JPH0646110B2 - Automatic bath equipment - Google Patents

Description

Description: [Industrial application] The present invention relates to an automatic bath apparatus in which the drop flow rate detection means detects the drop flow rate and controls the amount of hot water supplied to the bathtub.

[Background Art and Problems] In the conventionally used automatic bath device, hot water is dropped into the bathtub from the hot water supply circuit via the circulation circuit connected to the bath adapter of the bathtub. The hot water supply circuit is opened / closed by the drop opening / closing valve provided in the circuit, and the drop flow rate sensor detects the drop flow rate of hot water from the hot water supply circuit into the bathtub, and the drop flow rate is integrated to maintain a fixed amount of hot water in the bath I have dropped it into.

However, in such an automatic bath device, even if the drop flow rate sensor provided in the hot water supply circuit has an abnormality and hot water is dropped from the hot water supply circuit into the bathtub, the drop flow rate sensor detects it. When the pulse signal is not output, it is not determined that the set hot water supply amount has been reached forever and there is a problem that hot water overflows into the bathtub.

For this reason, even in the automatic bath device that has been conventionally used, a means for detecting an abnormality in the drop flow sensor is provided, but the flow detected by the drop flow sensor simply becomes abnormal when the drop opening / closing valve is opened. When it became small, it was merely judged as an abnormal occurrence. Therefore, in the conventional abnormality detection system, when the detected flow rate of the drop flow rate sensor becomes abnormally small, an abnormality occurs in the drop flow rate sensor even though hot water is actually dropped from the hot water supply circuit to the bathtub. Is not detected, or is the flow rate abnormally reduced on the bathtub side because a large flow of hot water is being used by a shower or other tap at the time of low water pressure and is flowing to the hot water supply branch circuit? It was difficult to judge.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the present invention has been made in view of the drawbacks of the above conventional examples, and the purpose thereof is that an abnormality occurs in the drop flow rate detection means of the hot water supply circuit. It is possible to distinguish between the case and the case where the drop flow rate is abnormally reduced because hot water is being supplied to the hot water supply branch circuit side, and it is possible to reliably detect the abnormality of the drop flow rate detection means.

[Means for Solving the Problem] Therefore, the automatic bath apparatus of the present invention includes a hot water supply circuit B for dropping hot water into the bathtub A, a hot water supply branch circuit C branched from the hot water supply circuit B, and the hot water supply circuit B. A drop flow rate detecting means D for detecting a drop flow rate into the bathtub A downstream of the hot water supply branch circuit C, and a hot water supply circuit B for opening and closing the hot water supply circuit B downstream of the hot water supply branch circuit C of the hot water supply circuit B. Drop-in on-off valve E, water flow rate detection means F for detecting the water flow rate into hot-water supply circuit B upstream of hot-water supply branch circuit C of hot-water supply circuit B, and drop-on / off valve E
When the drop flow rate detecting means D detects a drop flow rate below a certain value, the check operation means G closes the drop open / close valve E and the drop open / close valve by the check operation means G. When E is closed, if the incoming water flow rate detection unit F no longer detects the incoming water flow rate, the drop flow rate detection unit D is determined to be abnormal.

[Operation] The present invention does not judge that an abnormality has occurred in the drop flow rate detection means only when the detection amount of the drop flow rate detection means decreases below a certain value when the drop flow valve is opened, and the drop flow rate is abnormal. If it drops, the check operation means closes the drop valve.
At this time, it is determined whether or not there is an abnormality in the drop-in flow rate detecting means depending on whether or not the detected flow rate of the incoming water flow rate detecting means provided on the upstream side of the hot water supply branch circuit becomes zero. That is, even if the flow rate detected by the drop flow rate detection means is abnormally lowered, if the water flow rate detected by the water flow rate detection means is not 0 when the drop opening / closing valve is closed, the hot water supply branch circuit It is judged that the hot water flows to the side and the flow rate is decreasing on the bath side.
Further, when the flow rate detected by the incoming water flow rate detecting means becomes 0 when the drop-in on / off valve is closed, no hot water is flowing to the hot water supply branch circuit side. If the detected flow rate is below a certain value, it is judged that the detection means is abnormal.

When it is determined that the drop flow rate detecting means is abnormal, the drop opening / closing valve is immediately closed to stop the drop of the hot water and prevent the hot water from overflowing the bathtub.

[Embodiment] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an automatic bath apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a bathtub, 2 is a reheating circuit for circulating and reheating hot water in the bathtub, 3 is a hot water supply circuit for dropping hot water into the bathtub 1, and the hot water supply circuit 3 is through the reheating circuit 2. Connected to bathtub 1. The reheating circuit 2 is
It is connected to a bath adapter 4 provided at the bottom of the bathtub 1, and the reheating circuit 2 has a pump 5 for forcibly circulating the hot water in the bathtub 1, a bath heat exchanger 6 for heating the hot water, a bathtub 1 A pressure sensor 7 for detecting the water level inside, a water flow switch 8 and a thermistor 9 for detecting the temperature of hot water in the bathtub 1 are provided. Then, when the hot water temperature in the bathtub 1 detected by the thermistor 9 is lower than the set temperature,
The pump 5 is operated to circulate the hot water in the bathtub 1 in the reheating circuit 2, and the hot water is heated in the bath heat exchanger 6 to reheat it.
When the thermistor 9 detects that the set hot water temperature is reached, the reheating operation is stopped. The hot water supply circuit 3 is connected to the reheating circuit 2 from city water via the hot water supply heat exchanger 10, and the hot water supply branch circuit 11 is branched from the hot water supply circuit 3 downstream of the hot water supply heat exchanger 10. ing. The hot water supply branching circuit 11 is connected to a shower, a cullan, etc., and supplies hot water to these devices. Hot water supply heat exchanger 1 of hot water supply circuit 3
On the upstream side of 0, the water flow rate sensor 12 for detecting the water flow rate from the city water and the thermistor 1 for detecting the water temperature.
3, a hot water supply heat exchanger 10 and a hot water supply branch circuit 11 are provided with a flow rate adjusting valve 14 for adjusting a flow rate of incoming water, and a temperature of hot water heated by the hot water supply heat exchanger 10 is detected. A thermistor 15 is provided. Then, the automatic bath apparatus calculates the incoming water flow rate for supplying the hot water of the set temperature based on the temperature difference between the hot water or water before and after the hot water heat exchanger 10 and the heat quantity of the hot water heat exchanger 10, and The flow rate adjusting valve 14 is controlled so that the flow rate becomes the calculated flow rate while being detected by the flow rate sensor 12. Further, on the downstream side of the hot water supply branch circuit 11, a flow rate adjusting valve 16 for controlling the drop flow rate, a drop flow rate sensor 17 for detecting the drop flow rate into the bathtub 1, and a vacuum breaker 1 are provided.
8. Drop-in opening / closing valve 1 for opening / closing the hot water supply circuit 3
9 and a check valve 20 are provided. Then, when the hot water supply switch is turned on, or when the pressure sensor 7 detects that the water level in the bathtub 1 has dropped below the set water level, the drop opening / closing valve 19 is opened to set a predetermined amount. Hot water is dropped into the bathtub 1. At this time, the drop flow rate is detected by the drop flow rate sensor 17, and when the integrated value of the flow rate detected by the drop flow rate sensor 17 (the amount of hot water dropped) reaches a predetermined hot water supply amount, the drop on-off valve 19 is closed. Stop hot water supply.

When the drop flow sensor 17 has an abnormality during the hot water supply operation and hot water is flowing to the hot water supply circuit 3, when the drop flow sensor 17 does not output a pulse signal, the drop opening / closing valve 19 is closed forever. Since the hot water is not formed and the hot water overflows from the bathtub 1, the automatic bath apparatus of the present invention is provided with a system for detecting an abnormality of the drop flow sensor 17. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a system for determining an abnormality of the drop flow rate sensor 17. The automatic bath equipment is a central processing unit (hereinafter CP
U21), and an input water flow sensor 12 and a drop flow sensor 17 are connected to the input side of the CPU 21.
A flow rate data signal is input to U21. Also, C
The PU 21 can transfer the signal from the drop flow rate sensor 17 to the integrating circuit 22, and the integrating circuit 22 integrates the drop flow rate. The drop opening / closing valve 19 is operated according to the procedure or condition stored in the memory 23.
It is controlled to open and close by U21, and is closed when the amount of pouring hot water accumulated in the integrating circuit 22 reaches the value q stored in the memory 23. Opening / closing is controlled according to the flow of FIG. Further, the memory 23 stores a value ρ for starting a flow for determining whether or not an abnormality has occurred when the flow rate detected by the drop flow rate sensor 17 is lower than that. And
In the flow for determining whether or not an abnormality has occurred, the abnormality determination circuit 24 determines whether the drop flow sensor 17 is abnormal or due to the use of another plug.

Next, the operation of supplying hot water to the bathtub 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When hot water supply to the bathtub 1 is started, for example, by turning on the hot water supply switch, the drop opening / closing valve 19 is opened, and hot water is dropped into the bathtub 1 (step 31). At this time, the drop flow rate of the hot water supply circuit 3 is
It is detected by the drop flow rate sensor 17, and the drop flow rate is integrated by the integrating circuit 22 to obtain the drop hot water amount. Then, when the amount of dropped hot water reaches a predetermined value q, the open / close valve 19 for dropping is closed to end the hot water supply (steps 33 and 34). On the other hand, after the drop opening / closing valve 19 is opened (step 31), the drop flow rate detected by the drop flow rate sensor 17 is set to a predetermined value ρ (eg, 3 liter /
min)) (step 32), the value of the water flow rate sensor 12 is read and the water flow rate is ρ + α
If (for example, 3.5 liters / min) or less (step 35), it is judged that the tap is not used and the tap water pressure is lowered, and hot water supply is continued (step 33). On the other hand, if the drop flow rate is less than or equal to ρ and the water flow rate is greater than or equal to ρ + α (step 35), it is necessary to determine whether it is due to the use of another plug or an abnormality in the drop flow rate sensor 17. Therefore, in this case, the drop opening / closing valve 19 is opened (step 36), and at the same time as the opening, it is checked whether or not the water flow rate detected by the water flow rate sensor 12 becomes 0 (step 37). On-off valve for dropping 19
If the incoming water flow rate does not become 0 even after closing, the other tap is used and it is judged that hot water is being supplied to the hot water supply branch circuit 11 side, so wait until the incoming water flow rate becomes 0. (Step 42) If it is determined that the flow rate of incoming water becomes 0 and the use of the other plug is completed, the drop opening / closing valve 19 is opened again and hot water supply is restarted (Step 31). On the other hand, if the flow rate of incoming water is 0 in step 37,
It is determined that the drop flow rate detected by the drop flow rate sensor 17 has abnormally decreased despite the fact that hot water has not been supplied to the hot water supply branch circuit 11 side, and therefore the same operation as step 37 is repeated again for reconfirmation. (Steps 38-40). In this way, if the incoming water flow rate is 0 at all times, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the drop flow rate sensor 17, and the abnormality is notified (step 41). Therefore, the drop opening / closing valve 19 is maintained in the closed state, and overflow from the bathtub 1 is prevented.

The design of the above flow may be changed appropriately.
In particular, if the flow rate of incoming water is equal to or less than q + α in step 35, or if the flow rate of incoming water is 0 in step 42, it may be connected to another flow.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, when the drop flow rate is abnormally lowered, the drop opening / closing valve is closed, and at that time, the detected flow rate of the incoming water flow rate detection means provided upstream of the hot water supply branch circuit is increased. Depending on whether or not it becomes 0, whether there is an abnormality in the drop flow rate detection means, or whether the flow rate on the hot water supply circuit side is only abnormally decreased because hot water is being supplied to the hot water supply branch circuit side at low water pressure Can be determined. Therefore,
It is possible to reliably detect an abnormality in the drop flow rate detection means and take appropriate action, for example, immediately close the drop opening / closing valve to stop the drop of hot water and prevent the hot water from overflowing from the bathtub. You can

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an automatic bath apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
The figure is a block diagram showing the configuration of the above abnormality determination system,
FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the above. A: Bathtub B: Hot water supply circuit C: Hot water supply branch circuit D: Drop flow rate detection means E: Drop open / close valve F: Water flow rate detection means G: Check operation means H: Abnormality determination means

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A hot water supply circuit for dropping hot water into a bathtub,
A hot water supply branch circuit branched from the hot water supply circuit, a drop flow rate detection means for detecting a drop flow rate into the bathtub on the downstream side of the hot water supply circuit, and a downstream side of the hot water supply circuit The opening / closing valve for opening / closing the hot water supply circuit, the water flow rate detecting means for detecting the flow rate of water entering the hot water supply circuit upstream of the hot water supply branch circuit of the hot water supply circuit, and the opening / closing valve for the water drop At the time, when the drop flow rate detected by the drop flow rate detection means is below a certain value, a check operation means for closing the drop open / close valve, and when the drop open / close valve is closed by the check operation means, A means for judging that the drop flow rate detecting means is abnormal when the water flow rate is no longer detected by the flow rate detecting means. Automatic bath apparatus characterized by comprising a.