 has reached a predetermined target value may be used to determine whether there is an abnormality.

In step S302, when it is determined that each functional unit related to the hot water heating operation or any of the heat pump pipes 3a or 3b is abnormal, the functional unit continuous diagnosis unit 353 selects an error code corresponding to the type of abnormality. . Then, a signal indicating that the operation unit 36 is abnormal is notified together with the error code. And the operation part 36 displays that (step S303). Then, the process ends. The selection of the error code is performed by a program previously installed in the control unit 35. That is, the functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353 checks whether or not a certain criterion is satisfied based on a feedback signal from each functional unit or a sensor signal from each sensor in addition to that, and if the criterion is satisfied. If it is determined, an error code associated with the determination criterion is selected. For example, the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank 21 acquired by any of the remaining hot water thermistors 33a to 33e is compared with a predetermined set temperature. If the temperature is lower than the set temperature, the error code is set to “1”.
On the other hand, in step S302, when the functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353 determines that there is no abnormality in each functional unit related to the hot water heating operation and the heat pump pipes 3a and 3b, a signal indicating that there is no abnormality in the operation unit 36 is provided. Notice. And the operation part 36 displays that (step S304).

  After step S304, the functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353 operates each functional unit (the bathtub mixing valve 22, the hot water solenoid valve 23, the hot water mixing valve 30, etc.) related to the hot water supply operation by the tank unit 20 (step S305). ). And it is judged whether each functional unit relevant to warm water supply operation is normal (Step S306). Here, the functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353 is configured to calculate the measured temperature of the hot water obtained from the bathtub circulation temperature thermistor 29, the hot water supply temperature thermistor 31, and the set temperature (for example, 50 ° C.) set by the functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353. If the difference is within the allowable error range, it is determined that each functional unit related to the hot water supply operation is normal. On the other hand, if the difference between the measured temperature and the set temperature is out of the allowable error range, it is determined that one of the functional units related to the hot water supply operation is abnormal. In this case as well, the functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353 selects an error code corresponding to the type of abnormality, as described above.

  In step S306, when it is determined that any of the functional units related to the hot water supply operation is abnormal, the functional unit continuous diagnosis unit 353 notifies the operation unit 36 of a signal and an error code indicating that there is an abnormality. . Then, the operation unit 36 displays that fact (step S307). On the other hand, in step S306, the functional unit continuous diagnosis unit 353 notifies the operation unit 36 of a signal indicating that there is no abnormality when it is determined that there is no abnormality in each functional unit related to the hot water supply operation. And the operation part 36 displays that (step S308).

As shown in FIG. 6, the functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353 thereafter diagnoses each functional unit (circulation pump 25, circulation electric valve 26) and bathtub piping 5, 51 and 52 related to the hot water filling operation to the bathtub 7. It is determined whether or not to perform (step S309). This determination can be made based on an operation signal from the operation unit 36, for example.
In step S309, when the functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353 determines not to perform the diagnosis of each functional unit related to the hot water filling operation, the operation in the functional unit continuous diagnosis mode is terminated. On the other hand, in step S309, if the functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353 determines that each functional unit related to the hot water filling operation is diagnosed, the hot water solenoid valve 23 is opened for a certain time (for example, 10 minutes) (step S310). ). The bathtub flow counter 24, the water level sensor 27, and the flow switch 28 provided in the bathtub pipes 5, 51, and 52 do not change the measured value unless hot water flows in the bathtub pipe, and cannot determine whether it is normal or abnormal. Because. Then, the functional unit continuous diagnosis unit 353 activates each functional unit related to the hot water filling operation (step S311).
The functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353 determines whether or not each functional unit related to the hot water filling operation is normal (step S312). For this determination, the functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353 acquires measured values from the bathtub flow rate counter 24, the water level sensor 27, and the flow switch 28, respectively. Then, it is examined whether or not each measured value changes depending on whether the hot water solenoid valve 23 is open or closed. When the measured values change depending on whether the hot water solenoid valve 23 is open or closed, the functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353 causes each functional unit and bathtub pipes 5, 51, and 52 is determined to be normal. On the other hand, when the measured values do not change between when the hot water solenoid valve 23 is opened and when it is closed, the functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353 includes each functional unit or bathtub pipe 5 associated with the hot water operation. It is determined that either 51 or 52 is abnormal. Also in this case, the functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353 selects an error code corresponding to the type of abnormality.

  In step S312, when it is determined that there is an abnormality in each functional unit or bathtub piping 5, 51 and 52 related to the hot water filling operation, the functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353 determines that there is an abnormality in the operation unit 36. Notification signal and error code are sent. Then, the operation unit 36 displays that fact (step S313). On the other hand, in step S312, when the functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353 determines that there is no abnormality in each functional unit related to the hot water filling operation and the bathtub pipes 5, 51 and 52, it indicates that there is no abnormality in the operation unit 36. Notify the signal. Then, the operation unit 36 displays that fact (step S314). Thereafter, the functional unit continuous diagnosis process is terminated.

The control unit 35 stores an error code table in which a list of cause of abnormality corresponding to the error code is described in the built-in memory. In the error code table, one or more abnormal causes are associated with one error code. Conversely, one cause of abnormality may correspond to a plurality of error codes. These correspondences are obtained by conducting an experiment in advance.
In the functional unit continuous diagnosis mode, the functional unit continuous diagnosis means 353 may select and execute only one of the hot water heating operation, the hot water supply operation, and the bathtub hot water filling operation.

  FIG. 7 is an operation flowchart of the hot water supply system 1 in the functional unit single diagnosis process. As illustrated in FIG. 7, when the selection unit 351 of the control unit 35 determines in step S <b> 301 that the processing in the functional unit single diagnosis mode has been selected, the control is passed to the functional unit single diagnosis unit 354. Then, the functional unit single diagnosis means 354 selects which functional unit is to be inspected based on the operation signal from the operation unit 36, and operates the selected functional unit independently (step S321). Then, the functional unit single diagnosis unit 354 determines whether or not the functional unit operates normally based on the feedback signal from the functional unit (step S322).

  In step S322, when the functional unit single diagnosis unit 354 determines that the selected functional unit is not abnormal, it notifies the operation unit 36 of a signal indicating that there is no abnormality. Then, the operation unit 36 displays that fact (step S323). On the other hand, when it is determined in step S322 that the selected functional unit has an abnormality, the functional unit single diagnosis unit 354 selects an error code corresponding to the type of abnormality and indicates that the operation unit 36 has an abnormality. Signals and error codes are notified. Then, the operation unit 36 displays that there is an abnormality and an error code (step S324). Then, after step S323 or step S324, the functional unit single diagnostic means 354 ends the functional unit single diagnostic process.

Next, the operation of the hot water supply system 1 in the abnormality cause identification process when the abnormality cause identification mode is selected will be described.
FIG. 8 is an operation flowchart of the hot water supply system 1 in the abnormality cause identification process. As shown in FIG. 8, when the abnormality cause identification mode is selected, the abnormality cause identification means 355 of the control unit 35 first performs the functional unit diagnosis process described above (step S401). The functional unit continuous diagnosis processing executed here corresponds to processing in the functional unit continuous diagnosis mode (steps S302 to S315). Then, the abnormality cause identifying unit 355 confirms whether or not an abnormality has been detected by the functional unit diagnosis processing in step S401 (step S402). If no abnormality is detected, the abnormality cause identifying unit 355 notifies the operation unit 36 that there is no abnormality, and the operation unit 36 displays a message indicating that the diagnosis result is normal (step S409). . Then, the abnormality cause identification process ends.

On the other hand, if it is confirmed in step S402 that some abnormality has been detected (that is, the error code has been acquired), the abnormality cause identifying unit 355 refers to the error code table stored in the built-in memory and performs an error. It is determined whether there are a plurality of abnormal causes related to the code (step S403). If there is only one abnormality cause related to the error code, the abnormality cause identifying unit 355 notifies the operation unit 36 of the abnormality cause corresponding to the error code, and the operation unit 36 sends a message related to the error cause. Is displayed (step S408). Then, the abnormality cause identification process is terminated.
If there are a plurality of abnormality causes corresponding to the error code in step S403, the abnormality cause identifying unit 355 selects a verification process for identifying the abnormality cause (step S404). When the verification process is selected, the operation order of each functional unit related to the process, the operation duration, and the like are set.

  The abnormality cause identifying unit 355 executes the selected verification process (step S405). Then, a feedback signal from each related functional unit and a sensor signal from each sensor are acquired (step S406).

  When necessary information is obtained, the abnormality cause identifying unit 355 selects a determination process for identifying the cause of the abnormality based on the error code. And the determination process is performed using the obtained feedback signal and sensor signal (step S407). This determination process may be composed of a plurality of steps. Then, the abnormality cause identifying means 355 identifies the cause of the abnormality by the above determination process. Then, the abnormality cause identification unit 355 notifies the operation unit 36 of information indicating the identified abnormality cause, and the operation unit 36 displays a message related to the abnormality cause (step S408). Then, the abnormality cause identification process ends.

  Since the processing of steps S404 to S408 is set for each type of error of each functional unit, it will be very complicated to describe all the processing. Therefore, in the following, an explanation will be given by taking as an example an abnormality in which hot water is not stored in the tank unit even if the hot water heating operation (boiling operation) is performed for a predetermined period in the diagnosis of the functional unit related to the hot water heating operation in steps S302 to S303. .

FIG. 9 shows, as an example, a flowchart of an abnormality cause identification process when hot water is not stored in the hot water storage tank 21 by the hot water heating operation.
First, the abnormality cause identifying unit 355 of the control unit 35 refers to the error code (step S501). If the error code is “1” indicating that hot water is not stored in the hot water storage tank 21 as described above, the abnormality cause identifying unit 355 determines that there are a plurality of abnormality causes. Then, as the verification process corresponding to the error code “1”, the hot water heating operation by the heat pump unit 10 is selected (step S502). On the other hand, if the error code is other than “1”, the verification process related to the error code is selected and executed (step S514).

  And the abnormality cause specific | specification means 355 starts a warm water heating operation through the control part 17 of the heat pump unit 10 (step S503). In addition, during hot water heating operation, the hot water is controlled not to be discharged. Then, the abnormality cause identifying unit 355 checks whether or not the electric pump 11 is operating normally (step S504). As described above, whether or not the operation of the electric pump 11 is normal is normal if the difference between the target rotational speed of the electric pump 11 and the actual rotational speed is within the allowable error range, and the difference is outside the allowable error range. If so, it is determined to be abnormal. If it is determined in step S504 that the operation of the electric pump 11 is abnormal, the abnormality cause identifying unit 355 determines that the cause of the abnormality is a failure of the electric pump 11 (step S505). Then, a signal indicating that is sent to the operation unit 36, and the abnormality cause identification process is terminated.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S504 that the electric pump 11 is operating normally, the abnormality cause identifying unit 355 checks whether the hot water heating operation has continued for a predetermined time (for example, 1 hour) (step S506). . If the hot water heating operation is not continued for a predetermined time, the abnormality cause identifying unit 355 returns the control to before step S504. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S506 that the hot water heating process has continued for a predetermined time or more, the abnormality cause identifying unit 355 acquires temperature information from each thermistor related to the hot water heating process (step S507). The temperature information acquired here is as follows.
-Heat pump inlet temperature Twi acquired from the influent water thermistor 18a installed in the pipe 3a for the heat pump
-Heat pump outlet temperature Two obtained from the effluent thermistor 18b installed in the heat pump return pipe 3b
The tank upper temperature Ttop acquired from the top of the tank remaining hot water thermistors 33a to 33e provided in the hot water storage tank 21
-Tank lower temperature Tbot acquired from the lowest one of the remaining tank hot water thermistors 33a to 33e provided in the hot water storage tank 21
In step S507, a feedback signal is acquired from each functional unit related to the heat pump cycle.

When each temperature information is acquired, the abnormality cause identifying unit 355 determines whether or not the temperature information satisfies a predetermined condition (step S508). Then, the cause of the abnormality is specified based on the determination result. Specifically, it is as follows.
1) When the heat pump inlet temperature Twi and the heat pump outlet temperature Two are substantially equal and the heat pump inlet temperature Twi is higher than the predetermined temperature A ° C. In this case, the water temperature has already increased at the inlet of the heat pump unit 10, and the heating capacity of the heat pump cycle Is considered normal. However, since the water temperature has not changed before and after flowing into the heat pump unit 10, it is estimated that the hot water is not circulating in the heat pump pipes 3a and 3b. Therefore, the abnormality cause identification unit 355 determines that the abnormality cause is a blockage of the heat pump pipe 3a or 3b. Then, the operation unit 36 is notified of this, and a heat pump piping confirmation instruction is displayed (step S509). Note that whether or not Twi and Two are substantially equal is determined in consideration of a measurement error such as a thermistor and a margin. In this embodiment, as an example, when | Twi−Two | ≦ 5 ° C., Twi and Two are satisfied. Are almost equal. The predetermined temperature A ° C. is set to a temperature at which it can be determined that the temperature is clearly higher than the water temperature in the hot water storage tank 21. In the present embodiment, the predetermined temperature A is set to 50 ° C. as an example.

2) When the difference between the heat pump outlet temperature Two and the heat pump inlet temperature Twi is equal to or lower than B ° C. In this case, it is considered that the heating capability of the heat cycle of the heat pump unit 10 is reduced. Note that the threshold value B of the difference between Two and Twi is set to a value slightly lower than the temperature difference that normally increases when hot water passes through the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 16. In the present embodiment, the temperature is set to 20 ° C. as an example.

  The abnormality cause identifying means 355 checks whether or not the electric fan 15 of the heat pump unit 10 is operating normally in order to identify the factor of the heat capacity reduction in the heat cycle (step S510). For this purpose, the abnormality cause identifying unit 355 acquires a feedback signal of the electric fan 15 through the control unit 17 and confirms whether or not the motor rotates at a predetermined target rotational speed. When the electric fan 15 is not operating normally (when the error from the target rotational speed is out of the allowable error range), the abnormality cause identifying unit 355 determines that the electric fan 15 is abnormal and operates the operation unit 36. To that effect (step S511). On the other hand, when the electric fan 15 is operating normally, the abnormality cause identifying unit 355 determines that there is an abnormality in the heat pump cycle, and displays that fact on the operation unit 36 (step S512). In this case, the diagnostic processing may be performed until it is identified which functional unit is abnormal by referring to the feedback signal of each functional unit constituting the heat pump cycle.

3) Other cases In cases other than the above, for example, when the heat pump outlet temperature Two is higher than the heat pump inlet temperature Twi and the tank lower part temperature Tbot is higher than the tank upper part temperature Ttop, the temperature of the hot water passing through the heat pump unit 10 is Since it is rising, it is considered that the heat pump unit 10 is operating normally. However, on the hot water storage tank 21 side, the temperature of the lower part of the hot water storage tank 21 is higher than that of the upper part of the hot water storage tank 21 to which hot water should originally flow, so that the heat pump pipes 3a and 3b are directed opposite to the hot water storage tank 21. Presumed to be connected. Therefore, the abnormality cause identification unit 355 determines that the abnormality cause is reverse connection of the heat pump pipes 3a and 3b. And it notifies that to the operation part 36, and displays the reverse connection confirmation instruction | indication of heat pump piping 3a and 3b (step S513).

  When the cause of the abnormality is identified and information related to the cause of the abnormality is displayed on the operation unit 36, the abnormality cause identifying unit 355 ends the process.

  Note that step S501 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 9 corresponds to step S403 in the flowchart of the abnormality cause identifying process shown in FIG. Further, step S502 in the flowchart in FIG. 9 corresponds to step S404 in the flowchart in FIG. Similarly, steps S503, S504, and S506 correspond to step S405, step S507 corresponds to step S406, step S508 and step S510 correspond to step S407, and steps S505, S509, and S511 to S513 correspond to step S408, respectively.

  As described above, the hot water supply system according to the present invention can diagnose each part and piping of the heat pump unit and the tank unit with a simple operation. Moreover, the hot water supply system according to the present invention can detect abnormality of each functional unit, poor connection of piping, leakage of water, and poor air exhaust in the piping, particularly during construction. Furthermore, since it is possible to automatically identify where an abnormality has occurred, the labor of verification work during construction can be greatly reduced.

  The embodiments described above are for explaining the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

For example, in the embodiment described above, the control unit of the tank unit controls the entire hot water supply system, but instead, the control unit of the heat pump unit may control the entire hot water supply system. And control, such as the trial run process mentioned above and a diagnostic process, may be performed by the control part of a heat pump unit.
Further, the thermistor abnormality diagnosis may also be executed. In this case, the characteristic deterioration of the thermistor may be detected by detecting the temperature change of each thermistor during the bathtub filling operation in the functional unit continuous diagnosis process.
Furthermore, in the trial operation process, in order to confirm that the air removal from the heat pump pipe is surely performed, during the execution of steps S201 to S204 in FIG. 4, the heat pump cycle is also executed to perform the hot water heating operation. The temperature change of the hot water detected by the inflow water thermistor 18a and the outflow water thermistor 18b at that time may be examined. Then, by determining, for example by discriminant analysis, whether the temperature change examined is close to the temperature change assumed when the hot water heating operation is normally performed or the temperature change due to defective air removal, It can be checked whether or not the extraction is completed.
Further, in the test operation process, after step S207 in FIG. 4, the circulation pump 25 is operated, and the behavior of the flow switch 28 at that time is examined to check whether or not the circulation pump 25 operates normally. Also good.

  As described above, the hot water supply system according to the present invention is appropriately optimized within the scope of the present invention.

It is a block diagram of the hot water supply system according to the present invention. It is a functional block diagram of the control part of a tank unit. It is a flowchart which shows the selection procedure of the operation mode of the hot water supply system which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of the trial run mode of the hot water supply system which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of the functional unit continuous diagnosis process of the hot-water supply system which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of the functional unit continuous diagnosis process of the hot-water supply system which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of the functional unit independent diagnostic process of the hot water supply system which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of the abnormality cause specific process of the hot water supply system which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation | movement procedure of an abnormality cause specific process.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hot water supply system 3a Heat pump piping 3b Heat pump return piping 5 Bathtub piping 51 Bath going piping 52 Bathtub return piping 6 Hot water supply piping 7 Bathtub 8 Hot water tap 9 Water supply piping 10 Heat pump unit 11 Electric pump 12 Electric expansion valve 13 Evaporator 14 Compressor 15 Electricity Fan 16 Water refrigerant heat exchanger 17 Controller 18a Inflow water thermistor 18b Outflow water thermistor 19 Pressure sensor 20 Tank unit 21 Hot water storage tank 22 Hot water mixing valve 23 Hot water solenoid valve 24 Bath flow rate counter 25 Circulation pump 26 Circulation motor valve 27 Water level Sensor 28 Flow switch 29 Bath circulation temperature thermistor 30 Hot water supply mixing valve 31 Hot water supply temperature thermistor 32 Hot water supply counter 33a to 33e Remaining tank hot water thermistor 34 Tap water temperature thermistor 35 Control part 36 Operation part 351 Selection means 352 Trial run means 353 Function unit continuous diagnosis means 354 Function unit independent diagnosis means 355 Abnormal cause identifying means 356 Normal operation means

Claims (5)

An automatic diagnosis method for a hot water supply system having a plurality of pipes forming a flow path of hot water and a plurality of functional units that perform a predetermined operation for heating the hot water or discharging hot water of a predetermined temperature from a bathtub or a hot water tap There,
A trial operation mode for diagnosing the plurality of piping, a function unit single diagnosis mode for diagnosing any one of the plurality of function units, and a series of function units related to a predetermined process among the plurality of function units Selecting any one of the functional unit continuous diagnosis modes for diagnosing (S103, S105);
A first diagnosis step (S104) for diagnosing the plurality of pipes by operating the plurality of functional units in a predetermined procedure when the trial operation mode is selected;
When the functional unit continuous diagnosis mode is selected, a series of functional units related to a predetermined process among the plurality of functional units is operated to diagnose whether the series of functional units normally operate. Two diagnostic steps (S106);
When the functional unit single diagnostic mode is selected, a third diagnostic step (S107) for diagnosing whether or not the functional unit operated independently by operating any of the plurality of functional units independently When,
Have
The hot water supply system includes a heat pump unit (10) for heating hot water, a tank unit (20) for hot water storage and hot water discharge to a bathtub or a hot water tap, and the plurality of pipes include the heat pump A heat pump pipe (3a, 3b) for circulating hot water between the unit (10) and the tank unit (20), and a bathtub pipe (5) for discharging hot water from the tank unit (20) to the bathtub,
In the first diagnosis step (S104),
When the pump (11) provided in the heat pump pipe continues to operate for a first predetermined time under a predetermined condition, it is determined that the air venting in the heat pump pipe (3a, 3b) has been normally performed. 1 determination step (S204);
Filling the bathtub supplied with hot water from the tank unit (20) to a predetermined water level (S202, S203);
A second determination step (S207) for determining that the hot water filling is normally performed when the hot water is filled to the predetermined water level within the second predetermined time;
In the second determination step (S207), when it is determined that the hot water filling has been normally performed, the presence or absence of water leakage in the bathtub or the bathtub pipe (5) is confirmed by detecting a decrease in the water level from the predetermined water level. Performing step (S210);
An automatic diagnosis method characterized by comprising: An automatic diagnosis method for a hot water supply system having a plurality of pipes forming a flow path of hot water and a plurality of functional units that perform a predetermined operation for heating the hot water or discharging hot water of a predetermined temperature from a bathtub or a hot water tap There,
A trial operation mode for diagnosing the plurality of piping, a function unit single diagnosis mode for diagnosing any one of the plurality of function units, and a series of function units related to a predetermined process among the plurality of function units Selecting any one of a functional unit continuous diagnosis mode for diagnosing an abnormality cause specifying mode for specifying an abnormality cause of the hot water supply system (S103, S105),
A first diagnosis step (S104) for diagnosing the plurality of pipes by operating the plurality of functional units in a predetermined procedure when the trial operation mode is selected;
When the functional unit continuous diagnosis mode is selected, a series of functional units related to a predetermined process among the plurality of functional units is operated to diagnose whether the series of functional units normally operate. Two diagnostic steps (S106);
When the functional unit single diagnostic mode is selected, a third diagnostic step (S107) for diagnosing whether or not the functional unit operated independently by operating any of the plurality of functional units independently When,
When the abnormality cause identification mode is selected, a series of functional units related to a predetermined process among the plurality of functional units is operated, and an abnormality occurs in the series of functional units or piping related to the predetermined process. An abnormality cause identifying step (S108) for determining whether or not to occur and, when an abnormality occurs, identifying an abnormality cause of the hot water supply system;
I have a,
At least one of the plurality of pipes includes a sensor that detects temperature information of hot water in the pipes,
The abnormality cause identifying step (S108)
A step of operating a series of functional units related to a predetermined process and determining whether an abnormality occurs in the series of functional units or piping related to the predetermined process (S402);
If it is determined that an abnormality has occurred, a step of determining whether or not there are a plurality of abnormality causes related to the abnormality that has occurred (S403);
When it is determined that there are a plurality of related abnormality causes, a step of operating a functional unit related to the generated abnormality among the plurality of functional units (S405);
Obtaining operation information of the operated functional unit and the temperature information (S406);
Identifying the cause of abnormality by determining whether the operation information or the temperature information satisfies a predetermined condition corresponding to any of the plurality of causes of abnormality (S407);
An automatic diagnosis method characterized by comprising: The hot water supply system includes a heat pump unit (10) for heating hot water, a tank unit (20) for hot water storage and hot water discharge to a bathtub or a hot water tap, and the plurality of pipes include the heat pump A heat pump pipe (3a, 3b) for circulating hot water between the unit (10) and the tank unit (20), and a bathtub pipe (5) for discharging hot water from the tank unit (20) to the bathtub,
In the first diagnosis step (S104),
When the pump (11) provided in the heat pump pipe continues to operate for a first predetermined time under a predetermined condition, it is determined that the air venting in the heat pump pipe (3a, 3b) has been normally performed. 1 determination step (S204);
Filling the bathtub supplied with hot water from the tank unit (20) to a predetermined water level (S202, S203);
A second determination step (S207) for determining that the hot water filling is normally performed when the hot water is filled to the predetermined water level within the second predetermined time;
In the second determination step (S207), when it is determined that the hot water filling has been normally performed, the presence or absence of water leakage in the bathtub or the bathtub pipe (5) is confirmed by detecting a decrease in the water level from the predetermined water level. Performing step (S210);
The automatic diagnosis method according to claim 2 , comprising: The hot water supply system has a heat pump unit (10) for heating hot water, and a tank unit (20) for storing hot water of heated hot water and discharging hot water to a bathtub or hot water tap,
The predetermined process in the second diagnostic step includes a hot water heating process for heating the hot water in the heat pump unit (10), a hot water supply process for supplying hot water of a predetermined temperature to the tank unit (20), and the tank unit. The automatic diagnosis method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, including at least one of a hot water filling process that causes (20) to hot water the bathtub. At least one of the plurality of pipes includes a sensor for detecting temperature information of hot water in the pipe or a flow rate of hot water in the pipe,
4. The second diagnosis step (S <b> 106) diagnoses whether or not the series of functional units normally operate based on the temperature information or the flow rate. 5. Automatic diagnosis method.

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