JPH04177049A - Hot water storing type calorifier - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a fine sensing of a remaining amount of hot water to be carried out by a method wherein a position of each of mixing layers corresponding to the first and second water temperature sensing sensors is referred by a mixing layer reference table and the remaining amount of hot water can be estimated in response to a position of the mean mixing layer got through a mean calculation of each of the mixing layers. CONSTITUTION:In the case that a temperature of an upper part thermo-sensitive element 5 is A deg.C or more and a temperature of a lower thermo-sensitive element 6 is A deg.C or less, a temperature sensing part 8 reads a capacity C of a mixing layer of the mixing layer A at the upper thermo-sensitive element 5 and the mixing layer at the lower thermo-sensitive element 6 in reference to the mixing layer reference table in view of the temperature at the upper thermo-sensitive element 5 and the temperature of the lower thermo-sensitive element 6. The temperature sensor 8 makes a mean capacity of each of the mixing layer A and the mixing layer C, calculates a position of the mixing layer B with the upper thermo-sensitive element 5 and the lower thermo-sensitive element 6, judges if it is above a position of an intermediate point X between the upper thermo-sensitive element 5 and the lower thermo-sensitive element 6. If the intermediate point X is placed above it, a remaining hot water displaying lamp 9 is lit where it is placed at a position of the intermediate point X.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a hot water storage type water heater that calculates and displays the amount of hot water remaining in the stored hot water using a small number of temperature sensing elements.

[Conventional technology] Conventional hot water storage type water heaters are generally energy-saving models that use inexpensive late-night electricity to boil the hot water needed for hot water supply at night, and then use that hot water during the day. has been done.

This hot water storage water heater heats a large amount of water inside the can over a long period of time using a heat source with a relatively low capacity.
The feature is that it can be used even when supplying a large amount of hot water to a bathtub. In addition, a temperature sensing element such as a thermistor is installed on the outer periphery of the can, or a protective tube with a built-in temperature sensor is inserted into the can to detect and display the amount of hot water remaining in the can based on the temperature at a specific location. Ta.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing the structure of a conventional hot water storage type water heater. In the figure, (1) is a can body that stores supplied water, (2)
is an electric heater that is installed at the bottom of the can and heats and raises the temperature of the water stored inside the can when energized; (3) is a water supply port that is installed at the bottom of the can that supplies water into the can; This is a hot water inlet that is provided on the upper part of the body and supplies hot water that has been heated within the can body (1). (5) is the upper temperature sensing element installed on the upper side of the can body (1), (5a) is the conductor of the upper temperature sensing element (5), and (6) is the upper temperature sensing element installed on the lower side of the can body (1). (6a) is the conductor of the lower temperature sensing element (6); (7) is the intermediate temperature sensing element provided on the middle side of the can body (1);
a) is the conducting wire of the intermediate temperature sensing element (7).

(8^) converts the temperature based on the detected values from the upper temperature sensing element (5), middle temperature sensing element (7) and lower temperature sensing element (6), and calculates the amount of remaining hot water in the can body (1). It is a temperature sensor having a control means for calculating the temperature. (9) is a remaining hot water amount display section that displays the remaining hot water amount based on the value calculated by the temperature sensor (8).

The conventional hot water storage type water heater is constructed as described above, and FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the hot water storage type water heater of FIG. 4, and the operation of the conventional hot water storage type water heater will be explained.

First, when the water supplied from the water supply port (3) becomes full in the can (1), the electric heater (2) installed at the bottom of the can (1) is energized and heats the water in the can. The heated hot water gradually rises due to buoyancy and accumulates in the upper part of the can (1).Then, when hot water is supplied, the hot water is heated through the hot water inlet (4) provided at the upper part of the can (1). ), and the same amount of water as the amount of hot water supplied is supplied from the water inlet (3), and the can body (
1) Raise the water level inside. At that time, the detection signals from the temperature sensing elements (5), (6), (7) provided on the side of the can body (1) are converted into temperature by the temperature detector (8), and
Perform the following processing.

In step 100, all remaining hot water display lamps (5ON, 100 g, 1504) of the remaining hot water amount display section (9) are turned off, and the process proceeds to step 101.

In step 101, it is determined whether the temperature of the upper temperature sensing element (5) is equal to or higher than a certain temperature A"C. If it is equal to or higher than A"C, the process proceeds to step 102; if it is lower than A'C, it is determined. Proceed to step 103.

In step 102, the temperature detector (8) turns on the indicator lamp for the amount of remaining hot water corresponding to the position of the upper temperature sensing element (5) corresponding to the temperature of A"C or higher from the reference table of the control means, and Proceed to step 103.

In step 103, it is determined whether the temperature of the intermediate temperature sensing element (7) is equal to or higher than a certain temperature A"C, and
If it is above, the process proceeds to step 104, and if it is less than A''C, the process proceeds to step 105.

In step 104, the temperature detector (8) turns on the indicator lamp for the amount of remaining hot water corresponding to the position of the intermediate temperature sensing element (7) corresponding to the temperature of A"C or higher from the reference table of the control means, and Proceed to step 105.

In step 105, it is determined whether the temperature of the lower temperature sensing element (6) is above a certain temperature A"C, and if it is above A"C, the process proceeds to step 106; if it is below A'C, it is determined. finish.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the conventional hot water storage type water heater as described above, when it is desired to check whether there is residual hot water in the can body (1) above a specified water level, a temperature sensor is installed at the position of the water level. Since one or more elements are required, there is a problem in that in order to precisely detect the amount of remaining hot water, a large number of temperature sensing elements must be installed, resulting in high costs.

The invention was made in order to solve this problem, and the purpose is to obtain a hot water storage type water heater that can precisely detect the amount of remaining hot water using a small number of temperature sensing elements and display the position of the remaining hot water. do.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The hot water storage type water heater according to the present invention includes: a first water temperature detection sensor that is provided on the upper wall surface of the can body and measures the water temperature in the upper part of the can body; a second water temperature detection sensor provided on the lower wall surface and measuring the water temperature at the lower part of the can body;
Mixed layer reference in which the positions of the mixed layers corresponding to the hot water temperature at the location where the first water temperature detection sensor is installed and the water temperature at the location where the second water temperature detection sensor is installed are stored in advance. The position of each mixed layer is determined by referring to the table and the mixed layer reference table based on the water temperature of the first water temperature detection sensor and the water temperature of the second water temperature detection sensor. Remaining hot water detection control means for calculating the average mixed layer position by averaging the positions of the respective mixed layers, and checking the presence or absence of residual hot water in the can based on the calculated average mixed layer position. It is.

[Function] In this invention, the remaining hot water detection control means determines the position of each mixed layer corresponding to the hot water temperature of the first water temperature detection sensor and the hot water temperature of the second water temperature detection sensor in the mixed layer reference table. The position of each mixed layer referenced in the mixed layer reference table is averaged to obtain the average mixed layer position, and based on the average mixed layer position, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of residual molten metal in the can body. ing.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, and (1) to (
6) and (9) are the same as those of the conventional device described above.

In the figure, (8^) is the temperature sensor, and the upper temperature sensing element (
5) and the lower temperature sensing element (6), and converting the temperature into a mixed layer (between hot and cold water) based on the temperature of the upper temperature sensing element (5) and the lower temperature sensing element (6). It has a mixed layer reference table (created based on experimental data) that allows you to refer to the position of the layer where there is a slight mixture of hot water and water, and also allows you to refer to the position of the two mixed layers (where there is a slight mixture of hot water and water).
A remaining hot water detection control means is provided for calculating the mixed layer by averaging the positions of the mixed layer (positions of the mixed layer based on the temperatures of the upper temperature sensing element and the lower temperature sensing element) and checking the presence or absence of residual hot water.

The hot water storage type water heater of the present invention is constructed as described above, and FIG. 2 is a graph showing the mixed layer reference table, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of FIG. 1. Explain.

First, when the can body (1) is full of water supplied from the water supply port (3), the electric heater (2) installed at the bottom of the can body (1) is energized and the water inside the can body (1) is turned on. Heat the water to raise its temperature.

The heated water gradually rises due to buoyancy and reaches the can body (1
) will accumulate at the top of the inside. When hot water is supplied, hot water is supplied from the hot water inlet (4) provided at the top of the can body, and the same amount of water is supplied from the water inlet (3) as the hot water supply amount to the can body.
1) Raise the water level inside. At that time, a mixed layer is formed where hot water and water mix. Then, from the above state, the detection signals detected from the upper temperature sensing element (5) and the lower temperature sensing element (6) provided on the side surface of the can body (1) are sent to the temperature detector (8).
) to convert the temperature and perform the following processing.

In step 1, the temperature detector (8) turns off all remaining hot water display lamps in the remaining hot water amount display section (9), and the process proceeds to step 2.

In step 2, it is determined whether the temperature of the upper temperature sensing element (5) is above a certain temperature A"C. If it is above A"C, proceed to step 3, and if it is below A"C. Proceed to step 4.

In step 3, the temperature sensor (8) lights up the remaining hot water indicator lamp corresponding to the position of the upper temperature sensing element (5), and the process proceeds to step 4.

In step 4, it is determined whether the temperature of the lower temperature sensing element (6) is above a certain temperature A"C. If it is above A"C, proceed to step 5, and if it is below A'C. Proceed to step 6.

In step 5, the temperature detector (8) turns on the remaining hot water indicator lamp corresponding to the position of the lower temperature sensing element (6), and the process proceeds to step 9.

In step 6, the temperature of the upper temperature sensing element (5) is A”
C or higher and the temperature of the lower temperature sensing element (6) is lower than or equal to A'C (the mixed layer is the upper temperature sensing element (5) and the lower temperature sensing element (
6)), the temperature sensor (8) uses the temperature of the upper temperature sensing element (5) and the temperature of the lower temperature sensing element (6) to create a mixed layer reference table (Fig. 2a).

The capacitances of the mixed layer A in the upper temperature-sensitive element (5) and the mixed layer C in the lower temperature-sensitive element (6) are read with reference to the graph in b), and the process proceeds to step 7.

In step 7, the temperature sensor (8) averages the capacitance of each mixed layer A and mixed layer C, and the upper temperature sensing element (
5) and the lower temperature sensing element (6) is calculated, and the process proceeds to step 8.

In step 8, the mixed layer B obtained in step 7 is
is above the midpoint X between the upper temperature sensing element (5) and the lower temperature sensing element (6), and if the midpoint X is above, proceed to step 9 and If the intermediate point X is at the bottom, it is determined that there is no remaining hot water and the process ends.

In step 9, the temperature sensor (8) turns on the remaining hot water indicator lamp (9) corresponding to the midpoint X between the upper temperature sensing element (5) and the lower temperature sensing element (6).

In this way, when the temperature of the upper temperature sensing element (5) is above A"C and the temperature of the lower temperature sensing element (6) is below A"C, refer to the position of each mixed layer from the mixed layer reference table. death,
The amount of remaining hot water can be estimated based on the position obtained by averaging these mixed layers and the position of the intermediate point X.

In the above embodiment, the presence or absence of residual hot water at the intermediate point be able to. In addition, the position of the mixed layer was estimated from the temperature of the temperature sensing element by referring to the mixed layer reference table, but it was estimated by fuzzy inference using the percentage of remaining hot water at an arbitrary position corresponding to the temperature of the temperature sensing element as a membership function. You can also check whether there is any remaining hot water. Also, although I explained the case of an electric water heater,
It can also be used for gas and oil water heaters and electric pots. Furthermore, although the amount of remaining hot water is detected and displayed, it is also possible to control the hot water temperature by understanding this amount of remaining hot water.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the positions of the respective mixed layers corresponding to the water temperature of the first water temperature detection sensor and the water temperature of the second water temperature detection sensor are referred to in the mixed layer reference table. At the same time, the remaining hot water can be estimated based on the position of the average mixed layer obtained by averaging each referenced mixed layer, so the amount of remaining hot water can be precisely detected with a small number of water temperature detection sensors. At the same time, it is possible to provide a safe and highly accurate device.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a graph showing a mixed layer reference table, Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a conventional hot water storage system. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the hot water storage type water heater of FIG. 4. In the figure, (1) is the can body, (2) is the electric heater, and (3) is the can body.
) is the water inlet, (4) is the hot water inlet, (5) is the upper temperature sensing element,
(6) is a lower temperature sensing element, (8) is a temperature detector, and (9) is a remaining hot water amount display section. Note that the same reference numerals in the figures indicate the same or corresponding parts. Agent Patent Attorney Haruji Sasaki 1st drawing (Q) Cicada 5th drawing procedural amendment (voluntary) February 4th, Heisei

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A first water temperature detection sensor provided on the upper wall surface of the can body to measure the water temperature in the upper part of the can body; and a first water temperature detection sensor provided in the lower wall surface of the can body to measure the water temperature in the lower part of the can body. a second water temperature detection sensor that measures the water temperature, and a mixed layer that corresponds to the water temperature at the location where the first water temperature detection sensor is installed and the water temperature at the location where the second water temperature detection sensor is installed, respectively. by referring to the mixed layer reference table in which the position of is stored in advance, and the mixed layer reference table based on the water temperature of the first water temperature detection sensor and the water temperature of the second water temperature detection sensor The position of the mixed layer is calculated, the calculated position of each mixed layer is averaged to calculate the average mixed layer position, and the remaining molten metal in the can is determined based on the calculated average mixed layer position. 1. A hot water storage type water heater, comprising: a residual hot water detection control means for checking the presence or absence of hot water.