JPH0698252B2 - Bath equipment with bubble bath function - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bath device with a bubble bath function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a means for detecting a clogging state of a dust filter provided in a circulating metal fitting of a bath, there is a conventional invention disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-89952. In this invention, the pressure sensor for detecting the water level of the bathtub in the circulation path is also used for detecting clogging, and the pressure or flow rate in the circulation path during normal operation is detected and stored and compared with the subsequent pressure or flow rate. The user is notified when the difference exceeds a certain level.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional technique, it is necessary to separately provide a clogging detection area in addition to the normal water level detection area as the sensor detection area of the pressure sensor which is also used. There was a drawback that its practical application was difficult. Further, although the above-mentioned conventional technology does not have a bubble bath function, in the one having a bubble bath function, the occurrence of stains such as scales due to the bubble bath operation is significantly large, and therefore clogging of the filter is fairly frequent. And it is necessary to detect with high accuracy. There was a drawback that conventional products could not sufficiently respond to this request.

Therefore, the present invention solves the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and reliably detects clogging of the dust filter of the circulation fitting in a bath device with a bubble bath function without using a pressure sensor as in the prior art. The purpose is to provide something that can be detected quickly.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a bath apparatus with a bubble bath function of the present invention comprises a bathtub, a circulation fitting with a dust filter provided in the bathtub, and a circulation fitting connected to the circulation fitting. A circulation path for circulating bath water in a heat exchanger, a circulation pump for the circulation path, an air introduction means connected to the circulation fittings for mixing air into the circulation water discharged into the bath, and a bubble bath operation A bath device with a bubble bath function having at least a bypass path provided so as to bypass the heat exchanger, wherein the bypass path is provided with a water quantity control valve, and the water quantity control valve is started to start operation. Every time the water flow rate is fully opened, the water quantity switch installed on the heat exchanger side is turned on automatically until the water quantity switch is turned on. It is characterized in that a controller determines that the filter clogging.

[0006]

When the reheating operation switch is turned on, the circulation pump is driven to start circulation of bath water. At that time, the water flow control valve on the bypass is automatically narrowed down from the fully opened state. By narrowing down the water flow control valve, the water flow to the heat exchanger side increases, and when the water flow exceeds a certain level, the water flow switch on the heat exchanger side turns on, and the controller that receives this on signal turns on the burner ignition. And at the same time stop the water flow control valve at its open position. The position where the water amount control valve stops moves to the closing side as the dust filter of the circulation fitting becomes clogged (the total amount of water circulated from the bathtub decreases due to the drive of the circulation pump). The controller determines that the dust filter is clogged when the detected increase amount of the narrowing amount with time becomes equal to or larger than a certain amount. The water amount sensor is fully opened during operation of the bubble bath, and circulates a sufficient amount of bath water suitable for the bubble bath. That is, the bypass passage, the water flow control valve, and the narrowing operation thereof are just required to successfully perform both the bubble bath operation and the additional heating operation. To detect.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing the device of the present invention rotated by 90 degrees, and FIG.

The bath water in the bathtub 10 is circulated from the circulation fitting 11 through the bath return pipe 31, to the bath heat exchanger 23 by the circulation pump 21, and through the bath outgoing pipe 32 from the circulation fitting 11 into the bath 10. Return to. The bath return pipe 31 and the bath return pipe 32 form a circulation path. A removable dust filter 15 is provided on the bath water suction side inside the bath of the circulation fitting 11 so as to filter out dross and other dust in the bath 10.

A bypass passage 33 is provided downstream of the circulation pump 21 so as to bypass the bath heat exchanger 23, and a water amount control valve 27 is provided in the bypass passage 33. The water flow control valve 27 is configured such that the opening degree is freely adjusted by a command from a controller described later, for example, by a servo motor with an attached potentiometer, and the opening degree data is sent to the controller via the potentiometer. It is designed to be sent.

A water quantity switch 2 is provided on the bath return pipe 31 downstream of the circulation pump 21 and leading to the bath heat exchanger 23.
6 is provided so that the bath burner 22 is ignited only when the amount of water passing through the water amount switch 26 is a certain amount or more. 28 is a blower fan. An air introduction pipe 12 which is an air introduction means is connected to the circulation fitting 11. Reference numeral 13 is an air opening / closing valve. The air introduction pipe 1
Specifically, 2 is connected to the negative pressure forming portion of the circulation fitting 11 by the circulating water discharged into the bath 10 so that air is sucked from the negative pressure forming portion and mixed into the discharged circulating water.

Reference numeral 43 is a heat exchanger for hot water supply, 42 is a burner thereof, and 48 is a blower fan thereof. The supplied water enters the hot water supply heat exchanger 43 through the water supply pipe 41, is heated, and is discharged from the hot water supply pipe 44. Water from the water supply pipe 41 or hot water from the hot water supply pipe 44 is sent to the bath return pipe 31 via the drop pipe 50, the drop valve 51, and the three-way switching valve 52 so that water can be supplied to the bathtub 10. . Fuel gas is supplied to each of the burners 22 and 42 through a gas pipe 50. Of course, the liquid fuel may be supplied and the burner for the liquid fuel may perform combustion.

Reference numeral 70 denotes a controller, which has a built-in microcomputer, receives information from sensors of various parts of the device and commands from a remote controller (not shown), and issues predetermined operation commands to the various parts of the device. Further, in the present invention, when the bubble bath operation is instructed from a remote controller (not shown), the controller 70 issues a fully open instruction to the water amount control valve 27 of the bypass passage 33. On the other hand, when the reheating operation is instructed from the remote controller, the controller 70
Until the water amount switch 26 detects a water amount above a certain level and outputs an ON signal, it issues an operation command to the water amount control valve 27 in a direction of narrowing the opening degree from the fully open state. . When the water quantity switch 26 is turned on, the movement of the water quantity control valve 27 is stopped at that position at that time.

The opening degree data of the water flow control valve 27 is sent to the controller 70 via a potentiometer. The controller 70 stores the potentio output of the water amount control valve 27 at the first additional heating operation after the power is turned on and compares this with the potentio output at the narrowing stop position of the water amount control valve 27 at the subsequent additional heating operation. When the difference exceeds a certain value (threshold for judging clogging), a filter sign is output to a display unit such as a remote controller (not shown).

The clogging detection operation of the dust filter 15 by the controller 70 will be described with reference to FIG.
When the first reheating operation is stopped after the power is turned on (step 101), the potentiometer output V _O of the water volume control valve 27 at that time (the output corresponding to the throttle stop position of the water volume control valve 27) is sent to the controller 70. It is stored (step 102). Thereafter, each additional heating operation is stopped made is (step 103), incorporating the potentiometer output of the water amount adjusting valve 27 to the controller 70 (step 104), compares the value V and the initial value V _O, the When the difference V _O −V is equal to or greater than the constant value V _S (step 105), the filter sign for cleaning the dust filter is turned on by the remote controller or the like (step 106).

[0015]

According to the bath apparatus with a bubble bath function according to the present invention, the present invention provides a water quantity control valve in the bypass passage and operates the water quantity control valve for additional heating. Every time when the dust filter is fully opened, the water quantity switch provided on the heat exchanger side is automatically narrowed down until the water quantity switch is turned on. Since a controller for determining the clogging of the dust filter is provided, it is possible to accurately detect clogging of the dust filter without using the conventional detection method using a pressure sensor, and also by using the water volume control valve as well. it can.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a device of the present invention rotated by 90 degrees.

FIG. 2 is an operation control flowchart in the same embodiment apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Bathtub 12 Air introduction pipe 15 Dust filter 21 Circulation pump 23 Bath heat exchanger 26 Water volume switch 27 Water volume control valve 31 Bath return pipe 32 Bath outflow pipe 33 Bypass passage 70 Controller

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A bathtub, a circulation fitting with a dust filter provided in the bath, a circulation path connected to the circulation fitting to circulate bath water to a heat exchanger, a circulation pump of the circulation path, With a bubble bath function having at least an air introduction means connected to a circulation fitting for mixing air into circulating water discharged into a bathtub and a bypass passage provided so as to bypass the heat exchanger for bubble bath operation. A bath device,
A water amount adjusting valve is provided in the bypass passage, and the water amount adjusting valve is automatically opened from the fully opened state every time the operation is started until the water amount switch provided on the heat exchanger side is turned on by increasing the water amount. A bath device with a bubble bath function, characterized in that a controller for determining that the dust filter is clogged when the amount of narrowing down and the increase in the amount of narrowing down become equal to or greater than a certain value are provided.