JPH03222955A - Air bubble generating bathtub having water level judging function of bath hot water in freeze preventing operation - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To judge whether the water level in a bathtub is suitable for freeze preventing operation by circulating bath hot water in a bath hot water circulation flow path by a circulation pump when the temp. of bath hot water is lower than air bubble operable temp. so as to prevent the freezing of bath hot water and detecting the fluctuation of the water pressure in the bath hot water circulation flow path. CONSTITUTION:The temp. of the bath hot water in a bath hot water circulation flow path D is detected by a bath hot water temp. detection sensor 19 and, when the detected temp. is lower than the lower limit temp. of a blow operable temp. range, the water level of the bath hot water in a bathtub main body 1 is detected by a pressure detection sensor 15 also used as a water level detection sensor and, when the detected water level is a blow operable water level, a circulation pump P is rotated at low speed to circulate bath hot water in the bath hot water circulation flow path D to perform freeze preventing operation. When the water level of bath hot water is lower than the height of the suction part 17 of the bathtub main body 1, the circulation pump P sucks air from the suction port 17 and no water pressure is applied to the interior of the bath hot water circulation flow path D and the water level of bath hot water is judged to be so low as a freeze preventing operation impossible state to stop operation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a bubble-generating bathtub having a function of determining the water level of bath water during antifreeze operation.

(b) Conventional technology Conventionally, as a basic form of a bubble-generating bathtub, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-1
As described in Japanese Patent No. 35058, a bath water circulation pipe is connected between the bathtub body and the circulation pump, and an air intake part is provided in the middle of the pipe.

With this structure, the circulation pump draws bath water into the bathtub body through the bath water suction pipe, and the pump jets the bath water into the bathtub body through the bath water supply pipe.

At this time, the air intake part mixes the bath water into the bath water by using the negative pressure generated by the jet of bath water from the air intake part, and creates bubbles inside the bathtub body. The mixed bath water is made to gush out.

In addition, in such bubble-generating bathtubs, the circulation pump is generally installed outdoors due to noise and other problems, so in cold regions, if the circulation pipe freezes, the bath water cannot be circulated smoothly.
Therefore, a large load is placed on the circulation pump, which may cause a failure.

Therefore, when the temperature of the bath water in the circulation pipe drops to a certain temperature, the circulation pump is automatically activated to circulate the bath water within the bathtub body, thereby preventing the bath water from freezing.

(c) Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, the above-mentioned bubble-generating bathtub had the following drawbacks.

In other words, when the water level of the bath water in the bathtub body is higher than the suction port, the circulation pump sucks the bath water and performs smooth antifreeze operation, but when the water level of the bath water is lower than the suction port, the circulation pump sucks the bath water and performs smooth antifreeze operation. ,
By the circulation pump sucking air from the same suction port,
The pump ran idly, and there was a risk that the pump itself would be damaged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a bubble-generating bathtub having a function of determining the water level of bath water during antifreeze operation, which can solve the above-mentioned problems.

(d) Means for Solving the Problems In the present invention, a bath water circulation flow path consisting of a bath water suction flow path and a bath water forced flow path is interposed between the bathtub body and the circulation pump, A jet nozzle is attached to the opening of the bath water forced flow channel provided in the bath bath body, and an air intake part is connected to the bath water circulation channel, and the bubble-mixed bath water is sent from the same nozzle to the bath bath body. In the bubble-generating bathtub configured to be able to emit bubbles, if the temperature of the bath water in the bath water circulation flow path is lower than the temperature that allows bubble operation, the circulation pump is driven to circulate the bath water in the bath water circulation flow path, It is configured to prevent the bath water from freezing, and also detects water pressure fluctuations in the bath water circulation flow path due to the drive of the circulation pump,
The present invention provides a bubble-generating bathtub having a function of determining the water level of bath water in an anti-freeze operation, which is characterized in that the water level of the bath water in the bathtub body is determined based on the fluctuation and smooth anti-freeze operation is performed.

(E) Functions and Effects In the present invention, in order to use the bubble-generating bathtub, the circulation pump is driven to circulate the bathwater in the bathtub body into the bathwater circulation flow path, and the air is provided in the flow path. Air is mixed in from the intake part,
The bath water is ejected along with bubbles from the ejection nozzle.

In addition, when the bath water temperature in the bath water circulation flow path is lower than the temperature that allows bubble operation due to a drop in the temperature, the circulation pump is driven to slowly circulate the bath water within the bath water circulation flow path. It is possible to prevent the bath water from freezing.

Moreover, in the present invention, when performing anti-freeze operation,
The circulation pump is driven to circulate the bath water, and the water level of the bath water in the bathtub body (whether or not it is at a level that allows anti-freezing operation) is determined based on fluctuations in the water pressure in the bath water circulation flow path.

In other words, when the water level of the bath water is higher than the inlet, water pressure is applied in the bath water circulation flow path and the bath water circulates, and due to fluctuations in water pressure, the water level of the bath water that can be operated to prevent freezing is at a high water level. It is determined that this is the case, and antifreeze operation is started.

On the other hand, when the water level inside the bathtub body is lower than the suction port, the circulation pump sucks air from the suction port, which prevents water pressure from being applied to the bathwater circulation flow path and prevents the bathwater from circulating smoothly. , it is determined that the water level is such that antifreeze operation is impossible, and the circulation pump is stopped.

Therefore, when the water level in the bathtub body is low, when the circulation pump is driven, the water level of the bathtub is determined based on the water pressure in the bathwater circulation flow path, and based on this determination, the drive of the circulation pump is stopped. Damage caused by idle running of the circulation pump can be prevented as much as possible by soaking or pouring hot water.

(F) Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be explained in detail based on the drawings. First, the overall structure of the bubble-generating bathtub according to the present invention will be explained in detail.

The bubble-generating bathtub A shown in FIG. 1 is a bubble-generating bathtub according to the present invention, and the bubble-generating bathtub A has a bathtub body 10 formed in a box shape with an opening on the top surface, and has an automatic variable spray amount on the front and rear walls and on the left and right side walls, respectively. A jet nozzle 2.2, a dorsal jet nozzle 3.3, and a ventral jet nozzle 4.4 are provided, respectively.

The bathtub body 1 has a brim-shaped edge 1a with a constant width on its periphery, an air intake portion 5 on the edge 1a, and a rear wall (back side ), ventral side jet nozzles 4, 4 are attached to the inclined surfaces 1b, lb facing the rear wall.

Moreover, the ventral side jet nozzle 4 is installed at a higher position than the other leg side and dorsal side jet nozzles 2.3, so that the bath water can be reliably applied to the ventral side, chest side, and other parts of the human body. It is configured so that it can be done.

A pump protection case 9 is provided outside the bubble-generating bathtub A, and inside the case 9 are a circulation pump P that circulates the bath water, a filter 10 that filters the bath water, and a pump-driving device. A motor 11 and a motor 12 for opening and closing the valve body for the nozzle.
and a control section C that controls the drive of the electric three-way valve 13.

Note that IQa indicates a discharge pipe from the filter 10.

Further, a bath water circulation flow path is interposed between the circulation pump P and the bubble generating bathtub A, and the bath water circulation flow path is as follows.
It is composed of a bath water suction pipe 15 for sending bath water from the bubble generating bathtub A to the circulation pump P, and a bath water bullet conveying vibrator 16 for sending bath water from the circulation pump P to the bath bath A. .

The bath water suction pipe 15 has one end communicatively connected to the suction port 17 opened at the bottom of the bathtub body 1, and
The other end is connected to the suction port of the circulation pump P, so that bath water is sucked into the pump P.

On the other hand, the bath water bullet feed pipe 16 has one end connected to the water outlet of the circulation pump P, and the other end connected to each of the jet nozzles 23.4.

In addition, the above-described suction port 17 is connected to the foot side/dorsal side jet nozzle 2.
．． It is installed at a lower position than 3.

Also, a pump drive motor 1 that drives the circulation pump P
1 and the control section C, as shown in FIG. 2, an inverter E is interposed, and the output frequency of the inverter E is changed to control the rotation speed of the circulation pump P.
The rotation speed of the circulation pump P can be changed smoothly and reliably.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, a pressure detection sensor 18 is installed in the middle of the bath water delivery pipe 16 to detect the water pressure of the bath water being forced into the pipe 16. The results are sent to the control unit C, which controls the jetting pressure of the bath water spouted from each jetting nozzle 2, 3.4, the rotation speed of the pump drive motor 11, and each jetting nozzle 2, 3, 4.
The control is performed by changing the opening/closing amount of the opening/closing amount.

Further, the pressure detection sensor 18 is also used as a water level detection sensor for detecting the amount of hot water filled in the bathtub body 1.

By using such a water level detection sensor, when the water level of the bath water does not reach a certain level, the blow operation, antifreeze operation, filter cleaning operation, and automatic filter cleaning operation, which will be described later, by the control unit C will not be started. It is configured as follows.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, a bath water temperature detection sensor 19 is installed in the middle of the bath water pumping pipe 16 to detect the temperature of the bath water being pumped into the pipe 16. The detection results are sent to the control unit C, which controls the pump drive motor 11 and each jet nozzle 2.3.4.

By using the bath water temperature detection sensor 19, the control unit C can perform blow operation, antifreeze operation, filter cleaning operation, and automatic filtration V according to the temperature conditions of the bath water.
s The configuration is such that the cleaning operation is not started.

In this way, the blow operation, antifreeze operation, and filtration l! The cleaning operation and the automatic filter cleaning operation cannot be started unless the bath water reaches a certain water level and a certain water temperature.

Moreover, the above-mentioned air intake part 5 and each jet nozzle 2.3.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of intake pipes 20 are interposed between the intake pipes 4 and 4.
The air intake part 5 is connected to each jet nozzle 2.3.4.

Then, using the negative pressure generated when the bath water is spouted from each jet nozzle 2, 3.4, the air taken in from the air intake part 5 is
Passed through each intake pipe 20 and through each jet nozzle 2.3.4
The bath water mixed with air bubbles is spouted into the bathtub body 1 from each nozzle 2, 3 and 4.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an operation panel section 6 connected to a control section C is disposed on the edge 1a of the bathtub body 1, and various switches provided on the panel section 6 are provided. Bubble-generating bath I! It is configured to perform the driving operation of A.

The operation panel section 6 will be explained in detail below.

Reference numeral 21 denotes an infrared receiving sensor provided on the operation panel section 6, which receives infrared rays emitted from the remote controller 22.

In this embodiment, the operation panel section 6 is attached to the upper part of the air intake section 5 provided at the edge 1a of the bathtub body 1, and is integrally configured.

Note that 23 is a reception display section provided with the operation panel section 6L.

Next, the control section C will be explained in detail.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control section C is composed of a microprocessor MPU, an input interface 24, an output interface 25, a memory 26 consisting of ROM and RAM, and a timer 27.

In the above configuration, the human power interface 24
These include a rotation speed detection sensor 28 that detects the rotation speed of the circulation pump P, a valve body reference position detection sensor 29 that detects the opening/closing amount of the valve body for regulating the amount of ejection, and a water pressure in the bath water bullet delivery pipe IG. A pressure detection sensor 18, a bath water temperature detection sensor 19 that detects the temperature of bath water in the bathtub body l, and an infrared signal receiving section 21 that receives an infrared drive signal from a remote controller 22 are connected.

On the other hand, the output interface 25 is connected to the pump drive motor 11, the nozzle valve opening/closing motor I2, the electric three-way valve 13, and the drive section of the filter 10.

The memory 26 also stores the drive order for driving the drive units such as the motors 11 and 12 and the electric three-way valve 13 based on the output signals from the above-mentioned sensors and the drive signals from the remote controller 22. Memorizes the program.

In this embodiment, the rotation speed of the circulation pump P is adjusted by changing the frequency of the current supplied to the pump drive motor 11 by the inverter E.

In addition, the above-mentioned bubble-generating bathtub A is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 63-3317.
It has the same configuration as that described in No. 22.

In the present invention, the bubble-generating bathtub A configured as described above is configured to perform anti-freezing operation using the pressure detection sensor 18 of the pressure control section C1 and the bath water temperature detection sensor 19. will be explained in detail with reference to FIG.

Such anti-freeze operation is performed by the circulation pump P and bath water circulation/Jt.
This is done to prevent the bath water in the road from freezing, and it operates in priority to blow operation, and during blow operation, the bath water temperature is the lower limit temperature of the temperature range where blow operation is possible (for example,
When the temperature drops below 5°C, the blowing operation is forcibly stopped and anti-freezing operation is started.

First, the bath water temperature in the bath water circulation flow path is detected by the bath water temperature detection sensor 19, and if the bath water temperature is lower than the lower limit temperature (for example, 5°C) of the temperature range that allows blowing operation (
310Y), next, the water level of the bath water in the bathtub body 1 is detected by the pressure detection sensor 18 which also serves as a water level detection sensor,
If the water level is a water level that allows blow operation (for example, a water level higher than the upper end of the suction port 17) (315Y), antifreeze operation is started (320).

In such antifreeze operation, the circulation pump P is rotated at a low speed under inverter control to circulate the bath water within the bath water circulation flow path.

At this time, the bath water temperature is lower than the lower limit temperature (for example, 5°C) of the temperature range that allows blow operation, or the temperature corresponding to the hysteresis provided in the bath water temperature detection sensor 19 is lower than the lower limit temperature of the same temperature range (for example, , 2 to 3°C) (325N), and the water level of the bath water in the bathtub body 1 is at a level that allows blowing operation (330Y), the operation panel section will be closed during the antifreeze operation. 6 hour hand display indicates low water temperature.
The display "C" is made to blink every second.

In addition, the bath water temperature is higher than the lower limit temperature of the temperature range that allows blowing operation due to pouring water, or higher than the lower limit temperature of the same temperature range plus the temperature for the hysteresis provided in the bath water temperature detection sensor 19. If it does (325Y), the operation will be stopped (215).

In this embodiment, before starting the antifreeze operation, the circulation pump P is driven to perform a blow operation (500), and the water level of the bath water for the antifreeze operation is determined (315). The water level of the bath water is determined by circulating the bath water in the bathtub body 1 and detecting the water pressure in the bath water circulation flow path with the pressure detection sensor 18.

That is, when the water level of the bath water is higher than the inlet 17,
The bath water circulates at a constant water pressure, and due to fluctuations in the water pressure applied to the bath water circulation path, it is determined that the water level of the bath water that can be operated to prevent freezing is high (315Y), and the anti-freezing operation is started (315Y).
320).

On the other hand, when the water level of the bath water is lower than the suction port 17 of the bath water main body L, the circulation pump P sucks air from the suction port 17, so that water pressure is not applied in the bath water circulation flow path. Since the bath water does not circulate smoothly, it is determined that the water level of the bath water is too low to perform antifreeze operation (315N), and the operation is stopped (215).

Further, in this embodiment, when the water level in the bathtub body 1 is low, a low water level alarm (340) is activated based on this determination, and the antifreeze operation is stopped.

Then, in response to the low water level alarm (340), the bather takes a bath and performs antifreeze operation, thereby making it possible to prevent damage caused by idle running of the circulation pump P as much as possible.

Furthermore, FIG. 4 shows the water level of the bath water in the bathtub body 1, which is determined based on the suction port 17 of the bathtub body 1 and the ventral side jet nozzle 4, and the water level is set at the opening of the same jet nozzle 4. When the water level is higher than the upper end, it is defined as water level A, and the water level is
The water level B is between the upper end of the opening and the upper end of the suction port 17.
Furthermore, the water level is set to be lower than the upper end of the suction port 17, and as a condition for starting the antifreeze operation,
At water levels A and B, the circulation pump P is driven, and at water level C, the circulation pump P is not driven.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a bubble generating bathtub structure according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a conceptual explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of the bubble-generating bathtub;
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the antifreeze operation, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of the water level of the bath water. In the figure, A: bubble generating bathtub p: VA ring pump C: control part D = bath water circulation flow path 1: bathtub body

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A bath water circulation flow path consisting of a bath water suction flow path and a bath water forced flow path is interposed between the bathtub body and the circulation pump, and is provided in the bath water body. A jet nozzle is attached to the opening of the bath water forced flow channel, and an air intake part is connected to the bath water circulation channel,
In a bubble-generating bathtub configured to be able to spray bubble-mixed bathwater into the bathtub body from the same nozzle, if the bathwater temperature is lower than the temperature that allows bubble operation in the bathwater circulation flow path, the circulation pump is driven to It is configured to circulate hot water in the bath water circulation flow path to prevent the bath water from freezing, and also detects water pressure fluctuations in the bath water circulation flow path due to the drive of the circulation pump, and based on the fluctuations. A bubble-generating bathtub having a function of determining the water level of bath water in anti-freezing operation, characterized in that the water level of bath water in the bathtub body is determined and smooth anti-freezing operation is performed.