JPH10258207A - Bathtub apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To purify slime and various kinds of bacteria deposited on a water route of a bathtub water. SOLUTION: For purification of a water route of bathtub water, means for manual heating, means for automatic heating to keep the temperature within a temperature range between a set upper limit temperature and a set lower limit temperature during the time when bath water is left as it is, means for automatic discharging of water, and means for automatic leading of remaining chlorine-containing water are installed in a water route comprising an adapter 3, a turning-back pipe 4, a filtration tank 6, and a going-to pipe 8, so that slime and various kinds of bacteria deposited on the water route are sterilized by heating, washed, and purified by sterilization. Consequently, even if a plurality of people successively take a bath or continuously use bathtub water, the water route is constantly kept clean and sanitary.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bathtub device that circulates bathtub water in a bathtub, purifies and sterilizes the water circuit and bathtub water, and keeps the bathtub clean.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, purification of a water circuit of bathtub water in a bathtub has been performed by a bathtub apparatus as shown in FIG.

A bathtub water 1 is provided with an adapter 3 attached to a bathtub 2.
Return pipe 5, circulation pump 6, filter material 7 connected to the return part of
Is passed through a filtration tank 8, and a water circuit composed of an outgoing pipe 9 connected to an outgoing part of the adapter 3 is circulated by a circulation pump 6 to purify dirt in the bathtub water 1 by the filtration tank 8. Bathtub water 1
In the water circuit, a heating source 9 for heating the bathtub water 1 is provided between the circulation pump 6 and the filtration tank 8. Also, the hot water beam to the bathtub 2 is supplied from a water supply unit provided in a part of the water circuit through the return pipe 5 and the outgoing pipe 9 of the water circuit via the heating source 11 of the hot water supply water circuit.

[0004]

However, in the conventional bathtub apparatus, first, large dirt, hair, and the like, which are dirt components of the bathtub water, are simply purified by a primary filter provided on an adapter, and the relatively clean water passes through the primary filter. Large dirt particles (approximately 10 microns or more) can be filtered and purified in the filter tank of the water circuit, but fine particles (about 1 micron) generated by multiple people taking a bath continuously or using bath water continuously. The water circuit is likely to become dirty and unclean due to insufficient filtration and purification of the dirt components by various bacteria (general bacteria, Escherichia coli, etc.) in the filtration tank. More importantly,
In the water circuit, the connection part of the circulation pump, filtration tank, going pipe, return pipe and adapter has many uneven parts, the flow of water is poor (large turbulence), and dirt, which is a nutrient source of various bacteria, easily accumulates In addition, it is an environment where various bacteria can easily grow. In particular, since the dirt components of the bathtub water circulate as they are up to the inlet of the filtration tank, they are more likely to become unclean.To keep them clean and clean, the bathtub water is constantly replaced and fresh water is passed frequently. Alternatively, the cleaning agent has to be forcibly cleaned by putting the cleaning agent into the bathtub water and washing it with flowing water, which has been a problem of a very uneconomical and labor-intensive operation.

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided a bathtub apparatus according to the present invention, wherein a circulating pump, a heating source, and a filtration tank are provided in a part of a water circuit for circulating bathtub water. A water circuit comprising a return pipe and a feed pipe connected between a pump, a heating source, and an adapter attached to a filtration tank and a bath tub, respectively.
Heating means that automatically heats the temperature range where the upper limit temperature and lower limit temperature are set during natural standing, for a fixed time or a fixed amount at fixed time intervals, automatically from the water circuit to drainage of bathtub water and part of the water circuit The water supply unit provided with means for passing the residual chlorine-containing water from the water circuit to the bathtub water.

According to the above invention, the water circuit of the bathtub water is subjected to high-temperature sterilization and purification using high-temperature water by means for automatically heating the bathtub water in the bathtub to the set temperature by the heating means. Also, the bathtub water is automatically drained from the water circuit for a fixed time or a fixed amount at a fixed time interval to reduce the bathtub water, and the residual chlorine-containing water is passed through the reduced bathtub water to approximately the same amount as before drainage. By watering, while cleaning and purifying dirt components such as dirt deposited in the water circuit by the hydraulic power, the synergistic purifying effect of sterilizing and purifying the dirt components such as various bacteria in the water circuit by the residual chlorine containing the residual chlorine-containing water. By keeping the water circuit clean and clean at the same time, a plurality of persons can continuously take a bath or use the bathtub water continuously. In addition, the synergistic purification effect can exhibit a double purification effect that enables simultaneous purification of bathtub water.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention provides a circulating pump provided in a part of a water circuit for circulating bath water, a filtration tank for filtering the bath water, an adapter for connecting the bath tub and the water circuit, and a residual water in the water circuit. A water supply unit for supplying chlorine-containing water at regular intervals, a heating means for heating at least one of the residual chlorine-containing water or bathtub water supplied from the water supply unit, and an upper limit set temperature while the bathtub water is left naturally. It is provided with automatic heating means for automatically heating to a temperature range having a lower limit set temperature, and drainage means for automatically draining bathtub water via a water circuit at regular time intervals.

[0008] Then, during the natural standing, below the lower limit set temperature,
That is, the bathtub water in which the cold water (atmospheric level water temperature) is dropped from the faucet is lower than the lower limit set temperature, and is heated to the upper limit set temperature when the operation switch of the remote control is turned on. The bathtub water heated to the upper limit set temperature is left as it is, and the bathtub water temperature gradually decreases to the lower limit set temperature. When the temperature drops to the lower limit set temperature, the temperature is automatically heated again to the upper limit set temperature, and the upper limit set temperature and the lower limit set temperature are repeated. At this time, high-temperature water flows again by heating to the upper limit set temperature, and various bacteria in the water circuit passage are re-high-temperature sterilized and purified, and the high-temperature sterilization and purification are performed by the automatic heating. Then, by means of automatically draining the bathtub water from the water circuit passage for a predetermined time or a fixed amount at regular intervals during natural standing, dirt and various bacteria, which are dirt components in the bathtub water drainage passage, are purified. At least for a fixed time or a fixed amount at regular intervals, at least a part of the water circuit is automatically drained from the water circuit by means of passing residual chlorine-containing water from the water circuit to the bath water from a water supply unit provided in a part of the water circuit. Up to the amount of water in the bathtub, and further clean and purify dirt components such as dirt deposited in the water circuit by the hydraulic power, and sterilize and purify dirt components such as various bacteria by residual chlorine containing water containing residual chlorine. The synergistic purification effect of the high temperature sterilization purification, the cleaning purification and the residual chlorine sterilization purification of the circuit can keep the water circuit always clean. Also, by keeping the water circuit clean and clean at all times, a plurality of people can take a continuous bath or use the bathtub water continuously. The synergistic purifying effect can exhibit a double purifying effect which enables purifying bath water together.

After heating to the upper limit set temperature at least once a day by the automatic heating means or allowing the water to stand naturally to the lower limit set temperature, the water in the bathtub is drained by the drainage means, and the water supply section supplies residual chlorine-containing water to the bathtub through the water circuit. It supplies water.

[0010] At least once a day, after heating to the upper limit set temperature or allowed to stand at the lower limit set temperature, the order of the means for draining for a certain time or a certain amount and the means for passing a certain amount of time or a certain amount of water. By flowing high-temperature water through the water circuit first, the dirt and the like deposited in the water circuit are reduced in adhesive force from the high-temperature water to make it easier to remove dirt components such as dirt, and the water is cleaned and purified by the water-passing power. Sterilize and purify. Next, when heating to at least the upper limit set temperature or natural leaving to the lower limit set temperature is counted once, a means for draining for a certain period of time or a certain amount is used to purify dirt and various bacteria as dirt components of the drainage passage of the bathtub water. At the end, by means of passing water for a certain period of time or by a certain amount, dirt components such as dirt accumulated in the water circuit are re-cleaned and purified. By repeatedly performing a means for sterilizing and purifying the components, dirt deposited on the water circuit is reduced, and under the condition that the growth of various bacteria using the dirt as a nutrient source is suppressed, high-temperature sterilization purification, washing purification, residual chlorine sterilization. Purification of the water circuit can be made larger and more reliable due to the synergistic effect of the purification. Furthermore, as an effective means, after heating up to the upper limit set temperature, draining for a certain time or a certain amount, and repeatedly performing a certain time or a certain amount of water flow, the upper limit set temperature, especially the growth of various bacteria. Since the environment temperature is easy to be reached (it is said to be about 35 to 37 ° C), first reduce the bathtub water, and then use cold water (atmospheric level water temperature).
By allowing water to pass through and lowering the bathtub water temperature faster than the environmental temperature at which the above-mentioned various bacteria are likely to proliferate, the growth of various kinds of bacteria is reduced. Can have a synergistic effect that can be sterilized and purified.

A switching valve for switching the direction of water supply from the water supply section to the water circuit is provided, and when the residual chlorine-containing water is supplied from the water supply section to the water circuit, the switch valve is switched to the return side or the forward side.

Since the residual chlorine-containing water is supplied only to the return side or the outgoing side, the amount of water supplied to the return side and the outgoing side increases compared to the case where water is supplied simultaneously to the return side and the outgoing side.
The cleaning ability can be improved.

Further, after the residual chlorine-containing water supplied from the water supply section reaches the circulation adapter through the water circuit, the water supply is stopped, and the residual chlorine-containing water is retained in the water circuit for a certain period of time.

After the residual chlorine-containing water is passed through at least the entire volume of the bathtub water circuit, the residual chlorine-containing water is retained in the water circuit for a certain period of time to purify the water with a greater temporal sterilization effect. be able to.

(Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, a means for purifying a bathtub water circuit in Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the same components as those in the related art are denoted by the same reference numerals and described.

In FIG. 1, bath water 1 is purified by bath water 1
When the circulating pump 5 is operated according to a signal from the control unit, the dirt components such as large dirt particles and hair inside pass through the adapter 3 attached to the bathtub 2 which is a water circuit, and are connected to the return pipe of the adapter 3. 4, circulation pump 5, switching valve A1
1. By switching the switching valve B12, the filter tank 6 was filled with the downward flow from the switching valve C13 of the upper going passage 15 of the filtration tank 6 through the heating source 9 passage or the bypass passage 16 for heating the bathtub water 1. The filtering material 7 filters and removes dirt components such as large dirt particles and hair. And purified bathtub water 1
Is the adapter 3 attached to the bathtub 2 through the switching valve D14.
The bathtub water 1 is continuously circulated and purified until the circulating pump 5 is stopped by a signal from the control unit, after returning to the bathtub 2 via the outgoing pipe 8 and the adapter 3 connected to the outgoing section.

The tubing water 1 is driven out manually by a circulating pump 5 according to a signal from the control unit, that is, by the bather's intention.
Is operated, the bath water 1 is circulated through a heating source 9 which is a heating means composed of heat of combustion of gas or the like, the combustion heat of the heating source 9 is absorbed, heat is exchanged, and the bath is heated to a high temperature. Hot water flows to the outlet of the adapter 3 attached to the bathtub 1, and the entire bathtub water 1 is heated until it reaches a set temperature,
At this time, various bacteria in the water circuit passage through which the high temperature water flows are sterilized and purified by high temperature.

In addition, the upper limit temperature (about 35 to 40 ° C.) and the lower limit temperature (about 30 to 40 ° C.) are automatically set, that is, by a signal of the control unit stored in the microcomputer in advance.
35 ° C) is automatically set to the upper limit set temperature (about 35 ° C).
~ 40 ℃), after heating, the lower limit set temperature (about 30 ~
By allowing the bather to stand naturally at 35 ° C. and repeating the operation, it is possible to shorten the time of manually heating to the bathing set temperature by the bather's intention and quickly raise the bathable temperature.
Especially in winter, if there is no upper limit set temperature and lower limit set temperature, if the bath is allowed to stand naturally until the next day's bathing zone (20 to 24 hours after bathing the previous day), the bathtub water temperature will drop to almost the atmospheric temperature level. Since it takes a very long time to heat and heat to the set temperature manually from the lowered temperature level, the problem can be solved by automatically controlling the temperature range. The circulation pump 5 is also operated during heating to the upper limit set temperature and naturally leaving at the lower limit set temperature,
Relatively large dirt components such as dirt and hair of the bathtub water 1 are filtered and purified by the filter material 7 filled in the filter tank 6.
When the circulation pump 5 is operated and the bathtub water is circulating, the dirt component is constantly continuously filtered and purified. In consideration of the clogging of the bathtub water 1 with a dirt component (relatively large scale particles, hair, etc.) at regular intervals, the circulation pump 5 is temporarily stopped automatically by the signal of the control unit stored in the microcomputer. By switching the switching valve B12, the heating source 9 for heating the bathtub water 1 or the bypass passage 1
6 and the switching valve C1
3 and the switching valve D14 are switched to the backwash drainage side. Then, the circulation pump 5 is operated again to use the bath water 1, and the switching valve B1 is used.
2, the lower backwashing passage 17, from the passage on the heating source 9 passage side or the bypass passage 16 side for heating the bathtub water 1;
After passing through the switching valve D14, the dirt component filtered and purified by the filter medium 7 filled in the filtration tank 6 in the upward flow is backwashed and washed, and the bathtub water 1 containing a large amount of the backwashed dirt component is supplied to the switching valve C13. Water is drained from the connected drain pipe 18 for a certain time or a certain amount.

When the bathtub water 1 in the bathtub 2 is drained for a certain period of time or by a certain amount, the circulating pump 5 is automatically stopped by the signal of the control unit stored in the microcomputer, and the water supply valve 19 is opened. By passing the residual chlorine-containing water for a fixed time or a fixed amount, the return water circuit passage including the circulation pump 5 and the return pipe 4, the switching valve B 12, the bypass passage 16, or the heating source 9 side to the upper access pipe 15. Water is passed through the single water circuit of the outgoing water circuit including the switching valve C13, the switching valve D14, and the outgoing pipe 9, or is repeatedly or simultaneously supplied to the combined water circuit of return and outgoing. By selecting a combination of water passages, the sediment, such as dirt, which is deposited on the unevenness part of the water circuit and becomes a nutrient source of various bacteria, is cleaned or reduced by the water-passing force, and is cleaned and purified. The residual chlorine residual chlorine-containing water,
It can be sterilized and purified.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show a flowchart and a timing chart, respectively, of a basic purification sequence of the water circuit described in detail above. First, a purification sequence will be described. A sequence No. that can be controlled by a wired or wireless connection with a control unit having a built-in microcomputer. When the operation switch of the remote controller 101 is turned on, the various switching valves 102 are switched to the circulation circuit side (to circulate from the return pipe 4 to the going pipe 8), and when the various switching valves are switched, the circulation pump 5 of 103 is turned on. When the circulation pump 5 of 103 is turned on, 109,
The timer A 117 (the same set time) starts counting.
It is checked whether the bathtub water 1 has reached the upper limit set temperature of 104, and if it is higher than the upper limit set temperature of 104, it is naturally left to reach the lower limit set temperature of 108. When the temperature is lower than the upper limit set temperature of 104, the heating source 9 of 105 is turned on and the bathtub water 1 is heated.
07 heating source 9 is turned off. Then, the bathtub water 1 is left as it is, and when the temperature reaches the lower limit set temperature of 108, the bathtub water 1 is again set to 105.
Is turned on, and the above operation is repeated.

On the other hand, circulation purification is performed until the set time of the timer A of 109 is reached, and when the set time is reached, the circulation pump 5 of 110 is turned off, and various switching valves of 111 are connected to the drain circuit side (filtering from the lower backwash passage 17 through the lower backwash passage 17). (To drain the water through the tank 6 to the drain pipe 18).
The circulation pump 5 is turned on, the drainage timer 113 starts counting, and the various dirt components that have been filtered and purified by the filter medium 7 of the filtration tank 6 are removed from the bathtub water 1 until the drainage timer 113 reaches the set time. Backwashing is performed in the upward flow, and the bathtub water 1 is drained. 1 when the set time is reached
The circulation pump 5 of 14 is turned off to stop drainage, and 115
The various switching valves are switched to the circulation circuit side with, the circulation pump 5 is turned on with 116 and the bath water 1 is set again in the circulation purification mode.
To purify the circulation. Then, the flow again shifts to timer A 109 (the timer is counting even in the drainage means), and the above operation is repeated.

Next, when the operation time of the drainage means of 110 to 116 within the set time of the timer A of 117 which is the same set time as the timer A of 109 is completed, the operation time of the drainage means of 110 to 116 is extended 118 Timer B starts counting. The timer B has a shorter set time than the timer A 117 and sets the timer time so that the timer B can be operated during the timer A 117. When the timer B of 118 reaches the set time, the circulation pump 5 of 119 is turned off, and the water supply valve 19 of 120 for supplying residual chlorine-containing water in advance.
Is turned on, the water passage timer 121 starts counting, and the water passage timer 121 cleans and purifies dirt components such as dirt deposited in the water circuit by the water force until the water passage timer reaches the set time. Due to residual chlorine in chlorine-containing water,
Sterilizes and purifies dirt components such as various bacteria. When the water flow timer of 121 reaches the set time, the circulation pump 5 of 122 is turned on.
Then, the bath water 1 is again circulated and purified by setting the circulation purification mode. Then, the flow again shifts to timer A 109 (the timer is counting even in the drainage means), and the above operation is repeated.

When the sweeping SW 124 is manually turned on during each of the above operations, it can be operated during the set time of the various timers A and B of 109, 117 and 118 where the circulating pump 5 is on. When the heating source 9 is turned on and the temperature of the bath water 1 is set to 126, the temperature of the
When the heating source 9 of 5 is continuously turned on and reaches the set temperature, 127
To turn off the heating source 9 to stop heating the bathtub water 2. At this time, high-temperature water flows from the outlet of the heating source 9 to the outward passage formed by the outlet of the adapter 3, and various bacteria are sterilized by high-temperature.
When the heating source 9 of 128 is turned off,
The turning SW of 8 is turned off.

Although not described in detail in the above embodiment, 124
The various timers continue to count while the turning SW 128 is turned off after the turning SW is manually turned on. Further, when the purging SW is manually turned on at 124, the bath tub water 1 is desired to be heated to the set temperature manually, that is, by the bather's intention.

Further, a manually set temperature and automatic bathtub water 1
Are different from each other. The set temperature range of the bathtub water 1 manually is generally a bathable temperature of about 37 to 48 ° C,
The automatic set temperature range for keeping the temperature of the bathtub water 1 automatically, that is, the upper limit set temperature and the upper limit set temperature, are basically automatic during the non-bathing time zone and are automatically set during the time when there is no intention to take a bath. The set temperature may be lower than the set temperature range of the bath water 1 in the above, and is preferably about 30 to 40 ° C. This is because it is not necessary to raise the set temperature much at least because the purpose of high-temperature sterilization purification is the at least the outgoing passage from the outlet of the heating source 9 of the water circuit to the outlet of the adapter 3. It is not preferable because a problem occurs in durability and the like. When the upper limit set temperature of the heating water according to the type of the heating source 9 is estimated, for example, an electric heater (1 KW = 860)
kcal / hr), a thermal efficiency of about 9
0%, circulation flow rate 6 l / min, set temperature 45 ° C. When the boiling water is heated, the temperature of the heated water in the outgoing passage is: 860 kcal / hr × 0.9 / 6 l / min / 60 min = 2.
2 deg The heating water temperature of the outgoing passage is 45 ° C. + 2.2 deg = 4
The temperature is 7.2 ° C., and no high-temperature sterilization / purification effect can be expected. On the other hand, gas combustion (12000 kc
al / hour), the heat efficiency is about 75%, the circulation flow rate is 6 l / min, and the temperature of the water in the outgoing passage at the time of boiling up to 42 ° C. is set manually. 12000 kcal / hour × 0.75 / 6 l / min / 60 minutes = 25 deg. The temperature of the heated water in the outgoing passage is 42 ° C. + 25 deg = 67 ° C.
Thus, the high temperature sterilization and purification effect is great. On the other hand, the heating water temperature in the outgoing passage when boiling at the upper limit set temperature of 35 ° C. during heat insulation is: 12000 kcal / hour × 0.75 / 6 l / min / 60 minutes = 25 deg. The heating water water temperature in the outgoing passage is 35 ° C. + 25 deg. = 60 ° C
Thus, the high temperature sterilization and purification effect can be expected sufficiently even with the heating operation during the heat retention. As such a high-capacity heating source 9, it is desirable to use gas or oil.

Next, the automatic timer will be described. The automatic timer automatically performs the drainage and water-passing operations, preferably at least once a day (24 hours), preferably every 4 to 18 hours, that is, about 2 to 4 times a day. Is preferably performed. The automatic timer within 4 hours is effective for the purification effect (cleaning and sterilization purification), but since the amount of drainage and water flow increases and the number of times of heating during warming increases, considering resource saving and energy saving. Not preferred. On the other hand, with an automatic timer of 18 hours or more, the possibility of overlapping with the bathing time zone is large, and the bathtub water decreases during bathing, or when cold water (water temperature at the atmospheric level) flows, for example, cold water flows into the bathtub water. It is also important to set the time of the automatic timer in consideration of drawbacks such as a poor bathing feeling and a slightly inferior purification effect due to the outflow.

Next, the drainage timer set time and the water flow timer set time will be described. The drainage timer needs to be determined according to the capacity of the circulating pump 5 and the clogging state of the filter medium 7 in the filtration tank 6. However, if the timer time is lengthened, the drainage amount of the bathtub water 1 increases, thereby saving water resources. The amount of drainage of the bathtub water 1 is about 5 to 10% of the amount of bathtub water 1
A degree is desirable. That is, the amount of bathtub water is 150-200.
If l, the timer set time is determined by the capacity of the circulation pump 5 for draining 7.5 to 20 l. On the other hand, the water flow timer setting time is required to be determined by at least the amount of water flowing through the entire capacity of the water circuit as the water flow amount, that is, the water flow pressure and the resistance of the water circuit. Since the amount of water injected into the water 1 increases and overflows from the bathtub 2, it is preferable that the water flow through the entire capacity of the water circuit be substantially the same as the drainage amount. Due to residual chlorine-containing water passing through,
Considering that the bathtub water 1 is sterilized and purified, it is desirable to set the water passage timer to about 5 to 20% of the bathtub water 1 amount. By setting a large amount of water flow with respect to the amount of drainage, the bathtub water 1 is used not only for the water circuit but also for the residual chlorine-containing water (1/10 to 1/5 of the residual chlorine containing water.
Low concentration) enables sterilization and purification. Although not described in detail in the present embodiment, a method of controlling the drainage timer set time, the drainage timer set time, the drainage amount and the drainage amount together is also possible and is within the scope of the present invention.

Next, a means for passing water from a water supply unit provided in a part of the water circuit will be described in detail. (1) Outgoing circulating water circuit, (2) Return circulating water circuit, (3) Outgoing and returning circulating water circuit, or (4) Returning and going By passing residual chlorine-containing water through the water circuit, either as single water, combined water, or combined water, or combined water with the combined water, the dirt that is a nutrient source for various bacteria in the whole water circuit In addition to intensively cleaning and purifying the accumulation, intensive sterilization and purification of various bacteria by residual chlorine can be more reliably purified.

Next, the residual chlorine-containing water will be described in detail.
The residual chlorine-containing water is fresh water containing 0.1 ppm or more of residual chlorine, in which chlorine gas is dissolved, and sodium hypochlorite is dissolved, and the concentration is separately controlled. As means for separately controlling the concentration, the concentration is controlled by injecting a fixed amount of chlorine gas-dissolved water or high residual chlorine concentration water such as sodium hypochlorite water into the water supply using a constant-rate pump or the like. The residual chlorine concentration of the feed water is 0.1 p
However, copper and copper alloy, NBR and EPDM rubber, PP and POM resin, and the like are generally used as the material of the components of the water circuit, and 10 ppm or less is desirable in view of the durability of these materials. In addition, in order to make the disinfection effect effective in a short time, and considering the durability of the component materials, the residual chlorine concentration of the preferable residual chlorine-containing water is:
0.3 to 5 ppm.

FIG. 4 shows a water circuit configuration and a purification determination plate configuration for determining the purification effect of the present invention and the conventional method.
(A) is a configuration diagram of a water circuit, in which a purification determination plate unit 20,
Reference numeral 21 denotes a return pipe 4 and a forward pipe 8 connected to the adapter 3 respectively. (B) is a purification determination plate unit 2.
FIG. 2C is a top view showing the configuration of the purification determination plate portion 2.
FIG.
(A white resin plate having a width of 10 mm and a thickness of 1 mm) is attached to the water passage portions of the return pipe 4 and the outgoing pipe 8 via a sealing jig.

Table 1 uses the water circuit configuration detailed in FIG.
It shows the purification effect of the present invention and the conventional method. As detailed conditions and evaluations not described in the table, bathing conditions: bathing temperature 42 ° C./manual heating (4 times), purification conditions:
The residual chlorine concentration of residual chlorine-containing water when passing water is 0.5 to 1
ppm, (1) drainage timer 30 seconds (discharge amount: 10 l),
(2) Water flow timer: 60 seconds (water flow: 10 l), (3)
Timer A: 6 hours, (4) Timer B: 5 minutes, (5) Upper limit set temperature: 35 ° C., lower limit set temperature: 30 ° C., Evaluation: Evaluation index in Table 2 (Stain index: 5-grade evaluation: color change = dirt) And dirt accumulation were evaluated by visual evaluation).

[0032]

[Table 1]

[0033]

[Table 2]

As is apparent from Table 1, heating to the upper limit set temperature, natural leaving means to the lower limit set temperature, drainage means,
By repeatedly controlling the residual chlorine-containing water passage means, dirt components (dirt) that easily accumulate in the water circuit can be reduced. In addition, generally-known scale (thing in which various kinds of bacteria are abnormally grown by using scale as a nutrient source) is likely to be generated at an evaluation index of 4 levels, and the evaluation index of the return pipe of the conventional method is 4 levels.
In the said scale was generated, although small, by passing the residual chlorine-containing water of the present invention,
It can suppress the growth of various bacteria and keep the water circuit clean.

(Embodiment 2) Purification of the bathtub water circuit according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described based on the heat retention, drainage, and water passage modes shown in FIG.

In FIG. 5, the natural leaving of the circulation pump 5 in the automatic sequence 131 from ON to the lower limit set temperature of 136 by the signal of the control unit is from 103 to 108 in the first embodiment.
Since the operation is the same as that described above, the description is omitted. 137 timer A
Starts counting and circulates and purifies the bathtub water 2 until the timer A of 137 reaches the set time.
The circulation pump 5 is turned off, and the various switching valves 139 are connected to the drain circuit side (from the lower backwash passage 17 through the filtration tank 6 to the drain pipe 1).
8), and when the various switching valves are switched, the circulation pump 5 of 140 is turned on, the drainage timer of 141 starts counting, and the drainage purification is performed until the drainage timer of 141 reaches the set time, that is, filtration. Filter media 7 in tank 6
The various dirt components that have been filtered and purified are backwashed and washed in the upward direction using the bathtub water 1 and the bathtub water 1 is drained. When the set time is reached, the circulation pump 5 of 142 is turned off to stop drainage, and various switching valves of 143 are switched to the circulation circuit side (to circulate from the return pipe 4 to the going pipe 8), and when the various switching valves are switched. Then, the 144 water supply valve 19 for supplying the residual chlorine-containing water in advance is turned on, the 145 water flow timer starts counting, and the 145 water flow timer reaches the set time, purifying water, that is, accumulating in the water circuit. Dirt components such as dirt are washed and purified by hydraulic power, and dirt components such as various bacteria are sterilized and purified by residual chlorine containing water containing residual chlorine. 14
5 reaches the set time, the water supply valve 19 of 146 is turned off, the circulation pump 5 of 147 is turned on again,
The above operation is repeated every set time of the timer A. At this time, the detailed conditions of the drainage timer and the water passage timer are the same as those described in the first embodiment, and thus the description is omitted. By using a means for passing water after drainage, which is described in detail in Examples, the temperature range of 35 to 37 ° C., which is the upper limit set temperature range, is an environmental temperature at which various kinds of bacteria easily grow. By reducing the amount of water in 1 and lowering the temperature of the bathtub water 1 more quickly with the amount of water to be passed next, the growth of various bacteria can be reduced. In addition, since the residual chlorine concentration in the bathtub water 1 is maintained at a slightly high level, the decomposition of residual chlorine is reduced and the growth of various bacteria in the bathtub water 1 can be reduced or sterilized.

(Embodiment 3) As means for purifying the water circuit of the bathtub water according to the third embodiment of the present invention, a means for passing residual chlorine-containing water from the water circuit to the bathtub water will be described. Further, the water circuit for passing the residual chlorine-containing water into the bathtub water 1 includes (a) a return pipe passage in which the switching valve 12 is connected to the heating source 9 passage side and the bypass passage 16.
When the water supply valve 19 is turned on, the water is supplied to the bathtub water 2 through the switching valve 11, the circulation pump 5, the return pipe 4, and the return path of the adapter 3, and (b) the forward pipe path When the switching valve 11 is switched so as not to flow to the (a) return pipe passage side and the water supply valve 19 is turned on, the switching valve 12 is switched on.
The heat source 9 or the bypass passage 16, the upper passage 15, the switching valve 13, the filtration tank 6, the switching valve 14, the passage pipe 8, the passage of the adapter 3, and two passages for supplying to the bathtub water 1. And means for passing residual chlorine-containing water to the bathtub water 2 include (1) (a) a return pipe passage,
(2) (b) Individual water flow through the passage pipe passage, (3) (a)
Water is repeatedly passed through the return pipe passage and (b) the outgoing pipe passage, (4)
(1) (a) return pipe passage; and (4) (a), in addition to the means for simultaneously passing water through the return pipe passage and the outgoing pipe passage.
This is a combined water passage means such as simultaneous water passage through the return pipe passage and (b) the outgoing pipe passage.

In the water passage means, (b) the heating source 9 in the passage pipe passage, the outlet from the heating source 9 to the upper passage 15 and the switching valve 1
3, the filtration tank 6, the switching valve 14, the outgoing pipe 8, and the outgoing passage of the adapter 3 are manually and automatically heated by the heating source 9,
Since high-temperature water flows, high-temperature sterilization and purification are performed at regular intervals. At this time, by flowing high-temperature water, dirt and the like that easily accumulate particularly on the concavo-convex components of each connection of the water circuit is reduced in adhesion by the high-temperature water, and can be washed or reduced by water-passing power, so that cleaning and purification can be performed. Has a synergistic effect with high-temperature sterilization purification. On the other hand, (b) since high-temperature water does not flow in the bypass passage 16 of the outgoing pipe passage, in this embodiment, the outgoing circulation circuit of the water circuit is provided on the bypass passage 16 side having less water flow resistance than the heating source 9 passage side. Since the capacity of the circulating pump 5 can be utilized more, when passing residual chlorine-containing water, it can be sterilized and purified by flowing the water to the bypass passage 16 side. On the other hand, (a) the return pipe passage is apt to accumulate dirt and the like on the concavo-convex configuration portion of each connection of the water circuit. Wash or reduce with water power, wash and purify, and sterilize and purify from residual chlorine in residual chlorine-containing water. (3) (a) As a water-passing means that makes sterilization and purification by residual chlorine containing water containing residual chlorine more effective,
Desirably, water is repeatedly passed through the return pipe passage and (b) the outgoing pipe passage or (4) water is simultaneously passed through the (a) return pipe passage and (b) the outgoing pipe passage. As described in detail above, it is preferable to pass the residual chlorine-containing water at least through the (a) return pipe passage of the water circuit that cannot be subjected to high-temperature sterilization.

(Embodiment 4) Purification of a bathtub water circuit according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention will be described based on the simultaneous water passage and residence mode shown in FIG.

In FIG. 6, the circulation pump 5 is turned off and stopped by a signal from the control unit (hereinafter the sequence number is omitted), the water supply valve 19 for supplying the residual chlorine-containing water is turned on in advance, and the water flow timer is counted. In the water circuit described in detail in the third embodiment, the set time is set to be equal to or more than the total capacity of (a) the return pipe passage and (b) the outgoing pipe passage of (4), and water is simultaneously passed until the set time is reached. When the set time is reached, the water supply valve 19
To turn off the water. And the water supply valve 19 is OF
When F, the retention timer starts counting, and the residual chlorine-containing water is retained in the water circuit through which the residual chlorine-containing water has passed until the set time is reached. By this retention time, various bacteria in the water circuit can be brought into contact with the residual chlorine-containing water, and the sterilizing and purifying effect can be increased and ensured.

Next, the retention time of the retention timer is determined by the residual chlorine concentration of the residual chlorine-containing water. Although the bactericidal concentration and time are different depending on various bacteria, in general, when the residual chlorine concentration is low, the setting time is long, and when the residual chlorine concentration is high, the setting time is short,
FIG. 7 shows the results of the sterilization evaluation performed by the present inventors. The sterilization evaluation conditions in FIG. 7 are as follows: sampled volume: 500 ml, water temperature:
20 ° C, initial general bacterial count: 5,000,000 cells / m
l, Residual chlorine concentration: Tested under various conditions of 0, 0.1, 0.5 and 2 ppm.

As shown in FIG. 7, the residence time for reducing the number of general bacteria to 100 cells / ml or less based on tap water is as follows:
Low residual chlorine concentration of water containing residual chlorine is about 1 at 0.1 ppm
5 minutes, 0.5 ppm at about 5 minutes, and 2 ppm at about 2 minutes. Therefore, the preferred residence time depends on the residual chlorine concentration, but is at least 15 minutes.

(Embodiment 5) Purification of a water circuit of bathtub water according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 8, when the circulation pump 5 is turned off and stopped by a signal from the control unit, the heating source 10 of the hot water supply water circuit is turned on, the water supply valve 19 is turned on, and the residual water for supplying water to a preset high set temperature is set. At the same time as the chlorine-containing water is heated, the water-flow timer starts counting and reaches the water circuit, that is, (a) the return pipe passage and (b) the set-out pipe passage of (4) described in detail in the fourth embodiment. High-temperature water is passed simultaneously. When the set time is reached, the heating source 10 is turned off,
When the water supply valve 19 is turned off, and the water supply valve 19 is turned off, the retention timer starts counting, and the residual chlorine-containing water is retained in the water circuit through which the residual chlorine-containing water flows until the set time is reached. While reducing the adhesion of the scale deposited on the water circuit by the retention time and the retained hot water,
Various bacteria are brought into contact with the residual chlorine-containing water, so that the sterilizing and purifying effect can be increased and ensured. Further, since the heating water is high-temperature water, various bacteria can be more reliably sterilized and purified by the synergistic effect of high-temperature sterilization and residual chlorine sterilization. Although not described in detail in the embodiment, the durability of the components of the water circuit and burns can be increased by repeatedly passing cold water (water temperature at an atmospheric temperature level) for a certain period of time, particularly after passing high-temperature water. The cooling is carried out in consideration of the prevention and the like.

Next, high-temperature sterilization is to sterilize various bacteria utilizing the property that they are susceptible to high temperatures. Although the high-temperature sterilization temperature and time are different depending on various bacteria, generally, when the temperature is relatively low, the holding time is long, and when the temperature is high, a short holding time is sufficient. FIG. 9 shows the results of the high-temperature sterilization evaluation performed by the present inventors. The high-temperature sterilization evaluation conditions shown in FIG.
00 / ml was placed in a beaker, and a thermocouple was immersed in the test water and heated in a microwave oven. Water temperature: 50, 55,
The test was performed at 60, 65, and 70 ° C. The heating temperature was the maximum temperature at which the temperature rose, with a tolerance of 2 deg or less, and was maintained in a constant temperature water bath during the holding time. Further, the holding time is the time after the temperature reaches the maximum temperature and reaches a tolerance of 2 deg or less.

As shown in FIG. 9, the heating temperature for reducing the number of general bacteria to 100 or less, which is the standard of tap water, is as follows:
5 minutes or more at 55 ° C. or more is required. At 60 ° C,
When the temperature reaches 60 ° C., almost 100% high-temperature sterilization and purification can be performed.

(Embodiment 6) Purification of a water circuit of bathtub water according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 10, the water supply valve 19 is turned on in response to a signal from the control unit, and tap water used in ordinary households is set as the residual chlorine-containing water for a set time or a fixed amount.
By simultaneously passing water through the return and outgoing water circuit of (2) described in detail above, purification with excellent convenience and economic efficiency can be performed.

[0049]

As described above, the method of purifying a bathtub water circuit according to the present invention uses the water circuit comprising an adapter, a return pipe, a circulating pump, a heating source, a filtration tank, a going pipe and an adapter. A means for manually heating bath water by a source to a set temperature and a means for automatically heating a temperature range having an upper set temperature and a lower set temperature during natural standing, for a fixed time or a fixed amount at fixed time intervals, By providing a means for passing residual chlorine-containing water to drain water and bathtub water, high-temperature water flows from the outlet of the heating source to the outlet of the adapter attached to the bathtub by manual heating and automatic heating, and various kinds of water in the water circuit passage Bacteria can be sterilized by high temperature, and the water circuit can always be kept clean. In addition, during natural leaving for a certain period of time or by a certain amount at regular intervals, dirt and various bacteria that are dirt components of the drainage passage of the water circuit are automatically drained and purified, and furthermore, residual chlorine-containing water is passed through. By cleaning and purifying the dirt components such as various kinds of bacteria and the residual chlorine disinfection and purification, the water circuit can always be kept clean. And, by keeping the water circuit clean and clean at all times, a plurality of people can continuously take a bath or use the bathtub water continuously.

Further, in addition to the means for automatically heating the temperature range provided with the upper limit set temperature and the lower limit set temperature, the bath tub water drainage means is automatically set at least once a day for a fixed time or a fixed amount at regular intervals. The order of the means for automatically passing the residual chlorine-containing water to the bathtub water for a predetermined time or a fixed amount at regular time intervals is as follows. By cleaning and purifying the dirt component with the water-passing power and purifying the residual chlorine by sterilization, the water circuit can be kept more and more always clean.

In addition, any one of the following types of water can be passed through the outgoing pipe, the return pipe, the outgoing pipe and the return pipe repeatedly, the outgoing pipe and the return pipe at the same time, or a combination of a single water and a combined water. By the water means, the water circuit can be intensively or reliably purified.

Further, the residual chlorine-containing water is allowed to stay for at least a certain period of time after passing the residual chlorine-containing water through at least the entire volume of the bathtub water circuit, so that the water circuit can be further sterilized and purified, thereby purifying the water circuit. it can.

Further, by repeatedly passing cold water and hot water, it is possible to further reduce the accumulation of dirt, which is a nutrient source of various bacteria, which easily accumulates on the concavo-convex structure at the connection part of the water circuit, and suppress the growth of various bacteria. Can be. Further, by passing the water at a high temperature under heating, the sterilization can be performed more reliably by the synergistic effect of the high temperature sterilization and the residual chlorine-containing water.

Further, by passing tap water as residual chlorine-containing water, purification can be performed with excellent convenience and economy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a water circuit of a bathtub apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a basic purification sequence of the bathtub apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing a basic purification sequence of the bathtub apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4A is a configuration diagram of a comparative test water circuit according to the first embodiment of the present invention and a conventional method. FIG. 4B is a top view of a purification plate portion of the comparative test water circuit. Cross section of plate

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a heat retention, drainage, and water passage mode of the bathtub apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6A is a configuration diagram of a water circuit of a bathtub apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6B is a flowchart showing a simultaneous water flow and retention mode of the water circuit.

FIG. 7A is a diagram showing the sterilization evaluation effect of the bathtub apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7B is a diagram showing the same sterilization evaluation effect.

8A is a configuration diagram of a water circuit of a bathtub apparatus according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention. FIG. 8B is a flowchart showing a high-temperature residence mode of the water circuit.

FIG. 9 (a) is a diagram showing a high-temperature sterilization evaluation effect of the bathtub apparatus according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. (B) A diagram showing the same high-temperature sterilization evaluation effect.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a water circuit of a bathtub apparatus according to Embodiment 7 of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a water circuit of a conventional bathtub apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bath water 3 Adapter 4 Return pipe 5 Circulation pump 6 Filtration tank 7 Filtration material 8 Outgoing pipe 9 Heat source 10 Heat source 11 Switching valve A 12 Switching valve B 13 Switching valve C 14 Switching valve D 15 Upper going passage 16 Bypass passage 17 Lower backwash passage 18 Drainage pipe 19 Water supply pipe 20, 21 Purification determination plate section 22 Purification determination plate

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI C02F 1/50 540 C02F 1/50 540B 550 550H 560 560A 560Z 1/76 1/76 A F24H 1/00 302 F24H 1/00 602A (72) Inventor Tetsuro Aoki 1006 Kadoma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Inside Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Tatsushi Iwamoto 1006 Odaka Kadoma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Inside Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A circulating pump provided in a part of a water circuit for circulating bath water, a filtration tank for filtering the bath water, an adapter for connecting the bath tub and the water circuit, and a residual chlorine-containing water in the water circuit. A water supply unit for supplying water every time, a heating means for heating at least one of the residual chlorine-containing water or bath water supplied from the water supply unit, and an upper limit set temperature and a lower limit set temperature when the bath water is left naturally. A bathtub device provided with automatic heating means for automatically heating to a predetermined temperature range, and drainage means for automatically draining bathtub water via a water circuit at predetermined time intervals. 2. After heating to an upper limit set temperature at least once a day by an automatic heating means or allowing it to stand naturally at a lower limit set temperature, drain water is drained by a drain means, and the water supply section contains residual chlorine in the bath tub via a water circuit. Claim 1 which supplies water
Bathtub device as described. 3. A switching valve for switching a water supply direction from a water supply unit to a water circuit, wherein the switching valve is switched to a return side or a forward side when water containing residual chlorine is supplied from the water supply unit to the water circuit. The bathtub apparatus according to 2. 4. After the residual chlorine-containing water supplied from the water supply section reaches the circulation adapter via the water circuit, the water supply is stopped, and the residual chlorine-containing water is retained in the water circuit for a certain period of time. 4. The bathtub apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 5. The bathtub apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a heating means for heating the residual chlorine-containing water. 6. The bathtub apparatus according to claim 4, wherein after the residual chlorine-containing water heated by the heating means is supplied to the water circuit, the residual chlorine-containing water not heated by the heating means is supplied to the water circuit. 7. The bathtub apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the temperature containing residual chlorine heated by the heating means is 55 ° C. or higher. 8. The bathtub apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the residual chlorine-containing water supplied from the water supply section is used as tap water.