JPH05115680A - Supply method of water in bath tub to washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To supply a residual water in a bath tub to a washing machine by heating the water to a desired temperature which is suitable for a washing by a heat-exchanger. CONSTITUTION:A heating means for a heat-exchanger is continuously operated for a period of time to correspond with a derived rate, within a period of time which is required to supply a specified unit quantity of the residual hot water in a tub. For this rate, a temperature width, by which the residual water is heated by a heat exchanger when the heating means is continuously operated, is elicited to be the rate as that for a temperature difference between a desired supply temperature and the temperature of the residual hot water. For this reason, the residual hot water with a desired temperature can be supplied to a washing machine without using a control method requiring a comparatively high cost such as proportional control, etc., and with extremely less ON-OFF frequencies, compared with a conventional ON-OFF control.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for supplying bath water to a washing machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It is known that washing with hot water can easily remove stains, and it has been conventional to use remaining hot water in a bath (referred to as bath water in this invention).
Devices and the like for that have been proposed. However, each of the conventional devices is only for pumping the bath water and supplying it to the washing machine.

[0003]

Therefore, it is often the case that hot water having a temperature suitable for washing, for example, a temperature of about 35 ° C to 40 ° C cannot be obtained in winter. In this case, it is possible to use a method of heating the bathtub water to a desired temperature by additional heating and then supplying it to the washing machine. However, in this method, all the water in the bathtub is heated, It takes time to reach the temperature, and the heat energy consumed to raise the temperature of the bath water that is not used for washing is wasted.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to pass the bath water through a heat exchanger provided with a heating means, raise the temperature to an appropriate temperature for the washing and then supply it to the washing machine. However, since the temperature of the bath water varies depending on the conditions such as the elapsed time after bathing and the season, the heating means is appropriately controlled in order to raise the temperature of the bath water at these different temperatures to the appropriate temperature for the washing. It is necessary. For example, when a burner is used as the heating means, it is possible to adjust the hot water temperature by a well-known control method such as proportional control, but the application of these control methods is relatively costly and the washing water As a means for adjusting the temperature, the cost performance becomes very low, and if the difference between the desired supply temperature and the bath water temperature is small, the control itself may become difficult. The present invention was created to solve the above problems.

[0005]

Means for solving the above problems will be described with reference to FIG. 1 showing the basic concept thereof. In the present invention, the water in the bath 1 and the bath water are heated. The washing machine 4 is configured to be able to be supplied to the washing machine 4 through the heat exchanger 3 provided with the means 2, and the bath water temperature detecting means 5 and the setting means 6 for setting the supply temperature are provided to continuously connect the heating means 2 to each other. Of the temperature range in which the bath water passing through the heat exchanger 3 is heated when it is operated automatically, and the ratio of the temperature difference between the supply temperature and the detected temperature of the bath water to the temperature range is derived. However, in the time required to supply a predetermined unit amount of bath water to the washing machine 4, the heating means 2 is continuously operated for a time corresponding to the above ratio.
A method of supplying bath water to the bath.

In the above method, the flow rate of the bath water for deriving the temperature range to be raised may be a known constant flow rate or the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring means 7.

Further, in the above method, the heat exchanger 3 is a heat exchanger for additional heating provided in the additional heating path of the bath water, and the washing side and the washing side are provided on the downstream side of the heat exchanger in the additional heating path. By providing the supply switching means to the machine side, the bath water can be supplied to the washing machine 4.

[0008]

The bath water passing through the heat exchanger 3 while the heating means 2 is operating within 100% of the heating means 2 within the time required to supply a predetermined unit supply amount of bath water. It is heated by the capacity and supplied into the washing tub of the washing machine 4. Further, while the heating means 2 is not operating, the bath water passing through the heat exchanger 3 is supplied to the washing tub of the washing machine 4 without being heated.
Therefore, the temperature of the water supplied into the washing tub at each time point is not necessarily the preset desired temperature. However, when such a predetermined unit supply amount of water is supplied and mixed in the washing tub, since the mixing is performed in a ratio derived in advance, the temperature becomes the set temperature, and as a result, the hot water temperature is adjusted.

In this way, the supply temperature is adjusted by the heating means 2
The control components are simple as they are performed by the ON-OFF operation of the. The heating means 2 is ON-OF.
Even though the F operation is performed, unlike the conventional ON-OFF control, it is not an operation in which the ON-OFF is continuously repeated at any time so that the temperature on the downstream side of the heat exchanger 3 reaches the set temperature. It is ON-OFF once within the time required to supply the unit supply amount of water, and therefore the O of the heating means 2 required to supply a predetermined amount of water to the washing machine 4
The number of N-OFFs is extremely small compared to the number of times in the conventional ON-OFF control.

In the above method, in order to derive the temperature range in which the bath water passing through the heat exchanger 3 is heated when the heating means 2 is continuously operated, the flow rate of the bath water is It must be understood that this flow rate is
If it is known and constant due to the capacity of the bathtub, etc., the value may be set.If the flow rate may change, or if it is constant but unknown, the flow rate measuring means may be placed at an appropriate place in the path of the bath water. 7 may be installed and the value measured by this may be used for calculation. Further, the bath water temperature detecting means 5 can also be installed in the bath or at an appropriate position on the upstream path of the heat exchanger 3.

The above method can be carried out by utilizing the additional heating path of the bath, as will be described later in connection with the embodiment. In this case, the heat exchanger 3 is provided in the additional heating path of the bath water. By providing a heat exchanger for additional heating, and providing supply switching means to the bathtub side and the washing machine side on the downstream side of the heat exchanger in the additional heating path, the supply of bathtub water to the washing machine can be performed as necessary. It can be carried out.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 9 is control means, 1
Reference numeral 0 represents a control element of the heating means 2.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.
2 and 3 are system explanatory diagrams showing an embodiment of a bath water heater to which the present invention is applied.

First, reference numeral 11 indicates a main body of the water heater, and the main body 11 has first and second heat exchangers 12 and 13.
Are provided, and the burners 14 and 15 are respectively used for heating. The first heat exchanger 12 is configured to be connected to water supply and capable of heating tap water. This first heat exchanger 1
A hot and cold water mixing valve 16 that joins and mixes the upstream tap water is provided on the downstream side of 2, and the hot water temperature is adjusted and output by a valve body operated by a built-in heat responsive element or the like. .. A part of the output side pipe of the hot and cold water mixing valve 16 is connected to the hopper 17 for opening to the atmosphere, and the output side pipe of the hopper 17 is connected to the selection port 18a on one side of the first three-way valve 18. ing. This first three-way valve 1
A return pipe 20 from the bath tub 19 is connected to the selection port 18b on the other side of 8.

On the other hand, the upstream pipe 21 of the second heat exchanger 13 is connected to the common port 18c of the first three-way valve 18,
A pump 22 and a water temperature detection sensor 29 are installed between the second heat exchanger 13 and the first three-way valve 18. And the second
The pipe 22 on the downstream side of the heat exchanger 13 is connected to the common port 24c of the second three-way valve 24 via the flow sensor 30, and the selection port 24a on one side of the second three-way valve 24 is connected.
Is connected to the outflow pipe 25 to the bathtub 19. A washing machine pipe 26 is connected to the selection port 24b on the other side of the second three-way valve 24, and a hose 27 or the like connected to the washing machine pipe 26 connects the washing machine to the washing tub of the washing machine 28. It is configured to supply water and the like.

In the above structure, first, as shown by hatching in FIG. 2, the first three-way valve 18 connects the selection port 18b and the common port 18c, and the second three-way valve 24 is selected. When the port 24a and the common port 24c are communicated with each other and the pump 22 is operated in this state,
Bath water flows from the return pipe 20 into the pipe 21 through the selection port 18b and the common port 18c of the first three-way valve 18,
Next, it passes through the pump 22, the heat exchanger 13, the pipe 23, and the flow rate sensor 30 to reach the common port 24c of the second three-way valve 24, and then returns to the bath 19 from the selection port 24a through the outflow pipe 25. Therefore, by operating the burner 15 at this time, it is possible to reheat the bath water.

Next, the second three-way valve 24 is the same as described above. When the pump 22 is operated in a state where the selection port 18a of the first three-way valve 18 and the common port 18c are in communication with each other, the first three-way valve 24 is operated. The tap water, which is heated by the burner 14 in the heat exchanger 12 and whose temperature is adjusted by the hot water mixing valve 16, is fed from the hopper 17 through the pipe as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 18 select ports 18a,
It flows into the pipe 21 through the common port 18c. Then, the water is supplied from the outflow pipe 25 to the bathtub 19 through the same route as described above, and thus hot water can be supplied to the bathtub 19.

Next, as shown by hatching in FIG. 3, the first three-way valve 18 communicates the selection port 18b with the common port 18c, and the second three-way valve 24 has the selection port 24b with the common port. When 24c is made to communicate and the pump 22 is operated in this state, the bath water reaching the common port 24c of the second three-way valve 24 via the above-mentioned path is
It flows into the washing machine pipe 26 through the selection port 24b, and is supplied into the washing tub of the washing machine 28 through the hose 27.

At this time, the burner 1 of the second heat exchanger 13
5 is operated by applying the above-described method of the present invention, the bath water can be heated to a temperature suitable for washing in the heat exchanger 13 and then supplied to the washing machine 28.

Therefore, a specific operation example of the present invention will be described below under the following conditions. First, each condition is as follows. Burner capacity: 11000 kcal / h… A Heat exchanger efficiency: 0.75… B Bath water flow rate: 6 l / min… C Unit supply: 10 l… D

First, the temperature range ΔT in which the bath water is heated in the second heat exchanger 13 when the burner 13 is continuously burned under the above conditions can be obtained by the following equation. ΔT = (A × B) / (C × 60) = 23 deg Therefore, if the temperature of the bath water is Ta and the desired supply temperature, that is, the setting temperature of the setting means (not shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) is Tb. , The amount of heat in the second heat exchanger 13 required to raise the bath water from the temperature Ta to Tb, and the amount of heat in the second heat exchanger 13 when the burner 15 is continuously burned. The heat quantity ratio α can be expressed as α = (Tb−Ta) / ΔT 2. In this equation, if α = 1, the burner 15
The desired hot water supply temperature can be obtained by continuously operating, and when α> 1, the desired hot water supply temperature cannot be reached even if the burner 15 is continuously operated. That is, the capacity of the burner 15 is low. On the other hand, in the case of α <1, if the burner 15 is operated continuously, the temperature rises above the desired hot water supply temperature.
By the way, in this way, the value of α in the case of α <1 indicates that the burner 15 can be operated at the capacity corresponding to this ratio, or if it is operated at this time ratio, the desired hot water supply temperature can be obtained. There is. The former operation requires high-cost control such as proportional control.

Therefore, in the present invention, the latter is applied. At this time, a predetermined unit supply amount, that is, 10 l is set under the above conditions, and the time required to supply this unit supply amount of bath water. In the above, the above-mentioned time ratio, that is, α
The burner 15 is continuously operated for the time t corresponding to. In the case of the above-mentioned unit supply amount of 10 l, the time required to supply this unit supply amount of bath water is (10 l) /
Since (6 l / min) = 100 sec, the above time t
Is 100t seconds, that is, the burner is continuously operated for 100t seconds every 100 seconds, and the operation is stopped for 100 (1-t) seconds. That is, the burner is turned on and off at most once during these 100 seconds.

FIG. 4 shows that, under the above-mentioned conditions, each bath water temperature Ta is controlled in steps of 2 ° C. to obtain a desired supply temperature T.
This shows the operating state of the burner 15 in the case of controlling so that b is in the range of 36 to 39 ° C., and the burner 15 operates in the hatched portion. In FIG. 4, when the bath water temperature is 12 ° C. or lower, even if the burner 15 is continuously burned, the hot water temperature in the washing tub of the washing machine 28 falls within the above range due to the limitation of its capacity. Can not be. Also, the bath water temperature is 14-16 ° C.
In the range of 3, the burner 15 can be burned continuously to bring the temperature into the range just above. on the other hand,
When the bath water temperature is in the range of 16 to 36 ° C., the hot water temperature shown on the right side can be obtained by continuously operating the burner 15 only for the operation time (second) or time ratio (%) indicated by the numerical value in the figure. Further, naturally, it is not necessary to operate the burner 15 at 36 ° C. or higher.

For example, when the bath water temperature is in the range of 16 to 36 ° C. and 40 l of bath water is supplied to the washing machine 28, the burner 15 is operated / not operated at a predetermined rate every 100 seconds. That is, if ON-OFF is repeated, the temperature within the above-mentioned range is achieved by mixing in the washing tub. That is, 4
Even when supplying 0 l of the appropriate temperature hot water to the washing machine, the burner 15 needs to be turned on and off only 4 times.

In the above description, it is assumed that the flow rate of the bath water is constant or known, but even if the flow rate of the bath water changes or is unknown, the flow rate measuring means is in place. Can be adapted to these cases by configuring the above and performing the above calculation according to the flow rate.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, the bath water is passed through the heat exchanger provided with the heating means, where the temperature is raised to an appropriate temperature for washing, for example, 35 ° C to 40 ° C, and then supplied to the washing machine. Therefore, it is possible to use the bath water at an appropriate temperature even in the winter, and since the temperature rise is performed only for what is supplied to the washing machine, it can be used at any time as necessary, and the heat energy Is not wasted.

Further, in the present invention, the temperature of the bath water to be heated after being heated as described above is adjusted by the ON-OFF operation of the heating means without using a relatively expensive method such as proportional control. The components for control are simple and low cost.

Moreover, in the present invention, the heating means is ON-OF.
Even though the F operation is performed, it is not an operation of continuously repeating ON-OFF at any time so that the temperature on the downstream side of the heat exchanger becomes a set temperature as in the conventional ON-OFF control, but a predetermined operation is performed. It is ON-OFF once within the time required to supply a unit amount of water, and therefore ON-O of the heating means required to supply a predetermined amount of water to the washing tub.
The number of FFs is extremely small as compared with the number of times in the conventional ON-OFF control, so that the life of control elements such as solenoid valves can be extended.

From the above, the method of the present invention can be easily applied by using the additional heating route of the bath water heater, and the commercial value of the bath water heater can be increased.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system explanatory view showing the basic concept of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a system explanatory view showing an embodiment of a bath water heater to which the present invention is applied.

3 is a system explanatory view showing another operation in the bath water heater of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific operation example of the method of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bathtub 2 Heating means 3 Heat exchanger 4 Washing machine 5 Temperature detection means 6 Setting means 7 Flow rate measuring means 8 Pump 9 Control means 10 Control element 11 Water heater main body 12 First heat exchanger 13 Second heat exchanger 14 , 15 burner 16 hot water mixing valve 17 hopper 18 first three-way valve 19 bathtub 20 return pipe 21, 23 pipe 22 pump 24 second three-way valve 25 forward pipe 26 washing machine pipe 27 hose 28 washing machine 29 temperature sensor 30 flow rate Sensor

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. Bath water is configured to be supplied to a washing machine through a heat exchanger provided with heating means, and bath water temperature detection means and setting means for setting the supply temperature are provided.
The temperature range in which the bath water passing through the heat exchanger is heated when the heating means is continuously operated is derived, and the temperature difference between the supply temperature and the detected temperature of bath water with respect to this temperature range is derived. Is derived, and the heating means is continuously operated for a time corresponding to the above ratio within the time required to supply a predetermined unit supply amount of bath water to the washing machine. How to supply bath water to the washing machine 2. The method for supplying bath water to a washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the flow rate of the bath water for deriving the temperature range to be raised is a known constant flow rate. 3. The bath water for a washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the flow rate of the bath water for deriving the temperature range to be raised is a flow rate measured by a flow rate measuring means. Supply method 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger is a heat exchanger for additional heating provided in the additional heating path for bath water, and the bath side is provided downstream of the heat exchanger in the additional heating path. And a means for switching the supply to the washing machine side are provided so that the bath water can be supplied to the washing machine.