JPH1118169A - System controller for hot water supply equipment and hot water supply system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system controller for hot water supply, in which hot water supply devices are extended simply and the hot water supply system where hot water supply devices are easily extended, without replacing the system controller. SOLUTION: Each of system controllers 20a-20c is provided with a connector 23 used to connect to a remote controller 21 or a host system controller and plural connectors 27-29 for connecting to a hot water supply device or a subordinate system controller, and also with a setting switch to set whether a device connecting to each of the connectors 27-29 is a system controller or a hot water supply device. Thus, system controllers are connected hierarchically by interconnecting connectors 27, 28 of a host system controller with a connector 23 of a subordinate system controller with a cable and a large number of hot water supply devices are extended to the subordinate system controllers.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a water heater control system controller and a water heater system. More specifically, for example, the present invention relates to a parallel type water heater system and a system controller used for the system.

[0002]

[Prior art]

(Parallel water heater system) FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration diagram of a parallel water heater system. In this parallel type water heater system 1, three branch pipes 5 are provided between a water inlet pipe 2 having a pipe end connected to city water or the like and a hot water pipe 3 provided with a curan 4 at the pipe end.
a, 5b, and 5c are connected in parallel.
Water heaters K1, K2, K3 are provided in the middle of a, 5b, 5c.

FIG. 2 shows each of these water heaters K1, K2, K3.
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the configuration of FIG. That is, each branch pipe 5
The heat exchanger 6 is provided in the middle of a, 5b, 5c,
The heat exchanger 6 is heated by a burner 7, and the combustion power of the burner 7 is controlled by a proportional control valve 9 provided in a gas passage 8. Further, a frame rod 10 for detecting the flame of the burner 7 is provided near the burner 7. In each of the branch pipes 5a, 5b, 5c, a bypass pipe 11 is provided between the heat exchanger inlet side and the heat exchanger outlet side so as to bypass the heat exchanger 6. The bypass pipe 11 is provided with a bypass flow rate control valve 12 and a bypass flow rate sensor 13 for detecting a bypass side flow rate Qb. Between the branch points of the branch pipes 5a, 5b, 5c with the bypass pipe 11 and the inlet side of the heat exchanger, a can body side flow sensor 14 for detecting a can body side flow rate Qk and an incoming water temperature for detecting an incoming water temperature Tc. A sensor 15 is provided, and a tapping temperature for detecting a temperature Th of the tapping water from the heat exchanger 6 is provided between the outlet of the heat exchanger of the branch pipes 5a, 5b, 5c and the junction with the bypass pipe 11. A sensor 16 and flow path opening / closing valves 17a, 17b, 17c are provided, and a mixing temperature sensor 18 is provided downstream of the junction of the branch pipes 5a, 5b, 5c with the bypass pipe 11.

[0004] Water heaters K1, K2, K3 are provided with main body controllers 19a, 19 each having a microcomputer.
9b and 19c are built in, and the bypass flow sensor 1
3. The detection signals of the can body side flow sensor 14, the incoming water temperature sensor 15, the outgoing water temperature sensor 16, the mixing temperature sensor 18 and the flame confirmation signal of the frame rod 10 are input to the main controller 19a, 19b, 19c. The controllers 19a, 19b, and 19c control the proportional control valve 9 and the bypass flow control valve 12 of each of the water heaters K1, K2, and K3 in accordance with the detected values, and control the temperature of the hot water discharged to the tapping pipe 3. .

There are various methods for controlling the hot water flowing out of the hot water pipe 3. For example, the following feed forward control (FF control) and feedback control (F
B control). In this method, when the set temperature Ts is set by the remote controller 21,
The main body controllers 19a, 19b and 19c determine the set temperature Ts from the value (fixed value) of the flow ratio Qk / Qb (flow distribution ratio) between the heat exchanger and the bypass pipe 11 and the set temperature Ts.
A temporary set temperature Tgs higher than that (a value calculated to become the set temperature Ts when mixed with water that has passed through the bypass pipe 11) is obtained, and hot water at the temporary set temperature Tgs is discharged from the heat exchanger 6. The detection value Qk of the can body side flow sensor 14
In addition, the proportional control valve 9 is feedforward controlled in accordance with the detection value Tc of the incoming water temperature sensor 15. Further, the main body controllers 19a, 19b and 19c monitor the mixing temperature Tm between the hot water discharged from the heat exchanger 6 and the water passing through the bypass pipe 11 by the mixing temperature sensor 18, and determine the mixing temperature Tm and the set temperature Ts. Deviation (Tm
The bypass flow rate control valve 12 is moved according to −Ts), and the bypass flow rate Qb is feedback-controlled so that hot water having the set temperature Ts flows out to the tapping pipe 3.

The main body controllers 19a, 19a,
19b and 19c are under the control of the system controller 20. That is, each of the main body controllers 19a, 19b,
From 19c to the system controller 20, each water heater K
Signals indicating the combustion powers PK1, PK2, and PK3 of the water heaters K1, K2, and K3 and a check signal indicating whether each of the water heaters K1, K2, and K3 are in a combustion state are sent. K1, K2, K3 flow path on-off valves 17a, 17b,
17c is controlled to open and close by a system controller 20, and the system controller 20 opens and closes each of the flow path opening / closing valves 17a, 17b, 17c by a signal sent from each of the main body controllers 19a, 19b, 19c, thereby opening each water heater K1. , K2 and K3 are burned or stopped to control the number of water heaters operated. A set temperature Ts and the like can be input from a remote controller 21 connected to the system controller 20.

The main body controllers 19a, 19
b, 19c, any method may be used to determine whether or not the water heaters K1, K2, K3 are in a combustion state, but the can body side flow rate Qk which is equal to or higher than the minimum operating flow rate (MOQ). Temperature Th of the heat exchanger 6 despite the presence of
Is equal to the incoming water temperature Tc, or when no flame is detected by the flame rod 10, it can be determined that there is no combustion.

(Connection Between System Controller and Water Heater in Conventional Example) FIG. 3 shows a system controller 20 and water heaters K1, K2 and K1 in a conventional parallel type water heater system.
It is a figure which shows the connection structure with K3. In the system controller 20 used in the conventional parallel type water heater system, connection connectors 23 to 26 are provided,
The remote controller 21 is connected to the connector 23 via a cable CL, and the connectors 24, 25, and 2 are connected.
6 is connected to a required number of water heaters K1, K2, K3 via cables C1, C2, C3.

[0009]

However, in the conventional system controller, only a fixed number of connectors for connecting the water heater are provided, so that the connector for connecting the water heater is used up. If so, it is not possible to connect a water heater any further, and it is not possible to add a water heater to the parallel-type water heater system, and there is a problem that the expandability of the system is low.

[0010] Therefore, if you try to add a water heater,
It was necessary to replace the system controller with a connector with a large number of connectors, which required construction time and cost.

[0011] Also, in order to cope with various numbers of water heaters to be connected, a contractor also needs to stock many types of system controllers having various numbers of connector ports, which occupies a stock space. Was.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and has as its object to provide a system controller for controlling a water heater which can easily add a water heater, and a system. An object of the present invention is to provide a highly scalable water heater system capable of easily adding a water heater without replacing a controller.

[0013]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION A system controller for controlling a water heater according to the present invention is a system controller for controlling a connected water heater, and a connecting portion for connecting the water heater or a lower system controller. Means for determining whether the device connected to the connection unit is a water heater or another system controller. Further, the system controller may include a connection unit for connecting a remote controller or a higher-level system controller.

Here, the upper or lower system controller refers to a connection relationship, and may be the same type of system controller or different system controllers.

Also, whether the connected equipment is a water heater,
The method of inputting which is the means for determining whether the system controller is another system controller may be mechanical, electrical, or software.

Further, in the water heater system of the present invention, a plurality of water heaters or other system controllers can be selectively connected below the system controller, and at least one water heater is connected to the terminal system controller. And
The upper system controller communicates with the water heater via the lower system controller.

However, in the system controller or the water heater system of the present invention, another system controller can be connected under the system controller. By connecting a suitable system controller and a plurality of water heaters below it, it is possible to increase the number of water heaters without wasting the existing system controller and without limiting the number of water heaters. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to remove the existing system controller, it is possible to simplify the work of adding a water heater.

Further, the cost can be reduced because the conventional system controller can be used as it is. Furthermore, the number of system controller models can be reduced, which is advantageous in terms of cost and inventory space.

In the system controller, if a remote controller or a higher-level system controller can be connected to the same connection portion and shared, the number of terminals can be reduced, wiring errors are reduced, and the cost is reduced. become.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A parallel water heater system according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The overall configuration of the parallel-type water heater system is as described in FIGS. 1 and 2, and thus will not be described again here.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a connection structure between a system controller and a water heater in the parallel-type water heater system of the present invention,
The features of the present invention have been described.

The system controller 20 according to the present invention
Each of a, 20b, and 20c includes a connector 23 for connecting a remote controller 21 or a higher-level system controller, and a plurality of connectors 27, 28, and 29 for connecting a water heater or a lower-level system controller. A setting switch such as a jumper switch or a dip switch for setting whether the device connected to each of the connectors 27, 28, and 29 is a system controller or a water heater is provided.

These system controllers 20a, 20
0b and 20c are of the same model, and any of them may be arranged at the top and any may be arranged at the bottom. And
When connected to the remote controller 21, communication such as operation on / off, set temperature, and error information is performed with the remote controller 21. The system controllers 20a, 20b, and 20c connected to each other perform communication such as operation on / off, hot water supply capacity, and error information. System controller 2 connected to water heater
0a, 20b, 20c are between the operation on /
Communication such as OFF, hot water supply capacity, and error information is performed. The communication method between the remote controller 21 and the system controllers 20a, 20b, 20c and the communication method between the system controllers 20a, 20b, 20c and the water heater use the same method.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, three water heaters K are used by using one system controller 20a (20).
To construct a parallel-type water heater system using K1, K2 and K3, although not shown, the system controller 2
0a, the remote controller 21 is connected to the connector 23 via the cable CL, and the cables C1, C2, C
3 to each connector 27, 28, 29
1, K2, K3, and setting switches 30, 31, 3
2 may be set on the water heater setting side.

When it is desired to add a water heater, it is possible to add a water heater to the parallel-type water heater system by adding the system controller and the water heater using the original system controller 20a as it is. For example, a case will be described in which four hot water heaters are added to form a parallel hot water heater system including seven hot water heaters. In this case, 2
It is necessary to increase the number of system controllers 20 at the same time.

For this purpose, four water heaters K22, K2
3, K32, K33 and two system controllers 20
After the b and 20c are newly installed, the existing water heaters K2 and K3 are disconnected from the connection connectors 28 and 29 of the existing system controller 20a, and the existing system controller 2 is removed.
0a is set as the higher rank, and the newly installed system controller 20b,
20c as the lower order, and the upper system controller 20a
Are connected to the connection connectors 23 of the lower system controllers 20b and 20c by cables C4 and C5. Further, the setting switches 31, 32 corresponding to the connection ports 28, 29 of the upper system controller 20a are switched from the hot water supply device setting side to the remote controller setting side. Next, the connectors 27, 28, and 29 of the lower system controller 20b are connected.
The existing water heater K2 and the newly installed water heaters K22, K23 are connected to the water heater via cables C2, C22, C23, and the setting switches 30, 31, 32 are set to the water heater setting side. Similarly, the cables C3, C32, and C32 are connected to the connectors 27, 28, and 29 of the lower system controller 20c.
Existing water heater K3 and new water heater K3 via C33
2, K33, and each setting switch 30, 31, 32
Set to the water heater setting side.

The upper system controller 2
0a is each system controller 20a, 20b, 20c
Of each of the system controllers 20a to 20c and each of the water heaters K1 to K in accordance with the setting of each of the setting switches 30, 31, and 32.
3. Recognize the hierarchical structure of K22 to K23 and K32 to K33 and control the signal flow. For example, when sending a control signal transmitted from the remote controller 21 to the water heater K32, the remote controller 21
Is recognized as "the second water heater K32 under the third system controller 20c under the system controller 20a", the control signal is transferred from the system controller 20a to the system controller 20c, and the water heater K32 is further transmitted from the system controller 20c. Transfer the control signal to Water heater K32 that has received the control signal performs an operation according to the content of the control signal.

Also, in FIG.
Although it is configured in a hierarchy, it goes without saying that it can be configured in three or more layers according to the number of connected water heaters. For example, 11 water heaters K11 to K13, K22 to K23,
When connecting K31 to K33 and K41 to K43,
As shown in FIG. 5, five system controllers 20a to 20a
20e is connected to three levels, and water heaters K11 to K1
3, K22 to K23, K31 to K33, and K41 to K may be connected.

In the present invention, a system controller connected to a remote controller is connected to another system controller on the other hand, and communication can be performed between them. Can be increased indefinitely. In addition, since the number of connected systems and the number of connected systems can be increased, the durability of the entire system is improved in the control in which the operation of each water heater is rotated. Further, even if there is a partial system failure, the entire system can be operated, thereby improving the reliability of the entire system.
Furthermore, by making the communication system between the remote controller and the system controller and the communication system between the system controller and the water heater the same, the system can be expanded by connecting a plurality of one type of system controller. Is not complicated, and is excellent in development man-hours and maintainability.

Although not provided in the system controllers 20a, 20b and 20c shown in FIG.
Or a setting switch for setting whether the system controller is a higher-level system controller. Further, a setting switch for setting the devices connected to the connection connectors 27 to 29 may not be provided, and the setting may be performed on a program (that is, device information may be written in the program). The arrangement of the electrodes and pins in the connector provided at the end of the cable, or the presence or absence of some electrodes and pins, enables the system controller to recognize whether the connected device is a water heater or a lower system controller. You may do so.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a parallel type water heater system.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing one hot water supply device in the parallel type hot water supply system according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a connection diagram between a system controller and a water heater in a conventional parallel-type water heater system.

FIG. 4 is a connection diagram of three system controllers and seven water heaters in the water heater system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a connection diagram of five system controllers and eleven water heaters in a water heater system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 20a-20e System controller 21 Remote controller K1-K3, K11-K43 Water heater 23 Connector for remote controller 27-29 Connector for water heater 30-32 Setting switch

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Nobuyuki Inoue 93, Edocho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture Inside (72) Inventor Mamoru Miyazaki 93, Edomachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture (72) Inventor Masaki Takada 93 Edo-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture Inside Noritz Co., Ltd. Satoru Matsumura 93 Edocho, Chuo-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture Inside Noritz, Inc. (72) Inventor Masahiko Yamabuchi 93, Edocho, Chuo-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture Inside Noritsu Co., Ltd. 93 Noritsu, Edocho, Chuo-ku, Yokohama-shi (72) Inventor Masatsugu Yano 93 Noritsu, Edocho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A system controller for controlling a connected water heater, wherein a connection unit for connecting the water heater or a lower-level system controller, and a device connected to the connection unit are a water heater. And a means for determining whether the system controller is another system controller. 2. The water heater control system controller according to claim 1, further comprising a connection unit for connecting a remote controller or a host system controller. 3. A plurality of water heaters or other system controllers can be selectively connected below the system controller.
A water heater system, wherein two water heaters are connected, and an upper system controller communicates with the water heater through a lower system controller.