JPH04182B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a water flow control device for a water heater.

Conventional Structure and Problems There are already known methods in the field of water heaters for detecting the temperature of hot water and adjusting the amount of gas and water.

As shown in Fig. 1, it has a burner A, a fuel control valve B, and a heat exchanger C, and has a temperature detector D that detects the hot water temperature and a comparator E that compares the output of the temperature setting device.
According to the output of the comparator E, the water passage control valve F and the fuel control valve B are controlled.

In this conventional example, the amount of water is constant during normal operation, and the amount of water is not changed over time. Therefore, in cases where a certain amount of stimulation, such as a shower, is preferred, habituation occurs quickly to regular stimulation. Particularly when trying to obtain the pine surge effect by showering, the effect wears off quickly.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The present invention maintains the pine surge effect when using a shower by changing the power spectrum of the flow rate of hot water from a water heater so as to be inversely proportional to the frequency.

Composition of the Invention In order to achieve this object, the present invention includes a heat-sensitive element that detects the temperature of hot water, a hot water controller that controls the temperature of hot water according to a signal from the heat-sensitive element, and a water flow controller that controls the amount of hot water that is supplied. The hot water supply controller includes a drive device for the water flow rate controller, and a hot water supply controller that changes the flow rate of hot water over time and sends a signal that makes the power spectrum and frequency of the hot water supply amount in an inversely proportional relationship to the drive device. be.

Description of examples An embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG.

1 is a water flow controller, and water enters a valve chamber 3 from an inflow path 2 and flows into a primary chamber 6 through a gap between a control valve 4 and a control hole 5. Reference numeral 7 denotes a diaphragm that operates together with the control valve 4, and the other side thereof forms a secondary chamber 8, and a control spring 9 is attached to the secondary chamber 8 and biases it toward the primary chamber 6.

The water that has flowed into the primary chamber 6 passes through the valve hole 10a of the water flow control valve 10, is supplied to the heat exchanger 11, is heated, and is supplied to the outlet pipe 12. The downstream side of the water flow control valve 10 is led to the secondary chamber 8 through a communication hole 13 . The water flow control valve 10 is driven by a drive device 16 consisting of a gear 14 and a motor 15. Water flow control valve 10
The rotation of the valve hole 10a changes the position of the valve hole 10a, and the relationship between the differential pressure and the amount of water passing through the valve hole 10a changes.The differential pressure acts on the diaphragm 7 and drives the control valve 4. Reference numeral 17 denotes a water heater controller, which continuously changes the water heater over time and sends a signal to the drive device 16 that makes the power spectrum of the amount of hot water supplied and the frequency in an inversely proportional relationship (hereinafter referred to as 1/f fluctuation).
Send to. This control signal is a signal in which a forward/reverse signal and a drive time are stored in advance so that the amount of hot water supplied will fluctuate by 1/f by driving the motor 15 of the drive device 16 over time. This can be realized by a microcomputer (not shown).

18 is a heat sensitive element such as a thermistor, and heat exchanger 1
It is connected to the hot water supply controller 17 to detect the temperature of the hot water with which heat was exchanged in step 1.

On the other hand, the gas passes through a temperature controller 20 such as a proportional control valve that can continuously vary the amount of gas from a gas supply path 19, and is combusted in a heating device 21 to heat the heat exchanger 11.

Next, the operation will be explained. When water flow starts in FIG. 2, the water that has flowed into the water flow controller 11 passes through the water flow control valve 10, flows into the heat exchanger, is heated, and is supplied to the outside from the hot water outlet pipe 12. As the water flows, a flow switch (not shown) is activated, the heating device 21 starts to burn, and the temperature of the water rises.

The hot water supply controller 17 adjusts the temperature controller 20 so that the hot water temperature set by the hot water supply controller 17 and the hot water temperature detected by the thermal element 18 are equal, thereby stabilizing the hot water temperature. Thereafter, a signal for fluctuation of the water amount by 1/f is sent from the hot water supply controller 17 to the drive motor 15, and the water amount control valve 10 is rotated forward or reverse. The rotation of the water volume control valve 10 changes the restriction of the valve hole 10a, and the differential pressure across the valve hole 10a acts on the diaphragm 7, driving the control valve 4 and changing the water volume. Therefore, depending on the signal sent by the hot water supply controller 17, the amount of water changes over time as shown in FIG. 3, resulting in a 1/f fluctuation as shown in FIG. In this way, the amount of water changes moment by moment with 1/f fluctuations, so when used in a shower, it provides a pleasant stimulation and has a pine surge effect.

It is known that fluctuations with this 1/f fluctuation are closely related to human senses, and fluctuations in brain waves and heartbeat cycles have 1/f fluctuations. or,
The acoustic power of pleasant music and the power spectrum of frequency fluctuations are also proportional to 1/f. Based on this knowledge, there are also examples in which effects have been obtained by varying the intensity and interval of current applied to relieve pain, such as neuralgia, with 1/f fluctuations. In other words, fluctuations with 1/f fluctuations do not cause the human body to become accustomed to the stimulus, maintain freshness, and are said to be compatible with the rhythm of human sensations.

In this embodiment, gas was used as the heating means, but the heating device may be an electric heater and a power regulator may be used.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention can change the amount of hot water supplied over time, and therefore can provide a pleasant stimulating pine surge effect to the whole body by changing the flow rate when using a shower.

In addition, since the change is inversely proportional to the power spectrum of the hot water supply amount and the frequency, there is no getting used to stimulation due to the change in flow rate, and the pine surge effect can be maintained. Furthermore, since the frequency of flow rate changes is not constant, vibrations and abnormal noises due to resonance with piping are not generated.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional water heater, Fig. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the water heater of the present invention, Fig. 3 is a characteristic diagram showing changes in the amount of water in the same machine, and Fig. 4 is a diagram of the same water heater. It is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the power spectrum and frequency of water amount change. 1...Water flow controller, 16...Drive device, 17...
...Hot water controller, 18...Thermosensitive element, 20...Temperature controller.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A heat-sensitive element that detects the hot water temperature, a hot water controller that controls the hot water temperature in response to a signal from the heat-sensitive element, a water flow controller that controls the amount of hot water, a drive device for the water flow controller, and a water supply controller that controls the amount of hot water that is fed. a hot water supply controller that sends to the driving device a signal that changes over time and makes the power spectrum and frequency of the hot water supply amount in an inversely proportional relationship.