JPH0461995B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a hot water/cold water mixing type hot water supply device for supplying hot water by mixing hot water and water to a predetermined temperature.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, this type of hot water mixing type water heater has been constructed as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. That is, the first
In the figure, water supplied from a water supply 1 is heated by a heater 3 in an electric water heater 2, which is a hot water supply heat source, and is stored in a tank 4. A hot water supply pipe 5 is connected to the electric water heater 2, and manual hot water mixing taps 6 and 7 are provided at the ends of the hot water supply pipe 5 as hot water taps. These hot and cold water mixing faucets 6 and 7 have hot water supply branch pipes 8 and 9 branched from the hot water supply pipe, respectively,
Water supply branch pipes 11 and 12 are connected to a water supply pipe 10 branched from the water supply 1 in front of the electric water heater 2. When the hot water mixing faucet 6 or 7 is opened, the high temperature hot water stored in the tank 4 in the electric water heater 2 is pushed by the water pressure of the water supply 1 and flows through the hot water supply pipe 5 to the hot water mixing faucet 6 or 7. reach
Here, the hot water is mixed with water from the water supply pipes, cooled down to a temperature suitable for use, and then supplied. Figure 5 shows a hot water mixing faucet 6 or 7.
The main body 13 has a hot water inlet 14 and a water inlet 15, and the opening degree of the water flow path 17 of the hot water flow path 16 is adjusted by a slit 18 provided in a valve body 19. The valve body 19 operates to slide vertically in the figure, and is driven by a wax pellet 20 that also serves as mixed water temperature detection means. When the mixed water temperature rises above the temperature set with the temperature control knob 21, When the wax pellet 20 expands, it moves the valve body 19 upward, and when it goes down, it moves downward to adjust the opening of the flow path. The mixed hot water flows through the mixed hot water flow path 22.
Alternatively, hot water is supplied to the target through 22', for example, by opening and closing the hot water tap 23 for the bath or the hot water tap 24 for the shower. When both the hot water taps 23 and 24 are closed and hot water supply stops, the water temperature decreases due to natural heat radiation, so the wax pellet 20 contracts and the valve body 19 is pushed by the spring 25 and moves downward, opening the flow path on the water side. 17 is gradually narrowed down by slit 18. When the hot water has completely cooled down, the water side flow path 17 is completely closed and the hot water side flow path 16 is fully opened. In this conventional example, the valve body is driven by a wax pellet that also serves as a mixed water temperature detection means.
In addition to this, a method has recently emerged in which the valve body is driven by a motor and the mixed water temperature is detected and controlled by a thermistor, but as the hot water cools after the hot water supply is stopped, the valve body The phenomenon of opening the side channel and closing the water channel occurred similarly to the wax pellet type.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention Since the conventional hot water mixing device of this type was constructed as described above, it had the following problems.

(1) Because the valve body closes the water side flow path and opens the hot water side flow path due to natural heat radiation and cooling after hot water supply is used, when hot water supply is restarted, hot water higher than the set value is supplied and may cause burns. There is a risk of Especially after other hot and cold water mixing taps in the vicinity have been used, in a circulating hot water system, or in cases where the hot water piping distance to the hot water supply heat source is short, very hot water may come out because less heat is absorbed by the hot water piping. It is a danger.

(2) It takes time for the mixed hot water temperature to reach the set value, but during this time hot water higher than the set value is supplied, which may be wasted depending on the object of use.

(3) When the drive means is electrical, electricity is supplied to move the valve body even during cooling after hot water supply is stopped, which goes against energy conservation.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional hot water mixing type water heater, and after the hot water supply is stopped, the drive device is driven, the hot water side flow path is closed, and the water side flow path is opened and then restarted. The purpose is to stop the drive device by driving it in the closing direction, and to prevent danger and save energy when hot water supply resumes.

Means for Solving the Problems To achieve this object, the present invention includes a drive device such as a motor that drives a mixing valve body, a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of mixed water, and a signal from the temperature sensor that is set to a set value. A controller is provided to compare and control the drive device, and a flow detector is provided to directly or indirectly detect the supply state of the mixed hot water.Furthermore, the drive device is controlled by inputting a signal to stop the supply of mixed hot water from the flow detector. A drive control unit that outputs a drive signal to close the hot water side flow path and open and close the water side flow path, and a stop control unit that stops the drive after the drive control unit has driven the drive device by a predetermined amount. It is composed of the following.

According to the above-described configuration, the present invention closes the hot water side flow path and closes the water side flow path when hot water supply is stopped, and then narrows the water side flow path in the closing direction or closes it. This prevents hot water from being supplied when hot water supply is restarted.

Embodiment Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 1 to 3. In FIG. 1, water supplied from a water supply 31 is supplied to an electric water heater 3 which is a hot water supply heat source.
It is heated by the heater 33 in the tank 34 and stored in the tank 34. The electric water heater 32 has a hot water supply pipe 35
is connected, and a hot water mixing device 3 is connected to this terminal side.
6, 36', and hot water taps 37, 37' which are on-off valves. To explain the hot water mixing device 36 as a representative example, as shown in FIG. Valve bodies 44 and 45 are provided to adjust the opening degree of the passage 43.

The water-side valve body 45 has a piston 46 that fully opens the water side and then closes it again when driven rightward in the figure.A shaft 49 passes through the valve bodies 44 and 45, and the shaft 49 The valve bodies 44 and 45 can be slid in a watertight manner.

The valve bodies 44, 45 are urged outward by a spring 50, and their outermost ends are regulated by retaining rings 51, 52 provided on the shafts. The shaft 49 is connected to a motor 53 which is a drive device via a conversion device 54 provided outside the valve frame body 41 that converts rotation into a slide.
Driven by. The mixed water temperature is detected by a thermistor 55, which is a temperature detector, and a mixing controller 56 compares the signals of the thermistor 55 and temperature setting device 57, and the motor 53 controls the valve bodies 44 and 45 according to the deviation. The amount of drive is determined and controlled.
The mixing flow path 58 is provided with a flow rate switch 59 that detects the supply state of mixed hot water, and detects the open state and closed state of the hot water tap 37, which is an on-off valve.
This flow rate switch 59 is also connected to a closing controller 60, and as shown in FIG. have.

Next, the operation will be explained. It is assumed that the hot water tap 37 is opened and hot water is being supplied. electric water heater 3
The hot water in 2 is sent to a water mixing device 36 through a hot water supply pipe 35 at tap pressure. Water sent through the water supply pipe is also introduced into the hot water mixing device 36. The hot water and water coming in from the hot water inlet 38 and the water inlet 39 are passed through the hot water and water flow paths 42 and 4 by the valve bodies 44 and 45.
The opening degree of 3 is adjusted and each flow rate is determined.
The valve bodies 44 and 45 are controlled by a signal deviation between a thermistor 55 and a temperature setting device 57, and when the temperature of the mixed hot water discarded by the thermistor 55 is higher than the set value,
Motor 53 is driven via controller 56 and pushes shaft 49 to the right via converter 54 . Valve body 4
4 and 45 are thereby moved in parallel, the valve element 44 moves in the direction of closing the hot water side flow path 42, and the valve element 46 moves in the direction of opening the water side flow path. When the mixed hot water temperature is lower than the set value, the valve bodies 44 and 45 move to open the hot water side flow path 42 and close the water side flow path 43. While hot water is being supplied, since there is a flow in the mixed hot water flow path 58, the flow rate switch 59 continues to be turned on to ensure that the motor 53 is energized. During hot water supply, if the flow rate changes due to hot water or water pressure fluctuations, the mixed water temperature will change as a result.
The valve bodies 44 and 45 are driven so as to be fed back and return to the original set value.

When hot water supply becomes unnecessary and the hot water tap 37 is closed, the flow stops, and the flow rate switch 59 is turned off. The off signal of this flow rate switch 59 is transmitted to the closing controller 6.
0, and a deviation signal is generated from the signal generating circuit 62 during the time set by the time limit circuit 61.
This deviation signal further adds a predetermined deviation to the deviation between the set value of the temperature setting device 57 and the signal of the temperature detector 55. Then, the motor 53 drives the mixing valve bodies 44 and 45 so as to close the hot water side flow path 42. The set time of the time limit circuit 61 is set to be longer than the time necessary for the motor 53 to close the hot water side flow path 43 and fully open the water side flow path, and then narrow it down again.

When the mixing valve bodies 44 and 45 are driven in the direction of closing the hot water side flow path 42 (to the right), the mixing valve body 44 first
The hot water is throttled and the water is opened by the mixing valve body 45. However, when the hot water stops and the water is fully opened, when the piston 46 is driven further to the right, the piston 46 faces the water side flow path 43 and throttles the water. By further driving, the water can be completely stopped. During these operations, the piston 46 whose outer end is regulated by the retaining ring 52 and the valve body 45
is released and made possible by the compression of the spring 50. By driving further in the closing direction from the state where the hot water is fully closed and the water is fully open, even manufacturing variations in the distance between the valve bodies 44 and 45 can be absorbed. Furthermore, by completely shutting off the water, it can also function as a water stop valve.

After being driven by a predetermined amount, power is cut off to the motor 53, which is a driving device, and the motor 53 is stopped. Even if the temperature of the water around the thermistor 55 falls due to natural heat radiation, the motor 53 does not move, so there is no power consumption as in the conventional system, and the valve element 44 closes the hot water flow path 42. However, the valve body 45 is stopped at a position where the water side flow path 43 is closed.

Next, when it becomes necessary to supply hot water again and the hot water tap 37 is opened, since the hot water side flow path 42 is closed by the valve element 44, water first flows out from the open side. The flow rate switch 59 detects this flow and control is immediately started.

If the water supply is completely stopped, it is necessary to use another method to signal the start of hot water supply, such as a hot water supply start switch. However, in any case, since the signal from the flow rate switch 59 is used for control when hot water supply is stopped, it is possible to cope with a plurality of hot water supply points.

When hot water starts to be supplied, unless the temperature setting device 57 indicates the water temperature, the hot water side flow path 42 is opened and the water side flow path 43 is narrowed until the set value is reached and mixing is continued steadily. Hot water is provided. Until this set value is reached, the water temperature rises to reach the set temperature, so hot water is not supplied at the beginning of use, and at least the water at a low temperature below the set value is wasted. This means that there is less waste compared to the conventional method where hot water is thrown away. Another possible method is to stop the motor immediately when the hot water tap is closed and restart it when the hot water tap is opened, but this method would be less safe and more energy-saving if the temperature setting of the temperature setting device could be changed while the hot water tap is not in use. From this point of view, this method is more advantageous.

In this embodiment, the closing controller 60 has a timer circuit 61 as a stop controller and a signal generating circuit 62 as a drive direction controller. Since this is a method in which a further deviation is provided between the set temperature and the signal deviation of the thermistor 55, the motor 53 can be controlled with a simple control circuit configuration. The closing controller has a direction indicating circuit that indicates the closing direction of the hot water side flow path, and a time limit circuit that energizes in the indicated direction for a predetermined period of time, and it receives a stop signal from the flow rate switch regardless of the set temperature and thermistor signal. The receiving hot water side flow path may be closed.
In addition, as a flow detector, in this embodiment,
Since the flow of mixed hot water accompanying the opening and closing of the hot water tap 37 is detected by the flow rate switch 59 to start or stop driving the motor 53, the configuration is simple and can be controlled simply by operating the hot water tap 37. It has a great effect. In addition to a flow rate switch, a flow detector that detects the supply status of mixed hot water is, for example, integrated with a hot water tap, turned on and off in conjunction with the hot water tap operation, and transmits this on/off signal to a controller via an electric wire. Possible methods include an indirect method of transmitting the information, and a method of using a pressure switch to eliminate pressure fluctuations caused by opening and closing the hot water tap.

In addition, in the above embodiment as a mixing valve body, by driving in the direction of closing the hot water side flow path 42, the water side flow path 43 is opened in inverse proportion, and eventually the piston 46 closes the water side flow path again. 43, but another method, for example, is to have independent valves on the hot water side and water side, each with a driving motor, so that when the hot water side is closed, There is also a method of closing the water side, opening the water side, and driving the water side in the direction of closing after the hot water side is completely closed.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention closes the hot water side flow path when hot water supply is stopped, opens the water side flow path, and further drives the water side flow path in the closing direction. It has an effect like this.

(1) This prevents the unique phenomenon of automatically controlled mixing valves, which throttle the water side and open the hot water side due to natural cooling when hot water supply is stopped, and hot water supply starts at a lower temperature than the previous time, compared to conventional methods. It is safe because hot water higher than the set value is supplied and there is no risk of burns.

(2) Until the mixed hot water temperature reaches the set value, hot water at a temperature lower than the set temperature is always supplied, and the drive device is controlled by comparing the signal from the temperature sensor with the set value to reach the desired value. Because the water temperature can be obtained immediately, less heat is wasted.

(3) Since the drive device is stopped after being driven for a predetermined amount after hot water supply is stopped, power consumption can be reduced.

(4) Since the hot water supply is stopped using the signal from the flow detector, it can be handled even if there are multiple hot water supply points.

(5) After closing the hot water side flow path and opening the water side flow path,
Furthermore, since the water side flow path is driven in the closing direction, even if there are manufacturing variations in the mixing valve, it is possible to reliably stop the hot water before stopping the water, and it can also be used to stop the water as well.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a system diagram of a hot water mixing device showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a hot water mixing device used in the hot water mixing device, and Fig. 3 is a system diagram of a hot water mixing device used in the hot water mixing device. The system diagram, FIG. 5, is a sectional view of a hot water mixing faucet used in the same device. 38... Hot water inlet, 39... Water inlet, 40... Mixing hot water outlet, 41... Mixing valve frame, 42... Hot water side flow path, 4
3... Water side flow path, 44, 45... Valve body (mixing valve body) 5
3...Motor (drive device), 55...Thermistor (temperature detector), 56...Mixing controller (controller), 59...
Flow rate switch (flow detector), 60... closing controller,
61...Time limit circuit (stop control section), 62...Signal generation circuit (drive direction control section).

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A valve body having an inlet for hot water and an outlet for mixed hot water, a mixing valve body that adjusts the opening degree of a hot water side flow path and a water side flow path in the valve body, A drive device such as a motor that drives the valve body, a temperature detector that detects the mixed water temperature,
It has a controller that controls the drive device by comparing the signal from the temperature sensor with a set value, and a flow detector that directly or indirectly detects the supply state of mixed hot water. a drive control unit configured to output a drive signal for causing the drive device to close the hot water side flow path and open the water side flow path in response to input of a supply stop signal, and then further drive the water side flow path in the closing direction; A hot water mixing hot water supply device comprising: a closing controller having a stop control section that stops driving the drive device after the drive device is driven by a predetermined amount by a control section. 2 A patent in which the mixing valve element is formed so that the water side flow path is opened by driving it in the direction of closing the hot water side flow path, and the water side flow path is closed again by driving it continuously in the same direction. A hot water mixing hot water supply device according to claim 1.