JP2882201B2 - Control device for bubble water flow generator - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control device for a bubble water flow generator having a function of generating a fine bubble water flow in a bathtub or other water bath by a pump for circulating water.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a bubble water flow generator (spout bath device) for generating this kind of fine bubble water flow, Japanese Patent Publication No.
Examples disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 14464 are shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7. FIG. A pump unit 104 having a pump 103 for circulating hot water 102 in a bathtub 101;
3 is provided with a low-pressure jet nozzle 109 and a high-pressure jet nozzle 110 branched and connected via a two-way valve 108 to an inhaler 106 for the hot water 102 connected to the suction side pipe 105 and a discharge side pipe 107 of the pump 103. Nozzle unit 11
1. Also, the suction side pipe line 1 of the pump 103
05 is provided with a jet passage 112,
Shuttle valve 1 between 07 and jet passage 112
A branch passage 114 is provided through the pipe 13.

The shuttle valve 113 includes a conical valve 116 urged by a spring 115 as shown in FIG.
The valve stem 117 and the conical valve 11 connected to the conical valve 116
6, the air intake passage 118 and the air passage 11 in which the flow of air into and out of the jet passage 112 is stopped.
9.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a high-pressure jet nozzle 110 has a gas-liquid mixer 122 having spiral passages 120 and 121 alternately, and a valve element 1 urged by a spring 123.
Relief valve 1 equipped with a jet 24 and a jet outlet 125
26.

Next, the operation will be described. In FIG. 5, when the microbubble water flow is generated, in FIG. 5, when the pump 103 is operated, the hot water 102 is sucked from the inhaler 106 to the pump 103 via the suction side pipe 105 and the jet passage 112. afterwards,
A fine bubble water stream is jetted from the pump 103 to the bathtub 101 from the high-pressure jet nozzle 110 via the discharge-side pipe 107. At this time, the discharge pressure of the pump 103 is
, The discharge pressure increases, and the conical valve 116 connected to the valve rod 117 overcomes the urging force of the spring 115 to open the conical valve 116. As a result, air is sucked into the jet passage 112 via the air intake passage 118, the conical valve 116, and the air passage 119, and is sucked by the pump 103. The sucked air is sent at a high pressure to the pump 103, the discharge side pipeline 107 and the gas-liquid mixer 112 in the high-pressure jet nozzle 110, and is dissolved under pressure.

[0006]

However, in the above configuration, usually, at the start of the operation for generating the fine bubble water flow,
When the pump 103 in the full state is operated, the hot water 102 is supplied from the inhaler 106 through the suction side pipe 105 to the pump 10.
Inhale into 3. When the hot water 102 is sucked in, the relief valve 126 becomes a discharge resistance, and the pump 103, the discharge side pipeline 107, and the shuttle valve 113 are brought into a high pressure state almost instantaneously. However, when air is generated by the pump 103, the air is repeatedly compressed and depressurized, so that it is difficult to attain a high pressure state. In this case, when the operation of generating the microbubble water flow is completed, the pressure inside the pump 103 is reduced from the high pressure state to return to the atmospheric pressure. This is because the air stays in the air during re-operation. Further, the discharge side pipe 107 and the relief valve 126
In the same manner as above, the air is re-gasified, and the air from the pump 103 is seen. Further, when the hot water 102 in the bathtub 101 is drained, the hot water 10
Similarly, when the hot water 102 is again drained into the bathtub 101, the suction-side conduit 10
When the pump 103 is operated, a large amount of air may be sucked into the pump 103 in some cases.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and detects an abnormal pressure in a water circuit such as a pump for generating a fine bubble water flow, and reduces the pressure in the water circuit to reduce the pressure in the water circuit. The present invention is to provide a control device for a bubble water flow generation device that safely protects the water.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a first technical means of the control device of the bubble water flow generating apparatus of the present invention is a water tank and a feed pipe connected to a fine bubble water flow discharge section provided in the water tank. And a return line connected to an outflow portion for discharging water in the water tank, a pump for circulating water in the water tank, connected between a discharge portion and a return portion of the pump, and connected to a feed line in the middle. A circulating water discharge portion, a circulating water circuit portion for circulating a part of the water from the circulating water discharging portion, and a circulating water circuit portion provided between the circulating water discharging portion and the return portion;
And an ejector section having a water inflow section connected to the return line and an air inflow section connected to the air inflow device, and a negative pressure section in which the two inflow sections communicate with each other to generate a negative pressure action by circulating water,
A resistance part for causing water and air to flow in a negative pressure from the ejector part, a variable throttle part for pressurization provided in the feed pipe from the circulating water discharge part to the fine bubble water flow discharge part, and a variable throttle part for pressurization; A pressure detector provided in the feed line between the circulating water circuit units, or a detector having at least one of a water amount detector provided between the return line and the feed line, and a detection signal of this detector. When the air inflow unit is opened and the detection level of the detection unit detects a fluctuation of a predetermined amount or more, the air inflow unit is closed, and the opening of the variable pressure unit for pressurization is increased, and the operation of the pump is stopped. It is provided with a control means to make it work.

Further, a second technical means of the present invention is a control means for largely controlling the opening of the variable pressurizing section after a predetermined time has elapsed after the detecting section detects a change in the detection level of a predetermined amount or more. This is provided in addition to the first technical means.

[0010]

When the detecting section detects the pressure in the feed pipe, the control means controls the air inflow device and the pump in response to the signal. That is, in the normal state, the air inflow device is opened and the detection level of the detection unit is maintained, and a change of a certain amount or more, that is, an abnormality detection instruction is made to act on the safe side. The operation of the pump does not always immediately increase the pressure of the feed line. When the pump is operated, the return portion and the ejector portion of the pump flow in the water while repeating the negative pressure and the atmospheric pressure due to the water inflow operation even at a low pressure.
At this time, if the air inflow device is opened, the air flows in from the air inflow portion of the ejector due to the negative pressure. The inflowing air flows into the pump from the return portion of the pump, and the pump generates air. When this air is generated,
Since the amount of water discharged from the pump is small, the pressure of the pump cannot be increased. For this reason, since air cannot be dissolved under pressure, it is impossible to generate fine bubbles as this function. In order to solve such a problem, it is essential that the air inflow device is opened after the pressure is increased to allow the air to flow. On the other hand, since the aperture area S1, ie, the opening, of the variable aperture section for pressurization is small, foreign matter in the water tank, the return pipe, and the feed pipe (for example, hair, unraveling thread of towel, small stone, pipe chips, pipe (E.g., seal tape for connection, rusting of piping, etc., alone or in combination). If foreign matter is clogged, the pump, circulating water circuit, and feed line will be abnormally pressurized. It deteriorates significantly and at the worst, failures such as becoming unusable occur. For this reason, a pressure detecting unit or a water amount detecting unit is provided as means for satisfying the above-described essential conditions, and the air inflow device is opened according to a detection instruction from the detecting unit, and the detection level of the detecting unit is held and maintained. Close the air inflow device by detecting the fluctuation of more than the amount,
After that, the control means for controlling the operation of stopping the operation of the pump and the variable operation of the throttle area S2 of the variable throttle section for pressurization is increased to ensure the safety and durability of the water circuits such as the pump, the circulating water circuit section and the feed pipe. It can be excellent. In addition, although the abnormality detection can be detected by clogging due to foreign matter and the like, the air inflow device and the pump can be turned off, but in the above-described control method, the dissolved air in the water circuit is regasified, and An air pocket is generated in the portion, and it is not possible to generate fine bubbles immediately upon restarting. Therefore, it is important to stop the operation of the pump by switching to the throttle area S2 of the variable throttle unit for pressurization and discharging the dissolved air. This makes it possible to shorten the time required for generating the fine bubbles, which is the function of the present invention, and to stabilize the generation of the fine bubbles.

After delaying the abnormality detection instruction of the detection section for a certain period of time, closing the air inflow device, controlling the variable operation and the pump off operation to a large throttle area S2 of the variable throttle section for pressurization. . That is, since the aperture area S1 of the variable aperture unit for pressurization has a very small opening area, it is likely to be clogged by foreign matter or the like. However, since the clogged foreign matter may be spontaneously separated by the water flow, the generation of fine bubbles can be effectively discharged by delaying the abnormality detection instruction for a certain period of time. Furthermore, the reliability of the abnormality detection instruction at the time of steady operation is improved, and malfunction can be eliminated.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the bubble generating apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of a first embodiment of the present invention. A water tank 1 is connected to a fine bubble water flow discharge section 2 provided in the water tank 1 and the fine bubble water flow discharge section 2. A return line 18 is provided which is connected to a feed line 3 for feeding pressurized dissolved air and an outlet 17 for discharging the water 4 of the water tank 1. The pump 5 is provided with both functions of circulating and pressurizing the water 4 in the water tank 1, and is provided with a fugal type, a cascade type, a pressurized specification, and a self-sufficient specification.
Communicates between The circulating water circuit section A is connected between the discharge section 6 and the return section 7 of the pump 5 and is connected to the feed pipe 3 on the way to form a circulating water discharge section 12.
Part of water is circulated from 2. The ejector section 8 is connected to the circulating water circuit section A between the circulating water discharge section 12 and the return section 7,
It has a negative pressure section 8a which becomes a negative pressure area by the circulating water discharge action, a water inflow section 9 and an air inflow section 10 communicating with the negative pressure section 8a. The ejector section 8 connects the return pipe line 18 to the water inflow section 9 and connects the air inflow section 16 to the air inflow section 10 such as an air solenoid valve, a motor-operated on-off valve, and a motor-operated needle valve for inflow / stop of air. doing. Reference numeral 13 denotes a variable pressurizing portion provided in the feed pipe 3 close to the fine bubble water flow discharge portion 2, and a pressurizing and depressurizing function is provided by a throttle valve, a valve body with a spring, a valve body with a diaphragm spring, a needle valve, and the like. Have. Reference numeral 15 denotes a fluid resistance portion formed by narrowing the diameter of the return conduit 17 close to the water inflow portion 9, and causes water and air to flow in a negative pressure from the ejector portion 8. Reference numeral 15 denotes a pressurizing variable throttle unit 13 and a circulating water discharge unit 1
A pressure detecting unit such as a pressure sensor provided in the feed line 3 between the two, or a detecting unit provided with at least one water amount detecting unit such as a water amount sensor provided between the return line 18 and the feed line 3 In this embodiment, a pressure detector is used to detect the pressure in the feed line 3 to detect normal and abnormal operations of the water circuits such as the pump 5, the circulating water circuit portion A, and the feed line 3, and control the operation. Means 1
9 to send a detection signal. The control means 19 includes a feed pipe 3, a pump 5, an ejector section 8, a variable pressurizing section 13, a resistance section 14, an air inlet 15, a return pipe 17, and a circulating water circuit section A.
Control means for controlling the bubble water flow generation means, comprising an operation switch (not shown),
, The pump 5, the pressurizing variable throttle unit 13,
In order to control the air inflow device 16, these are connected as shown by dotted lines.

That is, the control means 19 starts the operation of the pump 5 when the operation switch is turned on.
In response to the detection signal, the air inflow device 16 is opened to start the bubble operation, and when the level of the detection signal fluctuates by a predetermined amount or more, the air inflow device 16 is closed again to stop the air inflow. Further, the opening of the variable pressurizing portion 13 is controlled so that the opening area S2 is larger than the opening area S1 for generating bubbles, and the operation of the pump 5 is stopped.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged detailed view of the circulating water circuit portion A of FIG. 1 described in detail in the first embodiment, and the operation principle will be described. When the pump 5 is turned on, the circulating water 11 is discharged from the discharge portion 6 of the pump 5, and a part of the circulating water 11 is discharged from the circulating water discharge portion 12 and flows toward the feed pipe 3 (arrow). On the other hand, the circulating water 11 is recirculated to the ejector unit 8 side because the throttle area S1 (opening area) of the variable pressurizing unit 13 provided in a part of the feed pipe 3 is reduced.
The recirculated circulating water 11 is supplied to the ejector unit main body 28.
Flows from the connection portion 31 provided on the return side of the nozzle portion 29 and flows at a high flow rate from the tip of the nozzle portion 29 to the diffuser portion 30 side. Due to this high flow velocity, the negative pressure section 8 of the ejector section main body 28 is formed.
a becomes a negative pressure, and the water 20 flowing through the return pipe 18 flows into the negative pressure, flows out from the connection portion 32 downstream of the diffuser portion 30, merges with the circulating water 11, and is sucked into the return portion 7 of the pump 5. . At this time, the circulating water 11 is formed by the synergistic action of the above-described
Is pressurized. The water inflow section 9 and the air inflow section 10
Is subjected to a negative pressure action by the resistance portion 15, and water 20 and air 3
5 can flow in.

By increasing the amount of the circulating water 11 to be recirculated in the circulating water circuit section A, the gas-liquid mixing efficiency of the undissolved air 35 and water 20 can be increased. However, in the conventional configuration, the amount of water flowing through the branch pipe 114 of the shuttle valve 113 is extremely small, and does not increase the gas-liquid mixing efficiency of the undissolved air and water, but merely acts as a means for inflowing air by increasing the pressure. The operation and effect of the circulating water circuit section A of this embodiment are clearly different.

Here, the operation of the bubble water flow generation according to the present invention will be described. The operation switch of the control means 19 is operated.
Then, the pump 5 in a state of being filled with water rotates, and a part of the discharged circulating water flows from the circulating water discharge unit 12 through the feed pipe 3 and the variable pressurizing unit 13 for pressurization to the fine bubble water flow discharge unit 2. From the water tank 1 and the remainder of the circulating water circulates in the circulating water circuit section A. When this circulation is performed, the ejector section 8 functions, and the water 4 in the water tank 1 is sucked into the negative pressure section 8a of the ejector section 8 through the return pipe 18. Then, when the water 4 is sucked into the return portion 7 of the pump 5 via the ejector section 8, the pressure on the suction side of the pump 5 increases. If the pump 5 continues to operate in this state, the pressure on the discharge section 6 side is also increased. That is, since the pressure variable throttle portion 13 of the feed pipe line 3 is slightly contracted, the pump 5 is operating in a substantially shutoff operation state. Therefore, the pressure on the return portion 7 side is increased, and the cutoff pressure of the pump 5 is applied, so that the pressure is increased.
In such an operation state, the air inflow device 16 is also operated by the control means 19, so that air flows in and is sucked from the air inflow portion 10 to the negative pressure portion 8a of the ejector portion 8. This air enters the pump 5 from the return section 7 and is sent from the discharge section 6 to the circulating water circuit section A and the feed line 3.
At this time, since the circulating water circuit part A and the inside of the feed line 3 are high pressure,
The air previously sucked is in a state of being dissolved in the water 4. Then, when the water in which the air is dissolved passes through the pressurizing variable throttle unit 13, the pressure is rapidly reduced, and the dissolved air becomes fine bubbles and spreads to the water tank 1 from the fine bubble water flow discharge unit 2. Further, when such an operation is stopped, the air dissolved in the water in the bubble water flow generating means is no longer pressurized in the means, so that it is gasified again and stays as air.

The structure of the present invention will be described in detail below.
The point is that the circulating water 11 discharged from the discharge part 6 of the pump 5 is branched from the circulating water discharge part 12 to the feed pipe 3 side and the ejector part 8 side and flows.
In particular, the pressure is increased by the three elements of the pump 5, the pressurizing variable throttle unit 13 and the ejector unit 8. As for the means for dissolving the air under high pressure, the gas-liquid mixer 122 having the spiral passages 120 and 121 provided alternately in the relief valve 126 in the conventional example is the main pressurized dissolution of air. In the present invention, the circulating water circuit section A including the pump 5 is used as main pressurized dissolution of air. That is, the feed line 3 side flow rate Q1 and the ejector section 8
In the side flow rate Q2, by setting Q2> Q1, Q
Assuming that the 2 / Q1 ratio is the number of circulations, air can be sufficiently pressurized and dissolved by increasing the number of circulations. In addition, the circulating water circuit section A also has a buffer effect of reducing air escaping of the pump 3 in particular. That is, even if the air dissolved under pressure is regasified, the air easily stays in the circulating water circuit portion A.

Further, since the pressure detecting section 14 is provided upstream of the variable pressurizing section 13, it is possible to open the air inlet 16 by increasing the pressure of the feed line 3, and to immediately respond to abnormalities during operation. Can respond.

Next, the operation of the control means, which is a feature of the present invention, will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3 covering steps S-1 to S-8.

When the operation switch of S-1 is turned on,
The pump 5 in S-2 starts operating, and the pressure in the feed line 3 increases. When the pump 5 in S-2 is turned on, the process proceeds to S-3, in which the pressure detection unit 14 is operated to check whether or not the pressure reaches the set pressure (normal detection). When the pressure reaches the set pressure, the process proceeds to S-4, and the air inflow device 16 is opened. When the air inflow device 16 of S-4 is opened and air flows in, the process proceeds to S-5, in which the pressure of the pressure detection unit 14 is changed by a fixed amount and the detection level is set to a constant level, that is, the fluctuation is more than ± ΔP (abnormal detection). Check if you have done this. When an abnormal change is detected, the process proceeds to S-6, and the air inflow device 16 is closed. Next, when the air inlet 16 of S-6 is closed, the process proceeds to S-7,
The variable aperture unit 13 for pressurization is changed from the aperture area S1 to S2, and the opening is enlarged (the high-pressure water circuit is decompressed to a low-pressure water circuit).
To operate. Further, control is performed such that the operation of the pump 5 is stopped in S-8. Although not shown, when the pressure detecting unit 14 is a water amount sensor, a unit for checking whether or not the water amount has abnormally changed to a detection level set to a constant constant fluctuation amount, that is, ± ΔQ or more is the same flowchart. It is.

Next, in the second embodiment of the present invention, processing S-
This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The operation switch of the process S-9 is changed from [ON] to the process S-1.
The control is the same as that in FIG. 3 until it is checked whether or not the pressure detecting unit 14 in FIG. S
When an abnormal change of -13 is detected, the flow shifts to S-14, a timer of the control means 19 is operated, and it is checked whether or not the abnormal change of the pressure detection unit 14 has passed a predetermined change time Δt = t1. Abnormal fluctuation is normal within fluctuation time Δt = t1 lapse,
That is, when it returns within ± ΔP, S-13 to S-14 are repeated. On the other hand, if an abnormal change is detected even after the change time Δt = t1, the process proceeds to S-15, and the air inflow device 16
Is closed. From the closing of the air inlet 16 in S-15, S
Until the operation of the pump 5 at -17 is stopped, the same control as in FIG.

Although not shown, in the schematic configuration diagram shown in FIG. 1 of the present invention, in this embodiment, the fine bubble water flow discharge portion 2 and the outflow portion 17 are described as being different from each other.
An integrated structure is also possible, and the same operation and effect can be obtained. In addition, although the description has been made of the case where the variable pressurizing portion 13 is provided in the middle of the feed pipe 3, the same operation and effect can be obtained even if the structure is integrated with the fine bubble water flow discharge portion 2. Furthermore, the water inflow section 9 and the air inflow section 10 provided in the ejector section 8 have been described with different configurations.
The same operation and effect can be obtained by providing between the water inflow portion 9 and the resistance portion 15. Finally, although the description has been given of the case where the resistance portion 15 is provided on the downstream side of the water inflow portion 9 of the ejector portion 8, the pipe of the return line 18 which also serves as the water inflow portion 9 as the resistance portion 15 or connects to the water flow portion 9 Even if the diameter is reduced, the same function and effect can be obtained, so that the configuration is not limited to the schematic configuration diagram of FIG. 1 and the configuration is also within the scope of the present invention.

[0024]

As apparent from the above description,
Claim 1 in the control device of the bubble water flow generator of the present invention.
Then, when the control means detects at least one signal of the pressure or the water amount from the detection unit, it opens the air inflow device and starts the operation of generating bubbles, but when the detection level of the detection unit fluctuates by a predetermined amount or more, the air inflow increases. The pump is closed to stop the inflow of air, and the opening of the variable throttle for pressurization is enlarged to reduce the pressure and stop the operation of the pump. In addition, it is possible to detect an abnormality in the water circuit such as the return pipe line (in particular, clogging of the variable pressurizing portion for pressurization with foreign matter), and to significantly improve the safety and durability of the water circuit.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the abnormality detection instruction of the detection unit is delayed for a predetermined time, the water in which the air is dissolved in the water circuit or the like can be discharged. This can further improve the stabilization and shortening of the generation time of the fine bubbles at the time of re-operation. Further, the reliability of the abnormality detection instruction is improved, and malfunction can be eliminated.

Although not shown and described in detail, when the pressure detecting section and the water amount detecting section are used together, the reliability of the abnormality detection instruction is further improved, and stable generation of fine bubbles and safety of the pump and the like are improved. Durability can be further improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a control device of a bubble water flow generation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a circulating water circuit section in the same device.

FIG. 3 is an operation flowchart of a control device in the device.

FIG. 4 is an operation flowchart of a control device showing a second embodiment in the device.

FIG. 5 is a system configuration diagram showing a conventional jet bath apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a shuttle valve of a conventional jet bath apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a relief valve of a conventional jet bath apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Microbubble water flow discharge unit 3 Feed pipe 5 Pump 6 Discharge unit 7 Return unit 8 Ejector unit 9 Water inflow unit 10 Air inflow unit 12 Circulating water discharge unit 13 Variable pressurizing unit 14 Pressure detection unit (detection unit) 15 Resistance Part 16 air inlet 18 return line 19 control means

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Kazuo Kubo 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Inside Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. 72) Inventor Yu Kawai 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) F24H 1/00 301 F24H 1/00 602

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A water tank, a feed pipe connected to a microbubble water flow discharge section provided in the water tank, and a return pipe connected to an outflow section for discharging water in the water tank, and a pump for circulating water in the water tank; A circulating water circuit portion connected between the discharge portion and the return portion of the pump, and connected to a feed pipe on the way to form a circulating water discharge portion, and circulating a part of the water from the circulating water discharge portion. A water inflow portion provided between the circulating water discharge portion of the circulating water circuit portion and the return portion and connected to the return line and an air inflow portion connected to the air inflow device; An ejector section having a negative pressure section that generates a negative pressure action by water, a resistance section that causes water and air to flow in a negative pressure from the ejector section, and the feed pipe between the circulating water discharge section and the fine bubble water flow discharge section Variable pressure restrictor provided on the road and variable pressure restrictor for pressure A pressure detector provided in the feed line between the circulating water discharge units, or a detector having at least one of a water amount detector provided between the return line and the feed line, and a detection signal of this detector. When the air inflow unit is opened and the detection level of the detection unit detects a fluctuation of a predetermined amount or more, the air inflow unit is closed, and the opening of the variable pressure unit for pressurization is increased, and the operation of the pump is stopped. A control device for a bubble water flow generating device, comprising a control means for controlling the flow of water. 2. The bubble water flow generating device according to claim 1, wherein the control means enlarges the opening of the variable pressurizing section after a predetermined time has elapsed after the detecting section detects a change in the detection level by a predetermined amount or more. Control device.