JPH08110092A - Bath boiler and erroneous piping judging method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a bath boiler and a method for judging an erroneous piping in which abnormal water level rise such as early disconnection of the boiler even if paired tubes to be connected to the circulating pipeline of the boiler are connected in any way can be prevented in the case of an automatic unit and a stable reheating-of-bathtub water operation can be conducted immediately after the drive of a pump. CONSTITUTION: The bath boiler comprises a channel switching valve 39 interposed at a parallel unit 26c of a return tube 26a and a forward tube 26b to switch to regulate the channel between the tubes 26a and 26b, and a water flow switch 31 provided at a circulating pipeline 26 to operate when hot water or water in a bathtub is drawn by the pump 32.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bath kettle that circulates and heats water in a bath or boiling water, and a method for erroneous pipe determination.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a bath tub in which such piping is provided is constructed, for example, as shown in FIG. This bathtub 1 is provided with a circulation conduit 2 which is a pipe between the equipment main body and the bath tub 8, and the circulation conduit 2 is provided in the equipment main body.
Along the burner 3, the heat exchanger 4, the circulation pump 5
, A thermistor 6 and a running water switch 7 are provided.

In such a bath kettle 1, the circulation pump 5 is driven so that the water or hot water stored in the bath 8 is circulated.
The heat is exchanged by drawing it into the instrument body by the return pipe 2a and passing it through the heat exchanger 4 which is heated by the burner 3. The hot water thus heated is guided to the bathtub 8 through the outflow pipe 2b. The return pipe 2a and the outflow pipe 2b of the circulation pipe 2 are connected to the circulation fitting 9 attached to the bath 8.
It is connected to the.

FIG. 9 shows such a forward pipe 2b and a return pipe 2
The state where a and a are connected to the circulation fitting 9 to circulate hot water is schematically shown. Note that the actual structure of the circulation fitting 9 and the hot water flow path provided therein are different from those shown in the drawing, and are therefore complicated. Therefore, in this example, a conceptual diagram for explaining the circulation fitting 9 is used. ing. As shown in the drawing, the first flow passage 12a and the second flow passage 12b formed in the circulation fitting 9 are guided into the bath 8.

In the figure, when the circulating metal fitting 9 is properly attached to the bathtub 8, the first flow path 12a is located above and the second flow path 12b is located below. . The second flow path 12b is bent downward, the circulation fitting 9 has a circulation fitting cap 11, and the filter 1 is placed in the cap 11.
6 are accommodated. Further, instead of the filter 16, there is also one in which a filter is formed in the openings 13, 14, 15 of the cap 11, for example.

[0006] When the circulation fitting 9 is correctly attached to the circulation fitting 9, the circulation fitting cap 11 has the above-mentioned second
The opening 15 is provided so as to be located below the flow path 12b. Therefore, if the circulation fitting 9 is properly connected to the pipes (the forward pipe 2b and the return pipe 2a) extending from the device side, the second flow passage 12b and the first pipe 12b shown in FIG.
8 and the flow passage 12a are connected to the forward pipe 2b and the return pipe 2a shown in FIG. 8, respectively. As a result, the warm water or the water A in the bathtub 8 is mainly discharged from the openings 13 and 14 of the circulation fitting cap 11 and the filter 16.
Through the first flow path 12a and the return pipe 2a of FIG. 8 to be heated in the main body of the device, the forward pipe 2b of FIG. 8 and the second flow path 12b of the circulation fitting 9, and the filter 16. And is poured as B from the opening 15 of the circulation fitting cap 11.

[0007]

By the way, in the conventional bath cooker 1, the operator installs a pair tube of the forward pipe 2b and the return pipe 2a extending from the appliance body of FIG. The forward side and the return side of the metal fitting 9 may be connected oppositely.

[0008] Specifically, at the construction site, the bathtub 8
Since it is sometimes far away from the instrument body, it may be difficult to tell which of the pair tubes extending from the instrument body is the forward side or the return side, and such misconnection is rare. Not that.

Therefore, the first flow path 12a of the circulation fitting 9 is
1 is connected to the forward pipe 2b extending from the instrument body of FIG. 8 and the return pipe 2a is connected to the second flow path 12b,
A flow path as shown in 0 is formed. That is, FIG.
According to 0, the hot water B of high temperature comes out from the first flow path 12a of the circulation fitting 9, so that a part B1 of the hot water B is filtered by the filter 16.
Through the opening 13 and 14 to the inside of the circulation fitting cap 11 and out into the bathtub 8. However, another part B2 of the hot water having a high temperature goes around the inside of the cap 11 and enters the second flow path 12b. Therefore, without mixing with the warm water A in the bathtub 8 to lower the temperature,
The circulation line 2 is routed through the return pipe 2a in FIG.

Therefore, if the pipes are erroneously connected as shown in FIG. 10, water or hot water in the bathtub 8 is circulated while the circulation pump 5 is driven to be heated by the bath heat exchanger 4. Before the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub 8 sufficiently rises to the set temperature, as shown in FIG. 11, the temperature of the hot water in the circulation conduit 2 suddenly rises. Therefore, there is a problem that the thermistor 6 detects the temperature equal to or higher than the set temperature, turns off the burner 3, and cuts off the pump circulation, that is, a so-called premature cutoff occurs. Further, in an extreme case, if the thermistor 6 detects an extremely high temperature, for example, in an automatic operation device, water is automatically injected to lower the temperature, which causes a problem of increasing the water level.

Further, for example, a circulating metal fitting 9 or a connecting device having a flow path formed in a shape that can cope with such a reverse connection is also known, but in that case, there are the following drawbacks as another problem. . That is, in FIG. 11, the bathtub 8
When the water level in the bathtub 8 drops to a position lower than that of the circulation fitting 9 as a result of using hot water in the interior or removing the plug of the bathtub 8, the first passage 12a and the second passage 12a of the circulation fitting 9 12
Air may enter the circulation conduit 2 through the opening of b and cause so-called water collapse.

For this reason, when the circulating pump 5 is driven when the hot water is refilled and the reheating operation is performed, the circulation operation of the hot water can be smoothly performed only after the air in the circulation conduit 2 has passed. However, there is a drawback in that stable reheating operation cannot be performed immediately after the pump is started.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and no matter how the pair tube to be connected to the circulation conduit of the bathtub is connected, the bathtub may be prematurely cut off, In the case of an automatic device, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bathtub that can prevent an abnormal rise in the water level and can perform stable reheating operation immediately after driving the pump, and an erroneous pipe determination method therefor.

[0014]

According to the present invention, the above object is to draw hot water or water in a bathtub into a return pipe to heat it by a circulation pump provided in the circulation pipe, and to remove the forward pipe of the circulation pipe. In a bath kettle that circulates to a bathtub via a flow passage switching valve that is provided in a parallel portion of the return pipe and the forward pipe and that performs switching adjustment of the flow passages of the return pipe and the forward pipe, and the circulation pipeline. And a flowing water sensing means which is provided when the hot water or water in the bathtub is drawn in by the circulation pump.

Preferably, the flow passage switching valve is constituted by a four-way valve for switching and adjusting the flow passages of the return pipe and the forward pipe by rolling the valve body.

On the other hand, according to the present invention, the above object is to draw hot water or water in the bathtub through the return pipe of the circulation pipe to heat it and circulate it to the bathtub through the outflow pipe of the circulation pipe. Therefore, in a method for determining an erroneous pipe in a bathtub that determines erroneous piping between a return pipe and an outflow pipe and a circulation fitting attached to a bathtub, a flow path switching valve is provided in a parallel portion of the return pipe and the outflow pipe. Then, hot water or water is supplied into the bathtub, and after the running water sensing means of the circulation pipeline is activated, the valve body of the flow path switching valve is rolled to switch the flow path. When the sensing means operates, it is determined as normal piping, the valve body of the flow path switching valve is seated in a normal position, and when the flowing water sensing means stops, it is determined as wrong piping and the flow path is determined. By the method of erroneous pipe determination of the bath cooker, the valve body of the switching valve is seated in the reverse connection position. It is made.

[0017]

According to the bath cooker, a parallel portion of the return pipe and the forward pipe is formed in the circulation pipe line, and the flow passage switching valve is provided in the parallel portion. As the flow passage switching valve, preferably, a four-way valve for switching and adjusting the flow passages of the return pipe and the forward pipe by rotating the valve body is adopted. When the circulation pump is operated, hot water or water is circulated and supplied into the bathtub through the circulation pipeline provided with the flow path switching valve. When the circulation pump operates and the hot water or water in the bathtub is drawn into the circulation conduit, for example, a flowing water switch as a flowing water detecting means operates. Then, by rolling the valve body of the flow path switching valve to switch the flow path and confirming the on / off state of the flowing water sensing means, the erroneous piping of the bathtub is determined as follows. .

That is, according to the erroneous pipe determination method for the bathtub, the circulation pump is operated to fill the inside of the bathtub with water until the hot water or water is drawn into the circulation pipeline. Then, after the running water detection means provided in this circulation line is activated,
The valve body of the flow path switching valve is rolled to switch the flow path, and whether the normal pipe or the incorrect pipe is determined depending on whether or not the flowing water sensing means operates.

Here, as described with reference to FIG. 9, when the circulation fitting is properly attached to the bathtub, the first
Is located on the upper side and the second path is located on the lower side. The normal pipe is a state in which the return pipe is connected to the first flow passage and the forward pipe is connected to the second flow passage.

Therefore, when the flowing water detecting means operates in a state in which the valve body of the flow path switching valve is rolled, the first flow path is switched even though the flow paths of the return pipe and the forward pipe are switched.
This means that hot water or water has been drawn in from both the second flow path and the second flow path. That is, the first is the first one located above
After the hot water or water is drawn from the channel and the flow path is switched by the valve body of the flow path switching valve, the hot water or water is drawn from the second flow path located further below. Therefore, in this case, it is determined that the pipe is normal, and the valve body of the flow path switching valve is returned to the normal position and seated.

On the other hand, when the flow water sensing means is stopped while the valve body of the flow path switching valve is rolling, when the flow path between the return pipe and the forward pipe is switched, the first flow path or Hot water or water will not be drawn in from any of the second flow paths. That is, at first, hot water or water is drawn from the second flow path located below, and after the valve body of the flow path switching valve is reversed, from the first flow path located above the water level of the bathtub. No hot water or water will be drawn in. Therefore, in this case, it is determined that the piping is erroneous, and the valve body of the flow path switching valve is directly seated at the reverse connection position.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, since the Examples described below are preferred specific examples of the present invention, various technically preferable limitations are given. However, the scope of the present invention particularly limits the present invention in the following description. The embodiment is not limited to these embodiments unless otherwise stated.

FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing the main configuration of the bathtub according to this embodiment, and in this case, the configuration of an automatic bathtub as a compound device having a hot water supply function is shown. In the figure, an automatic bath kettle 20 includes a heat exchanger 21 for hot water supply in the main body.
And a bath heat exchanger 23, and a branch pipe 25 that branches from the hot water supply pipe 45 and is connected to the reheating pipe 26.

The reheating pipe line 26 is connected to the circulation fitting 28 of the bathtub 27 to form a reheating circulation pipe line. A hot water circulation pump 32 and a bath thermistor 33 are provided. As the flowing water detecting means, other equivalent means capable of detecting the flowing water in the circulation pipe such as a flow sensor may be used. Further, the circulation pump 32 may be arranged in the outflow pipe 26b as long as it is in the circulation pipe line 26. As described in FIG. 9, when the circulation fitting 28 is properly attached to the bath 27, the first flow path 1
2a is located on the upper side and the second flow path 12b is located on the lower side.
The return pipe 26 a of the circulation pipe 26 is connected to the first flow passage 12
In addition to being connected to a, the forward pipe 26b is connected to the second flow path 12b, and this state is normal piping.

A water inlet flow sensor 42 and a water inlet thermistor 43 are connected to a water supply pipe 41 to which water is supplied, and a hot water supply pipe 45 extending from the water supply pipe 41 through the hot water supply heat exchanger 21. A hot water supply thermistor 46 is connected. In the branch pipe line 25 branched from the hot water supply pipe 45, a pouring electromagnetic valve 37 and a pressure sensor 38 as a water level detecting means.
And are connected.

Further, particularly in the present embodiment, the parallel portion 26c in which the return pipe 26a and the forward pipe 26b are alternately arranged is formed in the circulation pipe line 26 near the bath 27. Then, in the parallel portion 26c, the return pipe 26a and the forward pipe 2 are provided.
A flow path switching valve 39 for switching and adjusting the flow path with 6b is interposed. Specifically, the flow path switching valve 39 switches the flow path between the return pipe 26a and the forward pipe 26b by rolling the valve element 39b within the valve box 39a as shown in FIG. It consists of a four-way valve that adjusts.

That is, the valve box 39 of the flow path switching valve 39
A columnar valve chamber 39c is defined in a.
A return pipe 26a and a forward pipe 26b are provided in the valve chamber 39c.
They are connected in parallel so that the flow directions are the same.
The valve element 39b rolls in the valve chamber 39c, and both ends of the valve element 39b slide on the valve seat 39d. In the present embodiment, the valve body 39b is formed in a shape in which the width gradually increases from one end to the other end, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the flow passage between the return pipe 26a and the forward pipe 26b is formed. If it can be adjusted by switching, for example, all of them are formed to have the same width,
It may have other shapes. Therefore, in the flow path switching valve 39, the valve body 39b is rotatably adjusted in the valve chamber 39c so that the valve body 39b can return to the return pipe 26a and the forward pipe 26b.
The flow path of and is switched.

Each of these operating units, the detecting unit, and the like are connected to a control unit 50, and a remote controller 58 is connected to the control unit 50. FIG.
The main device configuration for the control unit 50 is shown, and the erroneous pipe determination method for the bathtub is realized by such a device configuration. That is, in FIG. 4, the control unit 50 includes
A remote controller (not shown) is connected, and the user can give a predetermined instruction such as setting a set temperature as a boiling temperature by using the remote controller. Equipped with a fire switch.

The control unit 50 is also connected to the above-described water inflow thermistor 43, hot water supply thermistor 46, pressure sensor 38, reheating water switch 31, and bath thermistor 33, and the respective detection signals are input. Further, the control unit 50 includes the hot water circulation pump 32 and the pouring solenoid valve 3 described above.
7, the flow path switching valve 39, and the proportional valves 53 and 54 for adjusting the supply amount of the fuel gas to the hot water supply burner 51 or the reheating burner 52 are connected, and control signals are output to each.

Here, the storage unit 5 built in the control unit 50
5 stores PQ data and the like necessary for automatic operation of the automatic bathtub 20. That is, the operation of the automatic bath hook 20 is performed by the control unit 50 based on the PQ characteristics based on the bath water level (P) and the pouring water amount (Q). This P-
As described above, the Q characteristic is based on the same method as the conventional one, and is created by detecting the output voltage of the pressure sensor 38 based on the pouring water amount and the bath water level. Then, actually, when the pressure sensor 38 detects the pressure corresponding to the set water level, the filling of water is automatically stopped. Further, since the P-Q characteristics are different depending on the shape of the bathtub to which the automatic bathtub is connected, etc., they are created for each bathtub when the equipment is installed, and the storage unit of the automatic bathtub is prepared. To remember.

Next, the memory mode is set prior to the operation of the automatic bathtub 20. At that time, the return pipe 26a or the forward pipe 2 is set by the following erroneous pipe determination method.
6b and the first flow path 12a or the second flow path 12b of the circulation fitting 28 are determined as to whether they are normally piped. That is, it is determined whether the normal piping or the incorrect piping is based on the determination flow shown in FIG.

First, when an automatic switch of a remote controller (not shown) is turned on (ST1), the pouring electromagnetic valve 37 is opened and 10
The pouring is started step by step in liters (ST2). Next, the circulation pump 32 is turned on (ST3), and the circulation line 26
The gradual pouring is continued until the additional heating water switch 31 provided at is turned on. And this running water switch 31
When is turned on (ST4), the pouring electromagnetic valve 37 is closed to stop pouring. The water level in the bathtub 27 at this time becomes a reference water level for detection, which will be described later.

After the water flow switch 31 is turned on, as shown in FIG. 3, the valve body 39b of the flow path switching valve 39 is rolled (ST5), and the on / off confirmation of the water flow switch 31 confirms normal piping. Determine whether it is wrong piping (ST
6). In the present embodiment, the valve body 39 of the flow path switching valve 39
By rolling b about 90 degrees, the return pipe 26
The flow path between a and the forward pipe 26b is switched. Here, as described above, when the circulation fitting 28 is properly attached to the bathtub 27, the first flow path 12a is located above and the second flow path 12b is located below. The return pipe 26a is connected to the first flow path 12a, and the return pipe 26a
The state where b is connected to the second flow path 12b is normal piping.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the flow path switching valve 3
When the water flow switch 31 is turned on with the valve body 39b of No. 9 rolling, the flow passage switching valve 39 switches the flow passages between the return pipe 26a and the forward pipe 26b, but does not circulate. This means that hot water or water is drawn in from both the first flow path 12a and the second flow path 12b of the metal fitting 28. Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the water level W1 of the bathtub 27 is located above the circulation fitting 28. Thus, the water level W1
Is located on the circulation fitting 28, no matter whether the valve body 39b of the flow path switching valve 39 is seated in the normal rotation direction, hot water or hot water is supplied from both the first flow path 12a and the second flow path 12b. Water will be drawn in. Therefore, in this case, it is determined that the pipe is normal (ST7), and the valve body 39 of the flow path switching valve 39 is determined.
a is returned to the normal position as shown in FIG. 2 and is seated (S
T8).

On the other hand, in ST5, the valve body 3 of the flow path switching valve 39
When the water flow switch 31 is not turned on in the state of rolling 9b (ST6), when the flow passage switching valve 39 switches the flow passage between the return pipe 26a and the forward pipe 26b, the first flow passage 12a. Alternatively, hot water or water will not be drawn in from any of the second flow paths 12b. this is,
As shown in FIG. 7, the water level W2 of the bathtub 27 is the circulation fitting 28.
It is considered to be in a state of being located between the first flow path 12a and the second flow path 12b. In this way, when the water level W2 is located between the first flow path 12a and the second flow path 12b, water or hot water is drawn from the second flow path 12b, but from the first flow path 12a. Is not drawn into water or hot water. Therefore, when the flow switch 31 is not turned on by rolling the valve body 39b of the flow path switching valve 39, the return pipe 2
6a is reversely connected to the second flow path 12b, and the outflow pipe 26b is reversely connected to the first flow path 12a. Therefore, in this case, it is determined that the piping is erroneous (ST9), and the valve body of the flow path switching valve is directly seated at the reverse connection position shown in FIG. 5 (ST10).

The water level W1 of the bathtub 27 is the reference water level for detecting normal piping, and the water level W2 is the reference water level for detecting incorrect piping.

Thus, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to determine whether or not erroneous piping has been made during the storage mode operation of the automatic bathtub 20, and as shown in FIG.
No matter how the paired tubes (the first flow path 12a and the second flow path 12b) to be connected with are connected, the valve body 39b of the flow path switching valve 39 can be rolled to switch the flow path. If this is the case, normal operation will be possible.
Does not cause premature disconnection. Further, in the case of the automatic device as in the present embodiment, since incorrect piping can be detected and suppressed, it is possible to prevent an abnormal rise in water level as in the conventional case, and to perform stable reheating operation immediately after driving the circulation pump 32. Is what you can do.

In the above embodiment, the method of the present invention is applied to a composite type automatic bathtub. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an automatic bath provided with a circulation conduit for reheating is provided. Of course, it can be applied to all pots. Further, as the running water sensing means, in addition to the running water switch in the above-described embodiment, use is made of any means capable of detecting the presence or absence of running water, such as a flow sensor, a flow rate measuring device using the Doppler effect and an object using a pressure sensor You can

[0039]

As described above, according to the bath cooker and the method for determining incorrect piping thereof according to the present invention, no matter how the pair tube to be connected to the circulation pipe of the bath cooker is connected,
It is possible to prevent premature disconnection of the bathtub or to prevent an abnormal rise in water level in the case of an automatic device, and to perform stable reheating operation immediately after driving the pump.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing a main configuration of a bath kettle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a flow path switching valve used in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a connection between a control unit and each element.

FIG. 4 is a determination flow chart of an erroneous pipe determination method for a bathtub according to an embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a reverse rotation position of a flow path switching valve adopted in the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a reference water level for detection in a normal pipe in the example.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a reference water level for detecting incorrect piping in the example.

FIG. 8 is a system diagram showing a main configuration of a conventional bath kettle.

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view showing the structure of a circulation fitting attached to a bath.

FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view showing a situation where erroneous piping is performed in the structure of the circulation fitting attached to the bathtub.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a comparison in temperature rise between normal piping and reverse connection piping.

[Explanation of symbols]

 20 Automatic Bath Kettle 21 Heat Exchanger for Hot Water Supply 23 Heat Exchanger for Bath 25 Branching Pipeline 26 Reheating Pipeline 26a Return Pipe 26b Inflow Pipe 26c Parallel Section 27 Bathtub 28 Circulation Metal Fitting 31 Reheating Water Switch 32 Hot Water Circulation Pump 33 Bath thermistor 37 Pouring solenoid valve 38 Pressure sensor 39 Flow path switching valve 39a Valve box 39b Valve body 39c Valve chamber 39d Valve seat 41 Supply pipe 42 Inlet flow sensor 43 Inlet thermistor 45 Hot water supply pipe 46 Hot water supply thermistor 50 Control unit 58 Remote control 51 Hot water supply Burner 52 Burning burner 53 Proportional valve 54 Proportional valve 55 Storage unit

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A bath kettle in which hot water or water in a bathtub is drawn into a return pipe to be heated by a circulation pump provided in the circulation pipe, and is circulated to the bathtub through an outflow pipe of the circulation pipe. A flow path switching valve that is provided in a parallel portion between the return pipe and the forward pipe and that switches and adjusts the flow passage between the return pipe and the forward pipe; and the circulation pipe that is provided in the circulation pipe and uses hot water or water in the bathtub by the circulation pump. A bath kettle, which is provided with a flowing water detecting means that is activated when the bath is pulled in. 2. The flow passage switching valve is constituted by a four-way valve for switching and adjusting the flow passages of the return pipe and the forward pipe by rolling its valve body.
The bath kettle according to claim 1. 3. The return pipe and the return pipe, and the bathtub, for drawing hot water or water in the bathtub through the return pipe of the circulation pipe to heat it and circulating it to the bathtub through the return pipe of the circulation pipe. In a method for determining an incorrect pipe of a bathtub for determining an incorrect pipe with a circulation fitting attached to a circulating metal fitting, a flow path switching valve is provided in a parallel portion of the return pipe and the forward pipe, and hot water or water is put in the bathtub. Supply, and after the running water detecting means of the circulation pipeline operates, the valve body of the flow path switching valve is rolled to switch the flow path, and in this state, when the running water detecting means operates, normal piping If the valve body of the flow path switching valve is seated in the normal position and the flowing water sensing means stops, it is determined that the piping is wrong and the valve body of the flow path switching valve is set to the reverse connection position. An erroneous pipe determination method for a bathtub, which is characterized by being seated.