JPH0539954A - Forced circulation type automatic bath furnace - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To cause a user to acknowledge a repairing time and to keep an accurate hot water feeding operation by a method wherein a bath furnace is provided with a pipe leakage sensing means for judging an occurrence of leakage in the pipe communicating with a bath tub in the case that an amount of variation of a pressure sensor is more than a predetermined amount and an informing means for informing the user of the case that the leakage at the pipe is detected. CONSTITUTION:As an operation is started under an operation of an operation switch of a remote controller 30, at first, each of a water feeding valve 24 and a flow passage changing-over valve 11 is opened. After one minute elapses, a water feeding valve 24 is closed. At this time, water is filled not only in a furnace circulation passage 7 but also in an outer pipe 2 and then the water stays there. Then, it is judged whether there is a change or not in an output signal of a pressure sensor 12. That is, an output signal of the sensor is read twice with a desired time interval and it is judged whether a difference between the two values, i.e., a pressure variation is less than a reference value or not. In the case that the pressure varying amount is high, a pipe leakage displaying device 31 of the remote controller 30 is lit under an assumption that the external pipe 2 shows a certain leakage.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a forced circulation type automatic bath cooker which is connected to a bathtub through an external pipe to reheat and automatically supply hot water.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a forced circulation type automatic bath heater has a reheating function for maintaining bath water at a predetermined temperature and an automatic hot water supply function for supplying hot water of a predetermined temperature to a predetermined water level.
It was very convenient for the user. This bath kettle has two external pipes (outgoing pipe,
It is connected to a bathtub by a return pipe), and circulation heating and hot water supply are performed through this external pipe. In addition, in order to fill the water accurately to a predetermined water level, a pressure sensor for detecting water pressure is provided in the hot water supply passage in the bath kettle, and a passage leading to one of the external pipes during hot water supply (flow passage provided with a pressure sensor). ) Is closed to detect water pressure. Then, the water pressure detection is repeated at a predetermined sampling cycle, and when the water pressure corresponding to the water level set by the user is reached, the hot water supply is stopped. As a result, it was possible to fill the water to the desired water level.

[0003]

By the way, in order to obtain an accurate level of water filled with water as described above, there should be no connection failure in the external pipe connected to the bathtub. In other words, when water pressure is detected by the pressure sensor, it is necessary to close the flow path to retain water in the pipe, but if there is a gap in the pipe connection due to poor brazing, etc., air will be sucked in from the poor connection. And water in the pipe will drain. Therefore, the water level obtained from the pressure sensor output and the actual water level will be different.

Therefore, at the time of constructing the external piping, the pressure leak inspection is conducted by using a tester. However, in reality, due to the limited installation space, the bath kettle can be installed inside a narrow pipe shaft or near the wall of the next house, and it is not possible to easily perform pressure leak inspection due to obstacles. In some cases, the inspection was omitted.

Further, even if the connection is good at the time of piping installation, a seal failure may occur due to a change with time. In this case, the user cannot perceive anything and the accurate automatic hot water supply cannot be expected thereafter. There was also a problem.

The forced circulation type automatic bath cooker according to the present invention solves the above problems and facilitates pressure detection and leak inspection, and prompts the user of the pipe repair time by notifying the leak of the pipe, thereby enabling accurate hot water supply control. The purpose is to be able to maintain.

[0007]

In order to solve the above problems, a first forced circulation type automatic bath heater according to the present invention has a circulation heating circuit for circulating and heating bath water and its circulation, as shown in FIG. In a forced circulation type automatic bath kettle with a hot water supply circuit for supplying hot water to a predetermined water level in a bathtub via a passage, a pressure sensor provided in the circulation passage or the hot water supply passage in the bath oven to detect the pressure in the passage, Flow path opening and closing means for opening and closing the flow path on the side opposite to the pressure sensor, and pressure change detecting means for closing the flow path by the flow path opening and closing means and detecting a change in pressure sensor output within a predetermined period in that state. A pipe leak detection means for determining that a leak has occurred in the pipe leading to the bathtub when the change amount of the pressure sensor output is equal to or more than a predetermined amount,
The gist of the present invention is to provide a notifying means for notifying the fact that the above-mentioned leakage of piping has been detected.

A second forced circulation type automatic bath hook of the present invention is characterized in that the pressure sensor in the first invention is also used as a water level detecting means for detecting the water level of the bath water.

[0009]

In the forced circulation type automatic bath apparatus of the present invention having the above-described structure, when detecting a pipe leak, first, the flow passage opening / closing means closes the flow passage to stop the flow in the pipe provided with the pressure sensor. Then, the change in the pressure sensor output within the predetermined period in that state is detected by the pressure change detecting means. When the pipe is normally connected, the water in the pipe is kept as it is and the output of the pressure sensor is maintained at a constant value. However, if there is a poor pipe connection, air is sucked in or water is leaked from the defective portion, and the pressure sensor output changes. For example, when the bathtub is higher than the bathtub, air is sucked in from the poor connection point and water begins to escape from the pipe to the bathtub. Conversely, when the bathtub is lower than the bathtub, water is removed from the poor connection point. Leaks and the pressure sensor output changes.

Thus, when the change amount of the pressure sensor output within the predetermined period is equal to or larger than the predetermined amount, the pipe leakage detecting means is
It is determined that there is a leak in the pipe leading to the bathtub, and the notification means notifies that effect.

Further, the hot water supply circuit detects the water level in order to supply the hot water up to a predetermined water level. However, if the pressure sensor is also used for this water level detection, the structure becomes simple.

[0012]

EXAMPLES In order to further clarify the constitution and operation of the present invention described above, preferred examples of the forced circulation type automatic bathtub of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a forced circulation type automatic bath hook as an embodiment. A forced circulation type automatic bath kettle 1 (hereinafter, simply referred to as bath kettle 1) is connected to a bathtub 3 by a forward pipe 2a and a return pipe 2b (hereinafter, referred to as an external pipe 2 when these are not distinguished), The circulation heating circuit 4 that circulates and heats water, the hot water supply circuit 5 that supplies hot water heated by gas combustion to the circulation heating circuit 4 and supplies the hot water to the bathtub 3 through the external pipe 2, and controls the operations of both circuits 4 and 5. And a controller 6 that operates.

The circulation heating circuit 4 comprises a circulation passage 7 in the pot for circulating bath water, a heat exchanger 8 formed in the middle of the circulation passage 7 in the pot and formed of a fin tube, and an upstream side of the heat exchanger 8. A water flow switch 9, a circulation pump 10 provided in a circulation path (hereinafter, referred to as an upstream circulation path 7a), and a circulation pump 1
The flow path switching valve 11 that opens and closes the flow path on the upstream side of 0, the pressure sensor 12 that detects the water pressure on the upstream side (the bathtub 3 side) of the flow path switching valve 11, and the thermistor 13 that detects the circulating water temperature. .. The upstream side here is circulating water (tub water).
It represents the direction of the flow of water and may be opposite to the direction of hot water supply.

Further, as a combustion mechanism for heating the circulating water in these circulation systems, a combustion chamber 15 to which combustion air is supplied by a fan 14, a burner 16 for burning gas in the combustion chamber 15, and a burner 16 are provided. Gas conduit 17, which is the gas supply path of the main solenoid valve 18, which opens and closes the gas flow path,
A main solenoid valve 19, a gas governor (not shown), an ignition device, etc. are provided.

On the other hand, the hot water supply circuit 5 is a water supply passage 20 which is a passage for heating cold water and sending it to the circulation heating circuit 4, a water flow switch 21 provided on the inlet side of the water supply passage 20, and a water supply passage 2.
The heat exchanger 22 provided in the middle of 0, the thermistor 23 for detecting the water temperature on the downstream side of the heat exchanger 22, and the water supply path 2
A water supply valve 24 (comprising an electromagnetic valve) for opening and closing 0 is provided. The downstream end of the water supply passage 20 is connected to the flow passage between the circulation pump 10 and the water flow switch 9 of the in-cup circulation passage 7. Although not shown, a water governor for adjusting the water pressure,
A check valve or the like for preventing backflow from the circulation path is provided. Furthermore,
A combustion mechanism similar to that of the circulation heating circuit 4, that is, a combustion chamber 25,
Burner 26 (greater capacity than burner 16), gas conduit 27,
Original solenoid valve 28, proportional control valve 29 for adjusting the gas flow rate,
A gas governor (not shown), an ignition device, etc. are provided.

The controller 6 performs circulation heating control, automatic hot water supply control, and pipe leak detection, and includes a CPU, RAM, and R which constitute a well-known arithmetic logic operation circuit (not shown).
The microcomputer includes an OM, an input interface for inputting signals from various sensors, an output interface for outputting drive signals to various actuators, and the like. FIG. 2 shows the input / output relationship of only the configuration related to the pipe leakage detection process, which is a feature of the present invention. The controller 6 is connected to a remote controller 30 provided in the room for remote operation. The remote controller 30 includes a normal temperature indicator, a temperature setting switch, an operation switch (above, not shown), and an LED for displaying a piping leakage abnormality.
A pipe leak indicator 31 composed of, for example, is provided.

Next, the automatic hot water supply control process will be described. FIG. 3 shows an automatic hot water supply / hot water supply control routine executed by the controller 6, which is started by operating the operation switch (ON) of the remote controller 30.

When this routine is started, first, the water supply valve 2
4, the flow path switching valve 11 is opened (S1
0). Then, it waits until one minute elapses (S11).
Therefore, during this time, water is supplied from the hot water supply circuit 5 to the upstream circulation path 7a of the circulation heating circuit 4, and the water is separated into two directions and sent to the bathtub 3 via the outgoing pipe 2a and the return pipe 2b. Then, after 1 minute, the water supply valve 24 is closed (S12).
At this time, not only the circulation path 7 in the pot but also the external pipe 2 is filled with water and stays there.

Next, it is determined whether or not the output signal of the pressure sensor 12 has changed (S13). That is, the sensor output signal is read twice at a predetermined interval (for example, 1 minute), and it is determined whether the difference between the two, that is, the pressure change amount is less than or equal to the reference value. The first sensor output signal reading is performed at a timing slightly delayed from the valve opening so as to avoid a transient state that occurs when the water supply valve 24 is closed.

In step 13, "NO", that is,
If the pressure is fluctuating, it is determined that the external pipe 2 is leaking, and the pipe leak indicator 31 of the remote controller 30 is turned on (S14). An abnormal buzzer may be sounded to notify.

Now, the pressure fluctuation due to the leakage of the pipe will be described with reference to FIGS. Figure 4 (a), (a),
(C) shows that when the bath kettle 1 is higher than the bathtub 3,
Specifically, the bus adapter 3a which is a connection port with the bathtub 3
This shows the state of water in the pipe when the position of the pressure sensor 12 of the bathtub 1 is higher than that shown in FIG. 2 (here, the height difference between the two is 1 m). When water is supplied to the external pipe 2 and the water supply valve 24 is closed, the external pipe 2 is filled with water as shown in FIG. Therefore, in this state, a pressure of -0.1 kg / cm ² is applied to the pressure sensor 12. The bath kettle 1 and the external pipe 2 are connected by brazing. If pinholes, cracks or the like occur in the brazing portion, a defective seal will occur and air will be sucked.

Therefore, in the normal case, the state shown in FIG. 4A is maintained and the pressure does not change, but in the case of a poor connection, as shown in FIGS. The water in 2 gradually escapes and the pressure rises as shown in FIG. As a result, it is possible to detect the leakage of the pipe due to the pressure change. Conventionally, a pressure sensor is used in a bath kettle that detects the water level of a bath. However, if a pressure change due to such a pipe leak occurs when the water level is detected, it is determined that the water level has risen.

On the other hand, when the bath kettle 1 is located lower than the bath tub 3, if the pipe connection is good, the state shown in FIG. 5A is maintained and the pressure does not fluctuate (+0.1 kg /
cm ² ), in the case of a poor connection, water leaks from the defective part, the water level in the pipe fluctuates as shown in (a) and (c), and the pressure applied to the pressure sensor 12 is (d). It decreases as shown in.

Returning to the automatic hot water supply control process of FIG. 3, if the determination in step 13 is "YES", that is, if the pressure change amount is less than or equal to the reference value, it is determined that there is no pipe leakage abnormality and step 15 is performed.
Then, the water supply valve 24 is opened. Then, it is determined whether or not the set water level is stored (S16). That is, it is determined whether or not the position level of the bus adapter 3a required in advance for supplying water to a desired water level is stored.

In the trial run when the bath system is installed, the position level of the bath adapter 3a with respect to the pressure sensor 12 is not set, so the water level detection run process of step 17 is executed. In this processing, water is supplied into the bathtub 3 through the external pipe 2, and it is assumed that the water surface reaches the bus adapter 3a when the output signal of the pressure sensor 12 largely changes, and the pressure at this time corresponds to the bus adapter position level. Set as pressure. In this way, the set water level is stored.

On the other hand, in the normal state in which the set water level is stored, the automatic hot water supply operation process of step 18 is executed. In this process, the flow path switching valve 11 is provided every predetermined cycle.
Closed, read the output signal from the pressure sensor 12,
It is determined whether the obtained pressure has reached the pressure corresponding to the desired water level set by the user. When it is determined that the desired water level has been reached, the water supply valve 24 is closed and this routine ends. Of course, during the automatic hot water supply operation, the combustion mechanism of the hot water supply circuit 5 simultaneously executes the gas combustion control with the combustion amount according to the set hot water temperature.

When hot water is reheated after hot water is supplied, bath water is circulated by the circulation pump 10 while the hot water supply valve 24 is closed and the flow path switching valve 11 is open, and the burner 16 burns and heats the water until it reaches a desired temperature. ..

As described above, according to the forced circulation type automatic bath cooker of this embodiment, since the pipe leakage detection process is incorporated in the automatic hot water supply control process, it is necessary to use a tester as in the conventional case. It is not necessary to perform a leak inspection, and a pipe leak can be automatically detected when hot water is supplied. Therefore, even when the bath kettle is installed in a narrow space such as a pipe shaft, the piping leakage can be easily inspected without being restricted by the installation state. Moreover, since it is carried out not only during piping work but also during normal hot water supply, even if a seal failure occurs due to a change with time or the like, the user can recognize the repair time by turning on the pipe leak indicator 31 and correct the time. It is possible to maintain hot water supply (filling with a desired water level). Further, since the pressure sensor 12 for detecting the water level is also used for the pipe leak inspection, the structure does not become complicated.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above.
The present invention is in no way limited to these examples,
Needless to say, the present invention can be implemented in various modes without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in the present embodiment, the water supply valve 24 is closed and the pressure is detected when the pipe leak is detected, but the flow path switching valve 11 may be closed. In this case, only the connection failure of the return pipe 2b is detected, but since the water level detection during hot water supply is performed based on the output of the pressure sensor 12 when the flow path switching valve 11 is closed, In this case, all the defective connection parts that hinder the water level detection can be detected.

Further, in the automatic hot water supply control process, when a pipe leak is detected, the abnormality is notified (S14) and the process is terminated. However, after the abnormality is notified, the water level detection operation process (S17) or the automatic hot water supply operation process is performed as it is. You may make it transfer to (S18). Further, a pipe leak detection switch may be provided so that only the pipe leak detection is performed independently.

[0032]

As described above, the forced circulation type automatic hot water supply bath according to the present invention detects a pipe leak based on the change in the output of the pressure sensor, so that it can be compared with the pressure leak inspection using the conventional tester. And very easy to inspect. Therefore, when the bath pot is installed in a narrow space such as a pipe shaft, it is quite effective. Moreover, even if a seal failure occurs due to a change with time or the like due to the notification of the leakage of the pipe, the user can recognize the repair time, and it is possible to maintain accurate hot water supply (filling with a desired water level). Further, if the pressure sensor is also used as a water level detecting sensor, the structure will not be complicated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a basic configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a forced circulation type automatic bath hook as one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an automatic hot water supply control routine.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a pressure change due to a leak of a pipe.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a pressure change due to a leak of a pipe.

[Explanation of symbols] 1 ... Forced circulation type automatic bath kettle, 2 ... External piping, 3 ... Bathtub,
4 ... Circulation heating circuit, 5 ... Hot water supply circuit, 6 ... Controller,
7 ... Circulation path in kettle, 11 ... Flow path switching valve, 12 ... Pressure sensor, 20 ... Hot water supply path, 24 ... Hot water supply valve, 30 ... Remote control, 3
1 ... Piping leak indicator

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A circulation heating circuit for circulatingly heating bath water,
In a forced circulation type automatic bathtub equipped with a hot water supply circuit for supplying hot water to a predetermined water level in the bathtub via the circulation path, a pressure sensor provided in the circulation path or the hot water supply path in the bath oven to detect the pressure in the path. A flow path opening / closing means for opening / closing the flow path on the side of the bath opposite to the pressure sensor; and a pressure change detection for detecting a change in the pressure sensor output within a predetermined period in that state by closing the flow path by the flow path opening / closing means. Means, a pipe leak detecting means for determining that the pipe leading to the bathtub is leaking when the amount of change in the pressure sensor output is equal to or more than a predetermined amount, and notifying the fact when the pipe leak is detected. A forced circulation type automatic bath kettle, which is provided with an informing means. 2. The forced circulation automatic bath cooker according to claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor is also used as a water level detecting means for detecting the water level of the bath water.