JPH09140587A - Hot water delivery device for electric water heater - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve a convenience for use in a cord-less mode such as the elimination of a troublesome work for a battery change, and the maintenance of a hot water flowrate-free from the voltage drop of the battery, regarding the hot water delivery device of an electric water heater for delivering liquid contained in a vessel to the outside thereof. SOLUTION: This device is equipped with a pump 3 for delivering liquid contained in a vessel to the outside thereof, a motor 4 for driving the pump 3, a secondary battery 9 for supplying current to the motor 4 when AC power is not fed, and a charging means 12 for charging the secondary battery 9. Also, the charging means 12 starts to charge the secondary battery 9, upon the detection of the almost consumed energy of the secondary battery 9.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hot water discharge device for an electric water heater that discharges a liquid contained in a container to the outside of the container.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional hot water supply device for an electric water heater will be described below. FIG. 5 shows the configuration of a conventional hot water outlet device for an electric water heater. In FIG. 5, 101 is an AC power supply, 102 is a DC power supply for converting the voltage of the AC power supply 101 into a DC voltage, 103 is a pump for discharging the liquid in the container to the outside of the container, 104 is a motor for driving the pump, 10
Reference numeral 5 is a hot water switch for driving the motor, and 106 is a hot water switch 105 when the AC power supply 101 is not supplied.
A primary battery that supplies current to the motor when is pressed,
107 is a diode.

The operation of the conventional hot water supply device for an electric water heater will be described below. When the hot water outlet switch 105 is turned on while the AC power supply 101 is being supplied, the output voltage of the DC power supply 102 is applied to the motor 104, the pump 103 is driven, and the liquid in the container is discharged to the outside of the container.

On the other hand, when the AC power supply 101 is not supplied (hereinafter referred to as cordless), the DC power supply 10
2 output voltage is not generated, so hot water switch 10
5 is turned on, the voltage of the primary battery 106 is applied to the motor 104 through the diode 107, and the pump 10
3 is driven, and the liquid in the container is discharged to the outside of the container. Here, the diode 107 prevents the output voltage of the DC power supply 102 from being applied to the primary battery 106.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional structure, the battery needs to be replaced, which is troublesome. Further, since the output voltage of the primary battery gradually decreases as it is used, when the primary battery is new, the flow rate of hot water when the cordless is large, but the flow rate of hot water decreases as it is used. Further, there is a problem that, when the battery energy is exhausted, it cannot be used cordlessly until a new battery is purchased unless a spare battery is carried.

[0006] The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a tap water discharge device for an electric water heater which uses a secondary battery and has improved usability during cordless operation.

[0007]

In order to solve the above problems, one means of the present invention is a pump for discharging a liquid in a container to the outside of the container, a motor for driving the pump, and an instruction for driving the pump. The hot water supply switch, a secondary battery that supplies a current to the motor when the hot water supply switch is pressed when AC power is not supplied, and a charging unit that charges the secondary battery are configured.

Another means is a motor drive time measuring means for measuring the drive time of the motor when the hot water switch is pressed when the AC power is not supplied, and the time measured by the motor drive time measuring means. And a memory means for recording the data, and when the time measured by the motor drive time measuring means exceeds a predetermined value, the charging means starts charging the secondary battery.

Still another means is provided with a voltage detecting means for detecting the output voltage of the secondary battery, and the detection of the voltage detecting means drives the motor when AC power is not supplied. Only when, the charging means starts charging the secondary battery when the voltage detected by the voltage detecting means becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined value.

Still another means is provided with a voltage detecting means for detecting the output voltage of the secondary battery, and the voltage detecting means detects when the AC power is being supplied or when the AC power is being supplied. When the motor is not driven when there is no voltage, and when the voltage detected by the voltage detection unit becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined value, the charging unit starts charging the secondary battery.

Still another means is to charge the secondary battery with a current of C / 20 mAh or less by the charging means while the AC battery is supplied, when the rated capacity of the secondary battery is CmAh. A motor drive time measuring means for measuring the drive time of the motor when the hot water switch is pressed when the power is not supplied, and a memory means for recording the time measured by the motor drive time measuring means are provided. The charging means starts charging the secondary battery with a current exceeding C / 20 mAh when the time measured by the driving time measuring means exceeds a predetermined value.

Still another means is to charge the secondary battery with a current of C / 20 mAh or less by the charging means when the AC battery is supplied when the rated capacity of the secondary battery is CmAh. Voltage detection means for detecting the voltage when the secondary battery is discharged is provided, and the voltage detection means detects the voltage only when the motor drive means is driving the motor when AC power is not supplied. When the voltage detected by the means falls below a predetermined value, the charging means C
The charging of the secondary battery is started at a current exceeding / 20 mAh.

Still another means is to charge the secondary battery with a current of C / 20 mAh or less by the charging means at all times when the rated capacity of the secondary battery is CmAh and the AC power is applied. Equipped with a voltage detection unit that detects the voltage when the secondary battery is discharged.The voltage detection unit detects when AC power is being supplied or when AC power is not being supplied and the motor is not operating. The charging means starts charging the secondary battery with a current exceeding C / 20 mAh when the voltage detected by the voltage detecting means falls below a predetermined value.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 includes a secondary battery that supplies a current to the motor when the hot water switch is pressed when AC power is not supplied, and charging means that charges the secondary battery. Since it is equipped with a cord, the flow rate of hot water can be kept constant even during use. In addition, the battery is not charged each time it is used, but is not charged until the energy of the battery is almost used up. Therefore, the number of times of charging is small, and the life of the secondary battery due to the number of times of charging can be solved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the secondary battery according to the first aspect is provided with a constant voltage means for making the output voltage of the secondary battery a constant voltage, the outlet hot water flow rate is always constant even during use without a cord. You can

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the time measured by the motor drive time measuring means exceeds a predetermined value, the charging means starts charging the secondary battery. It operates to start charging the secondary battery when the accumulated driving time of the motor reaches a certain value, and the number of times of charging can be reduced. It has no effect.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the voltage detecting means detects only when the motor is being driven when the AC power is not supplied, and the voltage detected by the voltage detecting means has a predetermined value. Since the charging means starts charging the secondary battery when the following occurs, there is no fluctuation in the voltage drop due to fluctuations in the load current, and it is possible to accurately determine the charging start time and the discharge end voltage. Since the charging is started after that, the number of times of charging can be reduced, and the life of the product is not affected by the number of times of charging, which is a drawback of the secondary battery.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided voltage detecting means for detecting the output voltage of the secondary battery, and the voltage detecting means detects when the AC power is being supplied or when the AC power is being supplied. If the motor is not driving when there is no voltage and the voltage detected by the voltage detection unit falls below a predetermined value, the charging unit starts charging the secondary battery. There is no fluctuation of voltage drop due to, the charging start time can be accurately obtained, and since charging is started after the discharge end voltage, the number of times of charging can be reduced, which is a drawback of the secondary battery. The number of times of charging does not affect the product life.

The inventions according to claims 6, 7 and 8 are C /
After charging with a current exceeding 20mAh, trickle charging with a current of C / 20mAh or less is possible.
When the amount of hot water discharged per time is small and the discharge end voltage of the secondary battery is not reached, charging can be performed only by trickle charging with a small charging current, and the reliability of the secondary battery can be further enhanced.

(Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, 1 is an AC power supply, and 2 is a DC power supply for converting the voltage of the AC power supply 1 into a DC voltage (here, the output voltage is 5V).
It is. 3 is a pump for discharging the liquid in the container to the outside of the container, and 4 is a motor for driving the pump 3. 5 is a release key for releasing the prohibition of hot water, 6 is a release switch, 7
Is a hot water release control means for controlling the release switch 6 by inputting a release key, and 8 is a hot water switch pushed when hot water is discharged. Reference numeral 9 is a secondary battery, in which two nickel-cadmium batteries are serially connected, the nominal voltage is 2.4 V, and the rated capacity is 20.
It was set to 0 mAh. Reference numeral 10 denotes a boost converter that boosts the output voltage of the secondary battery 9 to make it a constant voltage, and corresponds to a constant voltage means. Since the secondary battery has a low nominal voltage of 2.4V, a boost converter for boosting the voltage was used as the constant voltage means, and the output voltage was set to 5V. Reference numeral 11 is converter control means for controlling the boost converter 10, and 12 is charging means for charging the secondary battery 9, which is a transistor 12a, a constant voltage diode 12b, resistors 12c, 12
d.

Reference numeral 13 is a charging control means for controlling the charging means, 14 is a motor detection means for detecting that the motor 4 is driven, and 15 is a motor 4 driven when the AC power source 1 is not supplied. It is a motor drive time measuring means for measuring the elapsed time. Reference numeral 16 is a memory means for recording the value measured by the motor drive time measuring means 15, and 17 is an AC power supply detecting means for detecting whether or not the AC power supply 1 is supplied. It is connected to the.

Incidentally, 19 is a microcomputer,
Hot water release control means 7, converter control means 11,
The charging control unit 13, the motor detection unit 14, the motor drive time measurement unit 15, the memory unit 16, and the AC power supply detection unit 17 are included. Further, reference numeral 20 denotes a diode which supplies a voltage from the secondary battery 9 to the microcomputer 19 to backup the microcomputer 19 when the AC power supply 1 is not supplied and the output voltage of the DC power supply 2 is not generated.

The operation of the hot water discharger of the electric water heater constructed as described above will be described below. When the release key 5 is pressed while the AC power supply 1 is being supplied, the AC power supply detection means 17 detects that the AC power supply 1 is being supplied via the resistor 18, and the hot water release control means 7
Operates and the release switch 6 is turned on. Here, when the hot water switch 8 is turned on, the output voltage of the DC power supply 2 is applied to the motor 4, the pump 3 is driven, and the liquid in the container is discharged to the outside of the container. If the hot water outlet switch 7 is not turned on within 10 seconds after the release key 5 is turned on, the release switch 6 is automatically turned off. Further, 10 seconds after the hot water switch 8 is turned off, the release switch 6 is automatically turned off.

On the other hand, when the release key 5 is turned on when the AC power supply 1 is not supplied (hereinafter referred to as cordless), the AC power supply detection means 17 does not supply the AC power supply 1 via the resistor 18. When the hot water release control means 7 operates and the release switch 6 is turned on, the converter control means 12 drives the step-up converter 10 to generate 5V at the output of the step-up converter 10, and the microcomputer 19 is supplied with 5V. Supply. When the hot water switch 8 is turned on, the output voltage (5 V) of the boost converter 10 is applied to the motor 4, the pump 3 is driven, and the liquid in the container is discharged to the outside of the container. If hot water outlet switch 7 is not turned on within 10 seconds after release key 5 is turned on, release switch 6 is automatically turned off and the operation of boost converter 10 is stopped. Further, 10 seconds after the hot water switch 8 is turned off, the release switch 6 is automatically turned off.

Next, the operation of charging the secondary battery 9 will be described. When the AC power supply 1 is supplied when the secondary battery 9 is not charged, the charging control means 13 outputs a charging signal to the charging means 12, and the output voltage of the DC power supply 2 is the transistor 12a and the constant voltage diode. 12b, resistor 12
charging means 1 comprising a constant current circuit composed of c and 12d
A constant current (here, 200 mA) is supplied via 2 to charge the secondary battery 9. It should be noted that the end of charging is managed by time, and the charging time is 1.5 hours. When the motor 4 is driven to discharge hot water when cordless after completion of charging, the residual energy of the secondary battery 9 decreases.

Therefore, the motor current (here, 140 m
A predetermined value is calculated based on A), the drive time of the motor during cordless operation, and the efficiency of the boost converter 10 and the like (here, 70%). For example, 200mAh is 200mAh / 140mA / 0.
Since 7 = 1h, it will be one hour. In this case, the charging means 12 starts charging the secondary battery 9 when the time measured by the motor drive time measuring means 15 becomes 1 hour or more.

The time for tapping is several seconds to several tens of seconds (the tapping flow rate is about 40 ml / sec.
Since it is about 4 seconds for a cup and about 10 seconds for a cup noodle), the value measured by the motor driving time measuring means 15 is stored in the memory means 1.
It is stored in No. 6, and charging is started when the accumulated time exceeds one hour. In this case, 1
Approximately 144 liters per charge (1h x 3600 x 40ml = 144000m
l) Hot water can be discharged. The amount of hot water used per day is 6 liters even at home, so it can be used for about 24 days with one charge, and the life of nickel-cadmium batteries can be set to 3 times.
If it is 00 times, it can be used for 240 months (about 20 years), which is sufficient for the product life.

In this embodiment, the charging system is the constant current timer control charging system, but other systems (constant voltage charging system, quasi-constant current charging system, V taper charging system, -ΔV charging system, temperature detection). (Charging method etc.) Further, in the present embodiment, the memory incorporated in the microcomputer is used as the memory means, but an external non-volatile memory or the like may be used.

(Embodiment 2) In FIG. 2, reference numeral 21 is a voltage detecting means for detecting the voltage of the secondary battery 9 and is formed in the microcomputer 19. Others are the same as those in FIG. 1 except that the motor drive time measuring means 15 and the memory means 16 are not provided.

Next, the operation of starting the charging of the secondary battery in the above embodiment will be described. When the motor 4 is driven to discharge hot water during cordless operation, the residual energy of the secondary battery 9 decreases and the output voltage of the secondary battery 9 decreases. The output voltage of the secondary battery 9 is detected by the voltage detection means 21 only when the motor 4 is operating in the cordless state, and the value is a predetermined value (this value is referred to as discharge end voltage.
If the AC power supply 1 is supplied after the time becomes below, the charging means 12 starts charging the secondary battery 9. From the motor current (140 mA here) and the efficiency of the boost converter (70% here), the usage time per charge is 1 hour (200 mAh / 200 mAh / 140 mA /).
0.7 = 1h), and about 144 liters (1h x 1 charge)
3600 x 40 ml = 144000 ml) hot water is possible. 1 of hot water
Even a household with a lot of daily usage charges is about 6 liters, so it can be used for about 24 days (144/6 = 24) with one charge, and if the number of charge times of the nickel-cadmium battery is 300 times, it is 240.
It can be used for up to 20 months, which is sufficient for the product life.

(Embodiment 3) In FIG. 2, when the motor 4 is driven to discharge hot water during cordless operation, the residual energy of the secondary battery 9 decreases and the output voltage of the secondary battery 9 decreases. When AC power supply 1 is supplied, or
When the output voltage of the secondary battery 9 is detected by the voltage detection means 21 when the motor 4 is not driven in the cordless state and the value becomes a predetermined value (here, 2.1 V) or less The charging means 12 starts charging the secondary battery 9. From the motor current (140 mA here) and the efficiency of the boost converter (70% here), the usage time per charge is 1 hour (200 mAh / 200 mAh / 140 mA /).
0.7 = 1h), and about 144 liters (1h x 1 charge)
3600 x 40 ml = 144000 ml) hot water is possible. 1 of hot water
Even a household with a lot of daily usage charges is about 6 liters, so it can be used for about 24 days (144/6 = 24) with one charge, and if the number of charge times of the nickel-cadmium battery is 300 times, it is 240.
It can be used for up to 20 months, which is sufficient for the product life.

(Embodiment 4) In FIG. 3, the charging means 12 comprises a transistor 12a, a constant voltage diode 12b,
A constant current circuit 12-1 including resistors 12c and 12d, a transistor 12e, a constant voltage diode 12f, and a resistor 1
It is composed of a constant current circuit 12-2 composed of 2g and 12h. The rated capacity of the secondary battery is CmAh (200mA here)
h), the current value of the constant current circuit 12-1 is C / 20 m
Current exceeding Ah (200 mA here), constant current circuit 1
The current value of 2-2 is a current of C / 20 mAh or less (here, 8
mA). Others are the same as FIG.

Next, the operation of charging the secondary battery 9 will be described. When the AC power supply 1 is supplied while the secondary battery 9 is not charged, the charging control means 13 outputs a charging signal to the charging means 12, and the output voltage of the DC power supply 2 is the constant current circuit 12-1. The secondary battery 9 is charged with a constant current (here, 200 mA). The constant current circuit 12-
Charge by 1 is managed by time, charging time is 1.5
Time. After the charging by the constant current circuit 12-1, the charging is continued by the constant current circuit 12-2. In addition, C / 2
Since the charging current is 0 mAh or less, it is trickle charging, and overcharging does not occur even if charging is continued. The charging start operation is the same as that in the first embodiment.

(Embodiment 5) In FIG. 4, charging means 1
2 is the same as FIG. 3, and the others are the same as FIG. next,
The operation of charging the secondary battery 9 will be described. Secondary battery 9
When the AC power supply 1 is supplied when the electric charge is not charged in the charging control means 13, the charging control means 13 outputs a charging signal to the charging means 12, and the output voltage of the DC power supply 2 is a constant current ( Here, the secondary battery 9 is charged at 200 mA.

The charging by the constant current circuit 12-1 is managed by time, and the charging time is 1.5 hours. After charging by the constant current circuit 12-1, the constant current circuit 12-2
To continue charging. Since the charging current is C / 20 mAh or less, it is trickle charging, and overcharging does not occur even if charging is continued. The charging start operation is the same as in the second embodiment.

(Sixth Embodiment) Next, the charging operation of the secondary battery 9 will be described with reference to FIG. When the AC power supply 1 is supplied while the secondary battery 9 is not charged, the charging control means 13 outputs a charging signal to the charging means 12, and the output voltage of the DC power supply 2 is the constant current circuit 12-1. The secondary battery 9 is charged with a constant current (here, 200 mA).

The charging by the constant current circuit 12-1 is managed by time, and the charging time is 1.5 hours. After charging by the constant current circuit 12-1, the constant current circuit 12-2
To continue charging. Since the charging current is C / 20 mAh or less, it is trickle charging, and overcharging does not occur even if charging is continued. The charging start operation is the same as in the third embodiment.

[0038]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, according to the present invention, even when the AC power is not supplied, the electric charge charged in the secondary battery is made into a constant voltage and supplied to the motor, so that the electric water heater discharges water even without an outlet. It is possible to operate.

Further, in the first embodiment, since the charging of the secondary battery is started when the accumulated driving time of the motor during the cordless operation reaches a constant value, the number of times of charging can be reduced. The product life is not affected by the number of times of charging, which is a drawback of secondary batteries.

Further, in the second embodiment, since the voltage of the secondary battery is detected only when the motor is operating during cordless operation, the voltage drop due to the load current occurs and the charging start time is accurately determined. In addition to being able to obtain well, in order to start charging after the discharge end voltage is reached,
The number of times of charging can be reduced, and the product life is not affected by the number of times of charging, which is a drawback of the secondary battery.

In addition, in the third embodiment, the motor 4 is operated when AC power is being supplied or when it is cordless.
Since the voltage of the secondary battery is detected when is not driving, the load current is not extracted from the secondary battery, so there is no voltage drop variation due to load current variation, and the charging start time is accurate In addition to the above, the number of times of charging can be reduced because charging is started after the discharge end voltage is reached, and the product life is not affected by the number of times of charging, which is a drawback of the secondary battery.

In addition, in the fourth, fifth and sixth embodiments, in addition to the first, second and third embodiments, respectively,
After charging with a current exceeding C / 20mAh, C / 20m
Since the trickle charge is performed with a current of Ah or less, if the amount of hot water discharged at one time is small without reaching the discharge end voltage of the secondary battery, it can be charged only by trickle charge with a small charging current. The reliability can be further enhanced. As described above, the present invention has great industrial value.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram of a hot water outlet device of an electric water heater showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram of a hot water outlet device of an electric water heater showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram of a hot water outlet device of an electric water heater showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a circuit block diagram of a hot water outlet device of an electric water heater showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a circuit block diagram of a conventional hot water outlet device for an electric water heater.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 AC Power Supply 3 Pump 4 Motor 8 Hot Water Switch 9 Secondary Battery 10 Constant Voltage Means 12 Charging Means 15 Motor Driving Time Measuring Means 16 Memory Means 21 Voltage Detecting Means

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Masamichi Komada 1006 Kadoma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A pump for discharging liquid in a container to the outside of the container, a motor for driving the pump, a hot water switch for instructing the driving of the pump, and a hot water switch pressed when AC power is not supplied. At this time, a hot water supply device of an electric water heater equipped with a secondary battery that supplies a current to a motor and a charging unit that charges the secondary battery. 2. The hot water dispenser for an electric water heater according to claim 1, further comprising a constant voltage means for making the output voltage of the secondary battery constant. 3. A motor drive time measuring means for measuring the drive time of the motor when the hot water switch is pressed while AC power is not supplied, and a memory means for recording the time measured by the motor drive time measuring means. With and
The hot water discharging device for an electric water heater according to claim 1, wherein the charging means starts charging of the secondary battery when the time measured by the motor driving time measuring means exceeds a predetermined value. 4. A voltage detecting means for detecting the output voltage of the secondary battery is provided, and the voltage detecting means detects the voltage only when the motor is driven when AC power is not supplied. The hot water discharge device for an electric water heater according to claim 1, wherein the charging means starts charging of the secondary battery when the voltage detected by the means becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined value. 5. A motor includes a voltage detecting means for detecting an output voltage of the secondary battery, and the voltage detecting means detects that the motor is driven when AC power is supplied or when AC power is not supplied. The hot water supply device for an electric water heater according to claim 1, wherein the charging means starts charging of the secondary battery when the voltage detected by the voltage detection means falls below a predetermined value. 6. When the rated capacity of the secondary battery is CmAh, when the AC power is supplied, the charging means always charges the secondary battery with a current of C / 20 mAh or less, and when the AC power is not supplied. The motor drive time measuring means is provided with a motor drive time measuring means for measuring the drive time of the motor and a memory means for recording the value measured by the motor drive time measuring means when the hot water switch is pressed. 2. The hot water discharge device for an electric water heater according to claim 1, wherein the charging means starts charging the secondary battery with a current exceeding C / 20 mAh when the predetermined time exceeds a predetermined value. 7. When the rated capacity of the secondary battery is CmAh and the AC power is supplied, the charging means always charges the secondary battery with a current of C / 20 mAh or less, and discharges the secondary battery. It is equipped with voltage detection means for detecting the voltage, and the voltage detection means detects only when the motor drive means is driving the motor when AC power is not supplied, and the voltage detected by the voltage detection means is 2. The hot water outlet device for an electric water heater according to claim 1, wherein the charging means starts charging of the secondary battery with a current exceeding C / 20 mAh when the value falls below a predetermined value. 8. When the rated capacity of the secondary battery is CmAh and the AC power is applied, the charging means always charges the secondary battery with a current of C / 20 mAh or less, and when the secondary battery is discharged. A voltage detecting means for detecting the voltage is provided, and the voltage detecting means detects when the AC power is supplied or when the AC power is not supplied and the motor is not driven, and the voltage detecting means detects the voltage. When the detected voltage becomes lower than a predetermined value, C / 2 is charged by the charging means.
The hot water outlet device for an electric water heater according to claim 1, wherein charging of the secondary battery is started at a current exceeding 0 mAh.