JP6507954B2 - Water heater - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a water heater.

  As a hot water supply device focusing on suppressing power consumption, one disclosed in Patent Document 1 below is disclosed. The hot water supply device described in Patent Document 1 below is a hot water storage device that performs a hot water storage operation using electric power as a drive source, and a momentary type for burning fuel to supply hot water when the amount of hot water stored in the hot water storage device is unexpected. It is a hybrid hot-water supply system provided with a hot-water heater, and a control part which controls a hot water storage apparatus and a moment type hot-water heater.

  The control unit drives the instantaneous water heater as necessary while avoiding power use in the peak power time zone based on past hot water supply volume results and information on the peak power time zone provided by the power supplier. Do.

JP, 2014-66496, A

  Since it is essential to obtain the information on the peak power time zone provided by the power supplier via the network, the above-mentioned prior art needs to have a communicable equipment configuration like the HEMS system. In addition, communication costs also occur when performing communication via a network.

  This invention is made in view of such a subject, The objective is to provide the hot-water supply apparatus which can be contributed to electric power load concentration avoidance and electric power load equalization by an apparatus single-piece | unit.

In order to solve the above problems, a hot water supply apparatus (1) according to the present invention comprises a heating source (10) for heating water to generate warm water, and a hot water storage tank (121) for storing hot water heated by the heating source. And a hot water supply pipe (135, 138) for using the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank, and a control unit (109, 122) for controlling a heating source. Electrical equipment other than the water heater based on the condition that the hot water is put to use through the hot water supply pipe , the outside air temperature, the water temperature supplied to the heat source, the date, and the seasonality factor selected from the state of the heat source. Determines whether the living activity time zone is used or the non-living activity time zone when the electric device is not used, and drives the heating source in the non-living activity time zone.

  According to the present invention, since the control unit determines whether the living activity time zone or the non-living activity time zone is based on the situation where the hot water is put to use through the hot water supply pipe, communication with the external system is performed. It is possible to drive the heating source during periods of low power consumption.

  In addition, the reference numerals in parentheses described in “Means for Solving the Problems” and “Claims” indicate the correspondence with “Form for carrying out the invention” described later, and “ It does not indicate that the inventions described in “Means for Solving the Problems” and “claims” are limited to the “mode for carrying out the invention” described later.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a hot water supply device that can contribute to power load concentration avoidance and power load leveling with a single device.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the hot-water supply apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the heat pump shown by FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating a living activity time zone and a non-living activity time zone. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for illustrating the processing of the ECU shown in FIGS. 1 and 2; FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process which detects the non-living activity time slot | zone in FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the time setting process of the non-living activity time slot | zone in FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. In order to facilitate understanding of the description, the same constituent elements in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible, and redundant description will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the water heating apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a heat pump unit 10, a hot water storage tank unit 12, and a remote control 14. The heat pump unit 10 corresponds to the heating source of the present invention. The hot water supply apparatus 1 is an apparatus for supplying hot water to the hot water supply tap 16 and the bath 18. The remote control 14 corresponds to the operation unit of the present invention.

  The remote control 14 has a display unit and an input unit which are not clearly shown in the figure. When the input unit of the remote control 14 is operated, the remote control 14 outputs an operation signal to the hot water storage ECU 122.

  The hot water storage tank unit 12 will be described. The hot water storage tank unit 12 includes a hot water storage tank 121, a hot water storage ECU 122, and a bath heat exchanger 123. The hot water storage ECU 122 corresponds to a control unit of the present invention together with an inverter ECU 109 described later.

  The hot water storage tank 121 is a tank container for internally storing water, which is a heat storage fluid. The hot water storage tank 121 is made of metal excellent in corrosion resistance, for example, stainless steel, and a heat insulating material is provided on an outer peripheral portion thereof. Thus, the hot water storage tank 121 can keep the water, which is the heat storage fluid, warm for a long time.

  The hot water storage tank 121 is provided with a thermistor (not shown). The hot water storage tank 121 is vertically elongated. In order to detect the amount of stored hot water and the temperature of the stored hot water inside the hot water storage tank 121, a plurality of thermistors are provided side by side in the height direction. Each water temperature thermistor is connected to the hot water storage ECU 122, and temperature information of the water filled in the hot water storage tank 121 at each water level is output to the hot water storage ECU 122. The hot water storage ECU 122 determines the boundary position between the upper hot water in the hot water storage tank 121 and the lower boiling water in the hot water storage tank 121 based on the temperature information output from each water temperature thermistor, and the amount of hot water storage in the hot water storage tank 121 Is detectable.

  A municipal water inflow pipe 133 is connected to the bottom of the hot water storage tank 121. The municipal water inflow pipe 133 is a pipe for supplying municipal water into the hot water storage tank 121. The city water inflow piping 133 is connected to the hot water supply piping 135 for a bath by the water supply piping 134. The city water inflow pipe 133 is connected to the faucet hot water supply pipe 138 by a water supply pipe 139.

  A tank side heat exchange pipe 136 is connected to the hot water storage tank 121. A bath heat exchanger 123 is provided on the way of the tank side heat exchange pipe 136. In the middle of the tank-side heat exchange pipe 136, a tank-side pump (not shown) is also provided.

  The tank side heat exchange pipe 136 is a pipe for taking out the heat storage fluid from the upper part of the hot water storage tank 121. The tank side heat exchange pipe 136 is connected so as to return the water whose temperature has been reduced through the bath heat exchanger 123 to the middle of the hot water storage tank 121.

  The bath heat exchanger 123 exchanges the heat storage fluid that has passed through the tank side heat exchange pipe 136 with the bath water used on the bath side.

  The tank-side pump (not shown) is a pump that causes the heat storage fluid in the tank-side heat exchange pipe 136 to flow out of the hot water storage tank 121 and return it to the hot water storage tank 121 through the bath heat exchanger 123.

  A hot water supply pipe 138 for faucet is connected to an upper portion of the hot water storage tank 121. The faucet hot water supply pipe 138 is a pipe for guiding the hot water, which is the heat storage fluid stored in the upper portion of the hot water storage tank 121, to the hot water supply faucet 16 provided downstream. The hot water supply tap 16 may be provided in the kitchen, or may be provided in a bathroom or a washroom. A hot water tap connected to dishwashing can be provided as the hot water tap 16.

  A water supply pipe 139 is connected to the faucet hot water supply pipe 138 via a three-way valve 130. By adjusting the three-way valve 130, it is possible to mix the hot water flowing out of the hot water storage tank 121 with the water supplied from the water supply pipe 139, and supply the hot water of an appropriate temperature to the hot water supply tap 16.

  The faucet hot water supply pipe 138 is provided with a faucet hot water supply flow rate counter 125. The faucet hot water supply flow rate counter corresponds to the flow rate detection unit of the present invention. The faucet hot water supply flow rate counter is provided between the hot water storage tank 121 and the three-way valve 130. Therefore, when the hot water supply flow counter discharges the hot water from the hot water supply tap 16, the faucet hot water supply flow counter can acquire the flow rate of the hot water flowing out from the hot water storage tank 121.

  A hot water supply pipe 135 for a bath is connected to an upper portion of the hot water storage tank 121. The hot water supply pipe 135 for bath is a pipe for guiding the hot water, which is the heat storage fluid stored in the upper part of the hot water storage tank 121, to the bathtub 18 provided on the downstream side. A water supply pipe 134 is connected to the hot water supply pipe 135 for a bath. The warm water flowing out of the hot water storage tank 121 and the water supplied from the water supply pipe 134 can be mixed, and the warm water of an appropriate temperature can be supplied to the bath 18.

  A three-way valve 129 is provided in the hot water supply pipe 135 for bath. A bath-side heat exchange pipe 137 is connected to the bath hot water supply pipe 135 via a three-way valve 129.

  The bath-side heat exchange piping 137 is provided with a bath-side pump 124. The bath-side pump 124 causes the water or the hot water stored in the bath 18 to flow out and exchanges heat with the hot water passing through the tank-side heat exchange pipe 136 in the bath heat exchanger 123. The hot water heat-exchanged in the bath heat exchanger 123 flows into the bath hot water supply pipe 135 via the three-way valve 129.

  The three-way valve 129 is a valve for adjusting whether the hot water flowing in from the hot water storage tank 121 is supplied to the bath 18 or the hot water flowing in from the bath-side heat exchange pipe 137 is supplied to the bath 18. A bath-hot-water supply flow rate counter 126 and a water pressure sensor 127 are provided in the bath-use hot water supply pipe 135 between the three-way valve 129 and the bathtub 18. The bath-hot-water supply flow rate counter 126 corresponds to the flow rate detection unit of the present invention. The water pressure sensor 127 is a sensor that measures the level of hot water or water stored in the bath 18.

  A boiling forward pipe 131 is connected to the lower portion of the hot water storage tank 121. A boiling return pipe 132 is connected to an upper portion of the hot water storage tank 121. The boiling forward pipe 131 and the boiling return pipe 132 are connected in the heat pump unit 10. A boiling pump (not shown) is provided on the way of the boiling forward pipe 131 and the boiling return pipe 132. By driving the boiling pump, the water at the lower part of the hot water storage tank 121 is supplied to the heat pump unit 10 to be the hot water, and the hot water is returned to the upper part of the hot water storage tank 121.

  The heat pump unit 10 heats the water, which is the heat storage fluid introduced from the boiling forward pipe 131, and derives it from the boiling return pipe 132. As shown in FIG. 2, the heat pump unit 10 of the present embodiment has a compressor 101, a water refrigerant heat exchanger 102, an opening degree variable pressure reducing valve 103, an air heat exchanger 104, and an inverter ECU 109. doing. The inverter ECU 109 corresponds to the control unit of the present invention together with the hot water storage ECU 122. The heat pump unit 10 of the present embodiment employs carbon dioxide as the refrigerant, and constitutes a vapor compression type supercritical refrigeration cycle in which the high-pressure side refrigerant pressure exceeds the critical pressure of the refrigerant.

  The refrigerant compressed to a high temperature and high pressure by the compressor 101 is supplied to the water refrigerant heat exchanger 102. In the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 102, the heat storage fluid is boiled by performing heat exchange between the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant flowing in the refrigerant flow channel and the water that is the heat storage fluid flowing in the water flow channel.

  The refrigerant subjected to heat exchange in the water refrigerant heat exchanger 102 is depressurized by the opening degree variable pressure reducing valve 103 and supplied to the air heat exchanger 104. In the air heat exchanger 104, the refrigerant is evaporated and absorbed from the outside air and supplied to the compressor 101. The air heat exchanger 104 has a fan 105. By adjusting the rotational speed of the fan 105, the evaporation and heat absorption of the refrigerant in the air heat exchanger 104 can be adjusted.

  A thermistor 107 is provided in a refrigerant flow path 106 connecting the compressor 101, the water refrigerant heat exchanger 102, the opening degree variable pressure reducing valve 103, and the air heat exchanger 104. The thermistor 107 is provided to obtain the outlet temperature of the air heat exchanger 104. The arrangement position of the thermistor 107 is not limited to this, and may be provided to obtain the inlet temperature of the air heat exchanger 104. The thermistor 107 may be provided to obtain both the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature of the air heat exchanger 104. The thermistor 108 is provided to obtain the outside air temperature.

  The hot water storage ECU 122 receives an operation signal output in response to an operation input to the remote control 14. The hot water storage ECU 122 receives detection signals output from the faucet / hot water supply flow rate counter 125, the bath / hot water supply flow rate counter 126, and the water pressure sensor 127. The hot water storage ECU 122 outputs drive signals for driving the three-way valves 129 and 130 and the bath-side pump 124. The hot water storage ECU 122 outputs a drive signal for driving the heat pump unit 10 to the inverter ECU 109.

  The inverter ECU 109 operates the heat pump unit 10 based on the drive signal output from the hot water storage ECU 122. Detection signals output from the thermistor 107 and the thermistor 108 are input to the inverter ECU 109. The inverter ECU 109 outputs drive signals to each of the compressor 101, the variable opening degree pressure reducing valve 103, and the fan 105 of the air heat exchanger 104.

  Subsequently, operations of the hot water storage ECU 122 and the inverter ECU 109 in the present embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, one day is divided into a "living activity time zone" and a "non-living activity time zone". The "living activity time zone" is a time zone when hot water use occurs. For example, it is a time zone from when the resident wakes up in the morning to when he goes to bed at night, and in the example of FIG. The "non-living activity time zone" is a time zone in which the use of hot water does not occur. For example, it is a time zone from when a resident goes to bed to when getting up in the morning, and in the example of FIG. 3, it is from 24:00 in the middle of the night to 7 in the morning.

  In the "living activity time zone", residents often spend indoors and use electric appliances including home appliances such as heating / cooling air conditioners, TVs, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, etc., so the amount of household power consumption increases accordingly. Do. On the other hand, in the "non-living activity time zone", the use of home appliances is also reduced, and the power consumption in the home is also reduced. The use of hot water is related to human life activities ranging from morning cleansing, showering, meal preparation, cleaning up of dishes, bathing in the night, etc. in the "living activity time zone".

  Therefore, it is determined that the “non-living activity time zone” has been entered when there is no use hot water amount in the hot water supply device 1 or less than a predetermined use hot water amount, or when the remote control 14 is not operated for a predetermined time. After entering the "non-living activity time zone" and assuming that the amount of power consumption in the home will decrease, the boiling operation in the water heating apparatus 1 is started. Conversely, if the amount of hot water used increases again from a state where there is no amount of hot water used, or if the remote control 14 is operated again after a predetermined time has elapsed since there was no operation on the remote control 14, the "non-living activity time zone" ends It judges that it has done and stops the boiling operation. As described above, by determining the “living activity time zone” and the “non-living activity time zone” and making the operation of the hot water supply apparatus 1 different, it is possible to contribute to the power load leveling without concentration of the power load.

  The hot water storage ECU 122 executes a determination process to distinguish the two time zones based on the hot water supply status from the hot water storage tank unit 12. The inverter ECU 109 operates the heat pump unit 10 based on the result of the determination process to supply hot water to the hot water storage tank unit 12.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in step S01, a non-living activity time zone is detected, and a transition process to control adapted to the non-living activity time zone is executed. The specific content of the process in step S01 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in step S11, it is determined whether the bathing of the bath has been completed. The hot water storage ECU 122 determines whether the bathing has been completed based on the detected flow rate of the bath-hot-water supply flow rate counter 126. If it is determined that the bathing is not completed, the process of step S11 is repeated. If it is determined that the bathing is completed, the process proceeds to step S12.

  In step S12, it is determined whether the bath heat recovery setting is made. The hot water storage ECU 122 determines whether the bath heat recovery setting has been made based on the input from the remote control 14. Bath heat recovery is to recover bath heat by driving the bath-side pump 124 after bathing and exchanging heat between the hot water stored in the bath 18 and the hot water passing through the tank-side heat exchange pipe 136. is there. If it is determined that the bath heat recovery setting is not made, the process proceeds to step S14. If it is determined that the bath heat recovery setting is made, the process proceeds to step S13.

  In step S13, it is determined whether the bath heat recovery is completed. The hot water storage ECU 122 determines whether the bath heat recovery has been completed based on the driving condition of the bath-side pump 124 or the like. If it is determined that the bath heat recovery is not completed, the process of step S13 is repeated. If it is determined that the bath heat recovery is completed, the process proceeds to step S14.

  In step S14, it is determined whether the bath pipe cleaning setting is made. It is judged based on the input from the remote control 14 that the hot water storage ECU 122 judges whether or not the bath piping cleaning setting is made. The bath piping cleaning is to wash the hot water through the piping after bathing. If it is determined that the bath piping cleaning setting is not made, the process proceeds to the process of step S16, and if it is determined that the bath piping cleaning setting is made, the process proceeds to the process of step S15.

  In step S15, it is determined whether or not bath line cleaning has been completed. The hot water storage ECU 122 determines whether the bath piping cleaning has been completed based on the driving condition of the bath-side pump 124 or the like. If it is determined that the bath pipe cleaning has not been completed, the process of step S15 is repeated. If it is determined that the bath pipe cleaning is completed, the process proceeds to step S16.

  In the processes of steps S11 to S15, it is determined whether the use of the hot water is stopped at the consumer and the interior of the consumer is in bed. If the inside of the customer is in the sleeping state, it is judged that the electric power consumption amount of the electric appliances other than the water heating apparatus 1, that is, so-called household appliances has decreased. Therefore, in addition to the above judgment, the water level drop after bathing and the time lapse after that may be grasped from the measured value of the water pressure sensor 127, and it may be judged that the bathing is completed.

  In step S16, it is determined whether the current time is in the nighttime zone. Since there may be bathing even in the daytime, it is judged based on the current time whether it is in the nighttime zone or not. The nighttime time zone is a nighttime low price time zone according to a time zone charge zone contracted by a customer having the hot water supply apparatus 1, and the hot water storage ECU 122 determines. If the current time does not fall within the nighttime zone, the process returns to the process of step S11, and if the current time falls within the nighttime zone, the process proceeds to the process of step S17.

  In step S17, it is determined whether information obtained from counters that detect hot water, such as the faucet hot water supply flow rate counter 125 and the bath hot water supply flow rate counter 126, satisfies a predetermined condition. Specifically, when the detection information of the faucet hot water flow counter 125 and the bath hot water flow counter 126 do not supply hot water to either the hot water supply faucet 16 or the bathtub 18, the predetermined conditions are satisfied. It is determined that it is in the non-living activity time zone, the transition process is performed, and the process proceeds to the process of step S02 in FIG. Judgment that hot water is not supplied to the hot water supply faucet 16 or the bathtub 18 is determined after a predetermined time has elapsed since the detected flow rates of the water faucet hot water flow rate counter 125 and the bath hot water flow rate counter 126 become zero. Is also preferred.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the description will be continued. In step S02, time processing setting of the non-living activity time zone is performed. The specific content of the process in step S02 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in step S21, the hot water storage ECU 122 acquires the start time and the end time of the non-living activity time zone. The start time can be the time when the detection processing of the non-living activity time zone described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 is completed. The end time may be an end time of a preset night time zone.

  In step S22 following step S21, the hot water storage ECU 122 determines whether there is a correction due to learning. If it is determined that the correction by the learning is present, the process proceeds to the process of step S23, and if it is determined that the correction by the learning is not performed, the process proceeds to the process of step S24.

  In step S23, the hot water storage ECU 122 reflects the correction value by learning, and updates the start time and the end time of the non-living activity time zone. For example, if it is customary to start using hot water at 4:00 the next morning if the standard night time zone is from 23:00 to 7:00 the next morning, the end time of the non-living activity time zone is updated at 4:00 the next morning . If the process of step S23 is completed, it will progress to the process of step S24.

  In step S24, the hot water storage ECU 122 determines whether there is a correction due to a seasonal factor. If it is determined that there is a correction due to a seasonal factor, the process proceeds to step S25. If it is determined that there is no correction due to a seasonal factor, the process proceeds to step S26.

  In step S <b> 25, the hot water storage ECU 122 updates the start time and the end time of the non-living activity time zone by reflecting the correction value due to the seasonal factor. For example, if the season is winter, the air conditioner may be started using the timer setting, for example, at 6 o'clock before the wake-up time. In this way, when the standard night time zone is from 23:00 to 7:00 the next morning and when you start using other electric devices seasonally at 6:00 the next morning, the end time of the non-living activity time zone is Update at 6 am the next morning. If the process of step S25 is completed, it will progress to the process of step S26.

  In step S26, the hot water storage ECU 122 determines whether a time zone for using another electrical device is set. If a time zone for using another electrical device is set, the process proceeds to step S27. If a time zone for using another electrical device is not set, the process proceeds to step S28.

  In step S27, the hot water storage ECU 122 updates the start time and end time of the non-living activity time zone, and in some cases the interruption time zone, so as to exclude time zones in which other electric devices are used. If the process of step S27 is completed, it will progress to the process of step S28.

  In step S28, the hot water storage ECU 122 determines whether time setting has been made by the user. If the time has been set by the user, the process proceeds to step S29. If the time has not been set by the user, the process ends, and the process proceeds to step S03 in FIG.

  In step S29, the hot water storage ECU 122 reflects the time setting by the user, and updates the start time and end time of the non-living activity time zone, and the interruption time zone if necessary. If the process of step S29 is completed, it will progress to step S03 of FIG.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the description will be continued. In step S03, based on the non-living activity time zone calculated in step S02, the operation capacity of the heat pump unit 10 is calculated so that the amount of hot water required in the home rises. The information of the non-living activity time zone calculated in step S 02 is output from the hot water storage ECU 122 to the inverter ECU 109. The inverter ECU 109 calculates the operating capacity of the heat pump unit 10 so as to secure the necessary amount of hot water in the received non-living activity time zone.

  In calculating the operation capacity of the heat pump unit 10, the user's hot-water use time and the amount of used hot water are learned in the inexpensive time zone of the electricity price classified by time zone of each power company. Subsequently, the target heating capacity Q (kW) is calculated by recalculating the non-living activity time as the boiling operation time T (h) by calculating the "non-living activity time zone" where hot water is not supplied and the required storage water quantity Qh (kWh) per day. Set the variable.

  In step S04 following step S03, the inverter ECU 109 starts the heating operation in the heat pump unit 10. In adjusting the operation capacity, adjustment of the rotation speed of the compressor 101, adjustment of the opening degree of the opening degree variable pressure reducing valve 103, adjustment of the rotation speed of the fan 105, and adjustment of the target high pressure and the target discharge temperature are executed.

  In step S05 following step S04, the hot water storage ECU 122 determines whether the required hot water storage amount has been secured. If it is determined that the required amount of hot water storage has been secured, the process proceeds to step S07. If it is determined that the required amount of stored water can not be secured, the process proceeds to step S06.

  In step S06, the hot water storage ECU 122 determines whether the non-living activity period has ended. If it is determined that the non-living activity period has not ended, the process returns to step S05. If it is determined that the non-living activity period has ended, the process proceeds to step S07.

  In step S07, the hot water storage ECU 122 outputs, to the inverter ECU 109, information instructing to stop the heating operation. The inverter ECU 109 stops the boiling operation in the heat pump unit 10.

  In the present embodiment, when the hot water is started to be used through the hot water supply pipe 138 for the faucet and the hot water supply pipe 135 for the bath, the hot water storage ECU 122 can determine that the living activity time zone has been started. Even in the non-living activity time zone set as described above, if it is determined that living activities have started when hot water is started to be used, it is possible to make judgments more in line with actual usage conditions. When the hot water storage ECU 122 determines that the life activity time zone has been started, the hot water storage ECU 122 outputs a signal instructing the inverter ECU 109 to stop the operation of the heat pump unit 10. The inverter ECU 109 stops the driving of the compressor 101 and stops the operation of the heat pump unit 10.

  In the present embodiment, the hot water storage ECU 122 starts using the hot water based on the detection results of the faucet hot water supply flow rate counter 125 provided in the hot water supply pipe 138 for faucet and the bath hot water supply flow rate counter 126 provided in the hot water supply pipe 135 for bath. To judge. Based on the detection results of the faucet hot water supply flow rate counter 125 and the bath hot water supply flow rate counter 126, it is possible to surely know that the hot water is actually used and to execute the operation stop of the heat pump unit 10 without fail.

  In the present embodiment, when the use of the hot water through the hot water supply pipe 138 for faucet and the hot water supply pipe 135 for the bath is stopped, the hot water storage ECU 122 can determine that the living activity time zone has ended. Since the use of hot water is inevitable for people to carry out daily activities, it is concluded that the daily activity period has ended when the use of hot water is stopped, so that daily activities can be performed without providing any other means. The end of the time zone can be determined.

  In the present embodiment, the hot water storage ECU 122 stops the use of hot water based on the detection results of the faucet hot water supply flow rate counter 125 provided in the hot water supply pipe 138 for faucet and the bath hot water supply flow rate counter 126 provided in the hot water supply pipe 135 for bath. To judge. Based on the detection results of the faucet hot water supply flow rate counter 125 and the bath hot water supply flow rate counter 126, it is possible to reliably grasp that the use of the hot water has actually stopped and start the operation of the heat pump unit 10 without delay.

  In the present embodiment, the hot water storage ECU 122 can determine that the use of the hot water is stopped after a predetermined time has elapsed since the detection results of the faucet hot water flow rate counter 125 and the bath hot water flow rate counter 126 become less than a predetermined flow rate. . Even if the detection results of the faucet hot water flow rate counter 125 and the bath hot water flow rate counter 126 become less than the predetermined flow rate, the use of hot water may be resumed immediately afterward. Therefore, after a certain amount of time has passed, the time that there will be no use of hot water again will be taken as the predetermined time, and it will be judged that the use of hot water has been stopped after the predetermined time has passed, in actual living conditions. It is possible to make an appropriate judgment.

  In the present embodiment, when the hot water storage ECU 122 detects that the bath function of the bathtub 18 receiving the hot water supply from the hot water supply pipe 135 for bath is not activated, it can determine that the use of the hot water is stopped. The bath function is, as described above, "bathing in hot water", "bath heat recovery", and "bath piping cleaning". Since a user often takes a bath at the end of the life activity time zone, the stop of the bath function can be used to determine the end of the life activity time zone.

  In the present embodiment, the remote controller 14 for inputting an operation signal to the hot water storage ECU 122 is further provided. The hot water storage ECU 122 can determine the stop of use of the hot water when the state where the operation signal is not input from the remote control 14 continues for a predetermined time. When using the hot water, the remote control 14 is often operated to set the temperature, etc., so it can be determined that the use of the hot water is stopped depending on the operating condition of the remote control 14.

  In the present embodiment, the hot water storage ECU 122 records the usage state in which the hot water is provided for use through the faucet hot water supply pipe 138 and the bath hot water supply pipe 135, and learns from the recorded use state. The start and end of the non-living activity time zone can be determined. The actual usage situation may differ from the living activity time zone and the non-living activity time zone set as the standard time zone, so by recording and learning the usage situation, the situation of each user It becomes possible to set the time zone according to.

  In the present embodiment, the hot water storage ECU 122 is based on the outside air temperature, the water temperature supplied to the heat pump unit 10, the date, and at least one seasonality factor selected from the state of the heat pump unit 10; The start and end of the active hours can be determined. In the example described above, it has been described to determine and correct the season based on the date, but the seasonal factor is not limited to this. The outside air temperature, the water temperature, and the condition of the heat pump unit 10 are also factors that fluctuate in the season, so these can be reflected in the judgment of the start and end of the living activity time zone and the non-living activity time zone.

  In the present embodiment, when driving the heat pump unit 10 in the non-living activity time zone, the inverter ECU 109 calculates the target heating capacity of the heat pump unit 10 according to the length of the non-living activity time zone, and Thus, the heating capacity of the heat pump unit 10 is varied and driven. By calculating the target heating capacity in this manner, it is possible to secure the necessary amount of hot water even if the drive time of the heat pump unit 10 fluctuates.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the inverter ECU 109 changes the heating capacity by changing the rotational speed of the compressor 101. The inverter ECU 109 can also change the heating capacity by changing the target high pressure and the target discharge temperature in the heat pump unit 10. The inverter ECU 109 can also change the heating capacity by changing the rotational speed of the fan 105. The inverter ECU 109 can also change the heating capacity by changing the opening degree of the opening degree variable pressure reducing valve 103.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the non-living activity time zone is included in the night low price time zone of the time zone charge zone contracted by the customer installing the water heating apparatus 1. By setting in this way, since the time when the heat pump unit 10 is driven always becomes the low-night time zone at night, the electricity bill to be paid can be reduced.

  The hot water storage ECU 122 determines whether it is a living activity time zone or a non-living activity time zone by determining the time in addition to the situation where the hot water is provided for use through the hot water supply pipe 138 for faucet and the hot water supply pipe 135 for bath You can also. For example, even if the hot water is not used, it can be determined that it is not judged as a non-living activity time zone if the time is a daytime time zone.

  In the present embodiment, the hot water storage ECU 122 and the inverter ECU 109 can also drive the heat pump unit 10 based on the time limit information input to the remote control 14. By considering the input from the user, it is possible to perform boiling that reflects the preference of the user.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to specific examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these specific examples. Those appropriately modified in design by those skilled in the art are also included in the scope of the present invention as long as they have the features of the present invention. The elements included in the above-described specific examples, and the arrangement, conditions, and shapes thereof are not limited to those illustrated, but can be appropriately modified. The elements included in the above-described specific examples can be appropriately changed in combination as long as no technical contradiction arises.

1: Water heater 10: Heat pump unit 121: Hot water storage tank 135: Hot water supply piping for bath 138: Hot water supply piping for water faucet 109: Inverter ECU
122: Hot water storage ECU

Claims (6)

A water heater (1),
A heating source (10) for heating water to produce warm water;
A hot water storage tank (121) for storing hot water heated by the heat source;
A hot water supply pipe (135, 138) for using the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank;
A control unit (109, 102) for controlling the heating source;
The control unit is based on at least one seasonal factor selected from a condition where hot water is put to use through the hot water supply pipe , an outside air temperature, a water temperature supplied to the heating source, a date, and a state of the heating source. ,
It is determined whether a living activity time zone in which an electric device other than the hot water supply device is used or a non-living activity time period in which the electric device is not used, and the heat source is driven in the non-living time period. Water heater. A water heater (1),
A heat pump (10) for heating water to produce hot water;
A hot water storage tank (121) for storing hot water heated by the heat source;
A hot water supply pipe (135, 138) for using the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank;
A control unit (109, 102) for controlling the heating source;
The control unit
Based on the situation where hot water is put to use through the hot water supply pipe, it is determined whether it is a living activity time zone in which an electric device other than the hot water supply device is used or a non living activity time period in which the electric device is not used. And
In driving the heat pump, the target heating capacity of the heat pump is calculated according to the length of the non-living activity time zone,
A water heater driven by varying the heating capacity of the heat pump based on the result. The water heating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit changes the heating capacity by changing the number of rotations of a compressor (101) of the heat pump. The water heating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit changes the heating capacity by changing a target high pressure and a target discharge temperature in the heat pump. The water heating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control unit changes the heating capacity by changing the number of rotations of a fan (105) of the heat pump. The water heating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control unit changes the heating capacity by changing an opening degree of the opening degree variable pressure reducing valve (103) of the heat pump.

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