JPH1189723A - Electric hot-water heater - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To recognize pouring condition when a user pours hot water by providing a means for displaying amount of flowing water detected by a flow detected means. SOLUTION: Amount of flowing hot water pouring out of an electric pump 3 is measured by a flow detecting means 6 during pouring hot water. When measured result of the flow of hot water is changed from a previous level, a signal is sent from a control means 5 to modify displaying the flow amount at a means 7 for displaying the flowing hot water and to repeat this operation before stopping the flowing hot water. Displaying the flowing hot water by the means 7 for displaying the flowing hot water is divided into five levels at 10 ml/second from minimum flowing amount of the flowing hot water of 10 ml/second to maximum flowing amount 50 ml/second. The present flowing amount of 30 ml/second is displayed until level 3 by lighting LED. When the flowing amount of is increased and level 4 of the flowing amount is detected, LED is lighted to the level 4 to display change of flowing amount by the means 7 for displaying flowing hot water.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an electric water heater used in ordinary households.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been provided an electric water heater that draws hot water from a boiling container using an electric pump and changes the amount of hot water by applying electric power to the electric pump. Hereinafter, a conventional electric water heater will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a conventional electric water heater. In FIG. 9, 1 is a container for containing water, 2
Is a heating means constituted by a heater for heating water in the container 1. 3 is an electric pump for pumping hot water in the container 1,
Reference numeral 4 denotes a pump power supply for applying electric power for driving the electric pump 3, and reference numeral 5 denotes control means for controlling the driving of the electric pump 3 using the pump power supply 4 based on a signal from the flow rate selection means 6 and for controlling the heating means.

[0004] In the conventional electric water heater configured as described above, the water in the container 1 is boiled by the heating means 2.
The electric power for driving the electric pump 3 by applying the electric power from the pump power supply 4 to output the flow rate set by the flow rate selecting means 6 is applied to the electric pump 3 from the pump power supply 4 to draw hot water in the container 1. I was going to put it out.

[0005]

However, in the conventional electric water heater, the user can only know the selected flow rate, and even if the flow rate pumped out of the container changes due to the residual water amount in the container, etc. There was a problem that the flow rate of the hot water was not known.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electric water heater capable of recognizing a state of tapping when a user taps.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a container for containing water, heating means for heating water in the container, an electric pump for drawing hot water in the container, A pump power supply for supplying electric power to and driving the electric pump, a flow rate detection means for measuring a flow rate of hot water pumped by the electric pump, and controlling the pump power supply based on a signal from the flow rate detection means to control the pump power supply. Control means for controlling the driving of the electric pump and the heating means, and hot water display means comprising a display element for receiving a signal from the control means and displaying a hot water state, wherein the hot water display means detects the flow rate An electric water heater characterized by displaying the flow rate measured by the means, has a function of displaying a hot water supply state, and can notify a user of the hot water supply state.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention provides a container for storing water, heating means for heating the water in the container, and hot water in the container. An electric pump for pumping, a pump power supply for supplying electric power to and driving the electric pump, a flow detecting unit for measuring a flow rate of hot water pumped by the electric pump, and the pump based on a signal from the flow detecting unit Control means for controlling a power supply to control the driving of the electric pump and the heating means, and hot water display means comprising a display element for receiving a signal from the control means and displaying a hot water state; The display means is an electric kettle characterized by displaying the flow rate measured by the flow rate detection means, and displays the flow rate measured by the flow rate detection means in the hot water display means. That. Therefore, the user can know the selected flow rate, and can know the change in the flow rate without having to tap the water while checking the state of the tapping.

The invention according to claim 2 is an electric water heater that calculates a total of the amount of hot water from the flow rate and the hot water time measured by the flow rate detecting means, and displays the total of the hot water amount by the hot water display means, Since the total amount of hot water can be known even during hot water supply, it is possible to obtain the necessary amount of water without stopping the hot water and stop the hot water more than necessary, compared to the case where the hot water is stopped and the hot water is measured. .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the total amount of hot water is calculated from the flow rate measured by the flow rate detecting means and the hot water time, and the difference between the amount of water in the container at the start of hot water and the total hot water amount is calculated. Is an electric water heater that calculates the amount of residual water in the container from, and displays the amount of residual water in the container by hot water display means,
Since the amount of remaining water can be checked during tapping, the time to stop tapping and check the remaining water amount can be saved, and when the remaining water amount runs out, the electric pump continues to be driven because the remaining water amount is unknown. As a result, deterioration of the electric pump can be prevented.

The invention according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is to provide an electric pump which calculates a total of the amount of hot water from a flow rate measured by the flow rate detecting means and a hot water supply time and detects that a predetermined amount of water has been discharged. An electric water heater having a function of stopping driving and stopping tapping, which is convenient because it is not necessary to stop tapping and measure the amount of tap water with a measuring cup or the like.

Further, the invention according to claim 5 is an electric water heater having a function of notifying that water supply is necessary when it is detected that the flow rate measured by the flow rate detection means has become an unfeasible amount. In addition, by promoting water supply, it is possible to prevent the container from being heated in a state where there is no remaining water after tapping.

Further, the invention according to claim 6 is an electric water heater having a function of stopping the drive of the electric pump when it detects that the flow rate measured by the flow rate detection means has become an amount that cannot be discharged. When the residual water level is exhausted, it is possible to prevent the electric pump from continuing to be driven because the residual water level is not known, so that the electric pump is prevented from deteriorating. Can be prevented.

The invention according to claim 7 is an electric water heater having a flow rate selecting means for setting a flow rate of tapping water and having a function of setting a flow rate at the start of tapping and during tapping. The flow rate at the start of tapping can be adjusted depending on the size of. In addition, since the flow rate can be increased even during tapping, the tapping time can be shortened.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the first to seventh embodiments, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a description thereof will be partially omitted.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electric water heater according to Embodiments 1 to 6 of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a container for holding water, 2 denotes a heating means which is constituted by a heater or the like and heats water in the container 1, 3 denotes an electric pump for drawing hot water in the container, and 4 denotes electric power for driving the electric pump 3. Is a control means for controlling the driving of the electric pump 3 and the heating means using the pump power supply 4 based on a signal from a flow rate detecting means 6 for measuring the flow rate at the time of tapping. Reference numeral 7 denotes a tapping display means for displaying a tapping state based on a signal from the control means that has received a signal from the flow rate detecting means.

The operation and operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the relationship between the flow rate change and the display of the flow rate at the time of tapping of the electric water heater of Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and the operation diagram of the display element.

In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2A, the flow rate of hot water pumped by the electric pump 3 during tapping is measured by the flow rate detecting means 6, and as a result of the measurement, if the flow rate has changed from the previous stage, A signal is sent from the control means 5, and the display of the flow rate is changed in the hot water display means 7, and this operation is repeated unless the hot water is stopped. In FIG. 2 (b), the display of the flow rate by the hot water display means 7 is divided into five steps from 10 ml / sec to the maximum flow rate of 50 ml / sec for every 10 ml / sec. At a flow rate of 30 ml / sec, up to the third stage is displayed by turning on the LED. Next, when it is detected that the flow rate has changed and the flow rate has increased to four levels, the LED is turned on to the fourth level, and the change of the flow rate is displayed by the hot water display means 8.

As a method of displaying the flow rate, the flow rate during tapping can be numerically displayed using an LCD, or several steps can be displayed using figures, or a change in the flow rate can be displayed by a combination of these display methods. You can also. In addition, it goes without saying that the setting and display of the flow rate can be further performed in a plurality of steps or in a stepless manner.

As described above, by displaying the change in the flow rate, the user can know the change in the flow rate during the tapping without having to look sideways to check the tapping state.

(Embodiment 2) Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The components of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 except for the control program.

FIG. 3A is a time chart showing the relationship between the flow rate and the total amount of hot water from the electric water heaters according to the second and fourth embodiments of the present invention, and FIG. It is an operation | movement diagram of an element.

In FIGS. 1 and 3, when the flow rate measured by the flow rate detecting means 6 of FIG. 1 is 50 ml, FIG.
In (a), at point a six seconds after the start of tapping, the total tapping amount is 300 ml, and a signal is sent from the control means 5, and the tapping display means 7 of FIG. Display. At point b two seconds later, the accumulated hot water amount becomes 400 ml, and the display of the accumulated hot water amount on the hot water display means becomes 400 ml. 2 more
At the point C after a lapse of seconds, the accumulated amount of hot water until the hot water is stopped is displayed in the order of 500 ml.

It is needless to say that the display method of the hot water display means can be divided into several stages from the upper limit to the lower limit of the preset total amount of hot water, and can be displayed in stages using LED or LCD. In addition, the stage of the accumulated hot water amount is stepless, and the upper limit and the lower limit of the accumulated hot water amount can be set by the user.

As described above, the total amount of hot water is displayed by displaying the total amount of hot water, so that it is possible to know the total amount of hot water even during hot water supply. Water can be obtained, and unnecessarily hot water can be prevented.

Embodiment 3 Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The components of the third embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 except for the control program.

FIG. 4 is a time chart showing the relationship between the amount of residual water in the container of the electric kettle and the tapping time according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and an operation diagram of the display element.

In FIGS. 1 and 4, when the amount of residual water in the container 1 is 1.0 L, the tapping starts at a flow rate of 50 ml / sec.
At a point 5 seconds after the start of tapping in (a), the remaining water amount was 750 ml because 250 ml of tapping water was supplied from 1.0 L, and an LCD was used in tapping display means 8 according to a signal from control means 5, and FIG. ), The remaining water amount in the container 1 is indicated as 750 ml. Five seconds later, the remaining water amount at point b is 500 ml, and the hot water display means 7 displays 500 ml.

The remaining water amount can be displayed by dividing the capacity of the container 1 into several parts and displaying the current stage by using an LED or an LCD. In addition, the stage of displaying the remaining water amount can be stepless. The display can always be done,
Needless to say, it is also possible to display the information after the remaining water amount becomes equal to or less than a certain amount.

As described above, the remaining water amount in the container calculated from the difference between the amount of water in the container at the start of tapping and the cumulative amount of tapping water is displayed by the tapping display means, so that the amount of remaining water can be confirmed during tapping. Because it is possible, the time for stopping the tapping and checking the remaining water amount can be saved, which is convenient. In addition, when the residual water amount runs out, it is possible to prevent the electric pump from continuing to be driven because the residual water amount is not known, so that deterioration of the electric pump can be prevented.

(Embodiment 4) A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The components of the fourth embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 except for the control program.

FIG. 3 (a) is a time chart showing the relationship between the flow rate at the time of tapping and the cumulative amount of tapping water of the electric kettles according to the second and fourth embodiments of the present invention.

In FIGS. 1 and 3, the total tapping amount is set at 300 ml and the tapping starts at 300 ml. When the flow rate measured by the flow rate detecting means 6 is 50 ml, at point a 6 seconds after the tapping start in FIG. When the accumulated amount of hot water reaches the set amount of 300 ml, a signal for turning off the electric pump 3 is sent from the control means 5 to the pump power supply 4 to stop driving the electric pump 3.

It is to be noted that the set value of the accumulated hot water amount is not limited to one set in advance, and it is also possible to provide a means for setting the hot water value and to select from an arbitrary set value or set by the user.

As described above, when it is detected that the set amount of water has been discharged, the operation of the electric pump is stopped to stop the supply of water, so that the supply of water is stopped and the amount of discharged water is measured with a measuring cup or the like. It is convenient without any need.

(Embodiment 5) A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The components of the fifth embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 except for the control program.

FIG. 5 is a time chart showing the relationship between the flow rate at the time of tapping and the tapping time of the electric kettle according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

In FIGS. 1 and 5, while the tap water is flowing at a flow rate of 30 ml / sec, at point a in FIG.
ml / sec or less, and when it is detected that hot water can no longer be taken out, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), the hot water supply display LE provided in the hot water display means 7 which has received a signal from the control means 5
The lighting of D indicates that water supply is required.

As a method of notifying the water supply, an LCD is used.
It is needless to say that it is also possible to use characters or pictograms or to notify a buzzer.

As described above, when the flow rate is such that the amount of remaining water is too low to supply hot water, the fact that water supply is required is notified. Can be prevented.

(Embodiment 6) Embodiment 6 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The components of the sixth embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 except for the control program.

FIG. 6 is a time chart showing the relationship between the flow rate at the time of tapping and the tapping time of the electric kettle according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

In FIGS. 1 and 6, since the amount of residual water was reduced at point a in FIG. 6A during tapping at a flow rate of 30 ml / sec, the measured value of the flow rate by the flow rate detecting means 6 was 10%.
When it is detected that the flow rate is not more than ml / sec and the hot water cannot be supplied, the control means 5 sends a signal to the pump power supply 4 to turn off the electric pump 3 to stop driving the electric pump as shown in FIG. .

As described above, when it is detected that the flow rate measured by the flow rate detecting means has become such that the hot water cannot be supplied, the operation of the electric pump is stopped. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the electric pump from being continuously driven, so that the electric pump can be prevented from being deteriorated, and the container can be prevented from being heated in a state where there is no remaining water after tapping the water so as to promote water supply by stopping the electric pump.

Embodiment 7 An embodiment 7 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The components of the seventh embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 except for the control program.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electric water heater according to Embodiment 7 of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a time chart showing a relationship between a flow rate at the time of tapping and a tapping time.

In FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, when it is determined that the container for receiving the hot water is large and that there is no fear of popping out or bouncing even if the flow rate at the start of hot water supply is large.
The user starts tapping after setting the flow rate to 50 ml / sec by the flow rate selecting means 8, and taps at a flow rate of 50 ml / sec from the start of tapping as shown in FIG. If the container for receiving the hot water is small and the flow rate at the start of hot water supply is high and there is a concern that hot water may flow out, the flow rate at the start of hot water supply is set to 2
After setting the flow rate to 0 ml / sec by the flow rate selection means 6, the tapping is started, and as shown in FIG.
The hot water is discharged at a flow rate of / sec.

Further, when the flow rate at the start of tapping is high, if the accumulated tapping amount of tapping water is to be 200 ml using a small container in which the tapping water is likely to flow out, tapping is started at 20 ml / sec. When the setting of the flow rate is changed to 40 ml / sec by the flow rate selecting means 6 at point a in FIG. 8C two seconds after the above, the electric pump 3 sends the flow rate of 40 ml / sec from the control means 5 to the pump power supply 4. A signal for applying electric power is issued to increase the flow rate. Due to the increase in the flow rate, the time from the point a to the stop of tapping is 4 seconds, which is 1/2 of the tapping time from the start of tapping to the stoppage at the flow rate of 20 ml / sec in FIG. Become.

It is needless to say that the flow rate set by the flow rate selection means can be selected from predetermined flow rates or set to a value determined by the user. In addition, it is of course possible to set the flow rate to be small during hot water supply, and it is also possible to reduce the flow rate and prevent rebound when the container receiving the hot water is almost full. Further, the flow rate selecting means can also serve as a tapping switch by starting tapping when the flow rate is selected and stopping the tapping when the selected flow rate is 0 ml.

As described above, since the flow rate can be set at the start of tapping and during tapping, by adjusting the flow rate at the start of tapping according to the size of the container, hot water can be spouted out.
Bouncing can be prevented. Also, since the flow rate can be increased even during tapping, the tapping time can be shortened as compared with the case where tapping is performed at a constant flow rate from the start to the end of tapping.

[0051]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the user can know the change in the flow rate even during tapping by displaying the change in the flow rate during tapping by the tapping display means. It is convenient because there is no need to take a bath while watching the condition.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, by displaying the total amount of hot water by the hot water display means, it is possible to know the total amount of hot water even during hot water supply. In comparison, the required amount of water can be obtained without stopping the tapping many times, and it is possible to prevent the tapping more than necessary.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the remaining water amount in the container calculated from the difference between the amount of water in the container at the start of hot water supply and the cumulative amount of hot water is displayed by the hot water display means. Since the amount of residual water can be checked during tapping, the time for stopping tapping and checking the amount of remaining water can be saved, which is convenient. In addition, when the residual water amount is exhausted, it is possible to prevent the electric pump from being continuously driven because the residual water amount is not known, so that deterioration of the electric pump can be prevented.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, when it is detected from the flow rate measured by the flow rate detecting means and the tapping time that the preset amount of water has been discharged, the operation of the electric pump is stopped, and By stopping the
It is not necessary to stop the tapping and measure the amount of tapping water with a measuring cup or the like, and since the tapping stops automatically, there is no need to check the tapping water volume during tapping, which is convenient.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the flow rate is such that the amount of remaining water is too small to supply hot water, the fact that water supply is required is displayed by the hot water display means. Heating of the container can be prevented, and deterioration of the container can be prevented.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when it is detected that the flow rate measured by the flow rate detecting means is such that the hot water cannot be discharged, the operation of the electric pump is stopped, so that the residual water amount is reduced. In this case, it is possible to prevent the electric pump from being continuously driven because the amount of remaining water is not known, and to prevent deterioration of the electric pump. Furthermore, since the electric pump is stopped, it is possible to prevent the heating of the container in a state where there is no remaining water after tapping the water in order to encourage water supply.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the flow rate can be set at the start of tapping and during tapping, the flow rate at the start of tapping can be adjusted according to the size of the container, and the tapping out of hot water can be performed. , Bouncing, etc. can be prevented.
Also, since the flow rate can be increased even during tapping, the tapping time can be shortened as compared with the case where tapping is performed at a constant flow rate from the start to the end of tapping.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 (a) is a flowchart showing the operation of the electric kettle according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 (b) is an operation diagram of the display element of the hot water display means of the electric kettle;

FIG. 3 (a) is a time chart showing the relationship between the cumulative amount of tapping water and the tapping time of the electric kettles according to the second and fourth embodiments of the present invention; and (b) the display element of the tapping display means of the electric kettle according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Operation diagram

FIG. 4 (a) is a time chart showing the relationship between the amount of remaining water and the tapping time of the electric kettle according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. (B) The operation diagram of the display element of the tapping display means of the electric kettle.

FIG. 5 (a) is a time chart showing a relationship between a tapping flow rate and tapping time of an electric kettle according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. (B) An operation diagram of a display element of a tapping display means of the electric kettle.

FIG. 6 (a) is a time chart showing a relationship between a tapping flow rate and a tapping time of an electric water heater according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. (B) A time chart showing a relationship between an electric pump of the electric kettle and tapping time.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an electric water heater according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a time chart showing a relationship between a tapping flow rate and tapping time of the electric water heater.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a conventional electric water heater.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container 2 Heating means 3 Electric pump 4 Pump power supply 5 Control means 6 Flow rate detection means 7 Hot water display means 8 Flow rate selection means

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A container for containing water, a heating means for heating water in the container, an electric pump for drawing hot water in the container, a pump power supply for supplying electric power to the electric pump to drive the electric pump, Flow rate detection means for measuring the flow rate of hot water pumped by the electric pump; control means for controlling the pump power supply based on a signal from the flow rate detection means to control the drive of the electric pump and the heating means; Hot water display means comprising a display element for receiving a signal from the control means and displaying a hot water state, wherein the hot water display means displays a flow rate measured by the flow rate detecting means. Water heater. 2. The electric water heater according to claim 1, further comprising a function of calculating a total of the amount of hot water from the flow rate measured by the flow rate detecting means and displaying the total of the hot water amount on the hot water display means. 3. The function according to claim 1, further comprising a function of calculating a remaining water amount from a total of the hot water amount calculated from the flow rate measured by the flow rate detecting means, and displaying the remaining water amount in the container by the hot water display means. Electric water heater. 4. A function for measuring a flow rate during tapping by a flow rate detecting means, and stopping a drive of an electric pump when detecting that a predetermined amount of water has been supplied from the measured flow rate and tapping time. Item 4. An electric water heater according to any one of Items 1 to 3. 5. A water supply detection function for notifying that water supply is necessary when the flow rate detection means detects that the flow rate is equal to or less than a value at which hot water cannot be supplied and the amount of water in the container is exhausted. 4. The electric water heater according to any one of 4 above. 6. A function is provided in which, when the flow rate detecting means detects that the flow rate is less than a value at which no hot water can be supplied and the amount of water in the container runs out, the control means controls the pump power supply to stop the electric pump. An electric water heater according to any one of claims 1 to 5. 7. The electric power generator according to claim 1, further comprising a flow rate selection means for setting a flow rate of the hot water to be discharged, and a function of selecting a flow rate during the discharge and before the start of the discharge. Water heater.