JPH07167490A - Bathwater heater - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a device by which bathwater can always be heated to before bathing and kept warm at a fixed temperature. CONSTITUTION:A device has a built-in float in the upper part, which keeps its case 1 afloat in bathwater in a manner of always having the bathwater- suction port 2, provided in the upper part of the case 1, at the level of the bathwater. A propeller pump 11 is rotated by a motor 9 inside the case 1 and water of lower temperature in the bathtub flowing in through the suction port 2 is drawn to a heater 10 in circulation, heated thereby to a high temperature, discharged into the bathwater of lower temperature through a discharge hole 18 at the lower end of the case 1, and mixed with warm water of lower temperature as they flow together in convection to raise the temperature of the bathwater. The heating by the heater 10 is stopped when the bathwater temperature becomes suitable for bathing and resumed when the temperature falls in a manner of keeping the temperature of the bathwater at all times in a range suitable for bathing.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bath water heating apparatus capable of constantly heating and maintaining the bath water at a constant temperature before bathing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When bathing hot water at a certain interval, the hot water temperature drops and the hot water is reheated the next time it is bathed, or a suitable amount of lukewarm water is removed in the case of a hot water supply type bathtub that cannot be reheated. At the same time, it is necessary to add hot water to adjust the hot water temperature. It is difficult to adjust to an appropriate temperature with such an adjusting means and it is uneconomical, and in addition, it takes time before bathing becomes possible.

For this reason, the applicants of the present application filed an actual exploitation 4-5
As described in Japanese Patent No. 0358, a bathtub hot water inlet and outlet are provided in the upper and lower parts, and a pump for sending hot water from the suction port to the exhaust port and an electric heater for heating the bath hot water are internally provided. The case body is detachably fixed to the inner wall of the bathtub so that the bathtub hot water is drawn in through the suction port and heated by the electric heater while flowing out from the discharge port. When the bathwater reaches a certain temperature, the heating is released. We have developed a bathtub hot water temperature control device.

[0004]

However, according to the above-mentioned device, the whole device becomes complicated and expensive because it requires a mounting means such as a suction plate or a hook for fixing the case body to the inner wall of the bathtub. At the same time, it is necessary to remove it at the time of bathing and put it in a suitable place outside the bathtub, and to place it in the bathtub after bathing, so it is troublesome to use it for each time it is attached and detached. There was a fear that. Furthermore, if the suction port of the case body is higher than the surface of the hot water during installation, the flow rate of bath water from the suction port to the discharge port will decrease, causing the temperature of the electric heater to rise excessively and the motor to be unloaded. However, there is a problem in that a wire breakage or the like occurs in the state. An object of the present invention is to provide a bathtub hot water heating apparatus that can completely solve such problems.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a bath water heating apparatus of the present invention is a hollow case body having a hot water inlet at the top and a hot water outlet at the lower end. The interior of a floating member that floats the hollow case body in the bathtub hot water so that the hot water suction port portion has the height of the hot water surface, and a passage communicating between the hot water suction port and the hot water discharge port is provided,
The suction side of the vane pump is made to face the hot water suction port side by interposing a vane pump which is rotated by the drive of a motor provided in the upper part of the hollow case body in the middle portion of this passage, and further, the discharge of the vane pump. A heater is arranged in a passage between the outlet and the hot water discharge port, and a temperature sensor for adjusting the heater to a constant temperature is mounted at an appropriate position in the hollow case body.

[0006]

After the water in the bathtub is boiled to the desired hot water temperature, or after hot water of a desired temperature is supplied from the water heater into the bathtub, if the next bathing time is long before or after bathing, The case body is placed in a bath and the motor and heater are energized. Since the case body is equipped with a floating member, the case body floats in the bath tub regardless of the amount of hot water in the bath, with the hot water inlet opening at the top always positioned at the level of the bath surface. Then, the bath water flowing in from the hot water suction port is sent to the heater side by the suction force of the blade pump rotated by the motor drive.

The low-temperature hot water sent to the heater side is heated by a heater which is set to a predetermined temperature in advance, becomes high-temperature hot water from the lower end outlet, and is jetted into the bathtub and mixed with the low-temperature hot water in the lower part of the bathtub. To warm the bath water. In this way, the low-temperature hot water in the bathtub is continuously sucked from the hot-water inlet of the case body, heated by the heater to become high-temperature hot water, convectively mixed with the low-temperature bath water, and then returned to the case body again. By doing so, the temperature of the bath water as a whole rises. When the bath water reaches a desired temperature, the heater is de-energized and the temperature is gradually lowered, and when the temperature falls below a certain temperature, the heater is energized again to keep the bath water at a temperature suitable for bathing. When taking a bath, the case body is pulled up from the outside of the bathtub and temporarily placed in an appropriate place until the next use.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, in which 1 is a hollow case body made of a hard synthetic resin molding,
The upper half is formed in the expanded diameter upper portion 1a and the lower half is formed in the cylindrical hollow lower portion 1b having a smaller diameter than the hollow upper portion 1a, and a horizontal direction is provided between the hollow upper portion 1a and the lower portion 1b. It is partitioned by the partition plate 1c. Reference numeral 2 denotes a hot water suction port formed in the front and rear portions of the hollow upper portion 1a, which directly communicates with a suction chamber 3 in which communication with other portions is blocked by vertical partition plates 1d standing on three sides in the front and rear portions of the hollow upper portion 1a. is doing.

A filter plate 4 is provided at the bottom of the suction chamber 3 so that the filter member 4a can be replaced. The filter plate 4 is taken in and out through an insertion port 1e opened in the lower part of the suction port 2. I am free. Further, the lower surface side of the filter 4 is communicated with an annular passage 5 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the upper surface of the partition plate 1c. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, reference numerals 6 and 6 denote floating member accommodating grooves formed along the outer circumferences of both sides of the annular passage 5, into which floating members 7 made of foamed resin such as Styrofoam and having a low specific gravity are fitted. It's complicated.

The floating member 7 gives a constant buoyancy to the case body 1 so that the upper end of the suction port 2 of the case body 1 always reaches the surface of the molten metal when the case body 1 is put in a bathtub. There is something. The floating member 7 may be in the form of a rubber bag other than the foamed resin, for example, a rubber bag enclosing air.

Reference numeral 8 denotes an apparatus chamber formed in the space above the central portion of the horizontal partition plate 1c surrounded by the inner peripheral wall of the annular passage 5.
A brushless motor 9 is fixed on the bottom plate 8a, and an upper end of a rod-shaped or cylindrical electric heater 10 is fixed so as to be juxtaposed with the motor 9 in the front-rear direction. The brushless motor 9 has an outer magnet piece 9b fixed to its rotating shaft 9a.
The partition wall 9d partitions the inner magnet piece 9c that rotates integrally with the magnet piece 9b through magnetic force by the rotation of the magnet piece 9b in a watertight manner, and the blade pump 11 is provided at the lower end of the output shaft 9e to which the inner magnet piece 9c is fixed. The blade 11a is fixed. As shown in FIG. 3, a narrow tube-shaped suction passage 13 and a discharge passage 14 are connected to the front and rear portions of the pump chamber 12 of this vane pump, and the tip opening of the suction passage 13 is located in front of the annular passage 5. It communicates with the department.

Further, the heater 10 is hung from the partition plate 1c to a portion near the inner bottom surface of the hollow lower part of the case body 1, and the heater 10 is surrounded by a vertical cylinder body 15 made of metal, and the cylinder body 15 Has its upper end watertightly fixed to the bottom plate 8a, and a tip opening portion of the discharge passage 14 communicates with a hot water inlet 16 opening at a part of the upper end of the cylindrical body 15. Further, a gap between the heater 10 and the tubular body 15 is formed in the hot water flow-down passage 17, and this passage 17 is exposed from the lower end of the opening of the tubular body 15 to the hot water discharge port 18 formed at the bottom of the case body 1. There is.

Reference numeral 19 denotes a temperature sensor (shown in FIG. 3) which is watertightly penetrated and supported by an upper end portion of the bottom plate 8a of the apparatus chamber 8 in a watertight manner. is there. The temperature sensor 19, the wiring cord 20 of the motor 9 and the heater 10 are watertightly penetrated through the upper end of the case body 1 and led to an appropriate length outside, and the plug attached to the end is an outlet. It is configured to be plugged in and energized.
In addition, on the upper part of the case body 1, there are provided a temperature control knob, an overheat prevention switch, a power switch, etc.
Further, a microcomputer controller (shown in FIG. 4) is provided in the upper part. Reference numeral 21 is a handle pivotably attached to the upper end of the case body 1 so as to be foldable.

The manner of use of the bath water heating apparatus in the embodiment constructed as described above will be described. When the bath body is not bathed for a long time, the case body 1 of this apparatus is put in the bath until the bath water is bathed next. For a while, always heat to a temperature suitable for bathing,
It is something to keep. That is, when the case body 1 is placed in the bathtub without being attached to the bathtub, the hollow lower portion 1b of the case body 1 and the downflow passage 17 are filled with the hot water flowing in from the discharge port 18 and the case body 1 has its hollow upper portion 1a. Due to the buoyancy of the floating member 7 disposed inside, the floating member 7 floats from the upper end of the hot water suction port 2 in a state where the upper part of the hot water suction port 2 projects from the hot water surface, regardless of the amount of hot water in the bathtub. While maintaining the state of reaching the level of the molten metal, the low-temperature hot water in the bathtub flows into the suction chamber 3 through the suction port 2, passes through the filter member 4a, and fills the pump chamber 12 from the annular passage 5. Become.

In this state, when the power switch is turned on and the motor 9 and the heater 10 are energized, the heater 10 generates heat at the set temperature, while the motor 9 starts and the blade pump 11
The blades 11a of the pump are rotated to generate suction force on the suction port 2 side so that the low-temperature hot water in the bath passes from the suction port 2 through the filter member 4a and is discharged from the suction passage 13 of the pump chamber 12 through the annular passage 5. Send to the aisle 14 side. Furthermore, forcibly flowing into the tubular body 15 from the intake 16 of the tubular body 15 communicating with the discharge passage 14,
It is heated by the heater 10 while flowing down the passage 17 in the cylindrical body 15 and flows out from the lower end of the opening of the cylindrical body 15. Note that the filter member
Impurities such as scale and hair flowing in together with the low-temperature hot water while passing through 4a are removed by this filter member 4a.

A part of the heated high-temperature hot water flowing out from the lower end of the tubular body 15 stays in the hollow lower portion 1b and is ejected together with the hot water in the lower portion 1b from the discharge port 18 into the bathtub to convect the low-temperature hot water.
Mix. Thus, the low-temperature hot water in the bathtub is continuously sucked from the hot-water suction port 2 of the case body 1 by the rotation of the blade pump 11 and heated by the heater 10 to become high-temperature hot water from the discharge port 18. After being discharged into the low temperature bath water, mixed with the low temperature bath water, and then returned to the case body again, the temperature of the entire bath water gradually rises. The temperature at that time is detected by the sensor 19.

When the bath water reaches a preset hot water temperature in this way, a comparator (not shown) provided in the electric circuit of the temperature sensor 19, the heater 10 and the motor 9 (the microcomputer control unit A in FIG. 4) is used. The output switches from the high level to the low level, and the heater 10 is turned off via the drive unit B. If the hot water temperature becomes lower than the set temperature, the heater will
Energize 10 and repeat this operation to keep the temperature of the bath water at a temperature suitable for bathing.

On the other hand, since the brushless motor 9 has a characteristic that the average current flowing into the motor 9 increases in proportion to the load, the microcomputer controller A is provided with a load detector by utilizing this characteristic. It is provided to control the motor 9. That is, the average current flowing into the motor 9 is converted into a voltage value, and the load state is detected by this voltage value. Then, when air is mixed into the pump chamber 12 of the blade pump 11, the blade 11a idles and becomes in an unloaded state, and this is detected and the power supply unit C is cut off. Further, when the motor 9 is overloaded due to dust entering the motor housing portion or the pump chamber 12, the motor 9 is stopped by detecting it and the motor 9 is stopped only at the time of steady load.
Are configured to operate continuously.

In this way, the temperature of the bath water is kept at a temperature suitable for bathing in a state of being floated in the bath, and at the time of bathing, the power is turned off and the case body 1 is pulled up by the handle 21 to bring the case body 1 to an appropriate position outside the bath. The lower half of the case body 1 is inserted into and supported by a stand box (not shown) installed in the above to stand by until the next use.

[0020]

As described above, according to the bath water heating apparatus of the present invention, the above-mentioned hot water inlet part is provided in the hollow case body having the hot water inlet at the upper part and the hot water outlet at the lower end. The inside of the floating member that floats the hollow case body in the bathtub hot water so that the height becomes the level of the molten metal, and a passage communicating between the hot water suction port and the hot water discharge port is provided. Since the suction side of the vane pump faces the hot water suction port side through the interposition of the vane pump which is rotated by the drive of the motor provided in the upper part, it is fixed to the inner wall of the bathtub like a conventional device at the time of use. It does not require any means, just puts the case body in any part of the bathtub and floats it by the buoyancy of the floating member, so it can be easily used regardless of the installation location and is easy to handle. It is what

Furthermore, regardless of the amount of hot water in the bathtub,
The floating member allows the case body to be suspended so that the hot water inlet of the case body is always at the level of the molten metal surface, and the suction force of the blade pump rotated by the motor ensures the low temperature hot water flowing through the suction port. In addition, it can be sent to the heater side through the hot water passage, and can be heated intensively by the heater installed in the passage and discharged into the hot water of the bath to efficiently heat the hot water to a certain temperature. is there.

Further, the temperature sensor detects that the bath water has risen to a temperature suitable for bathing, so that the bath temperature can be maintained so that the bath can be bathed at any time. Furthermore, by detecting the load of the motor and immediately turning off the power when an unloaded state or an overloaded state is reached, the motor can always be used safely.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view of the entire apparatus,

FIG. 2 is a front view in which a part thereof is cross-sectioned,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the upper part of the case body seen from the lower surface side;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a control circuit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Hollow Case Body 2 Hot Water Suction Port 5 Annular Passage 7 Floating Member 9 Motor 10 Heater 11 Blade Pump 12 Pump Chamber 15 Cylindrical Body 17 Downflow Passage 18 Discharge Port

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A hollow case body having a hot water suction port at an upper portion and a hot water discharge port opened at a lower end, and the hollow case body is provided in a bathtub hot water so that the hot water suction port portion has a level of the molten metal surface. And a passage communicating between the hot water suction port and the hot water discharge port is provided, and a vane pump that is rotated by the drive of a motor provided in the upper part of the hollow case body is provided in the middle of this passage. Then, the suction side of the blade pump is made to face the hot water suction port side, and further, a heater is disposed in the passage between the discharge port of the blade pump and the hot water discharge port, and the heater is placed at an appropriate position in the hollow case body. A bath water heating device, which is equipped with a temperature sensor for adjusting to a constant temperature.