JPH06154120A - Shower apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To ensure safety even if any troubles should happen while realizing effective mist heating by using high temperature hot water in use of mist shower. CONSTITUTION:A flow path (branch path 12) exclusively used for a mist shower branched through a flow path changing-over valve V8 is provided on the way of a hot water and water supply path 3 connected directly to a flow path for shower other than the mist shower to separate the mist shower flow path from the other shower flow path. Thus, even if pilot adjusting valves V1-V3 for other showers in the use of the mist shower are failured at the open sides, hot water for the mist shower will not reach these valves, so that high temperature mist can be safely used in the mist shower.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multifunctional shower device which can use various showers such as body showers, hand showers, mist showers and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a shower device of this type, there is, for example, one shown in FIG. In the figure, 1 is a water supply passage, 2 is a hot water supply passage, 3 is a hot water supply passage, 4 is a drainage passage, 5A to 5D are various shower nozzles, 6 is a water heater, 7 is an operation unit, 8 is a control unit, and 9 is A hot water temperature sensor, 10 a hot water temperature sensor, 11 a hot water temperature sensor, V1 to V4 are pre-adjustment valves, V5 is a hot and cold water mixing valve, V6 is a drain valve, and V7 is an original control valve. The shower nozzles 5A to 5D are provided with four types such as a body shower nozzle, a hand shower nozzle, a shower water nozzle, and a mist shower nozzle.
1 to V4 are provided corresponding to each of the plurality of shower nozzles 5A to 5D.

The operation unit 7 is for starting / stopping use of the shower,
Various operation switches (not shown) for setting at least jet strength and hot and cold water temperature, and selection of shower to be used
And outputs individual signals in response to the pressing operation of each of these operation switches. The control unit 8 outputs required control signals to the respective valves V1 to V7 in response to the output signal from the operation unit 7 to control the operations thereof, and functions as described below. is there.

In operation, when one of the showers, for example, a mist shower, is turned on by the operation section 7, the control section 8 first opens the drain valve V6 and causes hot water to flow into the drain path 4, thereby supplying hot water. Start the operation of the container 2. Then, when the temperature detected by the hot water temperature sensor 11 becomes equal to or higher than the set temperature, the original control valve V7 and the mist control valve V4 are opened while the drain valve V6 is closed. As a result, hot water of the set temperature becomes mist and is ejected from the mist shower nozzle 5D, and the interior of the bathroom is warmed by this mist hot water.

[0005]

In the conventional shower device described above, all the shower nozzles 5A to 5D are bundled and directly connected to the end of the hot and cold water supply passage 3, so that any one shower is used. Then, the hot and cold water reaches the tip control valves V1 to V4 in front of all the shower nozzles 5A to 5D.

It is generally known that in the mist shower, the temperature of the mist hot water jetted from the shower nozzle 5D for it is significantly lower than the temperature of the hot water supplied to the nozzle. Therefore, in order to effectively perform the heating by the mist, it is desirable to use hot water having a temperature higher than that of other shower baths.

Therefore, if the mist shower is used,
When high-temperature hot water is used, the high-temperature hot water reaches not only the shower nozzle 5D for mist but also all the other shower nozzles 5A to 5C. In such a situation, if the adjustment valves V1 to V3 related to a shower other than the mist shower should have a failure on the open side, the high-temperature hot water for mist may be shower nozzles 5A to 5C other than the mist shower nozzle 5D. There is a risk that it will be jetted from the product and hit the user.

Assuming such a situation, in the conventional shower device, when the mist shower is used, there is no choice but to supply the shower nozzle with low-temperature hot water that is not dangerous to the human body, and effective mist heating is not possible. Expectations diminished and there is room for improvement.

In view of such circumstances, the present invention makes it possible to realize effective mist heating by using high-temperature hot water when using a mist shower, while ensuring safety even in the event of a failure. The task is to

[0010]

A shower device according to the present invention includes a large number of shower nozzles having different hot and cold water discharge forms, a hot and cold water mixing valve for mixing hot water and water, and hot and cold water from the hot and cold water mixing valve to a large number of shower nozzles. A hot water supply passage for sending, a branch passage connected to the middle of the hot water supply passage through a flow path switching valve and provided with only a mist shower nozzle among the shower nozzles at an end, and a branch passage provided in front of each shower nozzle. A plurality of control valves for adjusting the discharge flow rate by means of a valve, an operating section for outputting a signal for selecting the shower to be used and setting the shower strength and the hot and cold water temperature, and each element in response to the output signal from the operating section. And a control unit for controlling the operation of.

[0011]

When the mist shower is used, the hot water supplied to the hot water supply passage is made to flow only to the branch passage by the flow passage switching valve, and flows to the mist shower nozzle through this branch passage. Will not flow to.

In short, the hot water flow path for the mist shower is separated from the hot water flow path for the other shower nozzles so that the hot water flow can be set to a high temperature when the mist shower is used. Does not reach the other shower nozzle side. for that reason,
When using the mist shower, even if any one of the control valves for the shower nozzle has a failure on the open side, hot water does not spout from the shower nozzle.

[0013]

The details of the present invention will be described below with reference to three embodiments.

1 to 3 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a shower device, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are flowcharts showing the operation.

Here, an example in which the present invention is applied to the conventional shower device shown in FIG. 6 is given. Therefore, the basic configuration of the shower device of this embodiment is the same as that of the conventional example. That is, in the figure, 1 is a water supply passage, 2 is a hot water supply passage, 3 is a hot water supply passage, 4 is a drainage passage, 5A is a body shower nozzle,
5B is a hand shower nozzle, 5C is a shower water nozzle,
5D is a mist shower nozzle, 6 is a water heater, 7 is an operating unit, 8 is a control unit, 9 is a water inlet temperature sensor, 10 is a hot water inlet temperature sensor, 11 is a hot water outlet temperature sensor, and V1 to V4 are the aforementioned shower nozzles 5A to 5D. Each of them is a corresponding pre-adjustment valve, V5 is a hot and cold water mixing valve, V6 is a drain valve, and V7 is an original control valve.

The shower device of this embodiment is different from the conventional one in that the hot and cold water mixing valve V5 and the shower nozzle 5D for mist are used.
Except for the shower nozzle groups 5A to 5C except for, a hot and cold water supply passage 3 dedicated to the shower nozzle 5D for mist is provided in the middle of the hot and cold water supply passage 3.

Concretely, a body shower nozzle 5A, a hand shower nozzle 5B and a hitting hot water nozzle 5C are directly connected to an end of the hot and cold water supply passage 3, and a three-way valve or the like is provided in the hot and cold water supply passage 3 in the middle thereof. The branch passage 12 is connected via a flow path switching valve V8, which is composed of the above, and a mist shower nozzle 5D is provided at the end of the branch passage 12 via a check valve V9 and a pre-adjustment valve V4.

The drainage channel 4 branches from the hot and cold water supply channel 3 upstream of the source control valve V7, but is connected so as to intersect the branch channel 12 at an intermediate point. In the drainage channel 4, a drainage valve V6 is provided on the downstream side of the cross connection part with the branch channel 12, and a check valve V10 is provided on the upstream side of the cross connection part. The control unit 8 controls the operations of the various valves in response to the output signal from the operation unit 7.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, when using a shower other than the mist shower, for example, a body shower, the control unit 8 performs a control operation in a routine as shown in FIG. The user can change the shower strength, hot water temperature, etc. on the operation unit 7.
Set with.

In step S1, the controller 8 waits until the body shower switch is turned on. When the body shower switch is turned on, the controller 8 controls the flow path switching valve V8 and opens the drain valve V6 in step S2. Water flows through the water heater 6 by the drainage through the drain valve V6, so that the water heater 6 operates. In step S3, it is determined whether or not the detected temperature Th of the hot and cold water mixed by the hot and cold water mixing valve 10 is within the range of the lower set temperatures T ₃ and T ₄ (T ₃ ≦ Th ≦ T ₄ ), and the range is determined. Wait until the water temperature inside. When the temperature of the mixed water falls within the set temperature range, the original control valve V7 is opened in step S4, the pre-adjustment valve V1 for body shower is opened in step S5, and the drain valve V6 is closed in step S6. All the mixed hot and cold water is supplied to the side of the body shower nozzle 5A. With this, the body shower nozzle 5
Hot water of a suitable temperature will gush from A.

On the other hand, in the case of using the mist shower, the control unit 8 is, as shown in FIG.
It waits until the switch of the mist shower is turned on, and when the switch is turned on, the flow path switching valve V8 is controlled and the drain valve V6 is opened at step T2. With this, the water heater 6
Works. In step T3, the process waits until the detected temperature Th of the mixed hot and cold water becomes equal to or higher than the higher set temperature T ₂ (Th ≧ T ₂ ), and when the detected temperature Th becomes higher than the set temperature, step T4
Open the pre-adjustment valve V4 for the mist shower with, and after this,
In step T5, the drain valve V6 is closed. As a result, the hot water from the mist shower nozzle 5D becomes mist and spouts, and the mist warms the air in the bathroom.

By the way, the other shower nozzles 5A to 5C
On the side, the shower jet is blocked over the three stages of the pre-adjustment valves V1 to V3, the original adjustment valve V7, and the flow path switching valve V8. Therefore, when using the mist shower, in the unlikely event that another shower nozzle is used. 5A-5C pre-regulation valves V1-V
These nozzles 5A-5C, even if 3 has a failure on the open side
Hot water does not gush out of the room.

By the way, since the passage resistance of the mist shower nozzle 5D is large, the hot and cold water flow rate is considerably reduced when the mist shower is used as compared with the case where other showers are used. When the flow rate falls below the operating flow rate, the combustion operation of the water heater 6 is stopped. Thus, when the water heater 6 is stopped, only water is supplied from the water heater 6 thereafter, and heating by the mist cannot be performed.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a routine for coping with such a case. In the routine shown in FIG. 1, when the mist shower is used and the hot water flow rate in the mist flow channel is greatly reduced to stop the combustion operation of the water heater 6, this routine is performed by the hot water mixing valve V5. Since the temperature drops, this temperature drop is detected and the combustion of the water heater 6 is restarted.

That is, the control unit 8 is
It waits until the switch of the mist shower is turned on, and when the switch is turned on, the flow path switching valve V8 is controlled and the drain valve V6 is opened in step U2. With this, the water heater 6
Works. In step U3, it is judged whether or not the detected temperature Th of the mixed hot and cold water has become higher than or equal to the high set temperature T ₂ for mist shower (Th ≧ T ₂ ), and step U2 and step until the set temperature is reached or higher. Repeat U3. Then, when the detected temperature Th of the mixed hot water becomes equal to or higher than the set temperature T ₂ , the mist shower adjusting valve V4 is opened in step U4, and the process proceeds to step U5.

At step U5, the detected temperature T of the mixed hot water is detected.
It is again determined whether or not h is equal to or higher than the high set temperature T ₂ for the mist shower. Immediately after shifting to step U5, the temperature of the mixed water is usually higher than or equal to the higher set temperature, so the determination is Yes, and the process proceeds to step U6. In step U6, the drain valve V6 is closed and step U
Return to 4. Therefore, while the temperature of the mixed hot water is higher than or equal to the high set temperature, steps U4, 5, 6 are repeated, whereby the drain valve V6 is closed and the mist shower control valve V4 is opened. The state is maintained.

Here, when the combustion of the water heater 6 is stopped due to the decrease in the flow rate of the hot water, the temperature Th of the mixed hot water drops, and therefore the determination in step U5 becomes No, and the process moves to step U7. At step U7, the mist shower control valve V
4 is closed and the process returns to step U2. At the stage of returning to this step U2, the outflow of hot water is completely stopped, and the state is the same as when the mist shower operation was started. Therefore, in the steps after step U2, the mist shower operation is repeated from the beginning to supply hot water. Combustion of the vessel 6 is restarted.

FIG. 4 shows the structure of a shower apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The shower device of this embodiment is designed to prevent the combustion operation of the water heater 6 from stopping when the mist shower is used. The same parts as those of the shower unit of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The shower apparatus of this embodiment has basically the same configuration as the shower apparatus of the first embodiment. The difference from the shower apparatus of the first embodiment is that the hot water supply passage 3 is provided with a flow rate sensor 13. The drainage valve V6 is not a simple open / close valve and the flow rate can be adjusted, and the drainage flow rate is adjusted to increase or decrease based on the detection signal of the flow rate sensor 13. When the flow rate of the mixed hot water decreases when the mist shower is used, the drain valve V6 is opened wider to increase the drain flow rate, so that the sum of the drain flow rate and the hot and cold water flow rate of the mist passage is equal to or more than the minimum working water amount of the water heater 6. It is designed to secure the amount of water. Therefore, the combustion operation of the water heater 6 does not stop due to insufficient flow rate.

FIG. 5 relates to the third embodiment of the present invention and shows the configuration of the branch passage portion of the shower device. In the shower device of this embodiment, the terminal of the branch passage 12 is branched into a plurality of terminals to enable switching of the heating capacity by mist, and also to prevent combustion stop of the water heater 6 due to insufficient flow of mist water. It was done. Note that the configuration of the parts omitted in FIG. 5 is the same as the corresponding parts of the first embodiment, so description will be omitted.

In the illustrated example, the downstream end of the branch 12 is 3
The control valve V4 ₁ ,
V4 ₂ and V4 ₃ are provided. These control valves V
4 _1, V4 _2, V4 ₃ downstream are further branched into each respective two, mist shower nozzle 5D ₁ Each of these branch portions, 5D _2, 5D ₃ is attached. Then, the control unit 8 controls opening / closing of the _three preadjustment valves V4 ₁ , V4 ₂ , V4 ₃ individually according to the capacity switching operation in the operation unit 7. If a large heating capacity is required, all three preregulation valves V4 ₁ , V4 ₂ , V4 ₃ are opened, and for medium heating capacity any two preregulation valves, eg V4 ₁ , V4 _2, are used. If you want to open it and reduce the heating capacity,
Only one of the regulating valves, eg V4 _1, is opened.

Even when the heating capacity is small, since two mist shower nozzles are provided in the downstream portion, the mist jetting from these nozzles ensures a water amount equal to or higher than the minimum working water amount of the water heater. It is supposed to be done.

The drain valve V6 in this embodiment may be an electromagnetic on-off valve, but if it is a flow control valve as in the second embodiment,
By adjusting the increase / decrease of the drainage flow rate, it is possible to appropriately compensate for the insufficient flow rate of the mist flow passage, and more reliably prevent the combustion operation of the water heater 6 when the mist shower is used.

[0034]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention,
Since the hot and cold water flow passage for the mist shower is separated from the hot and cold water flow passage for other showers and is independent, even if the pre-adjustment valve for the other shower nozzle should fail on the open side, It is possible to reliably prevent spouting of hot water. Therefore, while the hot and cold water temperature during use of the mist shower is raised to enable quick and effective heating of the bathroom, it is possible to prevent a situation in which hot and hot water spouts from another shower nozzle. As described above, it is possible to provide a shower device that can ensure the safety against an emergency and can quickly and effectively heat the inside of the bathroom by the high temperature mist.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a shower device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a mist shower operation according to another routine of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a shower device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a branch passage portion of a shower device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a conventional shower device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 Hot Water Supply Channel 4 Drain Channel 5A Body Shower Nozzle 5B Hand Shower Nozzle 5C Strike Hot Water Nozzle 5D Mist Shower Nozzle 6 Water Heater 7 Operation Section 8 Control Section 12 Branch Path V1-V4 Destination Control Valve V5 Hot Water Mixing Valve

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of shower nozzles having different hot and cold water discharge modes, a hot and cold water mixing valve for mixing hot water and water, and a hot and cold water supply passage for sending hot and cold water from the hot and cold water mixing valve to a large number of shower nozzles.
A branch passage connected to a hot water supply passage through a passage switching valve and provided with only a mist shower nozzle among the shower nozzles at its end, and a branch passage provided in front of each shower nozzle to control the discharge flow rate. A large number of control valves, an operating unit that outputs a signal for selecting the shower to be used and setting the shower intensity and the hot and cold water temperature, and a control that controls the operation of each element in response to the output signal from the operating unit. And a shower unit.