JPH08210699A - Hot-water supplier - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a hot-water supplier, capable of informing a user of the uncontrollable condition of supplied hot-water temperature, in which an inlet water temperature is high and hot-water, having far higher temperature than a set temperature, is supplied even when a burner is burnt with the minimum combustion capacity, and capable of taking a proper countermeasure. CONSTITUTION: An uncontrollable condition detecting unit 26 compares an outlet hot-water temperature with a set temperature and when the outlet hot-water temperature is not within the preset judging temperature range with respect to the set temperature even when combustion is effected with the minimum burning capacity, the outlet hot-water temperature is decided that it is in uncontrollable condition and an uncontrollable condition detecting signal is outputted. A combustion stopping unit 30 receives the uncontrollable condition detecting signal and closes a gas valve 12 to stop the burning operation forcibly. On the other hand, an uncontrollable condition information means 27 informs a user that the outlet hot-water temperature is uncontrollable.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a water heater used in homes and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 3 shows a system configuration of a water heater. In the figure, a water supply pipe 3 of a water supply passage is connected to the inlet side of the hot water heat exchanger 2, and the water supply temperature sensor 10 such as a thermistor for detecting the water input temperature is connected to the water supply pipe 3.
And a flow rate sensor 9 for detecting the amount of water entering (the amount of water passing through the hot water supply heat exchanger). A hot water supply pipe 4 of a hot water supply passage is connected to the outlet side of the hot water supply heat exchanger 2, and a hot water supply tap 1 is provided at the outlet side of the hot water supply pipe 4. Further, the hot water supply pipe 4 is provided with a water amount control valve 16 and a hot water temperature sensor 11 such as a thermistor for detecting the hot water temperature.

Below the hot water supply heat exchanger 2, a burner 7, an igniter electrode 18 for igniting the burner 7, a frame rod electrode 19 for detecting ignition, and a combustion fan 5 for supplying and exhausting air.
Is arranged, a gas nozzle 6 is arranged opposite to the gas inlet of the burner 7, and a proportional control valve for controlling the gas supply amount by a valve opening amount in a gas pipe 8 leading to the gas nozzle 6.
13 and the original solenoid valve 12 as a gas valve for opening and closing the gas pipeline
And are installed. The solenoid valves 20a and 20b are for switching the burner combustion surface.

This type of water heater is provided with a control device 14, and a remote controller 15 is connected to the control device 14, and the remote controller 15 has an operating button 21 and a hot water temperature set as shown in FIG. A button 22 for turning on and a set temperature display section 23 for setting the hot water supply temperature are provided. The control device 14 controls the hot water supply operation of the water heater using the sequence program. When the hot water tap 1 in FIG. 3 is opened, the flow sensor 9 detects the amount of water input, and the amount of water input exceeds a certain level (minimum). When the flow rate exceeds the operating flow rate)
14 rotates the combustion fan 5. And the combustion fan 5
When the rotation of No. 1 enters a predetermined rotation region, the original solenoid valve 12, the solenoid valve 20a (or 20a, 20b) and the proportional control valve 13 are opened to supply gas to the burner 7, and the ignition operation by the igniter electrode 18 is performed. To do.

In the section where the hot water temperature from the ignition to the ignition is unstable, the combustion heat quantity of the burner is controlled by the feedforward calculation, and after the hot water temperature approaches the set temperature, it is calculated by the feedforward and feedback. The heat of combustion is controlled by proportional control. The combustion control of the burner 7 is performed by the control operations of the combustion control unit 24 and the air volume control unit 25, as shown in FIG.

The combustion control unit 24 is preliminarily given with relational data between the combustion heat amount (combustion capacity) and the valve opening drive current (gas supply amount) of the proportional control valve 13, and the combustion control unit 24 uses the incoming water temperature sensor. The incoming water temperature is set by receiving information on the incoming water temperature detected by 10, the outgoing hot water temperature detected by the outgoing hot water temperature sensor 11, the flowing water flow rate detected by the flow rate sensor 9, and the set temperature set by the remote controller. The amount of heat required to raise the temperature, that is, the amount of combustion heat that causes the hot water temperature to match the set temperature is calculated, and the proportional control valve 13 is used to obtain the amount of combustion heat.
A valve opening drive current is supplied to the valve to vary the valve opening amount of the proportional control valve 13 to control the gas supply amount to the burner 7.

On the other hand, the air flow control unit 25 controls the rotation of the combustion fan 5 so as to supply the burner 7 with the combustion air corresponding to the combustion heat amount obtained by the combustion control unit 24. In this way, the combustion control of the combustion control unit 24 and the air flow control by the air flow control unit 25 are performed in a matched manner, and hot water having a stable set temperature is supplied from the hot water heat exchanger 2 through the hot water supply pipe 4 to the desired hot water supply location. Supplied.

When the hot water tap 1 is closed after the use of hot water is finished, the flow sensor 9 detects the stop of water flow, and the controller 14 receives the detection signal of the water flow stop, and the control device 14 turns on the original solenoid valve 12. The burner 7 is stopped by shutting off.

[0009]

The combustion operation of the water heater is performed by the flow sensor 9 from the water supply pipe 3 to the hot water heat exchanger 2.
The minimum flow rate for water flow detection (usually 2 liters /
min) or more, and the combustion operation is performed by calculating the combustion heat quantity within the combustion control range of the minimum combustion capacity and the maximum combustion capacity set in the combustion control unit 24.

As is well known, the minimum combustion capacity in the combustion control range of a water heater is not zero, and is generally the value of No. 2.5 (No. 1 means the ability to increase the flow rate of 1 liter / min by 25 ° C). Therefore, the input water temperature is, for example, 30 ° C.
If it is so high, the water heater will burn and operate, for example, 35
Even if you try to tap hot water at ℃, the minimum combustion capacity of the water heater
Since it is set to No. 2.5, the heat quantity of this minimum combustion capacity is a large heat quantity far exceeding the heat quantity required to raise the incoming water temperature of 30 ° C to the set temperature of 35 ° C, so If hot water is used and the hot water is used with the hot water tap 1 squeezed, the hot water flow rate will increase and the hot water temperature will continue to rise. Since the hot water comes out, the user of the hot water feels uncomfortable, and in extreme cases, there is a risk of getting burned.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide hot water having a high inlet temperature and a temperature far exceeding the set temperature. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a water heater that can stop combustion immediately and improve safety.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is constructed as follows. That is, the present invention is directed to a burner, a hot water supply heat exchanger heated by the burner, a flow rate sensor for detecting a water flow rate of the hot water supply heat exchanger, and an incoming water temperature detecting an incoming water temperature of water entering the hot water supply heat exchanger. A water heater having a temperature sensor, an outlet temperature sensor for detecting the outlet temperature of the hot water discharged from the hot water heat exchanger, and a controller for controlling the burner combustion amount within the range of the combustion capacity so that the outlet temperature matches the set temperature. In, the set temperature is compared with the hot water temperature detected by the hot water temperature sensor, and when the hot water temperature rises above a predetermined determination temperature range despite the burner combustion amount of the minimum burning capacity, It is characterized by including an uncontrollable state detection unit that outputs an uncontrollable state detection signal when it is determined to be in an uncontrollable state.

[0013] Further, the uncontrollable detection signal output from the uncontrollable detection unit has an uncontrollable notification means for informing the uncontrollable state of the hot water temperature, and the uncontrollable detection signal output from the uncontrollable detection unit. In response to this, an open / close control for opening and closing the water passage from the water supply passage to the hot water supply passage via the hot water supply heat exchanger through the hot water supply heat exchanger is provided. Based on the data of the minimum operating flow rate of the water passage that allows combustion control operation and the detected water temperature Then, the estimated hot water discharge temperature is calculated when the minimum operating flow rate of water is heated with the combustion heat of minimum combustion capacity.When the estimated hot water discharge temperature falls within the judgment temperature range for the set temperature, the combustion stop lock Operation recovery means for resetting and resetting the state is provided, and the minimum operating flow rate of water that allows combustion control operation and the minimum operating flow rate of water based on the detected water temperature data Calculates the estimated hot water discharge temperature when heated at 0 ° C, and when the estimated hot water discharge temperature falls within the judgment temperature range for the set temperature, resets the locked state of combustion stop and the closed state of the open / close control valve by the water supply passage blocker. It is also a characteristic configuration of the present invention that each of the driving recovery means is provided.

[0014]

In the present invention having the above structure, after the water heater is operated,
The set temperature and the hot water temperature are compared, and when the hot water temperature rises above the judgment temperature range given for the set temperature, despite the combustion at the minimum combustion capacity of the water heater,
The uncontrollability detection unit determines that the hot water outlet temperature is out of control, and notifies that effect or stops combustion.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the description of the present embodiment, the same names as those in the conventional example are designated by the same reference numerals, and the duplicate description thereof will be omitted. The system configuration of the water heater of the present embodiment is almost the same as the system of the conventional example shown in FIG. 3, and the characteristic of the present embodiment that is different from the conventional example is that the control device 14 indicates that the hot water temperature cannot be controlled. A special circuit for performing safety processing based on the judgment of the above, a water solenoid valve 17 as an opening / closing control valve for opening and closing the hot water supply passage in the hot water supply pipe 4, and a remote control 15 for controlling the hot water temperature. The notification means for notifying the disabled state is provided, and the other configuration is the same as the conventional example.

FIG. 1 shows a block configuration of a combustion control device 14 for a water heater according to this embodiment. The control device 14 includes a combustion control section 24, an air flow rate control section 25, an uncontrollable detection section 26,
The uncontrollable notification unit 27, the water passage blocking unit 28, the combustion stopping unit 30, and the operation recovery unit 31 are provided. The control operations of the combustion control unit 24 and the air volume control unit 25 are the same as those in the conventional example, and therefore their explanations are omitted.

The uncontrollable detection section 26 comprises a temperature comparison section 32 and an over temperature detection section 33.
Compares the hot water temperature detected by the hot water temperature sensor 11 with a set temperature set by a remote controller or the like, and adds the comparison result to the over temperature detection unit 33. Over temperature detector 33
Is provided with a judgment temperature range for judging the uncontrollable state of the hot water temperature in advance, and the over temperature detection unit 33
Is a state in which it is confirmed that the combustion heat quantity required by the combustion control unit 24 is the minimum combustion capacity, based on the comparison result of the temperature comparison unit 32, the outlet heated water temperature exceeds the judgment temperature range with respect to the set temperature. When it is detected that the temperature is rising, it is determined that the hot water temperature is out of control, and a control failure detection signal is added to the control failure notification means 27, the water supply passage cutoff portion 28, and the combustion stop portion 30, respectively.

The uncontrollable notification means 27 receives the uncontrollable detection signal from the uncontrollable detection section 26 and notifies that it is impossible to control the hot water outlet temperature to the set temperature. This notification form can take various forms. For example, the remote controller 15 as shown in FIG. 2 is provided with a light emitting part 34 using LEDs or the like, and the light emitting part 34 is made to continuously emit light, or flashes. To notify that the hot water temperature is out of control by turning off the display of the set temperature displayed on the set temperature display section 23, or to the set temperature display section 23 with the set temperature. The present hot water temperature is displayed alternately, and further, a current temperature display unit 35 is provided in addition to the set temperature display unit 23, and the current temperature (current hot water temperature that cannot be controlled) is displayed on the current temperature display unit 35. By displaying, it is possible to provide a configuration for notifying the uncontrollable state of the outlet heated water temperature.

Furthermore, the remote controller 15 has a liquid crystal display unit.
36 is provided, and the fact that the hot water temperature is out of control can be displayed on the display unit 36 by using characters and symbols, and further,
It may be configured such that a message is displayed to inform that the uncontrollable state is present.Furthermore, a voice notification unit 37 is provided in the remote controller 15, and the hot water temperature is not controlled by, for example, a buzzer sound or an artificial synthetic sound. It may be configured to notify by voice that it is in the enabled state, and the specific configuration of the uncontrollable notification unit 27 is configured in an appropriate form according to the specifications.

The water supply passage shutoff unit 28 is the uncontrollable detection unit.
Upon receiving an uncontrollable detection signal from 26, the water solenoid valve 17 is forcibly closed and its closed state is locked.

The combustion stop unit 30 receives the uncontrollable detection signal from the uncontrollable detection unit 26, shuts off the original solenoid valve 12, stops the gas supply to the burner 7 to stop the hot water supply operation, and changes the stopped state. Lock it.

The operation recovery means 31 is based on the information on the set temperature, the minimum operating flow rate of the water flow that enables the combustion operation of the water heater, and the detected water temperature detected by the water temperature sensor 10.
With the built-in heating water temperature calculation unit, the heating temperature is calculated by assuming that the water heater has heated the water at the detected water entry temperature with the calorific value of the minimum combustion capacity. When the temperature falls within the temperature range, it is determined that the uncontrollable state of the hot water temperature has been eliminated, and a reset release signal is sent to the water supply passage cutoff unit 28 and the combustion stop unit 30.

In response to this reset release signal, the water supply passage cutoff unit 28 releases the closed valve lock state of the water solenoid valve 17, and the combustion stop unit 30 releases the closed lock state of the original solenoid valve 12, resulting in hot water supply. Combustion operation is restored to a possible state.

According to the present embodiment, the temperature of water entering the water heater is high, and even if the water heater is operated with the minimum combustion capacity, the hot water temperature will be higher than the set temperature and the hot water temperature cannot be controlled. When the state is reached, the uncontrollable detection unit outputs the uncontrollable detection signal. Therefore, it is possible to take various measures by using the uncontrollable detection signal. By using the uncontrollability detection signal to notify the uncontrollable state by the uncontrollable informing means 27, the user of the water heater can know the uncontrollable state of the hot water temperature by the notification, and can be set from the water heater. It can be understood that the high-temperature hot water that far exceeded the temperature came out not because the water heater failed, but because the water input temperature was too high, and it is reassuring to know that the water heater is not out of order.

In addition, the burner combustion is immediately stopped by the combustion stop portion 30 by the uncontrollable detection signal, so that the user may feel uncomfortable by touching a high temperature much higher than the set temperature.
It is possible to avoid the risk of getting burned.

Further, in the present embodiment, the water solenoid valve 17 is closed by the uncontrollable detection signal to shut off the water passage. Therefore, the main solenoid valve 12 is closed by the combustion stop portion 30 and the hot water supply combustion is performed. It is possible to prevent water from being left in the state where the water is still flowing from the hot water tap 1 while the operation is stopped.

Further, in this embodiment, by providing the operation recovery means 31, when the temperature of the incoming water is lowered and the hot water having the temperature within the judgment temperature range with respect to the set temperature can be discharged, the water solenoid valve is provided. Both the closed valve lock state of 17 and the closed valve lock state of the original solenoid valve 12 are released, so that the hot water supply combustion operation is automatically restored immediately, which is very convenient for use. .

Generally, on a hot summer day, the water temperature is 30
There are cases where it becomes a high temperature such as ℃, and in such a case, if the set temperature is set to a temperature close to the incoming water temperature, such as 35 ° C, the hot water temperature will become uncontrollable, When the warm water accumulated in the conduit on the side of the water supply pipe 3 flows out by the use of water in the kitchen or the like, and the water on the side of the water supply pipe 3 is replaced with water having a low temperature, the operation recovery means 31 is used. The hot water supply operation will be restored to a possible state, and, for example, a pipe of the solar system will be connected to the water supply pipe 3 side, and water of high water temperature heated by solar heat will be introduced to the water supply pipe 3 side. In this case, too, the temperature of the water coming out of the hot water will be out of control,
When the high temperature water of the solar system is used up in the kitchen, or when the water supply pipe 3 is switched from the solar system pipe to the water pipe, the temperature of water entering the water heater becomes low. Therefore, even in such a case, the operation recovery means 31 automatically restores the operation of the water heater to the operable state.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various embodiments can be adopted. For example, in the above embodiment, the uncontrollability detection signal from the uncontrollability detection unit 26 is received to close the water solenoid valve 17 and the original solenoid valve 12 together. Alternatively, only the valve closing may be performed. In this case, the water supply passage blocking unit 28 and the water solenoid valve 17 can be omitted.

Further, in this embodiment, when the uncontrollable detection signal is output from the uncontrollable detection section 26, the notification of the uncontrollable state and the combustion stop are both performed, but only one of them is performed. It is also possible to

Further, in the present embodiment, the operation recovery means 31 is provided to automatically operate the water heater when the temperature of the incoming water is lowered and the hot water within the judgment temperature range with respect to the set temperature can be discharged. However, the operation recovery means 31 may be omitted.

Furthermore, although a hot water heater having a single function (a water heater having only a hot water supply function) has been described in the present embodiment, the present invention is also applicable to a combined water heater having both a hot water supply function and a reheating function. is there.

[0033]

According to the present invention, when the temperature of entering water becomes high and the hot water within the judgment temperature range with respect to the set temperature cannot be discharged, the state is detected by the uncontrollable detection section and the uncontrollable detection signal is output. Because it was something I tried to do,
It is possible to take various measures by using the out-of-control detection signal.

In the case where the hot water supply combustion is stopped by using the uncontrollable detection signal, hot water having a temperature much higher than the set temperature comes out, and the hot water is touched and uncomfortable. It is possible to prevent such a feeling, and in extreme cases, it is possible to avoid the risk of being burned by touching hot water.

Further, in the structure in which the controllability of the hot water discharge temperature is informed in response to the uncontrollable detection signal, the user of the water heater is informed of the hot water discharge temperature by the notification. It is not a malfunction of the water heater that has become hot, but it can be known that the hot water has come out because the water temperature is high, and it is difficult to misunderstand that the water heater has malfunctioned and have a hard time dealing with it. Can be released from.

Further, in the structure in which the opening / closing control valve is closed in response to the uncontrollable detection signal and the water passage is shut off, after the combustion is stopped in a state where the hot water discharge temperature is uncontrollable, the purpose of the hot water tap is to bother. Even if it is not closed, the water passage is automatically shut off, so the trouble of closing the tap can be omitted, and wasteful outflow of water can be avoided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of an embodiment of a water heater according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of a remote controller connected to a controller of a water heater.

FIG. 3 is a system configuration diagram of a water heater.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a main configuration of a control unit of a conventional water heater.

[Explanation of symbols]

 14 Control device 15 Remote control 24 Combustion control unit 25 Air volume control unit 26 Uncontrollable detection unit 27 Uncontrollable notification unit 28 Water supply passage cutoff unit 30 Combustion stop unit 31 Operation recovery means

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A burner, a hot water supply heat exchanger heated by the burner, a flow rate sensor for detecting a flow rate of water flowing through the hot water supply heat exchanger, and an incoming water temperature for detecting an incoming water temperature of water entering the hot water supply heat exchanger. In a water heater having a sensor, a hot water temperature sensor for detecting the hot water temperature of hot water discharged from the hot water heat exchanger, and a control device for controlling the burner combustion amount within the range of the combustion capacity so that the hot water temperature matches the set temperature. , Comparing the set temperature with the hot water temperature detected by the hot water temperature sensor, and controlling the hot water temperature when the hot water temperature rises above a predetermined judgment temperature range despite the burner combustion amount of the minimum burning capacity. A water heater having an uncontrollable state detection unit that outputs an uncontrollable state detection signal when it is determined to be in an uncontrollable state. 2. The water heater according to claim 1, further comprising an uncontrollable informing means for informing an uncontrollable state of the hot water temperature by an uncontrollable detection signal output from the uncontrollable detection section. 3. The water heater according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a combustion stop unit that receives the control failure detection signal output from the control failure detection unit and shuts off the fuel supply to the burner to stop the burner combustion. . 4. An opening / closing control valve for opening / closing the water passage is provided in a water passage extending from the water supply passage through the hot water supply heat exchanger to the hot water supply passage, and the opening / closing control valve is forcibly closed in response to a control failure detection signal. The water heater according to claim 3, further comprising a water supply passage blocking unit. 5. An estimated hot water discharge temperature is calculated when the minimum working flow rate of water is heated with the combustion heat amount of the minimum combustion capacity based on the data of the minimum working flow rate of the water passage capable of combustion control operation and the water entry detection temperature. The water heater according to claim 3, further comprising operation recovery means for resetting and releasing the locked state of the combustion stop when the estimated hot water discharge temperature falls within the judgment temperature range with respect to the set temperature. 6. An estimated hot water outlet temperature is calculated when the minimum working flow rate of water is heated with the combustion heat quantity of the minimum combustion capacity based on the data of the minimum working flow rate of the water passage in which combustion control operation is possible and the water entry detection temperature. However, when the estimated hot water discharge temperature falls within the judgment temperature range with respect to the set temperature, operation recovery means is provided for resetting and releasing the locked state of the combustion stop and the locked state of the closing of the opening / closing control valve by the water supply passage blocking unit. Item 4. The water heater according to item 4.