JPH04353339A - bathtub equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform rational heat insulation operation of bath tub water by detecting a bath tub water temperature and a bath room temperature by means of a temperature sensor and detecting the prestored drop temperature of water tub water owing to natural radiation according to the two temperatures. CONSTITUTION:A bath room temperature is detected by a temperature sensor 7 before a bath tub 1 is filled with water to store it in a controller 8. When heating of bath tub water is stopped to a filling water temperature, set by a temperature setter 12, by means of a heater 2, from a drop temperature ( deg.C/ minute) of bath tub water on a basis of a prestored bath room temperature and filling water temperature, which are a variable, a temperature memory circuit 9 reads a bath room temperature detected by the temperature sensor 7 and a drop temperature corresponding to a filling water temperature during the stop of heating. From a reheating temperature and the drop temperature, a reheating timing is computed and indicated on the heater 2.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bathtub device that captures the amount of heat radiated from water in the bathtub and performs a rational heat-retaining operation.

0002

[Prior Art] Conventionally, this type of bathtub device was equipped with a water temperature sensor in the bathtub circulation path connected to the bathtub, and the temperature detected by this water temperature sensor was determined to reheat the cooled bathtub water using a heater. . Additionally, a heater and pump are installed in the bathtub circulation path.
This pump stirs the bath water and detects a stable water temperature.
The necessity of reheating was determined.

0003

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the water temperature sensor described above cannot detect the bathtub water temperature above the point where the bathtub circulation path is connected, and therefore cannot accurately determine the bathtub water temperature. Moreover, the timing of reheating became unnecessarily early, making it impossible to obtain a reasonable heat-retaining operation. In addition, the latter configuration has the problem that the water is circulated through a pump to detect the water temperature, causing unnecessary heat to be radiated from the heater or the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems of the conventional technology, and aims to provide a bathtub device that can rationally maintain the temperature of bathtub water.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, a first means of the bathtub device of the present invention includes a bathtub circulation path connected to a bathtub, and a temperature sensor in this bathtub circulation path. It is something that

A second means of the present invention is provided with a bathtub circulation path connected to the bathtub via a heater, a water temperature sensor for detecting the water temperature in the bathtub, and an outside air temperature sensor, and which stores the temperature drop of the bathtub water. It has a temperature storage unit that performs fuzzy inference on the temperature drop or a temperature inference unit that performs fuzzy inference on the temperature drop.

[0007]

[Function] According to the first means, the bathtub device of the present invention allows the bathtub circulation path to be filled with bathtub water when the bathtub is filled with water,
A temperature sensor detects water temperature. In the bathtub circulation path when the water in the bathtub is drained, water in the path is drained through the bathtub and replaced with air in the bathroom, so that the path is filled with air. This air is cooled by outside air for a long time from the time the water is drained to the time the water is refilled the next day, until it is saturated to ambient temperature. Then, the temperature sensor detects the air temperature in the road before the start of water filling from the next day onward as the ambient temperature. This detected temperature can be effectively used as a signal for predicting the amount of heat released from the bathtub water, warning of freezing danger in cold weather, etc.

Further, according to the second means, the bathtub device of the present invention is arranged such that the bathtub water at the detected temperature TS detected by the water temperature sensor is at this temperature TS or the temperature TO detected by the outside temperature sensor.
The main factor is that the temperature TS drops due to natural heat radiation after the heating operation is stopped. The temperature storage section stores in advance a temperature drop ΔT in which the bathtub filling water temperature (the detected temperature) TS at the time of stopping the heating operation corresponds to the environmental temperature TO of the bathtub installed detected by the outside air temperature sensor, and which decreases every unit time. and,
The temperature drop ΔT is read from the temperature TO detected by the outside air temperature sensor, the time required to reach a predetermined temperature for starting reheating operation is calculated, and the timing of reheating operation is instructed.

Alternatively, the temperature inference section calculates the water temperature TS.
Fuzzy inference is performed using the ambient temperature TO as input, and the temperature drop ΔT is outputted to instruct the timing of the reheating operation. In this way, a large amount of input from the storage unit is processed to instruct more accurate reheating operation timing. In addition, wasteful heat radiation can be eliminated and rational heat retention operation can be realized.

0010

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Examples of the bathtub apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, in which a bathtub 1 is connected to a heater 2 by a bathtub circulation path 3. In FIG. The bathtub circulation path 3 of the heater 2 includes a heat exchanger 5 heated by a burner 4, a pump 6, and a temperature sensor 7. A detection signal from temperature sensor 7 is input to controller 8 . The controller 8 is a temperature memory circuit 9
and a drive circuit 10, and a signal from a temperature setting device 12 provided on an operation panel 11 is also input. The bathtub 1 is supplied with hot water by a hot water tap 13.

To fill the bathtub device with the above configuration, a desired amount of hot water is supplied from the hot water tap 13, the pump 6 is operated in circulation, the heat exchanger 5 is heated by the burner 4, and the set temperature T of the temperature setting device 12 is set.
Controlled by S. In this manner, when the burner 4 stops operating after being heated to the set temperature TS, the bathtub 1 absorbs heat from the surrounding air and the bathroom walls with which it comes in contact, and radiates the heat. By the way, when the water in the bathtub circulation path 3 is drained before this water filling operation, that is, at the end of the previous day's bathing, the circulating water in the path is also simultaneously drained from the bathtub 1 and becomes empty water. and,
It is cooled for a long time by the ambient temperature and is saturated almost to the ambient temperature. This temperature TO is set before the setting signal of the temperature setting device 12 is input to the controller 8 and hot water supply from the hot water tap 13 starts.
The controller 8 stores the detection signal of the temperature sensor 7 in the temperature storage circuit 9.

FIG. 2A shows a relationship in which the temperature drop ΔTO due to heat radiation of the bathtub 1 changes depending on the bathroom temperature TO which is the detection signal of the temperature sensor 7. (b) in Figure 2
) shows the relationship between the drop temperature ΔTS that changes in response to the water filling temperature TS of the bathtub 1. FIG. 2(c) shows the temperature drop ΔTOS corresponding to the bathroom temperature TO when the water filling temperature TS is 35 to 45°C. And water temperature TS
is at 1 degree interval, and bathroom temperature TO is at 2 degree interval, and the meeting point of both is the point indicated by the circle in the diagram. The temperature storage circuit 9 stores these data in advance. The unit of temperature drop is °C/min.

When the bathtub water naturally radiates heat after being heated to the filling water temperature TS, the temperature storage circuit 9 calculates the temperature per unit time from the stored data based on the bathroom temperature TO detected and stored by the temperature sensor 7 and the filling water temperature TS. Read the temperature drop ΔTOS. For example, at point TA in the figure, the temperature drop ΔT per minute is
The OS is 0.184℃, and the temperature drop that allows reheating is 0.
．． When the temperature is 5°C, the reheating start time t is t=0.5/0
．． It is determined as 184≒2.7 (minutes). In this way, the reheating time can be calculated without wasteful heat radiation immediately after heating, and rational heat retention operation can be performed. Note that the bathroom temperature TO may be detected by providing a separate temperature sensor.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the present invention, which includes a controller 17 having a temperature inference section 14 in place of the temperature storage circuit 9 of the previous embodiment. The temperature inference unit 14 is a temperature sensor 7
It has an inference section 15 which inputs the bathroom temperature TO detected in the bathtub 1 and the water filling temperature TS of the bathtub 1, performs fuzzy inference and outputs the temperature drop ΔT, and a storage section 15 which stores control rules, membership functions, etc. There is. The storage unit 15 has membership functions (a) and (b) with the bathroom temperature TO and water filling temperature TS shown in FIG. 4 as variables, and a membership function (c) with the drop temperature ΔT as a variable. It also has a plurality of control rules. For example, control rule (1) is ``If the bathroom temperature TO is negative medium (NM) and the water temperature TS
is negatively small (NS), the temperature drop ΔT is negatively small (N
The control rule (2) is ``If the bathroom temperature T
O is negatively small (NS) and the water temperature TS is almost 0
(Z), the temperature drop ΔT becomes approximately 0 (Z).''

The inference unit 14 has a bathroom temperature TO of -1.1°C.
, when the water temperature TS is 38.6° C., the control rules (1) and (2) are extracted and the inference operation begins. Then, the center of gravity of each is calculated from the level 0.7 of the fuzzy set NS and the level 0.2 of the fuzzy set Z (shaded area in the figure), and the temperature drop is 0.18°C/min, which approximates the point TB in Figure 2. is output. The drive unit 10 sets the reheating start time t to t=0.5/0.18≒2.8 from the temperature drop of 0.5°C that allows for both heating.
Find the minutes. In this way, the temperature inference section 14 has substantially the same performance as the temperature storage circuit 9, and can perform rational heat retention operation.

In both of the above embodiments, a controller 9 is provided separately from the heater 2.
, 17, and the heater 2 can be a carrier operated by heating operation instructions from the controllers 9, 17. The controllers 9 and 17 have various other information processing functions, and can automate and make the bathroom more comfortable. Note that it is also possible to house the controllers 9 and 17 in the heater 2, or to share the storage and calculation functions of both. Furthermore, as a simple method of inference, only one of the bathroom temperature TO and the water filling temperature TS may be input.

[0018]

As is clear from the above description, in claim 1 of the bathtub device of the present invention, the temperature sensor for detecting bathtub water temperature can also have a bathroom temperature detection function.

[0019] Furthermore, the second aspect of the present invention has the advantage that the bathtub water can be rationally kept warm and can be realized by employing a portable heater.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a bathtub device according to the present invention.

[Figure 2] (a) is a characteristic diagram of the temperature drop with the bathroom temperature as a variable (b) is a characteristic diagram of the temperature drop with the water temperature as a variable (c)
is a characteristic diagram of the temperature drop using the bathroom temperature and water temperature as variables.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 4] (a
) shows a membership function with bathroom temperature as a variable; (b) shows a membership function with water temperature as a variable; (c) shows a membership function with falling temperature as a variable.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Bathtub 2 Heater 3 Bathtub circulation path 7 Temperature sensor 9 Temperature memory circuit 14 Temperature inference section

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A bathtub circulation path connected to a bathtub, which guides water when the bathtub is filled with water, and which contains air when the bathtub is empty, and a temperature sensor provided in the bathtub circulation path to detect the temperatures of the water and air. Bathtub device equipped with a sensor. 2. A bathtub circulation path connected to the bathtub via a heater, a water temperature sensor for detecting water temperature in the bathtub, and an outside temperature sensor for detecting an outside air temperature or a temperature TO linked to the outside air temperature, the water temperature sensor The detected temperature TS and the temperature TO
a temperature storage unit that stores a temperature drop ΔT of bathtub water due to natural heat radiation per unit time corresponding to the temperature TS;
.