JP5948804B2 - Faucet device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a faucet device provided with a heating section (heater) for heating water.

  Patent Document 1 listed below describes a small water heater that detects the temperature of hot water when hot water is stopped and delays closing the faucet according to the temperature of the hot water. This prevents a so-called post-boiling phenomenon in which high-temperature water is discharged at the time of re-watering when the time from the hot water stop to re-watering is short.

JP-A-63-123950

  A faucet device provided with a heating unit (heater) used for hand washing or the like is required to discharge water at a comfortable temperature that is neither too cold nor too hot. However, with this type of faucet device, the user may feel uncomfortable because the low temperature water or the high temperature water is discharged when the use is resumed. That is, water at a comfortable temperature is not always discharged when resuming use.

  In view of the above circumstances, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a faucet device that discharges water at a comfortable temperature during use.

  In order to solve the above problems, a water faucet device according to the present invention opens and closes a heating unit that heats water, a discharge function unit that discharges water heated by the heating unit, and a water channel connected to the heating unit. An open / close function unit, a water channel control unit that switches opening and closing of the water channel when a predetermined operation is performed, and a heating control unit that controls the heating unit, and the water channel in the open state is closed When the operation is performed, the heating control unit stops heating by the heating unit, and then continues discharge from the discharge function unit until a predetermined delay time elapses, and then the water channel control When the water channel is closed by the unit and an operation to open the water channel in the closed state is performed, the heating unit is driven until a predetermined preliminary time elapses by the heating control unit. The water The control unit and gist that the water channel is opened.

  In this case, at least one of the delay time and the spare time may be a predetermined time.

  In addition, an outlet-side temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the water heated by the heating unit is further provided, and the delay time is confirmed to be equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature of the water detected by the outlet-side temperature sensor. It may be the time until.

  In addition, an outlet side temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the water heated by the heating unit and an inlet side temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the water flowing into the heating unit are further provided. What is necessary is just to set based on the time after becoming, the temperature of the water detected by the said inlet side temperature sensor, and the temperature of the water detected by the said outlet side temperature sensor.

  In the faucet device according to the present invention, when an operation for closing the water channel is performed, heating by the heating unit is stopped, and the discharge is continued until the delay time elapses. The heating unit is cooled by the discharge. Therefore, even when the time from when the water channel is closed to when the water channel is opened again is short (when the water channel is continuously used), high-temperature water is not discharged. On the other hand, when the operation for opening the water channel is performed, the heating unit is driven until the preliminary time elapses and then the water channel is opened. The part is preheated. That is, warm water is discharged immediately after resuming use by the preheated heating section. As described above, according to the present invention, when the discharge function is stopped, the discharge is delayed so that the remaining water does not become high temperature due to the residual heat of the heating unit, so that high temperature water remains inside. In addition, when the discharge function is driven, the water is immediately warmed by the preheated heating unit, so that the cold water is not discharged. That is, a faucet that discharges water at a temperature close to the set temperature (comfortable temperature) regardless of the usage state (interval from the previous use) or usage conditions such as outside air temperature (the temperature change of the discharged water is small) It becomes a device.

  In addition, when the function of the apparatus is constant, such as when the flow rate of discharged water is constant, the delay time and standby time can be set to a predetermined time, and the apparatus configuration is simple. It will be a thing.

  On the other hand, if the time until it is confirmed that the temperature of the water detected by the outlet side temperature sensor is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature is set as the delay time, the high temperature water will remain inside the apparatus (the high temperature water Discharge) is prevented.

  In addition, if the preliminary time is set based on the time after the water channel is closed, the temperature of the water detected by the inlet side temperature sensor, and the temperature of the water detected by the front outlet side temperature sensor, Insufficient heating or excessive preheating is prevented. That is, the temperature of water discharged after preheating becomes closer to the set temperature (comfortable temperature).

It is a block diagram showing a faucet device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the faucet apparatus concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the faucet device concerning one example of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the heating part with which the water tap apparatus shown in FIG. 3 is provided. It is the graph which showed the result of having measured the temperature change at the time of changing delay time variously at the time of continuous use of the water faucet device shown in FIG. 3 (the result of Experiment 1 was shown). The result of measuring the temperature change when the delay time and the standby time were set (experimental example) and when not set (comparative example) during continuous use of the faucet device shown in FIG. 3 was shown (experiment 2). This is a graph showing the results of

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The faucet device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a heating unit 10, a discharge function unit 30, an opening / closing function unit 40, and a control unit 50 for controlling them. The control unit 50 includes a water channel control unit 51 and a heating control unit 52. In the present invention, “water” is a generic term for various fluids. That is, the present invention can be applied to fluids other than water.

  The heating unit 10 includes a heater 11 arranged in a predetermined heating space, and performs so-called “instantaneous heating”. The “instantaneous heating” means that the flowing water heated by the heating unit 10 in a steady state is continuously discharged as it is and is not configured to temporarily store water in the apparatus. That is, there is no such thing as a tank in which water is stored in the apparatus. The heating space in which the heater 11 is disposed is provided with a water inlet and a water outlet. The water supplied from the water source flows into the heating space of the heating unit 10 from the water inlet and is heated by the heater 11. The heated water continuously flows out from the water outlet and is continuously discharged from the discharge function unit 30 to the outside.

  The temperature of the water heated by the heating unit 10 (the temperature of the water just before being discharged from the discharge function unit 30) is detected by the outlet side temperature sensor 20. If the temperature of this water is below a preset temperature, the heating control part 52 will drive the heating part 10 (heater 11), or will increase an output. On the other hand, if the temperature of water is more than preset temperature, the heating control part 52 will stop the heating part 10 (heater 11), or will reduce an output. That is, the heating control unit 52 performs feedback control based on the value of the outlet side temperature sensor 20 so that water at the set temperature is discharged.

  The discharge function unit 30 is a so-called faucet that discharges water heated by the heating unit 10. The opening / closing function unit 40 is a valve that opens and closes the water channel connected to the heating unit 10, and is controlled by the water channel control unit 51. When the water channel is closed by the opening / closing function unit 40, the flow of water in the apparatus stops, so that the discharge of water from the discharge function unit 30 also stops. The opening / closing function unit 40 may be anything that can control the flow of water in the apparatus, and may be on the upstream side of the heating unit 10 as shown in FIG. 1 or on the downstream side. Also good. The configuration of the opening / closing function unit 40 and the water channel control unit 51 that controls the opening / closing function unit 40 is not limited to a specific configuration, and various known configurations can be applied. For example, a sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a person is provided outside the apparatus (outside the discharge function unit 30), and when the presence of a person is detected (when a hand is held over the sensor), the water channel is opened. A sensor type (electric type) can be applied. That is, when the predetermined operation (operation) is performed, the opening / closing function unit 40 switches between the open state and the closed state of the water channel, and a preheating operation and a discharge stop delay operation described later can be realized. If there is something.

  The faucet device 1 having the above configuration operates as shown in the flowchart of FIG. When an operation to open the water channel in the closed state is performed, that is, when the user performs an operation to discharge water from the discharge function unit 30 ("S1" Yes in FIG. 2), A preheating operation is performed. First, the heating control unit 52 drives the heating unit 10 (heater 11) ("S2" in FIG. 2). The water channel control unit 51 closes the water channel until a predetermined time (hereinafter referred to as “preliminary time”) elapses after the operation is performed (after the heating unit 10 is driven). The discharge from the discharge function unit 30 is prohibited while keeping the state. After the preliminary time has elapsed ("S3" in FIG. 2), the water channel control unit 51 drives the open / close function unit 40 to open the water channel and start discharge from the discharge function unit 30 ("S4" in FIG. 2).

  By performing such control, the heating unit 10 (heater 11) is preheated during the preliminary time, so immediately after the discharge function unit 30 starts discharging (strictly speaking, the heating unit 10 and the discharge function unit 30 Immediately after the remaining water is discharged), water close to the set temperature is discharged. Therefore, the cold water is not continuously discharged for a long time, and the user can use the water at a comfortable temperature immediately after the start of the discharge.

  In this state, when the user performs an operation to stop the discharge from the state in which water is being discharged from the discharge function unit 30 ("S5" in FIG. 2), a discharge delay operation is performed. First, the heating control unit 52 stops heating the water by the heating unit 10 ("S6" in FIG. 2). The water channel control unit 51 continues discharging from the discharge function unit 30 while the water channel is kept open until a predetermined time (hereinafter referred to as “delay time”) elapses after the heating is stopped. Let After the lapse of the delay time ("S7" in FIG. 2), the water channel control unit 51 closes the water channel and stops the discharge from the discharge function unit 30 ("S8" in FIG. 2).

  By performing such control, the heating unit 10 (heater 11) stopped by the heating control unit 52 is cooled by the water before heating (cold water) that has flowed during the delay time. Therefore, after the water channel is closed and the discharge is stopped, the water remaining in the heating space of the heating unit 10 is prevented from becoming a high temperature by the heating unit 10 (heater 11). Therefore, when the time until the discharge is restarted after the discharge is stopped is relatively short (hereinafter, such use is referred to as “continuous use”. In the present embodiment, the discharge is restarted after the discharge is stopped. When the time until the time is 5 seconds or less is assumed as “continuous use”), the user does not feel uncomfortable because the high-temperature water is discharged.

  Thus, according to the faucet device 1 according to the present embodiment, when continuously used, it is possible to prevent the discharge of high-temperature water, and the faucet device with a small temperature fluctuation width that always discharges water close to the set temperature. 1 can be used.

  In the faucet device 1 having the above-described configuration, the “delay time” and “preliminary time” may be a fixed time (fixed time), or may be changed every time (variable time) depending on the use environment or the like. Good. When the flow rate of the water flowing through the heating unit 10 is constant, when some of the parameters affecting the temperature of the discharged water are constant and the change in the heating condition is small, the discharge is performed even for a certain time. The fluctuation of the temperature of the water to be performed can be kept small. On the other hand, when many of the parameters that affect the temperature of the discharged water are variable, such as when the flow rate of the water flowing through the heating unit 10 changes, each time it is used as follows: It is preferable to set “variable delay time” and “variable spare time” that change.

  The variable delay time may be set to a time until it is confirmed that the temperature of water detected by the outlet side temperature sensor 20 is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature. As described above, the delay time is a time set in order to prevent the water remaining in the apparatus from becoming a high temperature due to the residual heat of the heating unit 10. The fact that the temperature of the water detected by the outlet side temperature sensor 20 has fallen below the predetermined temperature means that the temperature of the heating unit 10 has also dropped to the temperature or a temperature close to the temperature, and therefore remains in the apparatus. The heated water is not heated until it reaches a high temperature due to the residual heat of the heating unit 10. Here, the “predetermined temperature” can be set as appropriate according to conditions such as the contact area between the water in the apparatus and the heater 11, but may be set lower than the upper limit of the temperature of water that people feel uncomfortable. preferable. If set in this way, the temperature of the heating unit 10 when the use is stopped becomes equal to or lower than the set temperature. Therefore, no matter how short it takes to stop using the water after the use is stopped, water above the set temperature remains. It is because it is not discharged.

  The variable preliminary time is a time set based on the time after the water channel is closed, the temperature of the water detected by the inlet side temperature sensor 21, and the temperature of the water detected by the outlet side temperature sensor 20. And it is sufficient. In this case, the faucet device 1 needs to include an inlet temperature sensor 21 that measures the temperature of the water flowing into the heating unit 10. If the time from when the water channel is closed, that is, the time from the end of the previous discharge is sufficiently long (if it is longer than a certain time), the water remaining in the device will be the same as the outside air temperature. The outside air temperature (if the device has a thermometer to measure the outside air, the temperature. If it does not have a thermometer, the expected temperature (for example, an average based on the calendar) Temperature) etc. may be used, and the necessary preheating time is calculated. On the other hand, if the time from the end of the previous discharge is equal to or shorter than the predetermined time, it is considered that the water remaining in the apparatus is not the same as the outside air temperature, and the inlet side temperature sensor 21 and the outlet side temperature sensor The necessary preheating time is calculated from the temperature measured by 20, that is, the temperature difference between the inlet side and the outlet side of the heating unit 10. Further, the flow rate of water may be introduced as a parameter for calculating the preheating time. That is, the calculation method may be such that the larger the flow rate of water to be measured, the longer the preheating time.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described using specific examples. The faucet device 1a shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is an embodiment of the faucet device according to the present invention. In addition, this invention is not limited to the faucet apparatus 1a concerning a following example.

  The heating part 10a is installed in the lower right part of the case 90a of the faucet device 1a. The heating unit 10a includes a heater 11a capable of heating water by energization in the fluid container 14a. The heater 11a is controlled by a control unit (heating control unit) of the faucet device 1a (not shown). The fluid container 14a is formed with a water inlet 12a through which water flows from a water source such as a water supply and a water outlet 13a through which hot water flows out. Can be supplied to the outside. The fluid container 14a is provided with a discharge port 15a that can be opened and closed by a discharge plug 16a. For the purpose of convenience during internal maintenance and prevention of breakage of the fluid container 14a due to water freezing in winter, the fluid container 14a Water can be discharged. The heating unit 10a includes a safety device 80a (a temperature fuse, a temperature sensitive reed switch, a thermostat, etc.) that detects the temperature inside the fluid container 14a and shuts off the power to the heater 11a if the temperature exceeds a set value. Is possible).

  The heater 11a of the heating unit 10a is a hollow cylindrical ceramic heater. Since heating efficiency improves so that the area which the heating part 10a contacts with water is large, it is desirable to have the heating part 10a in both the inner wall surface and outer wall surface of a hollow cylindrical ceramic heater. The fluid container 14a is a substantially cylindrical container having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion of the heater 11a. The heater 11a is attached to the upper end of the fluid container 14a so that the central axis of the cylindrical portion is in the vertical direction. The lower end portion of the heater 11a is not in contact with the bottom surface of the fluid container 14a, and water can flow from the inside of the cylindrical portion of the heater 11a to the outside at the bottom portion of the fluid container 14a.

  The water inlet 12a is an opening at the upper end of the heater 11a. The water supplied from the water source flows into the cylindrical body of the heater 11a through the water inlet 12a. Water entering from the water inlet 12a at the upper end of the heater 11a flows downward through the cylindrical body of the heater 11a and reaches the lower end of the heater 11a. The water then flows upward from the bottom of the fluid container 14a toward the water outlet 13a through the space between the outer wall surface of the heater 11a and the outer wall of the fluid container 14a. Water is heated in contact with the wall surface of the heater 11a while flowing from the top to the bottom of the heater 11a and while flowing from the bottom to the top of the heater 11a. Water can be heated with efficiency.

  The heating unit 10a is installed such that the central axis of the cylindrical heater 11a is in the vertical direction, and the water flow path is in the vertical direction. A water supply port 60a is installed at the upper end of the case 90a, is connected to a water source (water supply), and supplies tap water into the faucet device 1a. The water supplied from the water supply port 60a passes through the main valve 40a and the water flow detection unit 70a and flows into the heating unit 10a from the water inlet 12a. The water outlet 13a of the heating unit 10a is connected to the hot water outlet 61a at the upper end of the case 90a.

  The downstream of the hot water outlet 61a is connected to a faucet 30a (discharge function unit) of a hand-washing device that discharges water. The faucet 30a is provided with a human sensor so that it can be detected that a person holds his / her hand over the faucet 30a (the presence or absence of a person). In addition, a main valve 40a (opening / closing function unit) that opens and closes the flow of water (ON / OFF of discharge from the faucet 30a) is provided in the apparatus. The main valve 40a is controlled by a control unit (water channel control unit) of the faucet device 1a. Moreover, although not shown in figure, the inlet side temperature sensor is provided in the upstream of the water inlet 12a of the heating part 10a, and the outlet side temperature sensor is provided in the downstream of the water outlet 13a. The water flow detection unit 70 a detects the presence or absence of a water flow flowing toward the heating unit 10 in order to prevent the heating unit 10 from being aired. For example, an impeller-type hydrometer can be applied.

  In order to evaluate the faucet device 1a according to an embodiment of the present invention having the above-described configuration, the following Experiment 1 and Experiment 2 were performed. The following experiment was performed at a flow rate (discharge amount) of 1000 ml / min, a heating unit 10a (heater 11a) output of 1200 W (power supply voltage 100 V), and an outside air temperature of 20 ° C.

1) Experiment 1
Evaluation was made on a discharge stop delay operation in which discharge is continued for a certain time after heating by the heating unit 10a is stopped when an operation to stop discharge is performed. Specifically, in continuous use (time from use stop to use resumption = 15 seconds), the “delay time” is 0 seconds, 0.5 seconds, 1.0 seconds, 1.5 seconds, 2.0 seconds. , 2.5 seconds, and the effect was investigated. In this experiment, the effect when only the discharge stop delay operation was performed (“delay time” was set) without performing the preheating operation (without setting “preliminary time”) was evaluated. In this experiment, the temperature of water supplied from the water source was 5 ° C. In addition, the use resumption time was shown by time Ts in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the delay time was 0 seconds, that is, when the discharge was stopped immediately after the heating was stopped, the temperature of water at the time of resuming use after continuous use became about 23 ° C. It is presumed that the water remaining in the fluid container 14a was heated by the residual heat of the heater 11a. On the other hand, when the delay time is set, even when the delay time is 0.5 seconds, which is the shortest, the temperature of water at the time of resuming use is slightly over 20 ° C. Therefore, discomfort caused by temporary rise and fall of temperature can be reduced. In addition, it was found that as the delay time gradually increased, the temperature of the water decreased when the use was resumed. Specifically, if the delay time is 1.0 seconds, 1.5 seconds, 2.0 seconds, and 2.5 seconds, the discharge duration time is too long, and the heating unit 10a may be cooled too much. Therefore, it has become clear that it is optimal to set the “delay time” to 0.5 seconds under these conditions.

2) Experiment 2
Discharge stop delay operation that continues discharge for a certain period of time after heating by the heating unit 10a is stopped when an operation to stop discharge is performed, and discharge restarts when an operation to restart discharge is performed Prior to the evaluation, the preheating operation for preheating the heating unit 10a (heater 11a) for a certain period of time was evaluated. Specifically, at the time of continuous use (time from use stop to use resumption = 15 seconds), “delay time” is set to 0.5 seconds and “preliminary time” is set to 0.3 seconds based on the result of Experiment 1 above. The effect of setting (hereinafter referred to as experimental example) was investigated. Further, as a comparative example, a temperature change was measured when the apparatus was continuously used under the same conditions without setting “delay time” and “preliminary time”. In this experiment, the temperature of the water supplied from the water source was 20 ° C. In addition, the use resumption time was shown by the time Ts in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in this experimental example, the temperature of water at the time of resuming use is suppressed from being significantly increased, and the temperature of water at the time of resuming use is suppressed from being remarkably lowered. That is, the fluctuation width of the water temperature is small during continuous use. On the other hand, in the comparative example, the fluctuation width of the temperature of the water is large (compared to this experimental example) from the use stop to the use restart. In this way, by performing both the “discharge stop delay operation” and the “preheating operation”, the fluctuation width of the temperature of the discharged water can be kept small, and the faucet device that can always be used at a comfortable temperature I found out that

  In addition, although the said experiment was performed by setting the time from use stop to use resumption to 15 seconds, the faucet device concerning this invention is the continuous use whose time from use stop to use resumption is 15 seconds or less. Even so, the above effect is set.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described in detail, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment at all, A various change is possible in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Water faucet apparatus 10 Heating part 20 Outlet temperature side sensor 21 Inlet temperature side sensor 30 Discharge function part 40 Opening / closing function part 51 Water channel control part 52 Heating control part

Claims (4)

A heating section for heating water;
A discharge function section for discharging water heated by the heating section;
An opening / closing function part for opening and closing a water channel connected to the heating part;
A water channel control unit that switches between opening and closing of the water channel when a predetermined operation is performed,
A heating control unit for controlling the heating unit,
When an operation to close the water channel in the open state is performed, heating by the heating unit is stopped by the heating control unit, and thereafter, from the discharge function unit until a predetermined delay time elapses. The water channel is closed by the water channel controller after continuing the discharge,
When an operation for opening the water channel in the closed state is performed, the water channel is driven by the water channel control unit after the heating unit is driven until a predetermined preliminary time elapses by the heating control unit. A faucet device that is opened.   The faucet device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the delay time and the preliminary time is a predetermined time. An outlet side temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the water heated by the heating unit;
The faucet device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the delay time is a time until it is confirmed that a temperature of water detected by the outlet side temperature sensor is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature. An outlet-side temperature sensor that detects the temperature of water heated by the heating unit, and an inlet-side temperature sensor that measures the temperature of water flowing into the heating unit;
The preliminary time is set based on the time since the previous water channel was closed, the temperature of water detected by the inlet side temperature sensor, and the temperature of water detected by the outlet side temperature sensor. The faucet device according to claim 1 or 2 .

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