JPH10103765A - Bath circulating system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To drive a circulation pump with optimum circulating capacity in response to a piping state of a bath circulating path by providing the pump for circulating hot water of a bathtub via a bath circulating circuit, and a capacity regulating means for regulating the driving capacity of the pump. SOLUTION: Capacity of a circulation pump 10 is gradually raised, and ON of a water flow switch 8 is confirmed. At this time, to prevent chattering for repeating ON and OFF of the switch 8 due to change of water flow, it is desired to set a slightly higher pump capacity than that at the time of turning ON or OFF the switch 8. When the pump capacity is decided, the pump 10 is driven by the capacity, it is confirmed that the switch 8 is turned ON during the period. Thus, the capacity regulation of the pump 10 by a capacity regulating means 27 is finished.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a flow circulating apparatus, and more particularly, to a flow circulating apparatus that circulates with an optimum circulation capacity.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of technology, there is a bathtub provided with a flow circulation circuit for taking out hot water from a bathtub and heating it and returning it to the bathtub. It is used as a thing. In order to improve the circulation capacity by forcibly circulating the hot water in the bathtub, there is a type in which a pump is provided in a circulation circuit, which is commonly used.

[0003]

However, the capacity of a pump is usually constant, and a large pump capacity is required in accordance with severe construction conditions (for example, a long pipe). Therefore, there is a problem that the pump itself becomes large, and furthermore, the noise when driving the pump becomes large. An AC pump is generally used as the circulating pump, and if the capacity of the AC pump is to be adjusted, an AC pump having a different capacity is used in advance.
It is necessary to prepare a pump and to select an AC pump depending on the piping condition at the time of installation. This is troublesome and there is a problem of incorrect selection. Further, there is a problem that complicated manual work such as tap switching is required if the operation is performed by the AC pump itself.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and is directed to a flow circulating apparatus capable of driving a circulating pump with an optimum circulating capacity in accordance with a piping state of a flow circulating path. The purpose is to provide.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 comprises a bathtub, a flow circulation circuit for taking out hot water from the bathtub and returning it to the bathtub, and a hot water bath in the bathtub through the flow circulation circuit. And a capacity adjusting means for adjusting the driving capacity of the circulating pump.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the capacity of the circulation pump in the circulation circuit is adjusted by the capacity adjusting means. Thus, the pump can be driven with an appropriate capacity corresponding to the installation state.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bath tub, a flow circulation circuit for taking out hot water from the bath tub and heating it back to the bath tub, and a DC pump driven by direct current power for circulating hot water in the bath tub through the flow circulation circuit. A water flow switch for determining circulation of hot and cold water in the flow circulation circuit; and a water flow switch for determining circulation by changing the driving capacity of the DC pump from a large side to a small side (or from a small side to a large side). And a capacity adjusting means for adjusting the drive capacity of the DC pump based on the drive capacity of the DC pump when the power supply changes from on to off (or from off to on).

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the DC pump is driven by the capacity adjusting means so that the capacity of the DC pump does not become excessive or insufficient based on the state of the water flow switch for circulating judgment of the circulating circuit. Realize noise reduction.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the DC pump is a PWM control type DC pump, and the capacity adjusting means controls a pulse width applied to the pump by controlling the pulse width.
It is characterized by adjusting the capacity of the C pump.

[0010] Thus, the capacity of the DC pump is adjusted using the low voltage.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an automatic bath apparatus using a flow circulation apparatus of the present invention, wherein 1 is an automatic bath apparatus, 2 is a bath tub having a substantially constant cross-sectional area,
Is a circulation circuit, and 4 is a hot water supply circuit. The circulation circuit 3 includes a forward path 6 a connected from the circulation pump 10 to the bus adapter 5 of the bathtub 2 via the additional heat exchanger 7, and a bus adapter 5.
And a return path 6b leading to the circulation pump 10. A water flow switch 8 for circulation determination, a pressure sensor 9 for water level detection, and a thermistor 21 for detecting the temperature of hot water in the bathtub 2 are provided in the middle of the forward path 6a. ing. The hot water supply circuit 4 includes a flow rate sensor 22 for detecting an amount of incoming water from city water or the like, a thermistor 17 for detecting incoming water temperature, a hot water supply heat exchanger 11, a bypass passage 16 arranged in parallel with the hot water supply heat exchanger 11, and a bypass. A flow control valve 24 for controlling the amount of water flowing through the passage 16, a flow control valve 18 for controlling the amount of water flowing to the hot water supply circuit 4, a thermistor 19 for detecting the temperature of hot water from the hot water supply circuit 4, and a drop from the hot water supply circuit 4 into the bathtub 2. On-off valve 1 to be controlled
4. It comprises a flow rate sensor 15 for measuring the amount of hot water dropped into the bathtub 2 from the hot water supply circuit 4, and is connected to the circulation circuit 3 via a cutoff valve 12 including an on-off valve 14. Reference numeral 23 denotes a branch hot water supply path that branches from a point in the hot water supply circuit 4 and reaches an appropriate hot water supply point such as a curan. Further, the control unit 25 of the automatic bath apparatus 1 includes a microcomputer, and performs various calculations and determinations based on signals from various sensors such as the pressure sensor 9, the flow sensor 15, and the water flow switch 8,
According to the result, the operation of the circulation pump 10 and the control of the combustion of the burner 13 of the additional heat exchanger 7 are controlled. The storage unit 26 stores hot water filling data such as a bathtub cross-sectional area obtained during the first automatic operation.

The capacity adjusting means 27 adjusts the capacity of the circulating pump 10.
This is means for determining the required capacity of the pump and driving the pump with that capacity during normal operation.

The flow control valves 18, 24 adjust the valve positions by motors 18a, 24a.
The control unit 25 controls the burner 20 of the heat exchanger 11 for hot water supply. The flow rate adjusting valve 18 adjusts the flow rate in order to prevent the hot water supply capacity from being higher than the hot water supply capacity, and to prevent the desired hot water temperature from being obtained.
The flow rate adjustment valve 24 adjusts the amount of water flowing through the bypass passage 16 in order to stably obtain a desired tapping temperature.

The flow rate sensor 15 detects the flow rate of hot water supplied from the hot water supply circuit 4 into the bathtub 2 through the circulation circuit 3, and the flow rate detection signal is sent to the control unit 25. The control unit 25 integrates the flow rate values to obtain the amount of hot water dropped into the bathtub 2 from the hot water supply circuit 4 (integrated flow rate).

The pressure sensor 9 indirectly detects the water level in the bathtub 2 as water pressure. Pressure sensor 9
Until the water level reaches the bus adapter level, the atmospheric pressure is detected, and the output voltage increases proportionally from the output voltage at the bus adapter level to the output voltage at the set water level.

The water flow switch 8 is for performing a circulation judgment for judging whether or not hot water having a bath adapter level or higher exists in the bathtub 2. That is, the on-off valve 14 is closed, the circulation pump 10 is operated, and the water flow switch 8 is turned on.
Is turned on, it is determined that there is hot water at or above the bath adapter level in the bathtub 2 ("water present"). If the water flow switch 8 is off, there is no hot water at or above the bath adapter level in the bathtub 2 ("water"). None "). Therefore, when it is determined that “water is present” by the circulation determination, the water level in the bathtub 2 can be detected by the pressure sensor 9.

As the circulating pump 10, a DC pump driven by DC power is used, and the capacity of the pump is adjusted by a pulse width supplied to the DC pump by, for example, a PWM method. Alternatively, the capacity of the pump is adjusted by an applied voltage supplied to the DC pump by the PAM method.

In the automatic bath apparatus 1 having the above structure, the set water level Hs is set at the time of the first automatic operation, that is, at the time of the initial test operation after the installation, repair and adjustment, or after the recovery from the power failure.
The outline of the procedure for filling up to the hot water will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the automatic switch is turned on (S1),
The on-off valve 14 is opened to send the hot water from the hot water supply circuit 4 to the forward path 6a and the return path 6b for transporting the hot water and the bus adapter level L.
A fixed amount qo (for example, 1
(0 liter) hot water is dropped into the bathtub 2 (S2). Next, the on / off valve 14 is closed, the circulation pump 10 is operated, and the circulation switch 10 is used to determine the presence or absence of residual water by the water flow switch 8 (S3). After the circulation determination, the circulation pump 10 is stopped. The circulation is determined to be “water present” (water flow switch 8; on) if there is hot water above the bath adapter level LB in the bathtub 2, and “no water” (water flow switch 8; off) if it is below the bath adapter level LB. Is determined. Then, if the circulation determination is "water present", it is determined that water remains in the bathtub 2, and for example, the operation is stopped and a check message such as "remaining water present" is output (S4).

If the circulation is determined to be "no water", the on-off valve 14 is opened again, and a fixed amount q1 is supplied from the hot water supply circuit 4 to the bathtub 2.
Both of the hot water (for example, 80 liters) are transported and dropped (S5). Next, the on-off valve 14 is closed, and the circulation pump 10
Is operated to determine the circulation (S6). If the result of the second circulation determination is "no water", hot water of q11 (for example, 40 liters) is further dropped from the hot water supply circuit 4 into the bathtub 2 (S7), and the circulation determination is repeated again (S8). If the result of the circulation determination is also "no water", there is a possibility that the drain plug of the bathtub 2 may be open, so the operation is stopped and a check message such as "forget drain plug" is output (S
9).

On the other hand, when it is determined that there is water in the circulation determination in step S6 or S8, the capacity of the circulation pump 10 is adjusted by the capacity adjusting means 27 (step S10). Then, a reference water level h1 as a reference for performing filling with water to the set water level Hs thereafter is measured.
If this reference water level is not accurately measured, hot water overflows from the bathtub 2 during hot water filling by automatic operation after the second time,
Since the problem of repeating the water replenishment operation occurs, the following steps are taken.

First, the control unit 25 sets a stabilization timer (for example, 60 seconds) in order to secure a waiting time until the water level is stabilized in order to prevent a measurement error of the water level due to the waving of the molten metal surface (S11). Next, the remaining time of the stability timer is α
At the second (for example, 15 seconds) (S12), the flow control valve 1
The motors 18a and 24a are set so that the openings of the motors 8 and 24 are fully opened.
To stop the control of the flow control valves 18 and 24 (S
13). This is because when the hot water is used at the time of detecting the water level and the motors 18a, 24a of the flow control valves 18, 24 are operated to obtain a desired hot water temperature and hot water amount, the motors 18a, 24a
This is to prevent detection of an erroneous water level due to noise or voltage fluctuation generated from the water. In order to fully open the flow control valves 18 and 24, the hot water temperature and the hot water amount cannot be controlled, but the hot water supply can be used.
This is to prevent high-temperature hot water supply due to a small flow rate. However, the opening may not be fully opened but may be constant.

Subsequently, when the time of the stabilization timer expires (S14), the water level h1 is measured by the pressure sensor 9 (S15), and the measurement result is set as the reference water level h1 in the storage unit 26.
(S16), and control of the flow rate regulating valves 18 and 24 is resumed to return to a state where hot water supply control is possible (S1).
7), drop the remaining amount and end (step S18,
S19).

Next, the operation of adjusting the capacity of the circulating pump 10 that is performed at the time of the initial test operation will be described in detail. This specifically explains the pump capacity adjustment in step S10 in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, initially, the capacity of the circulation pump 10 is set large (step S51,
52). Then, at this time, it is confirmed that the water flow switch 8 is turned on (step S53), and the capacity of the circulation pump 10 is gradually reduced until the water flow switch 8 is turned off (steps S54, S55). Once turned off, the capacity of the circulation pump 10 is gradually increased, and the water flow switch 8 is turned off.
Is turned on (steps S56 and S57).
At this time, in order to prevent a chattering phenomenon in which the water flow switch 8 is repeatedly turned on and off due to fluctuations in the water flow, it is desirable to set the pump capacity to be slightly higher than when the water flow switch 8 is turned on and off. When the pump capacity is determined, the circulation pump 10 is driven by the capacity for a predetermined time, and during that time, it is confirmed that the water flow switch 8 is on, and the capacity adjustment of the circulation pump 10 by the capacity adjusting means is ended. (Steps S58, 59, 60, 61). If the water flow switch 8 is turned off during the checking operation, the flow returns to step S52 to perform the adjustment again (step S59).

In the above embodiment, when adjusting the capacity of the circulation pump 10, the capacity of the pump 10 is temporarily reduced from large to small and then increased from small to large, and the water flow switch 8 at that time is turned on and off. In this state, the capacity of the circulation pump 10 is determined. Conversely, the capacity of the circulation pump 10 is increased from small to large and then reduced from large to small, and the water flow switch 8 at that time is turned on. -The capacity of the pump may be determined in the off state.

Alternatively, the capacity of the circulation pump 10 may be simply changed from large to small or small to large, and the capacity of the pump may be determined by changing the on / off of the water flow switch 8 at that time. Of course. However, as in the above-described embodiment, confirming both the ON and OFF states of the water flow switch 8 enables more reliable capacity adjustment.

In the above embodiment, the control method of the capacity of the circulating pump 10 is not described in detail, but the control method is described in detail. Various types such as the PAM type can be applied. For example, in the case of the PWM method, the voltage to be applied to the pump is supplied as a pulse, and the duty of the pump can be changed to change and adjust the capacity of the pump. In the case of the PAM system, the capacity of the pump can be changed and adjusted by changing the voltage applied to the pump. Generally, in the case of the PWM method, it is desirable in the case of the present invention that treats water because the voltage to be treated is low. Further, in the case of the PAM system, it is desirable in that the control circuit is simple.

In the above embodiment, the adjustment of the capacity of the circulating pump 10 by the capacity adjusting means 27 has been described in the case of the trial operation. However, the adjustment may be performed in other cases. That is. For example, the adjustment may be performed when the circulation pump 10 is operated at regular intervals, or may be constantly adjusted each time the circulation pump 10 is operated. In the above embodiment,
The adjustment by the capacity adjusting means 27 is performed automatically, but may be performed manually. For example, it is also possible to manually perform the operation while displaying the ON / OFF of the water flow switch 8 and confirming it by providing a capacity adjustment volume.

[0030]

As described above, the actual state of the piping in the circulation circuit of the bathtub varies depending on the installation location of the bathtub. There is an effect that the circulating pump can be driven with a different capacity. Therefore, there is an effect that energy saving can be further realized and noise of the circulation pump can be reduced.

Further, since the DC pump is used as the circulation pump, there is an effect that the capacity adjustment by the capacity adjusting means is easy. Furthermore, since the circulating pump uses a PWM type DC pump, the DC pump can be controlled at a low voltage, and the circulating pump handling water has an effect of preventing electric shock, electric leakage, and the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an automatic bath device using a flow circulation device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a schematic operation of the automatic bath apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a capacity adjusting operation of the circulation pump.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a capacity adjusting operation of the circulation pump.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic flow apparatus 2 Bathtub 3 Circulation circuit 4 Hot water supply circuit 8 Flow water flow switch 9 Pressure sensor 10 Circulation pump (DC pump) 25 Control part 27 Capacity adjustment means

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Kazutoshi Matsuda 93 Edocho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo Pref. Inside Noritsu

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A bathtub, a flow circulation circuit for taking out hot water from the bathtub and returning it to the bathtub, a circulation pump for circulating hot water in the bathtub through the flow circulation circuit, and a capacity adjusting means for adjusting a driving capacity of the circulation pump. A flow circulation device, comprising: 2. A bathtub, a flow circulation circuit for taking out hot water from the bathtub and heating it to return to the bathtub, a DC pump driven by direct current power for circulating hot water in the bathtub through the flow circulation circuit, The circulation determination water flow switch for determining the circulation of hot and cold water and the drive capability of the DC pump are changed from a large side to a small side (or from a small side to a large side) to change the circulation determination water flow switch from on to off ( Or a capacity adjusting means for adjusting the driving capacity of the DC pump based on the driving capacity of the DC pump when the DC pump changes from off to on). 3. The DC pump according to claim 1, wherein the DC pump is a PWM pump of a PWM control type, and the capacity adjusting means adjusts the capacity of the DC pump by controlling a pulse width applied to the pump. The flow circulation device according to claim 1.