JPWO2018066126A1 - Water heater - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to accurately determine a frozen state of a circulation pump and reduce erroneous determination of a circulation pump failure and freezing. A water heater according to the present invention includes a circulation circuit that circulates water supplied from the outside, a circulation pump that circulates water in the circulation circuit, a heating unit that heats water circulated in the circulation circuit, and an outside air temperature detection An outside air temperature detection unit, a recording unit that records the driving record of the circulation pump, and a control unit that controls the circulation pump and the heating unit. If the circulation pump is not driven even if a drive instruction is given to the circulation pump, When the outside air temperature detected by the temperature detection unit is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature and there is no record of driving in the recording unit, it is determined that the circulation pump is frozen.

Description

  The present invention relates to a water heater.

  The water heater circulates water supplied from the outside in a circulation circuit inside the main body by a circulation pump, heats the water circulated by a heat exchanger in the circulation circuit, and supplies it as hot water to the outside. . Since this water heater is installed outdoors, the water in the circulation pump may freeze when the outside air temperature is low. However, if the circulation pump is driven while the water in the circulation pump is frozen, There is a problem that parts are damaged. With respect to this problem, for example, in a conventional water heater as in Patent Document 1, when the rotation speed of the circulation pump does not reach an appropriate rotation number, it is determined that the circulation pump is frozen and the inside of the circulation pump is heated. The heater was turned on and defrosted.

JP 2010-25398 A

  Such a conventional water heater determines that the circulating pump is frozen when the rotational speed of the circulating pump is not reached when the rotational speed of the circulating pump is detected after giving a driving instruction to the circulating pump. , Deenergize by energizing the heater. For this reason, even when the circulating pump actually fails and the rotational speed of the circulating pump cannot be detected, it is determined that the freezing has occurred and there has been a problem that erroneous determination of freezing occurs.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and it is an object of the present invention to accurately determine a frozen state of a circulation pump and reduce erroneous determination of a failure and freezing of the circulation pump.

A water heater according to the present invention includes a circulation circuit that circulates water supplied from the outside, a circulation pump that circulates water in the circulation circuit, a heating unit that heats water circulated in the circulation circuit,
An outside air temperature detecting unit that detects an outside air temperature, a recording unit that records a driving record of the circulation pump, and a control unit that controls the circulation pump and the heating unit, and the control unit is connected to the circulation pump. If the circulating pump does not drive even if a drive instruction is given, the circulating pump is frozen when the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature detecting unit is not more than a predetermined temperature and the recording unit has no driving record. Judgment.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the frozen state of a circulation pump can be determined accurately and the malfunction of a circulation pump and the misjudgment of freezing can be reduced.

Configuration diagram of a water heater according to the present invention The block diagram explaining the hot water operation of the water heater based on this invention The block diagram explaining the air bleeding operation of the water heater which concerns on this invention Sectional view of the circulation pump according to the present invention Control flow diagram of water heater according to Embodiment 1 Control flow diagram of water heater according to Embodiment 2

Embodiment 1 FIG.
Hereinafter, the configuration of water heater 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 shows a configuration diagram of a water heater 100 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The hot water heater 100 is a so-called hot water storage type hot water heater, and includes a hot water storage tank 10 inside the hot water storage tank unit 1 and is a hot water storage type hot water heater capable of heating low-temperature water supplied from the outside and storing it as hot water. The stored hot water is supplied to the outside, or supplied as secondary target water such as bathtub circulating water. The water to be heated on the secondary side is bathtub circulation water, heating circulation water, or the like, and is water circulated between the water heater 100 and the equipment connected to the water heater 100. In embodiment of this invention, it is set as the structure which connects the bathtub 50 as a structure of a secondary side.

  The water heater 100 includes a hot water storage tank unit 1 and a heat pump unit 60 configured to use a heat pump cycle. The hot water storage tank unit 1 and the heat pump unit 60 are connected by a heat pump inlet pipe 41a and a heat pump outlet pipe 41b.

  The heat pump unit 60 functions as a heating unit for heating and boiling low temperature water led from the hot water storage tank unit 1. The heat pump unit 60 includes a compressor 61, a heating heat exchanger 62, an expansion valve 63, an air heat exchanger 64, a refrigerant circulation pipe 65, a heat pump outlet side thermistor 66, and an outside air temperature detector 67.

The compressor 61, the boiling heat exchanger 62, the expansion valve 63, and the air heat exchanger 64 are connected to the refrigerant circulation pipe 65 in a ring shape to constitute a heat pump cycle. The boiling heat exchanger 62 functions as a heating unit that heats water circulating in the circulation circuit. In the heat pump cycle, the temperature of the refrigerant is adjusted by adjusting the pressure applied to the refrigerant circulating through the refrigerant circulation pipe 65, and the external liquid or gas exchanges heat with the refrigerant in the heat exchanger. By compressing the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circulation pipe 65 with the compressor 61, the refrigerant becomes a high-temperature and high-pressure gas. The high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant is liquefied by exchanging heat with low-temperature water led from the hot water storage tank unit 1 in the boiling heat exchanger 62, and the low-temperature water led from the hot water storage tank unit 1 is heated. It becomes hot water. When the refrigerant that has been liquefied passes through the expansion valve 63, the pressure applied to the refrigerant suddenly decreases, the temperature of the refrigerant decreases, and heat is exchanged with external air in the air heat exchanger 64, and the refrigerant 61 becomes again a gas. It is circulated in.
The refrigerant is preferably carbon dioxide and is operated at a pressure exceeding the critical pressure.

The heat pump outlet side thermistor 66 is a temperature sensor that is provided in the heat pump outlet pipe 41 b and detects the temperature of the high-temperature water heated by the boiling heat exchanger 62.
The outside air temperature detection unit 67 detects outside air temperature and is provided in the heat pump unit 60.

  Note that the outside air temperature detection unit 67 detects the outside air temperature, but this is whether there is a possibility that the circulation pump described later may freeze, that is, whether there is a possibility that the water in the circulation pump will freeze. It is for judging whether. Therefore, the outside air temperature detection part 67 should just detect the temperature around a circulation pump. Therefore, the outside air temperature detection unit 67 is not limited to the one provided in the heat pump unit 60, and may be provided outside the heat pump unit 60, for example, in the hot water storage tank unit 1.

  The hot water storage tank unit 1 is for storing hot water supplied with low temperature water from the outside and heated by the heat pump unit 60. The hot water storage tank unit 1 includes a circulation circuit 49 that circulates low temperature water supplied from the outside and supplies it to the outside again, a hot water storage tank 10 for storing hot water, and a use side heat exchanger for heating the hot water from the hot water storage tank 10. 22 and a circulation pump 21 for circulating water and a control unit 70.

The circulation circuit 49 is a circuit configured by connecting a pipe provided in the water heater 100 or a pipe connecting the water heater 100 to the outside, and the circulation pump 21, the valve, the use-side heat exchanger 22, and the heat pump unit. 60 or the like.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram for explaining hot water beam operation to the bathtub 50 when the bathtub 50 is connected to the secondary side of the water heater 100, and FIG. 3 illustrates an air bleeding operation performed when the water heater 100 is driven. It is a block diagram.

  The circulation circuit 49 includes the following. A first circulation circuit 47 for obtaining high-temperature water via a heat pump unit 60, indicated by a thick line in FIG. A second circulation circuit 48 for obtaining hot water via the use side heat exchanger 22, indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 1. A bath circulation circuit 51 that circulates hot and cold water in the bathtub 50 via the use-side heat exchanger 22 shown by a thick line in FIG. It is a circuit which distribute | circulates the 1st circulation circuit 47 and the 2nd circulation circuit 48 which are shown with the thick line in FIG.

  In addition, a circulation circuit 49 is connected to a lower portion of the hot water storage tank 10 and a water supply pipe 2 for supplying low-temperature water from the outside such as city water. A hot water supply pipe 3 for supplying to the outside of the machine is connected from the second tank upper pipe 42b. Since the hot water supply flow rate sensor 54 and the hot water supply thermistor 55 are incorporated in the hot water supply pipe 3, the amount and temperature of the hot water to be supplied can be detected.

The circulation circuit 49 is provided with a first three-way valve 31, a second three-way valve 32, a four-way valve 33, and a hot water supply electromagnetic valve 34.
The first three-way valve 31 is a flow path switching means having a b port that is an inlet through which hot water flows and an a port and a c port that are outlets through which hot water flows out. The first three-way valve 31 is configured to be able to switch the hot water circuit so that the hot water flows out of either the a port or the c port. The second three-way valve 32 is a flow path switching means having an a port and a b port that are inlets through which hot water flows and a c port that is an outlet through which hot water flows out. The second three-way valve 32 is configured to be able to switch the hot water circuit so that hot water flows from either the a port or the b port.

  The four-way valve 33 is a flow path switching means having two ports, b port and c port, through which hot water flows in, and two ports, a port and d port, through which hot water flows out. , A-b circuit, b-d circuit, and cd circuit are configured to be able to switch the flow path form.

  The bath water supply solenoid valve 34 is opened when hot water is supplied to the bathtub 50 and is provided in the bath circulation circuit 51.

  The circulation circuit 49 includes a tank lower pipe 40, the heat pump inlet pipe 41a, the heat pump outlet pipe 41b, a first tank upper pipe 42a, a second tank upper pipe 42b, a tank return pipe 43, and a use side heat exchanger. It has an inlet pipe 44a, a use side heat exchanger outlet pipe 44b, a bypass pipe 45, an upper return pipe 46, a bottom return pipe 56, and a forward pipe 57.

  The first circulation circuit 47 includes a tank lower pipe 40, a heat pump inlet pipe 41a, a heat pump outlet pipe 41b, an upper return pipe 46, and a first tank upper pipe 42a. The second circulation circuit 48 includes a tank lower pipe 40, a use side heat exchanger inlet pipe 44a, a use side heat exchanger outlet pipe 44b, and a first tank upper pipe 42a.

  The bath circulation circuit 51 is supplied with hot water from the first upper portion 10a of the hot water storage tank 10, passes through the bath piping 57 and the bathtub adapter 80, is discharged to the bathtub 50, passes through the bath return piping 56, and the hot water heater 100 and the bathtub. Cycle 50.

The tank lower pipe 40 is a flow path that connects the first lower part of the hot water storage tank 10 and the a port of the second three-way valve 32.
The heat pump inlet pipe 41 a is a flow path that connects the c port of the second three-way valve 32 and the inlet side of the heat pump unit 60.
The heat pump outlet pipe 41 b is a flow path that connects the outlet side of the heat pump unit 60 and the c port of the four-way valve 33.

The first tank upper pipe 42 a is a flow path that connects the second upper part 10 b of the take-out port provided between the central part and the upper part of the hot water storage tank 10 and the a port of the first three-way valve 31.
The second tank upper pipe 42 b is a flow path that connects the first upper part of the hot water storage tank 10 and the d port of the four-way valve 33.
The tank return pipe 43 is a flow path that connects the a port of the four-way valve 33 and the second lower part 10 e that is a return port provided between the center part and the lower part of the hot water storage tank 10.

The use side heat exchanger inlet pipe 44 a is a flow path that connects the c port of the first three-way valve 31 and the use side heat exchanger 22.
The use side heat exchanger outlet pipe 44 b is a flow path that connects the b port of the use side heat exchanger 22 second three-way valve 32.

The bypass pipe 45 is a flow path that branches from between the second three-way valve 32 and the inlet side of the heat pump unit 60 in the heat pump inlet pipe 41 a and connects the b port of the four-way valve 33.
The upper return pipe 46 branches from between the first upper part 10a of the hot water storage tank 10 and the b port of the first three-way valve 31 in the second tank upper pipe 42b, and connects the d port of the four-way valve 33. It is.

The bath return pipe 56 is a flow path that connects the bathtub adapter 80 and the use-side heat exchanger 22, and hot water flows from the bathtub 50 toward the hot water storage tank unit 1.
The bath piping 57 is a flow path connecting the use-side heat exchanger 22 and the bathtub adapter 80, and high-temperature water heated by the use-side heat exchanger 22 flows from the hot water storage tank unit 1 toward the bathtub 50.

  In the hot water storage tank 10, high temperature water heated using the heat pump unit 60 flows from the upper part of the hot water storage tank 10, and low temperature water flows in from the lower part of the hot water storage tank 10 through the water supply pipe 2. Hot water is stored so that there is a temperature difference between the upper part and the lower part. The hot water storage tank 10 is provided with a first upper part 10 a communicating with the bath circulation circuit 51 at the upper part, a second upper part 10 b communicating with the first circulation circuit 47 and the second circulation circuit 48, and communicating with the water supply pipe 2 at the lower part. A first water supply port 10c, a first lower part 10d communicating with the first circulation circuit 47, and a second lower part 10e communicating with the second circulation circuit 48 are provided.

  A first remaining hot water thermistor 11 and a second remaining hot water thermistor 12 are attached to the surface of the hot water storage tank 10. Since the first remaining hot water thermistor 11 and the second remaining hot water thermistor 12 are attached at different heights, the temperature distribution of the hot water in the hot water storage tank 10 can be detected. Based on the temperature distribution of hot water in the hot water storage tank 10 acquired by the first remaining hot water thermistor 11 and the second remaining hot water thermistor 12, the amount of hot water in the hot water storage tank 10 is grasped, and the hot water storage tank 10 by the heat pump unit 60 is obtained. The start and stop of the hot water boiling operation is controlled.

  The use side heat exchanger 22 is a heat exchanger for heating the water to be heated on the secondary side using high temperature water supplied from the hot water storage tank 10 or the heat pump unit 60. The use side heat exchanger 22 is installed in the middle of the bath circulation circuit 51. Further, in the middle of the bath circulation circuit 51, there are a bath circulation pump 52 for circulating the bath water, a bath outlet side thermistor 53 for detecting the temperature of the bath water discharged from the bath 50, and the circulation flow of the bath water. A flow switch 58 is installed to detect the presence or absence of the circulating water flow of the bath water when the switch is turned on when the predetermined value is exceeded.

  The circulation pump 21 is a pump for circulating hot water through the piping constituting the circulation circuit in the hot water storage tank unit 1, and is a drive that detects the drive state of the circulation pump 21 when a drive instruction is given to the circulation pump 21. A detection unit 23 is incorporated. The drive detection unit 23 is constituted by, for example, a rotation sensor that is incorporated in the circulation pump 21 and detects the rotation speed. FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the circulation pump 21.

  In the circulation pump 21, the windings of the slots of the winding part 96 are energized to magnetize the winding part 96. By changing the energization direction, a magnetic force is generated while changing the magnetization direction. A magnet 94 attached to the impeller 92 rotates. The impeller 92 is supported by a shaft 95, and a bearing 93 is attached to the impeller 92 for buffering rotational friction between the impeller 92 and the shaft 95. The circulation pump 21 is driven by inputting a drive signal, and controls the rotation speed of the impeller 92 by changing the duty ratio of the drive signal. The duty ratio is controlled by the control board 97. The winding part 96 is insulated by the mold 90. The mounting posture is such that the shaft 95 is horizontal, hot water flows from the suction port 98 and flows out to the discharge port 99.

  When there is no hot water between the shaft 95 and the bearing 93, the circulating pump 21 is in an idling operation, and the performance is remarkably deteriorated as compared with the normal use, and the reliability of parts is greatly impaired due to abnormal wear. . Therefore, the hot water remains in the space of the lower part a surrounded by the dotted line of the circulating pump 21 so that the circulating pump 21 does not have hot water as much as possible. Therefore, even when various pipes in the hot water storage tank 10 and the hot water storage tank unit 1 are drained, hot water remains in the lower part a in the circulation pump 21. In order to prevent the circulating pump 21 from freezing, the hot water heater 100 has measures such as periodically operating the circulating pump 21, but this countermeasure can be implemented while the hot water heater 100 is energized. It is a countermeasure.

  The controller 70 is connected to a remote controller 71 that notifies the operating state of the water heater 100. The remote controller 71 functions as a notification unit that receives and notifies the notification signal transmitted from the control unit 70. Moreover, the recording part 72 which records the drive state of the circulation pump 21 is provided. The operation of various valves and pumps provided in the hot water storage tank unit 1 and the heat pump unit 60 is controlled by a controller 70 electrically connected thereto.

  Next, the operation of the water heater 100 will be described. During the initial operation after the installation of the water heater 100, an air bleeding operation is performed to extract air from the hot water storage tank 10, the first circulation circuit 47, and the second circulation circuit 48.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the air bleeding operation, first, the first three-way valve 31 and the second three-way valve 32 are switched to the abc circuit, and the a port, b port, and c port communicate with each other. Let Further, the four-way valve 33 is switched to the cd circuit so that the c-port and the d-port of the four-way valve 33 communicate with each other. Then, the circulation pump 21 is driven, and the low temperature water supplied from the water supply pipe 2 to the hot water storage tank 10 is circulated through the first circulation circuit 47 and the second circulation circuit 48. As a result, the low-temperature water branches from the lower part of the hot water storage tank 10 to the upper part of the hot water storage tank 10 via the heat pump unit 60, and the use side heat exchange branches from the first circulation circuit 47. It flows into the vessel 22 and circulates through a second circulation circuit 48 that merges with the first circulation circuit 47 at the position of the first three-way valve 31.

  The control of the air bleeding operation is, for example, a control in which a target rotational speed is determined and the circulation pump 21 continues to operate for a certain time based on the rotational speed. If this air bleeding operation is performed, the air present in the first circulation circuit 47 and the second circulation circuit 48 can be released into the hot water storage tank 10.

  In the installation work of the water heater 100, the water supply pipe 2, the hot water supply pipe 3, the heat pump inlet pipe 41 a, the heat pump outlet pipe 41 b, the bath return pipe 56, and the bath piping 57 are pipes that connect the water heater 100 to the outside. There are waterworks to be connected and electric works to electrically connect the water heater 100, the heat pump unit 60, and the remote controller 71. In some cases, water works and electrical works are carried out at the same timing, but since construction contractors are different, water works and electric works may be carried out at different timings. If electrical work is carried out before the waterworks, it induces idle operation of the circulation pump 21 and so on, so that the waterworks are carried out before the electrical work.

  After the waterworks work is completed, in order to check for water leaks at the pipe connections, check for water leaks by putting water into the hot water storage tank 10 and various pipes. Drain to prevent damage. Even if this drainage operation is carried out, water remains in the lower part a of the circulation pump 21. In this case, since the water heater 100 is not energized, it is not possible to take anti-freezing measures to periodically operate the circulation pump 21, and the water inside the circulation pump 21 may freeze. .

For example, even when electrical work is performed on the next day, there is a possibility that the inside of the circulation pump 21 continues to freeze, and a state in which the circulation pump 21 is not driven by freezing occurs in the air bleeding operation after the completion of the electrical work.
If the freezing determination of the circulating pump 21 is not performed at the first operation after the electrical work, even if the circulating pump 21 is not driven due to freezing, it is considered that the circulating pump 21 is faulty. Exchange will be done.

Therefore, in the present invention, if the circulation pump 21 is not driven during the initial operation, it is determined whether the cause of the failure is due to freezing or a failure other than freezing. 21 is not exchanged.
Next, a control operation for determining whether or not the circulation pump 21 is frozen during the initial operation will be described. FIG. 5 is a control flow diagram of water heater 100 according to the first embodiment. The control unit 70 functions as a determination unit when the control unit 70 performs the determination operation of the flowchart.

  First, the water heater 100 is connected to a power source, and a drive instruction is given to the circulation pump 21 from a control circuit or the like (step S1). In a state where the drive instruction is given to the circulation pump 21, the drive detection unit 23 provided in the circulation pump 21 detects the number of revolutions of the circulation pump, so that the circulation pump 21 is driven or not driven. The driving state is detected (step S2). Here, when the rotation speed is other than 0 rpm, it is determined that the state of the circulation pump 21 is not a frozen state or a failure state, and the operation of the circulation pump 21 is normally started (step S9). When the operation of the circulation pump 21 is started normally, the record of the state in which the circulation pump 21 is driven is recorded in the recording unit 72 as the drive result of the circulation pump 21.

  On the other hand, when the rotation speed is 0 rpm in step S2, the control unit 70 determines that the state of the circulation pump 21 is a frozen state or a failure state. When it is determined in step S2 that it is in a frozen state or a failure state, the outside air temperature detection unit 67 attached to the heat pump unit 60 detects the outside air temperature (step S3). Here, when the detected outside air temperature is higher than the preset temperature (β ° C), the possibility that the water is frozen is low, so the rotation speed cannot be obtained because the circulation pump 21 is out of order. Conceivable. Therefore, the control unit 70 determines that the state of the circulation pump 21 is a failure state in such a condition (step S8).

  In addition, the control unit 70 includes notification means for transmitting a notification signal for notifying the user of the failure state as a determination result, and sends the notification signal to the remote controller 71. When receiving the notification signal, the remote controller 71 displays that the circulating pump 21 is in a failure state. The user determines that the circulation pump 21 is in a failure state by checking the display on the remote controller 71, and repairs or replaces the circulation pump 21.

  Next, a case where the outside air temperature is equal to or lower than the set temperature in step 3 will be described. If the circulation pump 21 is frozen before the electric work of the water heater 100 is completed, there is a possibility that the circulation pump 21 remains frozen even during the first operation after the electric work. On the other hand, if the circulation pump 21 is driven at least once instead of the initial operation, there is no possibility of freezing.

  Therefore, when the outside air temperature is equal to or lower than the set temperature in step S3, the recording unit 72 is referred to and it is confirmed whether or not the driving performance of the circulation pump 21 is recorded (step S4). The drive record of the circulation pump 21 referred to in step S4 may be a record of the air bleeding operation. The air venting operation is an operation for venting air from the hot water storage tank 10 to the first circulation circuit 47 and the second circulation circuit 48 after water is poured into the water heater 100. Is the first operation. If there is a drive record in step S4, it is determined that the rotational speed of the circulation pump 21 cannot be obtained while the water heater 100 is energized, and the state of the circulation pump 21 is not a frozen state but the state of the circulation pump 21. Since it is a failure state, it is determined that the rotation speed is not output (step S8).

If there is no record of driving the circulation pump 21 in step S4, it is determined that the circulation pump 21 is frozen and not driven in the initial operation (step S7). In step S7, the control unit 70 is in a frozen state. When it is determined that there is, a notification signal for notifying the user of this frozen state as a determination result is generated, and this notification signal is sent to the remote controller 71. When receiving the notification signal, the remote controller 71 displays that the circulating pump 21 is in a frozen state. The user grasps the frozen state of the circulation pump 21 from the display on the remote controller 71 and performs defrosting of the water in the circulation pump 21. The de-icing means de-icing work performed by the user, or the user gives a de-icing instruction from the remote controller 71 to the control unit 70 to energize the windings.
After the ice is melted, the user gives a drive instruction to the water heater 100, whereby the control flow starting from step S1 is performed again.

  When the circulation pump is not driven even if a drive instruction is given to the circulation pump by performing Step S1 to Step S4, the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature detection unit is not more than a predetermined temperature, and the recording unit has no actual driving record In addition, it can be determined that the circulation pump is frozen. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine the frozen state of the circulation pump 21 and reduce erroneous determination of the failure and freezing of the circulation pump 21.

  Further, in order to accurately determine the frozen state of the circulation pump 21, if there is no record of driving the circulation pump 21 in step S4, the freezing information indicating the record of freezing of the circulation pump 21 recorded in the recording unit 72 is confirmed. (Step S5). This freezing information is the number of times of determination of the freezing state recorded in the recording unit 72 by counting the freezing results when it is determined that the state of the circulation pump 21 is the freezing state.

If the number of determinations of the frozen state is zero in step S5, that is, if it has not been determined that the circulation pump 21 has been frozen in the past, the control unit 70 determines the frozen state once in the recording unit 72. Is recorded (step S6), and it is determined that the state of the circulation pump 21 is frozen (step S7). When the control unit 70 determines in step S7 that the state of the circulation pump 21 is a frozen state, a notification signal is generated to notify the user of the frozen state as a determination result, and this notification signal is sent to the remote controller 71. . When receiving the notification signal, the remote controller 71 displays that the circulating pump 21 is in a frozen state. The user grasps the frozen state of the circulation pump 21 from the display on the remote controller 71 and performs defrosting of the water in the circulation pump 21.
After the ice is melted, the user gives a drive instruction to the water heater 100, whereby the control flow starting from step S1 is performed again.

  If the number of times of determination of the frozen state is not 0 in step S5, that is, if it has been determined that the circulation pump 21 has been frozen in the past, the process proceeds to step S8, where it is determined that the state of the circulation pump 21 is a failure state. Is done. This is because it has been determined that it has been frozen more than once, a measure such as de-icing has already been taken, and the fact that the circulation pump 21 is not yet driven means that the cause of not being driven is not frozen. Therefore, it is determined that there is a failure state.

  Note that the number of determinations of the frozen state recorded in step S6 is reset to zero when the operation of the circulation pump 21 is normally started in step S9.

  According to the water heater 100 of the first embodiment as described above, in the state where the drive instruction is given to the circulation pump 21, the drive detector 23 provided in the circulation pump 21 is in a state where the circulation pump 21 is driven or driven. If the state of the circulating pump 21 is not driven, it is determined whether the state of the circulating pump 21 is a failure state or a frozen state. That is, even in a state where the circulation pump 21 is not driven, there is a possibility that it is determined that the circulation pump 21 is in a failure state, and the frozen state is referred to with reference to other parameters such as the temperature and the driving performance of the circulation pump 21. Or whether it is in a failure state. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine the frozen state of the circulation pump 21 and reduce erroneous determination of the failure and freezing of the circulation pump 21. Furthermore, since it is not performed when it determines with a failure state, unnecessary deicing can be suppressed.

When the detected temperature is equal to or higher than the set temperature, the state of the circulation pump 21 is determined to be a failure, so that the ice is not melted.
In addition, by confirming the driving performance of the circulation pump 21, it is possible to determine whether or not the operation is the first operation before the completion of the electrical work of the water heater 100, which is a condition that the circulation pump 21 is likely to freeze. Therefore, the frozen state can be determined with high accuracy. Therefore, by performing the control operation up to step S4, it is possible to determine the frozen state more accurately than the conventional water heater.
Further, by checking the number of times that the circulation pump 21 is determined to be frozen, it is determined that the circulation pump 21 is not driven even though it is determined that the circulation pump 21 has been frozen at least once and the ice is melted. You can see if it ’s not. Therefore, when it is determined that the frozen state is at least once, it can be determined that the failure is not caused by freezing.

  When the control unit 70 determines that the state of the circulation pump 21 is frozen, the remote controller 71 displays that the state of the circulation pump 21 is frozen. The frozen state of the pump 21 can be grasped.

  In step S2, the driving state is determined by the number of rotations of the circulation pump 21, but any device that can determine the driving state and the non-driving state may be used. For example, water flowing through the circulation pump 21 or the circulation circuit The flow rate and other parameters may be used for determination.

  In addition, the reference set temperature in step S3 may be set to 0 ° C., or the circulating pump 21 may be frozen even if the outside air temperature is 0 ° C. or higher. Good. Moreover, depending on the installation location of the water heater 100, the temperature in the heat pump unit 60 in which the outside air temperature detection unit 67 is provided may be higher than the outside air temperature, and therefore the set temperature may be 0 ° C. or less.

  In the notification method in step S7 and step S8, the notification signal included in the control unit 70 is transmitted to the remote controller 71. However, the notification method may be transmitted wirelessly to an external device such as a user's portable terminal. . Moreover, although the alerting | reporting method was displayed on the remote control 71, it is not restricted to this, You may alert | report by a sound.

  In addition, when it is determined in step S7 that the circulation pump 21 is frozen, the user decides to defrost, but energizes the windings of the winding portion 96 of the circulation pump 21 to change the windings. It is good also as a structure which defrosts the freezing of the circulation pump 21 by temperature rise.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 6 is a control flow diagram of water heater 200 according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the difference from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

  The flow in steps S1 to S6, S8, and S9 in FIG. 6 is the same as that in the first embodiment, and the operation in step S70 is different. In step S70, when it is determined that the state of the circulation pump 21 is frozen, the user is not notified, and the winding of the winding portion 96 of the circulation pump 21 is energized. This energization defrosts the circulation pump 21. Further, when energization of the windings of the circulation pump 21 is completed, a drive instruction is given again to the circulation pump 21 (step S1), and the operations after step S2 are performed.

  In a state where a driving instruction is given to the circulation pump 21 after energization of the winding (step S1), the rotation speed of the circulation pump 21 is 0 rpm (step S2), and the outside air temperature is equal to or lower than the set temperature (step S3). Then, it is determined that there is no actual drive of the circulation pump 21 (step S4). Thereafter, in the confirmation of the number of times of determination of the frozen state (step S5), the number of times of determination of the frozen state is counted before energizing the winding (step S6). The state of the pump 21 is determined as a failure state (step S8).

According to the water heater 100 of the second embodiment, when it is determined that the circulation pump 21 is in a frozen state for the first time when a drive instruction is given to the circulation pump 21, the control unit 70 is in a frozen state with the remote controller 71. The ice melting is performed by energizing the windings of the circulation pump 21 without notifying the fact. When it is determined that the state is frozen, the control unit 70 energizes the windings to perform ice melting, so the user does not need to perform ice melting from the outside.
Further, since the control unit 70 gives a drive instruction to the circulation pump 21 after the completion of the ice removal (step S1), it is not necessary for the user to give a drive instruction to the circulation pump 21 after the completion of the ice removal.

  The water heater according to the present invention can be widely used as a water heater for home use, business use and the like.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hot water storage tank unit, 2 Water supply piping, 3 Hot water supply piping, 10 Hot water storage tank, 10a 1st upper part, 10b 2nd upper part, 10c Water supply port, 10d 1st lower part, 10e 2nd lower part, 11 1st remaining hot water thermistor, 12 2nd remaining hot water thermistor, 21 circulation pump, 22 utilization side heat exchanger, 23 drive detection part, 31 1st three way valve, 32 2nd three way valve, 33 4 way valve, 34 solenoid valve for bath hot water supply, 40 tank Lower piping, 41a Heat pump inlet piping, 41b Heat pump outlet piping, 42a First tank upper piping, 42b Second tank upper piping, 43 Tank return piping, 44a Usage side heat exchanger inlet piping, 44b Usage side heat exchanger outlet Piping, 45 Bypass piping, 46 Upper return piping, 47 First circulation circuit, 48 Second circulation circuit, 49 Circulation circuit, 50 Bathtub , 51 Bath circulating circuit, 52 Bath circulating pump, 53 Bath outlet thermistor, 54 Hot water flow sensor, 55 Hot water thermistor, 56 Bath return piping, 57 Bath piping, 58 Flow switch, 60 Heat pump unit, 61 Compressor, 62 Boiling Heat exchanger for raising, 63 expansion valve, 64 air heat exchanger, 66 heat pump outlet side thermistor, 67 outside air temperature detecting unit, 70 control unit, 71 remote controller, 72 recording unit, 80 bathtub adapter, 90 mold, 91 casing, 92 Impeller, 93 Bearing, 94 Magnet, 95 shaft, 96 Winding part, 97 Control board, 98 Suction port, 99 Discharge port, 100, 200 Water heater

Claims (7)

A circulation circuit that circulates water supplied from outside,
A circulation pump for circulating water in the circulation circuit;
A heating unit for heating water circulating in the circulation circuit;
An outside temperature detector for detecting the outside temperature;
A recording unit for recording the driving performance of the circulation pump;
A control unit for controlling the circulation pump and the heating unit;
When the circulating pump is not driven even if the controller gives a driving instruction to the circulating pump,
A hot water heater according to claim 1, wherein when the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature detecting unit is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature and the recording unit has no actual driving record, the circulating pump is determined to be frozen. When the circulating pump is not driven even if the controller gives a driving instruction to the circulating pump,
2. The water heater according to claim 1, wherein when the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature detection unit exceeds a predetermined temperature, it is determined that the circulation pump is out of order. When the circulating pump is not driven even if the controller gives a driving instruction to the circulating pump,
2. The water heater according to claim 1, wherein when the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature detecting unit is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature and the recording unit has a driving record, it is determined that the circulation pump is faulty. When the circulating pump is not driven even if the controller gives a driving instruction to the circulating pump,
When the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature detecting unit is below a predetermined temperature, the recording unit has no record of driving, and it has been determined that the circulating pump has frozen in the past, the circulating pump has failed. It is determined that the water heater is present. When the circulating pump is not driven even if the controller gives a driving instruction to the circulating pump,
When the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature detecting unit is not more than a predetermined temperature, the recording unit has no driving record, and it has not been determined that the circulating pump has been frozen in the past, the circulating pump is frozen. It is determined that the water heater is present.   The hot water heater according to claim 1 or 5, wherein the control unit energizes the winding of the circulation pump when it is determined that the circulation pump is frozen. The water heater according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a notification unit that notifies a result of the determination by the control unit.

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