JPH01200149A - Method of controlling quantity of hot water in for water supplier - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce wasteful use of energy by outputting a signal for closing a water supply valve from an operation control function part at a set time based on output data from a calendar function part for ticking the time and outputting data of a date, a day of the week and the like or input data from the external part, and stopping the water supply to a hot water storage tank by said signal. CONSTITUTION:An operation control function part 19 has a schedule in which the utilization form of the water supplier is preset. The operation control function part 19 controls the action/stop of a temperature control function par 17 by use of data output from a calendar function part 18 outputting the date, the time, the day of the week, and the like at that time, while referring to the data set in the schedule and ticking the time, and a signal for closing a thermally operated valve 16 when the preset time is reached. That is, when a preset time on the operation day is reached, the water supply is stopped, and thereafter, remaining hot water in a hot water storage tank 1 is used. Thereby, the quantity of remaining water at the time of stopping the operation to reduce the westful consumption of energy and to reduce the generation of miscellaneous bacteria.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] This invention relates to a method for controlling the amount of hot water in a hot water storage type water heater that always supplies hot water at a constant temperature by controlling a heating element included in a hot water storage tank. It is.

[Conventional technology]

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing a conventional water heater. In the figure, 1 is a hot water tank that always stores a certain amount of hot water, 2 is a faucet that supplies water to this hot water tank 1, and 3 is this water supply. A pole tap 4 is attached to the tap 2 and is used to keep the water level in the hot water tank 1 constant, and a pole tap 4 is used to drain excess hot water when the water level cannot be maintained at a constant value due to an abnormality in the pole tap 3. The overflow pipe that prevents hot water storage tank 1 from overflowing, 5 is J? ?
An electric heater as a heating element is placed at the bottom of the hot water tank 1; 6 is a temperature fuse connected in series to the electric heater 5; 7 is a temperature fuse connected in series to the electric heater 5; A water pipe leading to the vicinity, 8 is a temperature sensor that outputs an electric signal corresponding to the temperature of hot water in the hot water storage tank 1 using, for example, a thermistor whose resistance value changes depending on the temperature, 9 is a temperature sensor that uses hot water in the hot water storage tank 1. 10 is a temperature control means that compares the output signal of the temperature sensor 8 with a reference value to generate information for controlling heat generation of the electric heater 5; 11 is a temperature control means that is supplied to the electric heater; A power source 12 is a relay circuit that operates according to the output information of the temperature control means 10, and a power source 11 that is supplied to the electric heater 5.
This is an output circuit that controls the on/off of the

Next, the operation will be explained. First, the cock of the water tap 2 is opened and the hot water tank 1 is filled with water.

In that case, the water level in the hot water tank 1 rises and the pole tap 3
When it reaches a predetermined position, water supply from the faucet 2 is stopped due to its action. Even if the water supply is not stopped even if the water level exceeds a predetermined level for some reason, the excess water will be discharged from the overflow pipe 4 and will not overflow from the hot water storage tank 1. Here, when temperature control by the temperature control means 10 is started, since there is still water in the hot water storage tank 1, the electric signal from the temperature sensor 8 is much lower than the reference value, and the temperature control means 10 starts the output circuit 12. It outputs information that turns on the relay. Therefore, the power source 11 is supplied to the electric heater 5 through this output circuit 12, and the electric heater is connected to the hot water tank l.
Boil the water inside. When the temperature of the hot water in the elbow bathtub 1 rises, the level of the electrical signal output by the temperature sensor 8 also rises, and when the temperature of the hot water rises to a predetermined value, the level of the output signal of the temperature sensor 8 also reaches the reference value. The temperature control means 10 is a temperature sensor 8
When it is detected that the output signal of has reached the reference value, it outputs information to turn off the relay to the output circuit 12. Therefore, the power supply 11 supplied to the electric heater 5 via this output circuit 12 is cut off, and the electric heater 5 stops generating heat.

Here, when the cock of hot water faucet 9 is opened and hot water is used,
As the water level in the hot water storage tank 1 decreases, the pole tap 3 descends from a predetermined position, and water supply from the faucet 2 is started by this action. Since this supplied water has a low temperature, it lowers the temperature of the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 1, and therefore the level of the electrical signal output from the temperature sensor 8 also decreases. When detecting that the level of the output signal of the temperature sensor 8 has become lower than the reference value, the temperature control means 10 outputs information to turn on the relay, and the output circuit 12 turns on the power to the electric heater 5 based on this output information. 11 supply will be resumed. At this time, water from the faucet 2 is led to the vicinity of the electric heater 5 at the bottom of the hot water tank 1 by the water conduit 7 and is efficiently heated. As in the case described above, the supply of power 11 to electric heater 5 continues until the temperature of hot water in hot water storage tank 1 reaches a predetermined value and the level of the output signal of temperature sensor 8 reaches a reference value. Also,
Even if the hot water in the hot water storage tank 1 is not used and the hot water cools down after a long period of time, the same process as described above proceeds, and the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank 1 is maintained at a predetermined value. In addition, electric heater 5
A temperature fuse 6 is connected in series to the output circuit 12 to prevent an accident from occurring if the electric heater 5 becomes abnormally overheated due to welding of the relay contacts of the output circuit 12.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

Since the conventional water heater is configured as described above, -
Once operation starts, until operation is instructed to stop,
Temperature control is automatically performed while filling the hot water storage tank 1 with water, and at the time of stopping, the hot water storage tank 1 is full of hot water. Since this hot water wastefully radiates heat until the next time it is used, the thermal energy given to the amount of hot water is wasted.

In addition, water that has been boiled to -degrees has the problem of leaching out the chlorchloride (lime) that was contained in the water when it is cold, so as the temperature of the water drops, germs can grow.

This invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and is a water heater that stops supplying water to a hot water tank after a certain time of the operating day, and then uses the remaining hot water in the hot water tank. The purpose of this study is to obtain a method for controlling the amount of hot water.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The hot water flow rate control method of the water heater according to the present invention is based on the output information of a calendar function section that ticks the time and outputs information such as date, time, day of the week, etc. or external hexagonal information. At a set time, the operation control function unit outputs a water supply valve closing signal, and this closing signal closes the water supply valve to stop water supply to the yIPJh tank.

[Effect]

The operation control function section in this invention closes the water supply valve to stop water supply at a certain set time on the operation day based on the output information of the calendar function section or the input information from the outside, and thereafter controls the water supply inside the hot water tank. By using the remaining hot water, the amount of remaining hot water at the time of shutdown is reduced, which reduces wasted energy and reduces the generation of germs.

〔Example〕

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a water heater that implements the hot water amount control method of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, 1 is a hot water tank, 2 is a water tap, 3 is a pole tap, 4 is an overflow pipe, 5 is an electric heater, 6 is a temperature fuse, 7 is a water pipe, 8 is a temperature sensor, 9 is a hot water tap, Reference numeral 12 denotes an output circuit, which is the same as or corresponds to the conventional circuit shown in FIG. 4 with the same reference numerals, so a detailed explanation is omitted.
Further, in FIG. 1, illustrations of ancillary circuits of the temperature sensor 8, a power source 11 for supplying the electric heater 5, etc. are also omitted.

13 is a hot water amount sensor that detects the amount of hot water stored in the hot water tank 1; 14 is a drain pipe provided at the bottom of the hot water tank 1 to discharge all of the stored hot water; 15 is a drain pipe for discharging all the stored hot water; A thermal valve 16 is attached to the pipe 14 to control the water supply/stop; 16 is a thermal valve attached to the water faucet 2 instead of a cock to control the water supply/stop; This is somewhat different from the conventional one in that in addition to controlling the energization of the electric heater 5, it also controls these thermal valves 15 and 16.

Further, 517 is based on the output signal of the temperature sensor 8,
A temperature control function section 18 generates information for controlling the heat generation of the electric heater 5 as a heating element, and a calendar function section 18 outputs information such as the current date, time, day of the week, etc. while ticking the time. , 19 has first and second schedule tables 30 and 31 in which usage patterns of the water heater are preset, as detailed in FIG. 2, and the information set in both of these schedule tables is referred to. At the same time, the information output from the calendar function section 18 is used to control the operation/stop of the temperature control function section 17, and at the set time, a closing signal for the thermal valve 16 is output. The operation control function section 21 is the temperature control function section 17. A microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as microcomputer) realizes the calendar function section 18 and the operation control function section 19, and 22.23 is an input circuit that converts the output signals of the temperature sensor 8 and the water amount sensor 13 into information that can be processed by the microcomputer 21. , 24, the user inputs information to the microcomputer 21.

This is a man-machine interface using a console or the like for displaying output information from the microcomputer 21.

Next, the operation will be explained. Here, FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the operation control function section 19. First, in step ST1, it is checked whether today is the designated day for drainage. That is, the operation control function section 19
Referring to the first schedule table 30 shown in FIG. If it is Monday, it is detected in step ST2 that the start time of wastewater treatment has arrived, and the wastewater treatment is executed in step ST3. That is, step ST2
'3', the time information sent from the calendar function unit 18 is stored in the second schedule table 3 shown in FIG. 2(b).
Start time of wastewater treatment set in the drainage column of 1 ``4:03''
When it is detected that 0 minutes have passed, in step ST3, the operation control function unit 19 outputs information to the output circuit 12 to control the relay, and opens the thermal valve 15 and closes the valve 16. The hot water (water) remaining in the tank 1 is discharged from the drain pipe 14, and since there is no water supply from the faucet 2, the hot water tank 1 becomes empty.After that, the operation control function section 19
When the end time “5:30” set in the drainage column of the second schedule table 31 is reached, this step S
After finishing the waste water treatment at T3, the information is sent to the output circuit 12, the thermal valve 15 is closed, and the valve 16 is opened. Therefore, water tap 2
Water supply is started, and the hot water tank 1 is filled with water to the level where the pole tap 3 reaches a predetermined position.

Next, the day of the week information from the calendar function section 18 is
Flag 1 is set in the temporary closure column of the schedule table 30.
In step ST4, a check is made to see if the day corresponds to a day of temporary closure such as a public holiday. Clear the corresponding flag to it O#l and end the operation for that day.Also, if it is not a temporary holiday, in step ST6, it is determined whether the timer to be used is timer ■ based on the day of the week information. is checked while referring to the first schedule table 30, and based on the flag "1'" set in the column of timer i, if the day of the week information is Monday to Friday, step S is performed.
At T7, timer I is selected and the process proceeds to step 5TIO. In other cases, it is checked in step ST8 whether the timer in use is the timer ■, and based on the flag 1" set in the column of timer ■, if the day of the week information is Saturday, the timer in use is checked in step ST9. Select to proceed to step ST10, and if it is Sunday, end the operation for that day without selecting the timer.Step 5TI
At O, check if it is one hour before the start time of operation, and
If it is before the time, open the thermal valve 16 in step 5TII,
The process moves to step 5T12.

In step 5TI2, the time information sent from the calendar function section 18 is stored in the second schedule table 31.
It monitors whether the start time "6:30" set in the timer ■ column or the timer ■ column has arrived.
When detecting that the start time has passed, the operation control function section 19 outputs information instructing the temperature control function section 17 to start temperature control in step 5TI3, and starts the operation for that day.

At this point, there is still water in the hot water tank 1, so the hot water temperature measured by the temperature sensor 8 is much lower than the set hot water temperature, and the output information from the input circuit 22 does not reach the reference value, so the temperature control The functional unit 17 outputs information that turns on the relay of the output circuit 12, drives the electric heater 5, and boils the water in the hot water tank 1. When the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank 1 rises, the level of the electrical signal output from the temperature sensor 8 also rises, and the input circuit 22
When the output information reaches the reference value, the temperature control function section 17 outputs information to turn off the relay to the output circuit 12,
The electric heater 5 stops generating heat when the power supply is cut off.

When it is detected that the temperature of the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 1 has decreased by more than the differential width from the set hot water temperature based on information from the input circuit 22 that converted the output signal of the temperature sensor 8, the temperature control function section 17 activates the relay. The output circuit 12 outputs information to turn on the electric heater 5, and the output circuit 12 restarts power supply to the electric heater 5 based on this output information. When the water temperature in the hot water storage tank 1 reaches the set water temperature, the temperature control function section 17 outputs information to the output circuit 12 to supply power to the electric heater 5, as in the case described above. Stop power supply. Such temperature control is performed when the time information from the calendar function section 18 is set to the second time from Monday to Friday when timer l is selected.
until the end time "18:30" set in the timer ■ column of the second schedule table 31, and on Saturday when the timer ■ is selected, the timer ■ column of the second schedule table 31 is set. Ending time 112:30
It continues until "minute".

The operation control function unit 19 further monitors the time information from the calendar function unit 18, and it is determined that the start time “15” is set in the use-up column of the second schedule table 31.
If it is detected in step 5T14 that "30 minutes past the hour" has passed, processing for using up the memory is executed in step 5T15.

That is, the operation control function unit outputs a water supply valve closing signal to the output circuit 12 to control the relay, and closes the thermal valve 1 as the water supply valve.
6 is closed to stop supplying water to the hot water tank 1.

Therefore, the hot water in the hot water storage tank 1 decreases as it is used.
At step 5T16, the operation end time is checked, and most of the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 1 will be used up by the time the operation ends for that day.

This process is performed at 5:03:00 on the next day, which is the end time set in the use-up column of the second schedule table 31.
When the minute is over, the thermal valve 16 is opened, and water supply from the water tap 2 is started in time for that day's operation. Here, if more hot water than expected is consumed after the run-up process is executed, and the water level drops to the point where there is a risk of dry heating, the output signal of the hot water amount sensor 13 that detects this is converted into predetermined information in the input circuit 23. It is converted and sent to the operation control function 19.

The operation control function 19 sends information based on the information to the output circuit 12 to open the thermal valve 16 and replenish water.

Here, the first and second schedule tables 30.3
The contents of item 1 are set using the keyboard of the man-machine interface 24 in accordance with the usage pattern of the water heater by the user.

In addition, although the above example shows the case where the single-use process is executed every day, it is possible to create a column in the first schedule table to set a single-use flag so that the process is executed only on a specified day, similar to wastewater treatment. You may also do so.

The start time of the use-up process is determined by the capacity of the hot water storage tank and the water supply capacity, and the start time may be set using key manual information in addition to the output information of the calendar function section.

Furthermore, although a thermal valve is used in the above embodiment to prevent the water hammer phenomenon, it is also possible to use other solenoid valves instead, and furthermore, something other than an electric heater may be used as the heating element. In either case, the same effects as in the above embodiment can be achieved.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the water supply valve is closed at the set time, the water supply operation is stopped, and the remaining hot water in the hot water storage tank is used thereafter, so that the remaining hot water at the time of operation stoppage is saved. This makes it possible to reduce energy waste and reduce the occurrence of germs. As a result, it has the effect of always giving users the image of ``clean hot water.''

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a water heater according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schedule table, and FIG.
The figure is a flowchart showing the operating procedure of the operation control function, and FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing a conventional water heater. 1 is a hot water storage tank, 5 is a heating element (electric heater), 8 is a temperature sensor, 12 is an output circuit, 17 is a temperature control function section, 18 is a calendar function section, and 19 is an operation control function section. In addition, in the figures, the same reference numerals indicate the same or equivalent parts. Patent applicant Yamatake Honeywell Co., Ltd. (a) (b)

Claims (1)

[Claims] A hot water storage tank having a heating element and storing boiled water in the tank, a temperature sensor measuring the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank, and controlling heat generation of the heating element based on an output signal of the temperature sensor. an input circuit that converts the output signal of the temperature sensor into information that can be processed by the temperature control function section; In a water heater having an output circuit that controls the time, the operation control function unit operates/stops the temperature control function unit using the information of the calendar function unit that ticks the time and outputs information such as date, time, day of the week, etc. and causes the operation control function unit to output a closing signal of the water supply valve that controls the water supply to the hot water tank at a set time based on the output information of the calendar function unit or the input information from the outside, and the water supply is performed by this closing signal. A method for controlling the amount of hot water in a water heater, characterized by closing a valve to stop water supply to a hot water storage tank.