JP6508068B2 - Bathtub cleaning apparatus and water heater - Google Patents

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bathtub cleaning device and a water heater which automatically remove dirt on a bathtub.

  Generally, bath water after bathing contains stains such as sebum components and hair, and these stains tend to cause mold, odor and the like by adhering to the bath during drainage. For this reason, after bathing, it is common to wash away dirt in the bath using a bath detergent, a sponge or the like. In such a bathtub cleaning operation, it is necessary for the worker to lower his / her waist and strongly rub the side and bottom of the bathtub, or to take an unreasonable posture in order to rub a portion hard to reach by hand, especially for elderly people. As a result, labor saving of the bath cleaning work is desired.

  From such a point of view, manufacturers of bathtub detergents and the like spray bath detergents on wall surfaces of bathtubs and leave them for a while, so that it is easy to remove stains and then wash them off with a shower. However, in this method, it is necessary to spray the bath detergent on the entire wall of the bath, and there is a problem that the cost of the bath detergent is increased. Also, as another method, a product is proposed in which a cleaning nozzle is installed at the bottom of the bath and the bath cleaning and rinsing are automatically performed by blowing the bath detergent and shower from the cleaning nozzle in the covered bath. It is done. However, this method requires the purchase of a dedicated bath (system bath) on which the cleaning nozzle is installed, and the replacement work of the bath, which causes a problem of high cost.

  As a prior art which avoids the above problems, for example, a bathtub cleaning apparatus as described in Patent Document 1 is proposed. In this prior art, first, micro bubbles are generated in bath water after bathing, and dirt such as sebum, hair, soap scum, etc. floating in the bath water is adsorbed to the micro bubbles. As a result, the dirt and the fine bubbles rise to the water surface, and the dirt is discharged from the overflow portion of the bath by raising the water surface.

JP, 2008-237605, A

  In the prior art of Patent Document 1 mentioned above, the dirt floating in water can be adsorbed by fine bubbles and floated up. However, when the dirt adhering to the wall surface of the bath is adsorbed, the fine air bubbles are difficult to be detached and float from the wall surface, and the dirt and the dirt easily adhere to the wall surface. In order to eliminate this state, it is necessary to generate a strong water flow in the bath using a high-performance pump or the like to enhance the wall detachment effect of the fine bubbles. That is, in the prior art, unless a high-performance pump or the like is employed, the dirt on the wall of the bath can not be cleaned efficiently, and there is a problem that it is difficult to achieve both cost reduction and cleaning efficiency.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to efficiently clean dirt adhering to the wall of a bath with fine bubbles without using a powerful pump or the like, and the introduction cost It is an object of the present invention to provide a bathtub cleaning apparatus and a hot water heater which can realize high cleaning efficiency at low cost.

  The bathtub cleaning apparatus according to the present invention includes a bathtub for performing bathing, a circulation circuit connected to the bathtub, a circulation pump for circulating hot and cold water in the bathtub to the circulation circuit, and hot and cold water in the bathtub via the circulation circuit. It is a means for supplying, and is a pouring means capable of adjusting the supply amount and temperature of the hot water, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the hot water in the bath, and microbubble generation for introducing fine bubbles into the hot water flowing through the circulation circuit. Means, and a function to control the circulating pump, the pouring means and the fine bubble generating means, and when performing the bathtub cleaning operation for cleaning the bathtub, the temperature sensor detects the temperature of the hot water remaining in the bathtub The control part which introduce | transduces a micro bubble from the micro bubble generation means to the said low temperature water is supplied, supplying the low temperature water which is hot water lower than detected temperature which is detected and detected from a hot water filling means to a bath.

  According to the present invention, the bathtub cleaning operation can be performed by introducing the micro bubbles into the low temperature water while supplying the low temperature water having a temperature lower than that of the hot water remaining in the bath. Thereby, the adsorption and desorption of the dirt adhering to the wall surface of the bath can be efficiently performed using low temperature water containing a large amount of fine bubbles. Therefore, the inside of the bath can be cleaned automatically and effectively without using a powerful pump or the like, and a bath cleaning device having high cleaning efficiency at low cost can be realized.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a block diagram which shows the hot water storage hot-water supply apparatus provided with the bathtub cleaning apparatus by Embodiment 1 and 2 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the bathtub washing | cleaning operation by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the bathtub washing | cleaning operation by Embodiment 2 of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each of the drawings, the same reference numerals are given to the common elements, and the overlapping description will be omitted. Further, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and can be variously modified without departing from the scope of the present invention. Moreover, in this specification, "hot water" generally refers to hot water (hot water) and water.

Embodiment 1
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hot water storage type water heater provided with a bathtub cleaning device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in this figure, the water heater of the present embodiment includes an HP unit 1 for heating (boiling) hot water, and a tank unit 2 for storing and supplying hot water heated by the HP unit 1. There is. The HP unit 1 has a compressor 203, a radiator 204, an expansion valve 205, and an evaporator 206, which are connected in an annular shape by a refrigerant pipe 207, and constitutes a heat pump cycle. The radiator 204 heats the hot and cold water by performing heat exchange between the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant pipe 207 and the hot and cold water supplied from the hot water storage tank 210. The HP unit 1 preferably uses carbon dioxide, which is a natural refrigerant, as a refrigerant, and is operated at a pressure higher than the critical pressure.

  The tank unit 2 includes a hot water storage tank 210 for storing hot water, and various pipes, pumps, and valves described below. The hot water storage tank 210 is configured as a laminated hot water storage tank in which high temperature water is stored on the upper side and low temperature water is stored on the lower side. The hot water storage tank 210 includes a hot water outlet 211 and a hot water inlet 213 disposed on the upper side thereof, and a water inlet 212 and a water outlet 214 disposed on the lower side of the hot water storage tank 210. The water outlet 214 is connected to the secondary side inlet of the radiator 204 of the HP unit 1 via the forward pipe 216. A water feed pump 215 is disposed in the middle of the forward pipe 216.

  The secondary side outlet of the radiator 204 is connected to the hot water inlet 213 of the hot water storage tank 210 via a return pipe 217 and the like. In the middle of the return pipe 217, a three-way valve 218 for switching the connection destination of the secondary side outlet to either the lower side of the hot water storage tank 210 or the hot water inlet 213 is disposed. A hot water supply pipe 119 for supplying the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 210 to the hot water supply target is connected to the hot water outlet port 211 of the hot water storage tank 210. The hot water supply target includes, for example, a hot water supply tap such as a shower, water spout, and a faucet, and the bathtub 120. Further, a water supply pipe 220 for supplying low temperature water such as tap water to the hot water storage tank 210 and the mixing valve 105 is connected to the water inlet 212 of the hot water storage tank 210.

  Next, the configuration related to the filling, additional processing and cleaning of the bathtub 120 will be described. The water heater includes a heat exchanger 100 for reheating, a tank side pipe 101, a reciprocating pipe 102, a resuming pipe 103, a circulation pump 104, a mixing valve 105, an inlet pipe 106, a fine bubble generator 107a, 107b, and a flow rate. The control valve 110 etc. are provided. The reheating heat exchanger 100 heats (reduces) bath water by performing heat exchange between the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 210 and the hot water (bath water) stored in the bath 120. It corresponds to a heating means for heating the hot and cold water flowing through the additional return pipe 102 and the return return pipe 103. A tank side pipe 101 through which the hot water in the hot water storage tank 210 circulates is connected to the primary side of the reheating heat exchanger 100. The tank side pipe 101 is provided with a pump (not shown).

  An additional incoming pipe 102 is connected to the secondary side inlet of the additional heat exchanger 100, and an additional return pipe 103 is connected to the secondary outlet of the additional heat exchanger 100. The additional forward piping 102 and the additional return piping 103 are individually connected to the bathtub 120 via the bathtub adapter 121, and constitute a circulation circuit through which bathtub water circulates. The circulation pump 104 is for circulating bath water between the bathtub 120 and the additional heat exchanger 100 through the additional return pipe 102 and the additional return pipe 103, and is disposed, for example, in the additional return pipe 103. ing. The bathtub adapter 121 is disposed on the side surface of the bathtub 120 at a position close to the bottom surface of the bathtub 120 (for example, a position closer to the bottom surface than the middle portion of the depth dimension of the bathtub 120).

  On the other hand, the mixing valve 105 is constituted by a three-way valve or the like having three ports, and is connected to the hot water supply pipe 119 and the water supply pipe 220 and to the additional return pipe 103 via the input pipe 106. The mixing valve 105 adjusts the temperature of the hot water supplied to the hot water supply tap by mixing the low temperature water supplied from the water supply pipe 220 with the hot water flowing through the hot water supply pipe 119. In addition, when the mixing valve 105 performs filling of the bath 120, the mixing valve 105 supplies low temperature water supplied from the water supply pipe 220 to hot water supplied from the hot water supply pipe 119 via the input pipe 106 to the additional return pipe 103. Adjust the bath water temperature by mixing the water. The hot water storage tank 210, the hot water supply pipe 119, the water supply pipe 220, the mixing valve 105, and the input pipe 106 supply hot water to the bath 120 through a circulation circuit and can adjust the supplied amount and temperature of the hot water. It corresponds to a specific example of the means.

  The micro-bubble generator 107a is for generating micro-bubbles 123 in hot water flowing through a circulation circuit (for example, the return return pipe 103), and is connected to an air intake pipe 108 for taking in air that becomes micro-bubbles. The air intake pipe 108 is provided with an air intake valve 109 for adjusting the intake amount of air. Here, for example, when a swirl-type fine bubble generator is employed, the fine bubble generator 107 a is an air taken in from the air intake pipe 108 in a state where a swirling flow is generated in the hot and cold water flowing through the return pipe 103. The fine bubbles are generated in the hot water by mixing the into the swirling flow. The present invention is not limited to the swirl type micro bubble generator.

  On the other hand, the micro-bubble generator 107 b is for introducing micro-bubbles into the hot and cold water flowing through the inlet pipe 106, and is configured in the same manner as the micro-bubble generator 107 a and connected to the air intake pipe 108. The micro bubble generators 107a and 107b operate by opening the air intake valve 109. The fine bubble generators 107a and 107b correspond to the fine bubble generating means of the present embodiment. The flow rate adjustment valve 110 adjusts the flow rate of bath water circulating between the bathtub 120 and the additional heat exchanger 100 via the additional return pipe 102 and the additional return pipe 103. The flow control valve 110 corresponds to a specific example of the flow control means.

  Next, a control system of the water heater will be described. The water heater includes a control unit 301, a remote controller 302, a temperature sensor 304, a dirt sensor 305, and the like. The control unit 301 controls a water heater, is configured by a microcomputer or the like, and stores a storage circuit in which various programs are stored in advance, an arithmetic processing circuit that performs arithmetic processing based on the program, and an arithmetic processing circuit. And an input / output port for outputting signals. Various sensors including a temperature sensor 304 and a dirt sensor 305 are connected to the input side of the control unit 301. Various actuators including the HP unit 1, the circulation pump 104, the mixing valve 105, the air intake valve 109, the water pump 215 and the like are connected to the output side of the control unit 301. These actuators are controlled by the control unit 301. A remote controller (remote controller) 302 is used when the user operates the water heater or changes various settings, and is connected to the control unit 301 so as to be able to communicate with each other. The remote control 302 is provided with a cleaning button 303 which is operated when starting a bathtub cleaning operation described later.

  The temperature sensor 304 detects the temperature of the hot and cold water in the bathtub 120 (precisely, the temperature of hot and cold water returned from the return pipe 103 to the bathtub 120), and is disposed in the return pipe 103. Further, the dirt sensor 305 detects, for example, the degree of contamination of the hot water of the bathtub 120 in the additional return pipe 103. For example, a sensor or the like that optically detects the degree of contamination of hot and cold water by light transmittance may be used as the contamination sensor 305.

  Next, the basic operation of the water heater will be described. The control unit 301 performs the heating operation, the hot water supply operation, the water filling operation, and the refueling operation according to the state of the water heater, the remote control operation of the user, and the like. The boiling operation is performed by boiling the hot water in the hot water storage tank 210 by the HP unit 1, and is performed, for example, when the amount of hot water storage in the hot water storage tank 210 is smaller than the allowable limit. In the boiling operation, with the return pipe 217 connected to the hot water inlet 213 of the hot water storage tank 210 by the three-way valve 218, the HP unit 1 and the water pump 215 are operated. Thereby, the low temperature water taken out from the water outlet 214 of the hot water storage tank 210 flows into the radiator 204 of the HP unit 1 via the water supply pump 215 and the forward piping 216, and is heated by the radiator 204 to be high temperature. It will be water. The high temperature water reaches the hot water inlet 213 of the hot water storage tank 210 via the return pipe 217 and the three-way valve 218 and is stored in the hot water storage tank 210.

  The hot water supply operation supplies warm water of an appropriate temperature to the hot water supply tap according to the user's hot water supply operation. When the hot water supply operation is performed, hot water is supplied to the hot water supply tap from the hot water outlet 211 of the hot water storage tank 210 via the hot water supply pipe 119. At this time, the control unit 301 controls the mixing valve 105 to mix the low-temperature water supplied from the water supply pipe 220 with the hot water flowing through the hot water supply pipe 119 at an appropriate ratio, and the hot water temperature desired by the user To produce hot water. This hot water is supplied to the hot water supply tap via the hot water supply pipe 119 and the like.

  The water filling operation is an operation of putting hot water in the bathtub 120 using the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 210. In the pouring operation, the circulation pump 104 is driven to circulate the bath water through the return pipe 102 and the return pipe 103. Then, the hot water having a desired temperature is generated by mixing the high temperature water extracted from the hot water outlet 211 of the hot water storage tank 210 to the hot water supply pipe 119 and the low temperature water supplied from the water supply pipe 220 using the mixing valve 105. . The hot water is stored in the bathtub 120 via the feed pipe 106, the circulation circuit, the bathtub adapter 121, and the like, and is filled at a temperature desired by the user.

  The additional driving operation is an operation of heating the bathtub water stored in the bathtub 120. In the refueling operation, by operating the circulation pump 104, the bath water is circulated to the circulation circuit, and the high temperature water stored in the hot water storage tank 210 is supplied to the primary side of the reheating heat exchanger 100. Thus, the hot and cold water flowing through the circulation circuit is heated by heat exchange with the high temperature water in the additional heat exchanger 100 and then returned to the bath 120. As a result, the hot and cold water stored in the bath 120 can be reheated.

  Next, the bathtub cleaning operation performed by the control unit 301 will be described. In the present embodiment, the bathtub 120, the additional feed piping 102, the additional return piping 103, the additional heat exchanger 100, the mixing valve 105, the input piping 106, the temperature sensor 304, the fine bubble generators 107a and 107b, and the flow rate. The adjustment valve 110 and the control unit 301 constitute a bathtub cleaning device. In the bathtub cleaning operation, the wall surface of the bathtub 120 is cleaned by operating the bathtub cleaning device.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing an example of the bathtub cleaning operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention. First, at the time of performing the bathtub cleaning operation, it is assumed that the remaining hot water 122 after bathing is present in the bathtub 120, as shown in step S1 in FIG. The control unit 301 starts the bathtub cleaning operation when the user operates the cleaning button 303 of the remote control 302. In the bathtub cleaning operation, first, by controlling the mixing valve 105, the feed pipe 106 is communicated with the water supply pipe 220 (or both the hot water supply pipe 119 and the water supply pipe 220), and hot water having a temperature lower than that of the remaining hot water 122 is supplied. Introduce to the pipe 106. This introduction operation is realized by the pressure of the water supply acting on the water supply pipe 220.

  The control unit 301 detects the temperature of the remaining hot water 122 by the temperature sensor 304, and controls the mixing valve 105 so that the temperature of the hot water introduced to the input pipe 106 is lower than the temperature of the remaining hot water 122. That is, the hot and cold water introduced into the feed pipe 106 may be only water flowing through the water supply pipe 220, as long as the temperature is lower than that of the remaining hot water 122. It may be mixed water with water. The low temperature water introduced into the feed pipe 106 flows through the fine air bubble generator 107 b, the return pipe 103, the circulation pump 104, and the bathtub adapter 121, and is supplied into the bath 120 as the feed water 124 shown in step S2.

  At this time, the control unit 301 controls the flow rate adjustment valve 110 to suppress the flow rate of the remaining hot water 122 flowing out of the bath 120, and the force of the input water 124 flowing into the bath 120 is not mixed with the remaining hot water 122 Reduce to a degree. The flow rate when supplying the input water 124 to the bath 120 is set to a smaller value than the flow rate when the bathing water is filled in the bath 120. Further, the control unit 301 opens the air intake valve 109 and operates the micro bubble generators 107 a and 107 b to introduce the micro bubbles 123 into the hot water flowing through the return pipe 103.

  As a result, as shown in step S2, the low-temperature input water 124 containing a large amount of fine air bubbles 123 is slowly introduced to the bottom side of the bath 120. As a result, the input water 124 does not mix with the remaining hot water 122 and stays on the bottom side of the bath 120 as a layer of low water temperature, and forms a temperature boundary layer with the remaining hot water 122. As described above, in the present embodiment, since the input water 124 is introduced slowly using the flow rate adjustment valve 110, the layer of low temperature water containing a large amount of micro bubbles 123 remains and is stably under the hot water 122. It can be formed.

  Next, when the water level of the input water 124 reaches the upper side of the bathtub adapter 121, the control unit 301 shuts off the input pipe 106 by the mixing valve 105 and temporarily stops the introduction of the input water 124. Then, the circulation pump 104 is operated. Thereby, the input water 124 in the bathtub 120 flows out from the bathtub adapter 121 and passes through the follow-up piping 102, the flow rate adjustment valve 110, the follow-up heat exchanger 100, the follow-up return piping 103, and the circulation pump 104. Later, it circulates a path from the bathtub adapter 121 back to the bathtub 120. The input water 124 circulates on the bottom side in the bathtub 120 as shown in step S3.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the circulating washing operation is performed in which the low-temperature input water 124 containing the fine air bubbles 123 is introduced from the bottom of the bath 120 to the upper side of the bath adapter 121 and the input water 124 is circulated in the bath 120. It can be carried out. Here, in the region of low temperature input water 124, the buoyancy of the micro bubbles 123 is smaller and the survival life of the micro bubbles 123 is longer than the region of the remaining hot water 122 which is relatively high temperature. For this reason, in the region of the input water 124, a larger amount of fine bubbles 123 can be contained.

  Therefore, according to the process of step S3, the dirt adhering to the vicinity of the bottom of the bathtub 120 (bottom and side of the bathtub 120) where dirt is particularly likely to precipitate and adhere is adsorbed efficiently by a large number of micro bubbles 123 It can be detached. Further, by circulating the input water 124 in the bath 120, it is possible to further enhance the efficiency of the detachment and adsorption of the dirt. Then, the dirt adsorbed and desorbed by the fine air bubbles 123 can be quickly floated up near the water surface of the hot water 122 together with the fine air bubbles 123.

  In the above-mentioned circulation cleaning operation, after supplying the input water 124 containing fine bubbles into the bath 120, the control of starting the circulation of the input water 124 is exemplified. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, after supplying the amount of input water 124 into which the bath adapter 121 is immersed into the bath 120, control is performed to introduce fine bubbles into the input water 124 while circulating the input water 124. It may be adopted.

  Also, the execution time of the circulation cleaning operation may be set to a constant value of, for example, about 10 minutes, but in the present invention, the execution time of the circulation cleaning operation is larger as the degree of contamination of hot water detected by the contamination sensor 305 is larger. It is preferable to make the As a specific example, for example, when the degree of contamination of hot water is greater than (previously severed) the reference value set in advance, the execution time of the circulating cleaning operation is set to 10 minutes or more, and the degree of contamination of hot water is the above The execution time may be set to less than 10 minutes if it is smaller than the reference value (mild). It is considered that the greater the degree of contamination of the hot water, the easier the contamination adheres to the wall surface of the bath 120. Therefore, according to the above control, it is possible to appropriately change the execution time of the circulating cleaning operation according to the degree of dirt on the wall surface of the bathtub 120. That is, compared with the degree of contamination, it is possible to prevent the circulation cleaning operation from being unnecessarily long and the circulation cleaning operation from being insufficient.

  In the next process, as shown in step S4, while the circulating cleaning operation is being performed, the introduction of the input water 124 which has been temporarily stopped is resumed, and the amount of the input water 124 staying below the remaining hot water 122 is increased. Let Then, as shown in step S5, a larger amount of input water 124 than the capacity of the bathtub 120 is supplied into the bathtub 120, and the water level of the input water 124 is raised to a position where all the remaining hot water 122 overflows from the bathtub 120. In steps S4 and S5, the water level of the input water 124 may be raised while alternately performing the operation of introducing the input water 124 into the bath 120 and the operation of circulating the input water 124 by the circulation pump 104.

  According to the processes of steps S4 and S5, the dirt adhering to the wall surface at a position ranging from the bottom to the upper end of the bathtub 120 is detached with the fine air bubbles 123 and floats on the remaining hot water 122 and then with the remaining hot water 122 It is discharged from the upper end of the bathtub 120. Therefore, the dirt in the bath 120 can be discharged smoothly without using a special discharge mechanism or the like. The bathtub cleaning operation is finished when all the remaining hot water 122 is discharged.

  Here, the discharge amount of the remaining hot water 122, that is, the introduction amount of the input water 124 is calculated, for example, based on the water level of the remaining hot water 122 detected by a water level sensor (not shown) etc. , And are automatically stored in the control unit 301. The vertical dimension and the horizontal dimension in the bathtub 120 are set by inputting in advance by the remote control 302 or selecting one of the plurality of types of bathtub shapes stored in advance in the remote controller 302 that is closer to the bathtub 120. Ru. Control unit 301 calculates the capacity of bathtub 120 based on the setting contents, and further calculates the amount of discharge of remaining hot water 122.

  For example, if the average vertical dimension in the bathtub 120 is 50 cm, the average horizontal dimension is 120 cm, and the water level of the remaining hot water 122 is 30 cm, the discharge of the remaining hot water 122 is calculated to be 180 L according to these products. Be done. If the discharge amount desired by the user is determined, the discharge amount input by the remote controller 302 may be employed instead of the calculated value. For example, when dirt attached to the inside of the bathtub 120, dirt on the bathtub water, and the like are mild, the cleanliness of the bathtub 120 may be able to be maintained without discharging all the remaining hot water 122. In this case, the user may input an arbitrary discharge amount using the remote control 302. Furthermore, in the present invention, the discharge amount of the remaining hot water 122 may be automatically set based on the degree of hot water contamination detected by the contamination sensor 305.

  The hot water remaining in the bathtub 120 after the completion of the bathtub cleaning operation may be purified and then taken into the hot water storage tank 210, or may be discharged to an external drainage port. Thereby, the water level in the bathtub 120 can be appropriately lowered from the state shown in step S5, or the bathtub 120 can be emptied, and new bathing can be easily prepared.

  As described above in detail, in the present embodiment, the micro bubble generator 107 a, is supplied to the input water 124 while supplying the input water 124 having a temperature lower than the remaining hot water 122 in the bath 120 from the mixing valve 105 or the like to the bath 120. The bathtub cleaning operation is performed by introducing the fine air bubbles 123 from the 107 b. Thereby, the adsorption and desorption of the dirt adhering to the wall surface of the bath 120 can be efficiently performed by using the low-temperature input water 124 containing a large amount of fine air bubbles 123. Therefore, even without using a powerful pump or the like, the inside of the bath 120 can be cleaned automatically and effectively, and a bath cleaning device having high cleaning efficiency at low cost can be realized.

  In addition, since the bathtub cleaning device can be realized by the configuration close to the conventional bathtub equipment, it is possible to simplify the work, installation work and the like when introducing the bathtub cleaning device, and to reduce the introduction cost cheaply. Moreover, by combining such a bathtub cleaning device with a water heater, the hot water supply function and the hot water filling function of the water heater can be utilized for the bathtub cleaning device, and a high-performance water heater having an automatic cleaning function of the bathtub 120 Can be realized at low cost.

Second Embodiment
A second embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing an example of a bathtub cleaning operation according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, in the same configuration (FIG. 1) as the first embodiment, before the remaining hot water overflows from the upper end of the bath, the hot water is bathed using the additional function of the water heater. It is characterized by being supplied from the adapter into the bathtub.

  In FIG. 3, in steps S11 to S15, the same processes as steps S1 to S5 in the first embodiment (FIG. 2) are executed. As a result, when step S15 is completed, the bath 120 is filled with the input water 124 containing fine air bubbles. Next, in step S16, the reheating heat exchanger 100 or the like is driven to execute the reheating operation, and the input water 124 is heated. According to this control, even if some of the micro bubbles 123 remain on the wall surface of the bath 120 after the execution of the steps S11 to S15, the micro bubbles 123 are thermally expanded by the heat treatment of step S16 and detached from the wall surface. It can be done.

  That is, even when some of the micro bubbles 123 are adsorbed to dirt that is difficult to be detached from the wall surface of the bath 120 at low temperatures, the micro bubbles 123 are easily made to float by thermal expansion at high temperatures. Air bubbles 123 and dirt can be efficiently detached from the wall surface. As a result, for example, before all the remaining hot water 122 is discharged from the bath 120, the fine air bubbles 123 and dirt remaining on the wall surface of the bath 120 can be released and discharged. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the effect of removing dirt that is difficult to wash at low temperatures can be enhanced, and high washing performance can be realized.

  In the present invention, at least one of the following controls (1) and (2) may be executed in addition to any of the controls shown in the first and second embodiments.

  (1). The control unit 301 sets the temperature T1 of hot water remaining in the bathtub 120 before the start of the bathtub cleaning operation and the minimum water temperature T0 of the hot water that can be supplied into the bathtub 120 as the input water 124 after the bathtub cleaning operation starts. The temperature difference ΔT (= T1−T0) is calculated. Then, if the temperature difference ΔT is less than the preset effective judgment value Ts, the hot water in the bathtub 120 (remaining hot water 122) by driving the additional heat exchanger 100 and the like to perform the additional operation. The bath cleaning operation is started after the temperature difference .DELTA.T is increased to the effective judgment value Ts or more by the heating. When the temperature difference ΔT is initially equal to or more than the effective judgment value Ts, the bathtub cleaning operation is started without executing the reworking operation.

  Here, the effective judgment value Ts is set, for example, as the minimum value of the temperature difference ΔT required to cause the input water 124 to remain below the remaining hot water 122 in the bathtub 120 and form a temperature boundary layer between the two. Be done. Further, the temperatures T0 and T1 are detected by the temperature sensor 304. According to the above control (1), even if it is difficult to form a layer of low temperature water by the input water 124 during the bath cleaning operation because the temperature of the hot water remaining in the bath 120 is low, the hot water in the bath 120 Can be preheated to a higher temperature than the input water 124. Therefore, the bath cleaning operation can be smoothly performed even under a low temperature condition.

  (2). The control unit 301 executes the pre-circulation cleaning operation for driving the circulation pump 104 and the fine air bubble generators 107a and 107b before starting the bathtub cleaning operation. In addition, after execution of the pre-circulation cleaning operation, the hot and cold water in the bathtub 120 is heated to a specified temperature by performing the reworking operation. Then, after the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub 120 reaches the predetermined temperature, the bathtub cleaning operation is started. Here, the prescribed temperature is set, for example, as the minimum value of the temperature required to cause the input water 124 to remain below the remaining hot water 122 in the bath 120 and form a temperature boundary layer between the two.

  According to the control (2), the wall surface of the bath 120 can be cleaned to some extent in advance by the preliminary circulation cleaning operation. And in the state which preheated the hot and cold water in the bathtub 120, bathtub washing operation can be started. Therefore, the same effect as the control (1) can be obtained, and the cleaning efficiency of the bath 120 can be further enhanced by the preliminary circulation cleaning operation.

  In the first embodiment, the hot water storage type water heater including the heat pump type HP unit 1 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is also applied to, for example, an electrothermal hot water heater which heats hot water with a heater, and a combustion hot water heater which heats hot water by burning fuel. Further, the present invention is not necessarily required to be combined with the water heater, and is also applied to, for example, a single bath cleaning device not related to the water heater.

1 HP unit, 2 tank unit, 100 heat exchanger for additional heating (heating means), 101 tank side piping, 102 additional outgoing piping (circulation circuit), 103 additional return piping (circulation circuit), 104 circulation pump, 105 Mixing valve (water filling means), 106 input pipe (water filling means), 107a, 107b Fine bubble generator (fine bubble generating means), 108 air intake pipe, 109 air intake valve, 110 flow control valve (flow control means ), 120 bathtub, 121 bathtub adapter, 122 remaining hot water, 123 fine air bubbles, 124 input water, 203 compressor, 204 radiator, 205 expansion valve, 206 evaporator, 207 refrigerant piping, 210 hot water storage tank (water filling means), 211 hot water outlet, 212 water inlet, 213 hot water inlet, 214 water outlet, 215 water pump, 21 6 forward piping, 217 return piping, 218 three-way valve, 119 hot water supply piping (water filling means), 220 water supply piping (water filling means), 301 control unit, 302 remote control, 303 cleaning button, 304 temperature sensor, 305 dirt sensor

Claims (9)

There is a bathtub for taking a bath,
A circulation circuit connected to the bathtub;
A circulation pump for circulating hot and cold water in the bathtub to the circulation circuit;
A means for supplying hot water to the bath via the circulation circuit, the hot water means capable of adjusting the supply amount and temperature of the hot water;
A temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of hot and cold water in the bath;
Fine bubble generating means for introducing fine bubbles into the hot and cold water flowing in the circulation circuit;
It has a function to control the circulating pump, the water filling means and the fine air bubble generating means, and when performing a bathtub cleaning operation for cleaning the bathtub, the temperature of the hot water remaining in the bathtub is A control unit for detecting micro bubbles from the micro bubble generating means into the low temperature water while supplying low temperature water, which is hot water having a temperature lower than the temperature detected by the temperature sensor, from the pouring means to the bath; ,
Bathtub cleaning device. A bathtub adapter disposed on a side of the bathtub and connected to the circulation circuit;
The control unit controls the hot water filling means, the fine air bubble generating means and the circulation pump to perform the low temperature water containing fine air bubbles from the bottom of the bath adapter when the bathtub cleaning operation is performed. The circulation washing operation of introducing up to the upper side and circulating the low temperature water to the circulation circuit is performed, and the water level of the low temperature water in the bath is raised while performing the circulation washing operation. Bathtub cleaning device. It has a dirt sensor that detects the degree of contamination of the water flowing through the circulation circuit,
The bathtub cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit extends the execution time of the circulation cleaning operation when the degree of contamination of the hot water detected by the contamination sensor is large, as compared with the case where the degree of contamination is small. .   The control unit is configured to supply the low-temperature water larger than the capacity of the bathtub to the bathtub and cause the low-temperature water to overflow from the bathtub when the bathtub cleaning operation is performed. The bathtub cleaning device according to claim 1 or 2. And heating means for heating the hot and cold water flowing in the circulation circuit,
The bathtub cleaning apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control unit heats the low-temperature water by driving the heating unit after supplying the low-temperature water in a larger amount than the capacity of the bathtub. And heating means for heating the hot and cold water flowing in the circulation circuit,
The control unit determines the temperature of hot water remaining in the bathtub before the start of the bathtub cleaning operation, and the minimum water temperature of hot water that can be supplied into the bathtub as the low-temperature water after the bathtub cleaning operation is started. When the temperature difference is less than a preset effective judgment value, the bath cleaning operation is started after the hot water in the bath is heated by the heating means to increase the temperature difference to the effective judgment value or more. The bathtub cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A flow rate adjusting means for adjusting a flow rate of hot and cold water supplied from the pouring means to the bath;
7. The flow rate adjusting means according to claim 1, wherein the control section reduces the flow rate when the low temperature water is supplied to the bath compared to the flow rate when bathing hot and cold water is poured in the bath. The bathtub cleaning apparatus according to any one of the above. And heating means for heating the hot and cold water flowing in the circulation circuit,
The control unit executes a pre-circulation cleaning operation for driving the circulation pump and the micro air bubble generating unit before starting the bathtub cleaning operation, and drives the heating unit after the pre-circulation cleaning operation is performed. The bathtub cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the water in the bathtub is heated to a prescribed temperature. A bathtub cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, provided.
A hot water heater configured to be capable of supplying hot water to a hot water tap using hot water and the bathtub respectively.

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