JPH0422323A - Bathtub washing method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a bathtub washing method which can give a perfectly washed bathtub and suppress wasteful use of water by spouting the washing water with detergent mixed from a nozzle into the bathtub, dropping the contaminants by chemical action, and spouting clean water to flush away the detergent as finish process. CONSTITUTION:A full-cone type nozzle 6 is installed in the center of the bottom of a bathtub 1, and when bathing is ended and the remaining hot water is exhausted through an exhaust valve 4, a three-way valve 19 is opened to supply the service water from a water supply pipe 17 to the nozzle 6. Thereby the remaining dirt etc., in the bathtub 1 is exhausted through the exhaust valve 4, and water is poured in a buffer 2 from the nozzle 6, and a detergent solution valve 10 is opened to inject detergent solution from a vessel 8 into the buffer 2. Then the three-way valve 19 is switched, and a heating device 11 and circulating pump 16 are operated to spout a heated washing water into the bathtub 1. Thus, washing is made, and a clean water is spouted from the nozzle 6 into the bathtub 1, followed by operation of the circulating punp 16 to flush away detergent solution attached to the insides of the bathtub 1, buffer 2, and circuit via the circulating pump 16.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a cleaning method and apparatus for automatically cleaning and cleaning the inside of a bathtub.

[Prior Art] As a device for automatically cleaning the inside of a bathtub, a nozzle is attached to the top or lid of the bathtub, and cleaning liquid (
There are well-known methods in which dirt is washed away by spraying water into the bathtub (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 60-158828, Utility Model No. 62-4).
270, 62-4271, 60-4274. 63
-71869, JP-A-2-57857).

Also, a cleaning device in which cleaning liquid is circulated is also known (Utility Model Publication No. 62-4272, Utility Model Publication No. 62-4273).
, 62-69977).

[I of the prior art! [Ii] However, all of the above-mentioned known bathtub cleaning devices are uneconomical because they use a large amount of water or cleaning fluid, have poor cleaning effects, and are difficult to put into practical use as automatic cleaning devices. There are many imperfections, and although there is an urgent need to put it into practical use for the elderly and people with physical disabilities, the current situation is that it has not been put into practical use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to propose a practical bathtub cleaning method and apparatus that can thoroughly clean a bathtub, waste less water, and can be put to practical use.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The method and apparatus of the present invention proposed to achieve the above object are as follows.

1. Drain the remaining hot water in the bathtub, then spray cleaning water mixed with cleaning liquid all over the bathtub to chemically wash away the dirt in the bathtub, and then spray clean water into the bathtub. A bathtub cleaning method in which the cleaning solution is washed away and the bathtub is prepared for filling with water or hot water.

2. An injection nozzle was installed at the bottom of the bathtub, pointing into the inner wall of the bathtub. A buffer was formed at the bottom of the bathtub, and a circulation port and a drain with a drain valve were installed at the bottom of the buffer. Water supply pipes. is connected to the injection nozzle, the outlet side of the heating device is connected to the water supply pipe via a three-way valve, and the inlet side of the heating device is connected to the circulation port of the buffer to form a circulation circuit, a circulation pump. installed in the circulation circuit.

Filling the cleaning liquid container with cleaning liquid, connecting the cleaning liquid container and the buffer with a cleaning liquid supply pipe, and attaching a cleaning liquid valve to the cleaning liquid supply pipe; and opening the drain valve to drain the remaining hot water from the bathtub. , the process of closing the drain valve, opening the three-way valve, supplying a small amount of water from the water supply pipe to the bathtub via the injection nozzle, and storing this water in the buffer, switching the three-way valve to the heating device side, and discharging the detergent solution. The process involves opening the valve and injecting the cleaning liquid into the buffer to create cleaning water.The operation of the heating device and circulation pump is started, and heated cleaning water is sprayed from the injection nozzle all over the bathtub to clean the inside of the bathtub. The process is performed using a circulation circuit, the heating device and circulation pump are stopped, the drain valve is opened to drain the cleaning water, the drain valve is closed, the three-way valve is switched to the water supply side, and clean water is discharged from the injection nozzle. Inject it into the bathtub and store it in the buffer, then switch the three-way valve to the heating device side and start operating the circulation pump.

A controller is installed to control the process of rinsing out the cleaning solution using the circulation circuit, stopping the circulation pump, opening the drain valve to drain water, and then closing the drain valve to prepare for filling with water or hot water. A bathtub cleaning device characterized by.

In the above device, after draining the remaining hot water, large garbage is first removed by opening the three-way valve with the drain valve open and injecting water into the bathtub via the water supply pipe and the injection nozzle, and then the drain valve is opened. It may also be controlled to close and enter a cleaning process using cleaning water.

Further, washing with washing water may be repeated several times by mixing with drainage water.

Note that it is safer to install a lid closure sensor so that the cleaning process starts only when the lid is correctly set on the bathtub.

[Function] When you have finished taking a bath, the lid is set correctly, and hot water remains in the bathtub, turn on the operation button, the drain valve opens and the remaining hot water is drained. For example, when a pressure sensor detects the end of drainage, a three-way valve opens and, for example, tap water is supplied to the injection nozzle through the water supply pipe, and is sprayed from the injection nozzle into the bathtub to remove any large debris remaining in the bathtub. For example, hair and the like are discharged from a drain valve (discharge port). Note that it is also possible to control such that washing away large pieces of dirt is not performed when there is no dirt.

Washing away the debris is completed in an hour, then the drain valve is closed and the water from the injection nozzle is stored in the buffer.

When water accumulates in the buffer, the cleaning liquid valve opens and cleaning liquid is injected into the buffer from the cleaning liquid container.Next, the three-way valve switches to the heating side, and the heating device and circulation pump start operating to heat the buffer. The washed water is sprayed from the spray nozzle onto the inner wall of the bathtub. The cleaning water is heated and maintained at about 60°C, and its chemical cleaning power washes away dirt adhering to the inner walls of the bathtub. This washing is controlled on a time-by-hour basis, and after a certain period of time, the heating device and circulation pump are stopped, and the drain valve is opened to drain the dirty washing water.

Next, the drain valve closes, the three-way valve switches to the water supply side, and clean water is sprayed from the injection nozzle into the bathtub and stored in the buffer (or the bottom of the bathtub containing the buffer), or the drain valve is opened. The zero-order circulation pump, which sprays clean water from the spray nozzle into the bathtub and rinses it away, starts operating and uses the circulation circuit to remove the cleaning liquid (
(detergent).

This flushing can be done by first draining the water, then switching to clean water and repeating it several times.Next, stop the circulation pump, open the drain valve to drain the water, and after finishing this, close the drain valve and start the cleaning process. The zero or more steps that complete all are performed by signals from the controller.

Note that the amount of dirt in the bathtub varies greatly depending on the number of bathers, so the cleaning time is controlled depending on the degree of dirt so that there is no waste or insufficient cleaning.

In an automatic bath, when the above-mentioned cleaning is completed, water is then filled or hot water is filled, and when the bath is filled with water, heating of the bathtub is started and the temperature is raised to an appropriate temperature, and then the water temperature is controlled. On the other hand, when the water is filled with hot water, the temperature of the water is maintained and controlled by reheating.

[Example] The figure shows an example of the present invention, where numeral 1 indicates a bathtub, 2
3 is a buffer formed at the bottom of the bathtub l, 3 is a drain port provided in the buffer 2, and a drain valve (electromagnetic valve) 4 is attached to the drain port 3.

5 is the lid of the bathtub 1, and a reed switch 7 is installed between the lid 5 and the bathtub 1 to send a signal to the controller when the lid 5 is correctly set.

6 is a full cone type injection nozzle attached to the center of the bottom of the bathtub l.

Reference numeral 8 designates a cleaning liquid container attached to the bath 1, and while the cleaning liquid container 8 is filled with cleaning liquid, the cleaning liquid container 8 and the buffer 2 are connected by a cleaning liquid supply pipe 9;
A cleaning liquid valve (electromagnetic valve) IO is attached to this cleaning liquid supply pipe 9.

11 is a heating device, and inside this heating device fill is a heat exchanger 12. A gas burner 13 is incorporated. In addition,
Although the embodiment is an independent heating device, it may also be used or installed together with the bathtub heating device.

14 is a clay pipe connecting the circulation port 2' of the buffer 2 and the inlet side of the heat exchanger 12; 15 is an inlet pipe connecting the outlet side of the heat exchanger 12 and the three-way valve 19 attached to the water supply pipe 17; and 16 is an inlet pipe 15. Attached circulation pump. In addition, the circulation pump 16
may be attached to the clay pipe 14 side. 18 is the circulation port 2' of the buffer 2 → the outlet pipe 14 → the heat exchanger 13 → the circulation pump 16
→ Three-way valve 19 → Water supply pipe 17 → Injection nozzle 6 This is a circulation circuit.

A controller 20 performs the following control.

When the user turns on the operation button after bathing, with the lid 5 properly set and hot water remaining in the bathtub 1, the drain valve 4 opens to drain the remaining hot water. When, for example, a pressure sensor detects the end of drainage, the three-way valve 19 is then opened to supply L water from the water supply pipe 17 to the injection nozzle 6.
The water is sprayed into the bathtub l, and large debris such as hair, etc., remaining in the bathtub l is discharged from the drain valve 4 (drain port 3).

After performing this washing for a certain period of time, close the drain valve 4,
Water is supplied from the injection nozzle 6 and water is stored in the buffer 2.

After storing water in the buffer 2, the cleaning liquid valve lO is opened to inject the cleaning liquid into the buffer 2 from within the cleaning liquid container 8.

Next, the three-way valve 19 is switched to the heating device 1111, the heating device 11 and the circulation pump 16 are started, and the washing water heated and maintained at about 60° C. is injected into the bathtub l from the injection nozzle 6. After cleaning and a certain period of time has passed, the heating device 11 and circulation pump 16 are stopped, and the drain valve 4 is closed.
Open it and drain the dirty wash water.

Next, close the drain valve 4, switch the three-way valve 19 to the water supply side,
Beautiful wood is sprayed into a bathtub l from a spray nozzle 6 and stored in a buffer 2. Next, the operation of the circulation pump 16 is started, and the injection nozzle 6 → inside the bathtub 1 → buffer 2 → circulation port 2' → (
This washing process repeats the circulation from the heating device 5111) to the circulation pump 16 to the three-way valve 19 to the injection nozzle 6 to wash away the cleaning liquid adhering to the inside of the bathtub l, the buffer 2, and the circuit that passes through the circulation pump 16. Then, switch to clean water and repeat several times.Next, the circulation pump 16 is stopped, the drain valve 4 is opened to drain the water, and after this, the drain valve 4 is closed to complete the cleaning process.

Note that since the dirt in the bathtub varies greatly depending on the number of bathers, the controller 20 is provided with a cleaning time setting function.

In the case of an automatic bath, when the above control is completed, a signal is sent to the automatic bath to enable operation of the automatic bath.

[Effects of the present invention] As described above, the present invention sprays cleaning water mixed with cleaning liquid into the bathtub from a spray nozzle to remove dirt by chemical action, and finally sprays clean water to rinse away the cleaning liquid. , I tried to finish it. As a result, the following effects are obtained.

a. It eliminates the hassle of washing the bathtub, which is especially convenient for elderly people and people with physical disabilities.

b. Since the cleaning water is heated with a heating device,
Dirt comes off quickly and looks good.

C1 cleaning water is circulated and used, so there is no waste.

d. By using a full cone type spray nozzle, it is possible to spray cleansing water or water evenly over the entire area inside the bathtub to remove and wash away dirt.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the bathtub cleaning method and apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the bathtub. l... Bathtub 2... Buffer 2
'... Circulation port 3... Drain port 4 ・
... Drain valve 5 ... Lid 6 ... Injection nozzle 7 ... Sensor 8 ... Washing liquid container lO ... Washing liquid valve 12 - ... Heat exchanger 14 - ... Pressure pipe 16 ... Circulation pump 18-... Circulation circuit 20... Controller... Cleaning liquid supply pipe... Heating device... Gas burner... Inlet pipe... Water supply pipe... Three-way valve

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Drain the remaining hot water in the bathtub, then spray cleaning water mixed with cleaning liquid all over the bathtub to chemically wash away dirt in the bathtub, and then drain clean water. A bathtub cleaning method that sprays cleaning liquid into the bathtub to wash it away and prepare it for filling with water or hot water. 2. An injection nozzle was installed at the bottom of the bathtub, pointing into the inner wall of the bathtub. A buffer was formed at the bottom of the bathtub, and a circulation port and a drain with a drain valve were installed at the bottom of the buffer. Water supply pipes. is connected to the injection nozzle, the outlet side of the heating device is connected to the water supply pipe via a three-way valve, and the inlet side of the heating device is connected to the circulation port of the buffer to form a circulation circuit, a circulation pump. is installed in the circulation circuit, a cleaning liquid is filled in a cleaning liquid container, a cleaning liquid supply pipe is connected between the cleaning liquid container and the buffer, and a cleaning liquid valve is installed in the cleaning liquid supply pipe, and a drain valve is opened. The process of closing the drain valve, opening the three-way valve, supplying a small amount of water into the bathtub from the water supply pipe via the injection nozzle, and storing this water in the buffer. The process of switching the valve to the heating device side, opening the detergent liquid valve, and injecting the cleaning liquid into the buffer to create cleaning water.The operation of the heating device and circulation pump is started, and the entire area inside the bathtub is heated from the injection nozzle for cleaning. The process of spraying water to clean the inside of the bathtub using a circulation circuit, the process of stopping the heating device and circulation pump, opening the drain valve and draining the washing water, closing the drain valve, and moving the three-way valve to the water supply side The process of spraying clean water from the injection nozzle into the bathtub and storing it in the buffer, switching the three-way valve to the heating device side, starting the operation of the circulation pump, and rinsing away the cleaning liquid using the circulation circuit. A bathtub cleaning device comprising: a controller that controls the process of stopping a pump, opening a drain valve to drain water, and then closing the drain valve to prepare for filling with water or hot water. 3. After draining the remaining hot water, keep the drain valve open, open the three-way valve, and spray water into the bathtub via the water supply pipe → injection nozzle to remove large debris, then close the drain valve. 3. The bathtub cleaning device according to claim 2, further comprising a controller for controlling the bathtub to enter a cleaning step using cleaning water. 4. The bathtub cleaning device according to claim 2, further comprising a controller for controlling the cleaning with the cleaning water to be repeated several times with drainage mixed therein. 5. The bathtub cleaning device according to claim 2, further comprising a controller configured to spray water from an injection nozzle into the bathtub via a water supply pipe to wash away the cleaning water while the drain valve is open. 6. The bathtub cleaning device according to claim 2, further comprising a spray nozzle attached to the inside of the lid of the bathtub and a controller for controlling the cleaning process to start only when the lid is correctly set. 7. The bathtub cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the spray nozzle is a full cone nozzle.