JP7304716B2 - bath equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a bath apparatus capable of performing hot water filling operation.

Conventionally, in a bath apparatus capable of performing a hot water filling operation in which hot water is filled into a bathtub so that the amount of hot water in the bathtub reaches a set amount of hot water, a function for preventing the occurrence of a heat shock has been conventionally provided, as seen in Patent Document 1, for example. are known. In the bath apparatus of Patent Literature 1, when the hot water filling operation is started, if the outside air temperature or the bathroom temperature is low, a notification is given to prompt the user to open the lid of the bathtub. As a result, heat radiation from the hot water supplied into the bathtub during the hot water replenishing operation is accelerated to raise the temperature of the bathroom.

JP 2018-48795 A

However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the set amount of hot water has been filled into the bathtub, the completion of hot water filling is notified, and the user recognizes that the user is now ready to take a bath. Therefore, when the set amount of hot water for filling is small, the period during which the hot water supplied into the bathtub can radiate heat into the bathroom becomes short until the set amount of hot water is filled. As a result, the user may start bathing before the room temperature in the bathroom has risen sufficiently.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a bath apparatus capable of effectively warming the inside of a bathroom before a user starts bathing.

In order to achieve the above object, the bath apparatus of the present invention performs a hot water filling operation in which hot water heated by a heating device is supplied to the bathtub so that the amount of hot water in the bathtub reaches a set amount of hot water. A viable bath apparatus comprising:
a first notification unit for outputting first notification information indicating that the lid of the bathtub should be opened when the hot water filling operation is started;
a warm-up determination unit that determines whether or not the bathroom has been warmed up after outputting the first notification information;
a hot water amount determination unit that determines whether or not the amount of hot water in the bathtub has reached the set amount of hot water;
On the condition that both the judgment result of the warm air judging section and the judgment result of the hot water amount judging section are affirmative, it is determined that the bathtub has been filled with hot water and is ready for bathing. The basic configuration is to include a second notification unit that outputs the second notification information indicating the second notification information.

In the present invention, "when the hot water filling operation is started" may of course be the time when the hot water filling operation is started, but may be the timing immediately before or immediately after the start of the hot water filling operation. . That is, "when the hot water filling operation is started" may be any timing within the period immediately before the start of the hot water filling operation and immediately after the start of the hot water filling operation.

According to the present invention having such a basic configuration , when the hot water filling operation is started, the first notification information indicating that the lid of the bathtub should be opened is output, and the user who recognizes the first notification information, At the beginning of hot water filling operation, the lid of the bathtub is opened. As a result, hot water supplied to the bathtub by the hot water filling operation radiates heat to the bathroom, thereby promoting warming of the bathroom.

Then, it is determined by the hot water amount judging section that both the judgment result of the warm air judging section and the judgment result of the hot water amount judging section are affirmative, that is, that the hot water amount in the bathtub has reached the set hot water amount. The second annunciation information indicating that the bathtub has been filled with hot water and is ready for bathing, provided that it is determined by the warm-up determination unit that the bathroom has been warmed up. output.

The user tries to start bathing in the bathtub according to the output of the second notification information. In this case, the second notification information is output after it is determined that the bathroom has been warmed up. Therefore, when the user enters the bathroom to take a bath, the bathroom can be sufficiently warmed up.

Therefore, according to the present invention having the above-described basic configuration , it is possible to effectively warm the inside of the bathroom before the user starts bathing.

In the present invention having the basic configuration described above, the warm air determination unit includes a detected or estimated room temperature of the bathroom, a detected or estimated temperature of hot water in the bathtub, and a preset hot water in the bathtub. Preferably, it is configured to determine whether or not the bathroom has been warmed up based on determination conditions defined according to the values of one or more parameters of the temperature target value ( Reference invention 1 ).

In the present specification, the "detected value" of any state quantity such as the room temperature of the bathroom means a value obtained by detecting the state quantity with an appropriate sensor or detector, and the "estimated value" is the A value estimated based on the correlation from the detected value of one or more other state quantities having a certain correlation with the state quantity, or regarded as matching or substantially matching the actual value of the state quantity means a pseudo-estimate obtained. A target value or command value can also be used as the pseudo estimated value.

According to the reference invention 1 , the warm temperature determination unit determines the value of the parameter directly related to the warm state of the bathroom, which is the room temperature of the bathroom, or the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub, which is the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub to the bathroom. Whether or not the bathroom has been warmed up can be determined based on the determination condition that reflects the value of the parameter that tends to affect the warm-up state of the bathroom due to heat radiation. Therefore, it is possible to make a highly reliable determination as to whether or not the bathroom has been warmed up. As a result, it is possible to minimize the excess or deficiency of warm air in the bathroom when it is determined that the warm air has been completed .
In the present invention having the above-described basic configuration, specifically, the warm-up judgment unit determines that the measured value of the elapsed time after the start of the hot water filling operation or the elapsed time after the end of the hot water filling operation is the required warm-up time. It can be configured to determine that the bathroom has been warmed up on condition that the set value has been reached (first invention).
In this case, the required warm-up time is the bathroom temperature at the beginning of the hot water filling operation, or at the beginning of the hot water filling operation, which is immediately before or after the hot water filling operation, or at the end of the hot water filling operation, which is immediately before or after the hot water filling operation. It can be set according to the detected value of the bathroom temperature at the beginning of the filling of the hot water or the temperature of the bathroom at the end of the filling of the hot water so that the lower the bath temperature is, the longer it is (second invention).
Alternatively, the required warm-up time may be set according to the target bath temperature so that the higher the target bath temperature, which is the target value of the temperature of hot water in the bathtub, the shorter the time (third invention).
Alternatively, the required warm-up time can be set according to the required time so that the shorter the time required from the start to the end of the hot water filling operation, the longer the required time (the fourth invention).

In the present invention having the above-described basic configuration , the warm-up determination unit determines whether the detected value or estimated value of the hot water temperature in the bathtub is equal to the determination result of the hot water amount determination unit after the determination result of the hot water amount determination unit becomes affirmative. When the temperature drops to a predetermined temperature lower than the temperature of hot water supplied to the bathtub before the result becomes affirmative, it is determined that the warm-up is completed, and the predetermined temperature is determined. can be variably set according to the set amount of hot water so that the smaller the set amount of hot water, the lower (the fifth invention) .

According to this, it is possible to reliably radiate heat from the hot water supplied to the bathtub to the bathroom until the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub drops to a predetermined temperature, and thus the bathroom can be properly warmed. becomes possible. Further, by setting the predetermined temperature, it is possible to control the amount of heat released from the hot water supplied to the bathtub to the bathroom.

Furthermore , it is possible to appropriately control the amount of heat released from the hot water supplied to the bathtub to the bathroom regardless of the set amount of hot water.

In the present invention having the basic configuration described above, hot water heated by the heating device is configured to be supplied to the bathtub through a hot water supply channel, and the hot water supply channel can be installed in the bathroom. (Reference Invention 2).

According to this, when the heated hot water is supplied to the bathtub through the hot water supply channel, heat is radiated from the hot water supply channel to the bathroom, so that it is possible to further promote the warming of the bathroom. As a result, it is possible to shorten the period from the start of hot water filling to the completion of warming up the bathtub.

In the present invention having the basic configuration described above, the necessary condition for outputting the second notification information by the second notification unit is that both the determination result of the warm air determination unit and the determination result of the hot water amount determination unit are positive. It is possible to include only the condition that it becomes, but other conditions.

For example, after the determination result of the hot water amount determining unit becomes affirmative, a reheating operation is performed to heat the hot water in the bathtub so that the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub is equal to or higher than a preset target value. When the second notification unit is configured to be able to The second notification information may be output on condition that the detected or estimated temperature of hot water in the bathtub has reached or exceeded the target value (sixth invention).

According to this, the second notification information is output after the detected value or estimated value of the hot water temperature in the bathtub reaches the target value or higher by the reheating operation. Bathing can be started in a state in which the hot water temperature in the bathtub reaches an appropriate temperature (target value). Therefore, it is possible to realize comfortable bathing while preventing the occurrence of heat shock at the start of bathing.

The present invention having the basic configuration described above further includes a bathing detection unit that detects the user's start of bathing in the bathtub, and the user's start of bathing is detected by the bathing detection unit after the second notification information is output. A mode is adopted in which, when detected, a reheating operation is performed to heat the hot water in the bathtub so that the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub reaches a temperature equal to or higher than a preset target value. (seventh invention).

According to this, since the reheating operation is not started before the user starts bathing, the temperature difference between the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub and the room temperature of the bathroom just before the start of bathing can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of heat shock when the user starts bathing in accordance with the output of the second notification information. Then, when the user starts bathing, the reheating operation is executed, so it is possible to raise the hot water temperature in the bathtub to an appropriate temperature (target value) in the early stage after the start of bathing. As a result, comfortable bathing can be realized.

The figure which shows the whole structure of the bath apparatus of embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functions of the control device and the remote control shown in FIG. 1; 2 is a flowchart showing control processing in the first embodiment of the control device shown in FIG. 1; 4 is a flowchart showing control processing in the second embodiment of the control device shown in FIG. 1;

[First embodiment]
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. Referring to FIG. 1, a bath apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is a so-called bath hot water supply apparatus. A bath operation such as a hot water supply operation for adding hot water to the bathtub BT can be executed, and a hot water supply operation for supplying hot water to a hot water supply location such as a bathroom and a kitchen can be executed.

This bath apparatus 1 includes a heat source device 2 installed in a bathroom BR in this embodiment. The heat source device 2 includes a water supply passage 10 for introducing hot water such as tap water into the heat source device 2, and a hot water supply line 10 for supplying hot water (hot water) heated in the heat source device 2 to a hot water supply location such as a kitchen and a bathroom. 11 and is connected to the bathtub BT via a circulation water passage 20 for circulating the hot water (hereinafter referred to as bathtub water) in the bathtub BT to and from the heat source device 2 .

In the heat source device 2, a hot water heating device 12 for heating the hot water introduced through the water supply path 10 and a bath heating device 22 for heating the hot water in the bathtub BT are mounted. there is

The hot water supply heating device 12 is a combustion type heating device, and includes a burner 13 as a heating unit, a heat exchanger 14 heated by the combustion heat of the burner 13, and these burner 13 and heat exchanger 14 inside ( and a combustion housing 15 housed in a combustion chamber). An electric combustion fan 16 that supplies combustion air to the burner 13 is attached to the combustion housing 15 . The combustion housing 15 is also connected to an exhaust passage 15a through which combustion exhaust gas generated by the combustion operation of the burner 13 is led out to the outside.

Burner 13 is, for example, a gas burner. A fuel supply passage 17 for supplying fuel gas to the burner 13 is provided with two electromagnetic valves 17a and 17b capable of opening and closing the passage, and a fuel control valve 17c for adjusting the amount of fuel gas supplied to the burner 13. ing. The fuel control valve 17c can be configured by, for example, a proportional valve, an electric control valve, or the like.

In the hot water supply heater 12 having the above configuration, the burner 13 is ignited by operating the ignition device (not shown) while operating the combustion fan 16 and controlling the opening of the electromagnetic valves 17a and 17b. By controlling the fuel regulating valve 17c during combustion operation of the burner 13, the amount of fuel supplied to the burner 13 is adjusted, and thus the thermal power of the burner 13 is adjusted. By controlling at least one of the valves 17a and 17b to close, the fuel supply to the burner 13 is cut off, and the burner 13 is extinguished.

The upstream side of the water supply path 10 is connected to a pipe of a water supply source (not shown), and the downstream side of the hot water supply path 11 is a hot water tap 11a arranged in the bathroom BR, and a hot water tap (not shown) arranged in the kitchen and washroom. and so on. The heat exchanger 14 of the heating device 12 for hot water supply is configured to connect the water supply path 10 and the hot water supply path 11 so that hot water supply water can flow from the water supply path 10 to the hot water supply path 11 via the heat exchanger 14 . It is connected to the. A temperature sensor 18 is attached to the hot water supply path 11 to detect the temperature of hot water supplied to the downstream side of the hot water supply path 11 .

The bath heating device 22 is a heating device having the same configuration as the hot water heating device 12 . That is, the bath heating device 22 includes a burner (gas burner) 23, a heat exchanger 24, and a combustion housing 25 containing them, similarly to the hot water heating device 12. The combustion housing 25 includes an electric A combustion fan 26 is attached, and an exhaust passage 25a is connected.

A fuel supply passage 27 for supplying fuel gas to the burner 23 is branched from a portion between the solenoid valves 17a and 17b in the fuel supply passage 17 on the hot water heater 12 side. A solenoid valve 27b and a fuel control valve 27c are attached. In the bath heating device 22 having such a configuration, the burner 23 is ignited, the heating power is adjusted, and the fire is extinguished in the same manner as in the hot water supply heating device 12 .

The circulation water passage 20 is composed of an outbound water passage 20a through which the bathtub water flows from the heat source device 2 side to the bathtub BT during circulation of the bathtub water, and a return passage side water passage 20b through which the bathtub water flows from the bathtub BT side to the heat source device 2. . The bathtub BT-side end of each of the outbound water channel 20a and the return water channel 20b is connected to a hot water supply port Ba formed in the lower side wall of the bathtub BT via an adapter Bb.

In addition, at the end of each of the outbound water channel 20a and the inbound channel 20b on the side of the heat source device 2, water flows from the inbound channel 20b to the outbound channel 20a through the heat exchanger 24 of the bath heating device 22. It is connected to the heat exchanger 24 as may be done.

An electric circulating pump 21 is attached to one of the outbound water channel 20a and the inbound channel 20b, for example, the inbound channel 20b. The operation of the circulation pump 21 circulates hot water in the circulating water path 20 (circulation of hot water between the bathtub BT and the heat source device 2).

Further, one of the outbound water channel 20a and the return water channel 20b, for example, the return water channel 20b, measures the temperature of hot water flowing in the circulation water channel 20 as the temperature of hot water in the bathtub BT (hereinafter referred to as bath temperature). and a water level sensor 31 for detecting the water level in the bathtub BT. The water level sensor 31 may be configured by, for example, a water pressure detection type water level sensor.

A middle portion of the circulation water channel 20 , for example, a middle portion of the return water channel 20 b on the downstream side of the circulation pump 21 is connected to the hot water supply channel 11 via a hot water supply channel 34 . A solenoid valve 35 capable of opening and closing the hot water supply channel 34 (hereinafter referred to as a hot water supply valve 35 ) and a water flow rate sensor 36 for detecting the water flow rate of the hot water supply channel 34 are attached to the water supply channel 34 .

Therefore, by performing combustion operation of the burner 13 of the hot water supply heating device 12 in a state where the hot water supply valve 35 is controlled to open, the heated hot water supply water (hot water) flows from the hot water supply path 11 to the hot water supply path 34 and the circulation water path. Hot water can be supplied to the bathtub BT via 20 (that is, hot water can be filled into the bathtub BT). Further, when filling the bathtub BT with hot water, the amount (volume) of hot water supplied to the bathtub BT can be detected by accumulating the water flow rate detected by the water quantity sensor 36 .

Further, by operating the circulation pump 21 while the hot water supply valve 35 is controlled to be closed, the hot water in the bathtub BT is circulated through the circulation water passage 20 . In this circulating state, the burner 23 of the bath heating device 22 is operated for combustion, so that hot water in the bathtub BT can be heated (that is, reheating can be performed).

Supplementally, in this embodiment, the circulation water channel 20 corresponds to the hot water supply channel in the present invention. Further, in this embodiment, in addition to the heat source device 2 being installed in the bathroom BR, a circulation water channel 20 as a hot water supply channel is also installed in the bathroom BR.

The bath apparatus 1 further includes a control device 40 having a function of controlling the operation of the heat source device 2 and a remote controller 50 for the user to operate the heat source device 2 . A remote control 50 shown in FIG. 1 is a remote control arranged in the bathroom BR. As shown in FIG. 2, the remote controller 50 includes a display section 50a for displaying various information related to the operation of the heat source device 2, a sound generating section 50b for outputting audio information such as voice and alarm sound, and a plurality of operation switches. and a temperature sensor 50d that detects the room temperature of the bathroom BR (hereinafter sometimes referred to as bathroom temperature), and can communicate with the control device 40 by wire or wirelessly.

Note that the bathing detection sensor 60 and the bathing detection unit 40e shown in FIG. 2 relate to a second embodiment described later, and are unnecessary in this embodiment.

The display unit 50a of the remote controller 50 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, an LED display, etc., and the sound generating unit 50b is composed of, for example, a speaker, a buzzer, and the like. Although detailed illustration is omitted, the operation unit 50c of the remote controller 50 includes operation switches for instructing the control device 40 to start or stop the heat source device 2, a hot water filling operation of the bathtub BT, and a reheating operation. An operation switch for commanding the control device 40 to execute each bath operation such as operation and hot water supply operation, an operation switch for variably setting the target value of the hot water supply temperature, and a variable target value for the bath temperature. and an operation switch for variably setting the target value of the amount of hot water (or the target value of the water level) in the bathtub BT.

Here, in the present embodiment, the hot water filling operation that can be performed by the bath apparatus 1 is the heat shock reducing hot water filling operation with a function added to prevent the occurrence of heat shock at the beginning of bathing, and the hot water filling operation with this function added. There are two types of hot water filling operations, a normal hot water filling operation and a hot water filling operation, and the execution of one of these two types of hot water filling operations is selectively controlled by operating the operation unit 50c of the remote controller 50. It is possible to command the device 40 .

Supplementally, the bath apparatus 1 may further include one or more remote controllers placed in places other than the bathroom BR, such as the kitchen, in addition to the remote controller 50 placed in the bathroom BR. In this case, other remote controls also have a display section, a sound generating section, and an operating section, and can communicate with the control device 40 . However, the configurations or functions of the operation units of the respective remote controllers may be different from each other. Also, the display section of each remote controller may be a touch panel type display section, in which case the display section may include all or part of the operation section. Further, the operation section of each remote control may include a voice input section in addition to the operation switches.

The control device 40 is composed of one or more electronic circuit units including, for example, a microcomputer, memory, interface circuits, and the like. The control device 40 is supplied with operation information of operation units of each remote controller including the remote controller 50 from each remote controller. Further, the control device 40 receives detection data from sensors provided in the bath apparatus 1, such as the temperature sensors 18, 30, 50d, the water level sensor 31, the water volume sensor 36, and the like.

Then, the control device 40 controls the operation of the heat source device 2 (hot water supply operation, hot water filling operation, reheating operation, adding hot water Various control processes related to bath operation such as operation can be executed.

In the present embodiment, the control device 40 has a function of controlling the operation of the hot water supply heating device 12, the bath heating device 22, the circulation pump 21, and the hot water filling valve 35 of the hot water filling water channel 34. In order to execute the control processing described later regarding the hot water filling operation, the function as a hot water amount determination unit 40a for determining whether or not the amount of hot water in the bathtub BT has reached the set amount of hot water as its target value, and the warming of the bathroom BR. A function as a warm-up determination unit 40b that determines whether or not the heating is completed, a function as a first notification unit 40c that outputs notification information to the effect that the cover Bc of the bathtub BT should be opened, and a heat shock reduction hot water filling operation is completed. and a function as a second notification unit 40d for generating notification information to the effect that it is possible to take a bath.

Here, to supplement the set amount of hot water, if the target value of the amount of hot water (volume of hot water) in the bathtub BT can be set by operating the operation unit 50c of the remote control 50 (or the operation unit of another remote control), The target value corresponds to the set amount of hot water. Further, when the target value of the water level (water surface height) in the bathtub BT can be set by operating the operation unit 50c of the remote controller 50 (or the operation unit of another remote controller), the water level in the bathtub BT is the target value. The amount of hot water in the bathtub BT when it matches the value corresponds to the set amount of hot water.

Next, the operation of the bath apparatus 1 when the control device 40 is instructed to perform the heat shock reducing hot water filling operation by operating the operation section 50c of the remote controller 50 (or the operation section of another remote controller) will be described. .

In this case, the control device 40 executes the control process shown in the flowchart of FIG. In STEP 1, the control device 40 commands each remote controller including the remote controller 50 to output notification information to the effect that the lid Bc of the bathtub BT should be opened. In this embodiment, the process of STEP1 is the process of the first notification unit 40c, and the notification information output in STEP1 corresponds to the first notification information in the present invention.

At this time, the remote controller 50 outputs, for example, a voice indicating the notification information (first notification information) from the sound generator 50b. The same applies to other remote controllers. In response to the output of the notification information, the user performs the task of opening the lid Bc of the bathtub BT. In addition to outputting the notification information by voice, the notification information may be displayed on the display section of each remote controller. Further, the output of the notification information may be performed at the same time as the filling of the bathtub BT with hot water is started in STEP 2 described below, or may be performed immediately after the start of the filling of the hot water.

Next, in STEP2, the control device 40 starts filling the bathtub BT with hot water. Specifically, the control device 40 controls the opening of the hot water filling valve 35 and starts the combustion operation of the burner 13 of the heating device 12 for hot water supply. Then, the control device 40 controls the temperature of the burner 13 so that the hot water supply temperature detected by the temperature sensor 18 matches or substantially matches a bath temperature target value set in advance by the remote control 50 (hereinafter referred to as target bath temperature). Control the amount of combustion. The combustion amount of the burner 13 is controlled through operation control of the fuel control valve 17c and the combustion fan 16. FIG.

As a result, the hot water heated to a temperature that matches or substantially matches the target bath temperature is supplied from the hot water supply passage 11 to the bathtub BT via the hot water filling water passage 34 and the circulation water passage 20 (the hot water filling to the bathtub BT is performed). is called). It should be noted that hot water supply to the bathtub BT may be performed intermittently.

In this case, the bathtub BT is filled with hot water while the lid Bc of the bathtub BT is open. progresses. In addition, in this embodiment, the heat source device 2 including the heating device 12 for hot water supply and the circulating water channel 20 are installed in the bathroom BR. Therefore, when the hot water supplied to the bathtub BT is heated by the hot water supply heating device 12, part of the heat generated by the burner 13 of the hot water supply heating device 12 is transmitted to the bathroom via the hot water supplied to the bathtub BT. In addition, heat other than the heat transferred to the hot water supplied to the bathtub BT (for example, the heat held by the combustion housing 15 and part of the heat of the combustion exhaust gas) is radiated into the bathroom BR. . Moreover, when the heated hot water is supplied to the bathtub BT through the water circulation path 20, heat is also radiated from the water circulation path 20 to the bathroom BT. Therefore, warming of the bathroom BR is effectively promoted.

While filling the bathtub BT with hot water in this manner, the control device 40 performs a determination process in STEP 3 to determine whether or not the amount of hot water in the bathtub BT (hereinafter referred to as the amount of hot water filled) has reached the set amount of hot water. , are executed sequentially until the result of the judgment becomes affirmative. In this embodiment, this judgment processing corresponds to the processing of the hot water amount judgment section 40a.

In this case, for example, when the water level in the bathtub BT detected by the water level sensor 31 reaches the target water level preset by the remote controller 50, the control device 40 determines that the amount of hot water filled has reached the set amount of hot water. do.

Alternatively, for example, after the water level in the bathtub BT detected by the water level sensor 31 reaches a reference water level equal to or higher than the water level of the hot water supply port Ba of the bathtub BT, the control device 40 controls the water flow rate detected by the water quantity sensor 36. (the amount of hot water supplied to the bathtub BT) is calculated using the target water level preset by the remote control 50 and the reference water level (the water level in the bathtub BT is increased from the reference water level to the target water level). When the amount of hot water required to fill the hot water reaches the set amount of hot water.

Alternatively, the control device 40, for example, when the integrated value of the water flow rate detected via the water quantity sensor 36 from the start of hot water filling into the bathtub BT reaches the target hot water quantity preset by the remote controller 50. Then, it is determined that the hot water filling amount has reached the set hot water amount.

The bathtub BT is automatically filled with hot water so that the amount of hot water in the bathtub BT reaches the target amount of hot water, or the bathtub BT is automatically filled with hot water so that the water level in the bathtub BT reaches the target water level. A variety of methods are known for performing this. Then, the determination process in STEP 3 may be performed in a manner suitable for each hot water filling method.

When the amount of hot water filling reaches the set amount of hot water and the determination result in STEP3 becomes affirmative, the control device 40 ends filling (supplying hot water) of hot water to the bathtub BT in STEP4. In this case, the controller 40 controls the hot water supply valve 35 to close. Further, when hot water is not being supplied to the hot water supply target parts other than the bathtub BT (when the water supply path 10 and the hot water supply path 11 are stopped by the valve closing control of the hot water supply valve 35), the control device 40 , the combustion operation of the burner 13 of the heating device 12 for hot water supply is stopped.

Further, in STEP 5, the control device 40 sets a required warm-up time tw as the time required to continue warming the bathroom BR (warming by heat radiation of the hot water in the bathtub BT) after the completion of hot water filling. Start timing the elapsed time after the end of

Here, in the present embodiment, the control device 40 controls the bathroom temperature detected by the temperature sensor 50d of the remote controller 50 at the start of hot water filling in STEP 2 (or immediately before or after that) (hereinafter referred to as the initial temperature of hot water filling). bathroom temperature Ts0) is obtained from the remote controller 50 and stored. Then, in STEP5, the control device 40 sets the warm-up required time tw according to the detected value of the bathroom temperature Ts0 at the initial stage of hot water filling.

Specifically, the control device 40 controls, for example, when the detected value of the bathroom temperature Ts0 at the beginning of hot water filling is Ts0<5° C., t1=15 minutes, and when 5° C.≦Ts0<10° C., t1=15 minutes. 10 minutes, t1=5 minutes when 10° C.≦Ts0<15° C., and so on. Set tw.

Supplementally, the manner of setting the required warm-up time tw is not limited to the manner described above. For example, the required warm-up time tw may be set according to the detected value of the bathroom temperature at the end of hot water filling (or immediately before or after that) (hereinafter referred to as the bathroom temperature at the end of hot water filling). Alternatively, for example, the necessary warm-up time tw may be set according to both the detected value of the bath temperature Ts0 at the beginning of hot water filling and the detected value of the bathroom temperature at the end of hot water filling, or according to the difference between these detected values. good. Alternatively, for example, the required warm-up time tw may be set according to the temporal change rate of the detected value of the bathroom temperature during the filling of hot water.

Furthermore, for example, instead of the detected value of the bathroom temperature and its temporal change rate, or in addition to the detected value and its temporal change rate, the target bath temperature set in advance by the remote controller 50 (or the bathtub BT The required warm-up time tw may be set according to the target value of the temperature of the hot water supplied to the bathtub BT when the hot water is filled. For example, the required warm-up time tw may be set such that the higher the target bath temperature, the shorter the required warm-up time tw.

Furthermore, for example, instead of the detected value of the bathroom temperature and its temporal change rate, or in addition to the detected value and its temporal change rate, according to the time required from the start to the end of hot water filling A warm-up required time tw may be set. For example, the required warm-up time tw may be set such that the shorter the time required from the start to the end of hot water filling, the longer the required warm-up time tw.

Furthermore, for example, instead of the detected value of the bathroom temperature and its temporal change rate, or in addition to the detected value and its temporal change rate, the hot water temperature in the bathtub BT within a predetermined time after the completion of hot water filling may be measured via the temperature sensor 30, and the required warm-up time tw may be set according to the temporal change rate.

Furthermore, for example, if the outside air temperature or the room temperature of the dressing room adjacent to the bathroom BR can be detected or estimated, the required warm-up time tw may be set by reflecting the outside air temperature or the room temperature of the dressing room.

It should be noted that the required warm-up time tw may be set to a predetermined constant value (fixed value) regardless of the bathroom temperature or the like, or may be set to a desired time within a predetermined range by the user. It is also possible to adopt In addition, the setting of the required warm-up time tw and the start of measuring the elapsed time are not limited to immediately after the hot water filling in STEP 4 (or when hot water is finished), for example, when hot water is started in STEP 2 (or immediately after that). , may be performed.

Next, in STEP 6, the control device 40 determines whether or not the required warm-up time tw set in STEP 5 has elapsed (whether or not the measured value of the elapsed time after the completion of hot water filling has reached the required warm-up time tw). Judgment processing is executed sequentially until the judgment result becomes affirmative. In this case, since the lid Bc of the bathtub BT is kept open, heat radiation from the hot water in the bathtub BT to the bathroom BR continues while the determination process of STEP 6 continues, and eventually the bathroom Warming up of the BR continues.

In the present embodiment, the judgment processing of STEP 6 corresponds to the processing of judging whether the warming of the bathroom BR is completed, that is, the processing of the warming judging section 40b. Then, when the determination result in STEP6 becomes affirmative (when it is determined that warming is completed), the control device 40 next starts reheating hot water in the bathtub BT in STEP7.

Specifically, the control device 40 operates the circulation pump 21 and starts the combustion operation of the burner 23 of the bath heating device 22 while keeping the hot water filling valve 35 closed. Then, the control device 40 raises the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub BT (bath temperature) detected by the temperature sensor 30 to a temperature that matches or substantially matches the target bath temperature preset by the remote controller 50. , to control the amount of combustion of the burner 23 . The amount of combustion of the burner 23 is controlled through operation control of the fuel control valve 27c and the combustion fan 26. FIG. As a result, the hot water in the bathtub BT is heated while being circulated through the circulation water passage 20 .

While reheating the hot water in the bathtub BT in this manner, the control device 40 performs the process of determining whether or not the bath temperature detected by the temperature sensor 30 has reached the target bath temperature in STEP8. It is executed sequentially until the judgment result becomes affirmative.

And if the judgment result of STEP8 becomes affirmative, in STEP9, the control apparatus 40 will complete|finish reheating. Specifically, the control device 40 stops the operation of the circulation pump 21 and also stops the combustion operation of the burner 23 of the bath heater 22 .

Further, in STEP 10, the controller 40 instructs the remote controller 50 to output notification information to the effect that the hot water filling operation (heat shock reducing hot water filling operation) is completed and the bathtub BT is ready for bathing. command each remote control, including In this embodiment, the process of STEP10 is the process of the second notification unit 40d, and the notification information output in STEP10 corresponds to the second notification information in the present invention.

At this time, the remote controller 50 outputs, for example, a voice indicating the notification information (second notification information) from the sound generator 50b. The same applies to other remote controllers. It goes without saying that the notification information may contain both information that the hot water filling operation has been completed and information that it is possible to take a bath. , can also recognize the other information. Therefore, the notification information may contain only one of the information. In addition to outputting the notification information by voice, the notification information may be displayed on the display section of each remote controller.

In this embodiment, the heat shock mitigation refilling operation is performed as described above. According to this embodiment, in addition to the determination result of STEP3 corresponding to the processing of the hot water amount determination unit 40a becoming positive, the determination result of STEP6 corresponding to the processing of the warm air determination unit 40b becomes positive. , with the necessary condition that the bath temperature reaches the target bath temperature by reheating the hot water in the bathtub BT after the judgment results in STEP 3 and 6 become affirmative, the notification information in STEP 10 (the hot water filling operation is Notification information to the effect that it is completed and bathing in the bathtub BT is now possible) is output.

Then, according to the output of this notification information, the user recognizes that the bathtub BT is ready for bathing, and then starts bathing. In this case, before the user enters the bathroom BR, the hot water in the bathtub BT heats up sufficiently to warm the bathroom BR, so it is possible to effectively prevent heat shock from occurring.

Further, by setting the warm-up required time tw according to the bathroom temperature, etc., as described above, the judgment result of STEP 6 is reliable as a judgment result indicating whether or not the warming of the bathroom BR is completed. can increase For this reason, the notification information (second notification information) in STEP 10 is output in a state where the warming of the bathroom BR is insufficient, or the warming period of the bathroom BR becomes longer than necessary, and the notification in STEP 10 It is possible to appropriately prevent the output of information from becoming too late.

In addition, in this embodiment, after the determination results in STEPs 3 and 6 become affirmative, reheating is performed, and the notification information (second notification information) in STEP 10 is output, so that the bath temperature is Bathing in the bathtub BT can be started when the temperature matches or substantially matches the target bath temperature set by the user. Therefore, comfortable bathing can be performed.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, part of the heat generated by the burner 13 of the hot water supply heating device 12 when the hot water supplied to the bathtub BT is heated by the hot water heating device 12 is radiated into the bathroom BR, When heated hot water is supplied to the bathtub BT through the water circulation path 20, heat is released from the water circulation path 20 to the bathroom BT. Therefore, together with the heat radiation from the hot water supplied to the bathtub BT to the bathroom BR, the warming of the bathroom BR can be further promoted, and the period until the completion of warming can be shortened.

[Second embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 4. FIG. Since this embodiment differs from the first embodiment only in a part of the configuration and control processing, the description of the same items as in the first embodiment will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the bath apparatus 1 includes a bathing detection sensor for detecting whether or not the user has bathed in the bathtub BT (more specifically, whether or not the user has entered the hot water in the bathtub BT). 60 , and detection data of this bathing detection sensor 60 is input to the control device 40 . The bathing detection sensor 60 is installed, for example, in the bathroom BR, or is configured by a known human sensor mounted on the remote controller 50 .

In addition to the functions similar to those of the first embodiment, the control device 40 performs bathing based on detection data of the bathing detection sensor 60 as functions realized by the implemented hardware configuration and/or the program. It further has a function as a bathing detection unit 40e that detects the presence or absence of a bath. For example, when the bathing detection sensor 60 detects the presence of a person in the bathtub BT after filling the bathtub BT with hot water, the bathing detection unit 40e detects that the person (user) starts bathing. detect what has happened.

Note that the bathing detection sensor 60 is not limited to a human sensor. For example, it is possible to use a sensor for detecting sound in the bathroom BR, the water level sensor 31 or the like as the bathing detection sensor 60 .

As described above, the bath apparatus 1 of this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it includes the bathing detection sensor 60 and the bathing detection unit 40e. However, in the present embodiment, among the functions of the control device 40, the processing of the warm air determination unit 40b and the output timing of the notification information (second notification information) by the second notification unit 40d are the same as those in the first embodiment as described later. differ from

Next, the operation of the bath apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the control device 40 performs the control shown in the flowchart of FIG. Execute the process.

In this case, the processing of STEP21-24 is the same as the processing of STEP1-4 in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, after finishing filling the bathtub BT with hot water in STEP 24, the controller 40 monitors the temperature of the hot water (bath temperature) in the bathtub BT via the temperature sensor 30 in STEP 25. , actuates the circulation pump 21 .

With the circulation pump 21 operating in this manner, the control device 40 performs the process of determining whether or not the temperature of the bath detected by the temperature sensor 30 has dropped below a predetermined temperature in STEP 26. It is executed sequentially until the judgment result becomes affirmative. Here, the predetermined temperature in STEP 26 is a temperature lower than the target bath temperature preset by the remote control 50 by a predetermined value α. The predetermined value α is, for example, a predetermined constant value (fixed value).

In this case, since the lid Bc of the bathtub BT is kept open, heat radiation from the hot water in the bathtub BT to the bathroom BR continues while the determination process of STEP 26 continues, and eventually the bathroom Warming up of the BR continues. Also, the hot water temperature (bath temperature) in the bathtub BT decreases due to heat dissipation.

Supplementally, the predetermined value α related to the determination process in STEP 26 is, for example, the detected value of the bathroom temperature at the initial stage of filling the hot water, or Detected value of bathroom temperature at the end of filling, or the difference between these detected values, Time change rate of bathroom temperature during execution of hot water filling, Target bath temperature, or From start to finish of hot water filling or the time rate of change in the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub BT within a predetermined time after the completion of hot water refilling, or the detected value of the outside air temperature or the room temperature of the dressing room. may Alternatively, the predetermined value α may be set by the user to a desired value within a predetermined range.

Further, the predetermined value α is changed according to the target hot water amount set by the remote control 50 or the set hot water amount corresponding to the target water level (and the predetermined temperature in STEP 26 is changed according to the set hot water amount). may be set to For example, as shown in the following equation (1), the target value of the amount of heat to be radiated from the hot water filling the bathtub BT to the bathroom BR (hereinafter referred to as the target amount of heat input to the bathroom) is divided by the set amount of hot water. It may be set as a predetermined value α.

α=Bathroom target input heat quantity/set hot water quantity……(1)

In this case, the bathroom target input heat amount may be a predetermined constant value (fixed value), or may be set according to, for example, the detected value of the bathroom temperature at the end of filling the hot water, the detected value of the outside air temperature, or the like. When the predetermined value α is set in this way, the smaller the set amount of hot water is, the larger the predetermined value α is set. The Rukoto. It should be noted that the predetermined value α may be set using a map or the like prepared in advance from the set amount of hot water.

In this embodiment, the judgment processing of STEP 26 corresponds to the processing of judging whether or not the warming of the bathroom BR is completed, that is, the processing of the warming judging section 40b. Then, when the determination result in STEP 26 becomes affirmative (when it is determined that warming is completed), the control device 40 next stops the operation of the circulation pump 21 in STEP 27 . In the present embodiment, the judgment processing of STEP 26 regarding the bath temperature is sequentially executed while the circulation pump 21 continues to operate. The determination process of STEP 26 may be executed only during the middle period.

Subsequently, in STEP 28, the controller 40 instructs the remote controller to output notification information to the effect that the hot water filling operation (heat shock reducing hot water filling operation) is completed and the bathtub BT is ready for bathing. Command each remote control, including 50. In this embodiment, the process of STEP 28 is the process of the second notification unit 40d, and the notification information output in STEP 28 corresponds to the second notification information in the present invention.

At this time, as in STEP 10 of the first embodiment, sound indicating the notification information (second notification information) is output from the sound generators of the respective remote controllers including the sound generator 50b of the remote controller 50. FIG. In addition to outputting the notification information by voice, the notification information may be displayed on the display unit of each remote controller.

Next, in STEP 29, the control device 40 sequentially executes the process of determining whether or not the user has started bathing until the determination result becomes affirmative. The judgment processing of STEP 29 is processing of the bathing detection unit 40 e and is performed based on detection data of the bathing detection sensor 60 .

Then, when the determination result in STEP29 becomes affirmative, the controller 40 starts reheating hot water in the bathtub BT in STEP30. Specifically, the control device 40 operates the circulation pump 21, starts the combustion operation of the burner 23 of the bath heating device 22, and further increases the temperature The combustion amount of the burner 23 is controlled so that the bath temperature detected by the sensor 30 matches or substantially matches the target bath temperature set by the remote controller 50 .

While reheating the hot water in the bathtub BT in this way, the control device 40 performs the process of determining whether or not the bath temperature detected by the temperature sensor 30 has reached the target bath temperature in STEP31. Run iteratively until the result is positive.

And if the judgment result of STEP31 becomes affirmative, the control apparatus 40 will terminate reheating. In this case, the control device 40 stops the operation of the circulation pump 21 and also stops the combustion operation of the burner 23 of the bath heater 22 .

In this embodiment, the heat shock mitigation refilling operation is performed as described above. According to this embodiment, in addition to the determination result of STEP 23 corresponding to the processing of the hot water amount determination unit 40a becoming affirmative, the determination result of STEP 26 corresponding to the processing of the warm air determination unit 40b becomes affirmative. is a necessary condition, the notification information in STEP 28 (the notification information indicating that the hot water filling operation is completed and the bathtub BT is ready for bathing) is output.

Then, according to the output of this notification information, the user recognizes that the bathtub BT is ready for bathing, and then starts bathing. In this case, before the user enters the bathroom BR, the hot water in the bathtub BT heats up sufficiently to warm the bathroom BR, so it is possible to effectively prevent heat shock from occurring.

In addition, by variably setting the predetermined value α that defines the predetermined temperature (=target bath temperature−α) in STEP 26 according to the bathroom temperature, etc., the determination result in STEP 26 is the warm air of the bathroom BR. It is possible to increase the reliability of the result of determination as to whether or not the process has been completed. For this reason, the notification information (second notification information) in STEP 28 is output in a state where the warming of the bathroom BR is insufficient, or the warm-up period of the bathroom BR becomes longer than necessary, and the notification in STEP 28 It is possible to appropriately prevent the output of information from becoming too late.

In particular, when the predetermined value α is variably set according to the set amount of hot water as described above, the amount of hot water in the bathtub BT after the completion of hot water refilling before the judgment result in STEP 26 becomes affirmative. The amount of heat radiated from the bathroom BR to the bathroom BR can be made substantially constant regardless of the set amount of hot water. Therefore, the bathroom BR can be stably warmed regardless of the set amount of hot water.

Further, in the present embodiment, after the user starts bathing in the bathtub BT after outputting the notification information (second notification information) in STEP 26, reheating of hot water in the bathtub BT is automatically started. . Therefore, since reheating does not start before the user starts bathing, the temperature difference between the hot water temperature in the bathtub BT and the bathroom temperature immediately before the bathing start can be reduced. This can effectively prevent the occurrence of heat shock when the user starts bathing. Then, when the user starts bathing, reheating is started, so it is possible to bring the water temperature in the bathtub BT to an appropriate temperature (target bath temperature) in the early stage after the start of bathing. As a result, it becomes possible to realize comfortable bathing while effectively preventing the occurrence of heat shock.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the first and second embodiments described above, and other embodiments can be employed. Some other embodiments are described below.

In the first embodiment, after the reheating operation is executed in STEP7-9, the notification information (second notification information) in STEP10 is output. However, for example, when the determination result of STEP6 becomes affirmative (when it is determined that warming is completed), the notification information (second notification information) is output, and then the reheating operation is automatically performed. Alternatively, the same processing as STEP 29 to 32 in FIG. 4 may be executed, or the execution of the reheating operation may be omitted.

Further, for example, after outputting the notification information (second notification information) in STEP 28 in the second embodiment, the reheating operation is automatically executed, or the processing of STEP 29 to 32 is omitted. good too. Further, when the determination result of STEP 26 becomes affirmative (when it is determined that warming is completed), subsequently, the reheating operation is automatically performed, and after the reheating operation is completed, the notification in STEP 28 Information (second notification information) may be output.

Further, for example, in filling (supplying hot water) to the bathtub BT, hot water heated to a temperature higher than the target bath temperature by a predetermined value is supplied to the bathtub BT up to a set amount of hot water, and then the detected value of the hot water temperature in the bathtub BT reaches the target. It may be determined that the warming of the bathroom BR is completed when the temperature of the bath has decreased to the bath temperature.

In each of the above embodiments, the temperature sensors 50d and 30 respectively detect the bath temperature and the bath temperature (hot water temperature in the bathtub BT). may be estimated based on the correlation from detected values of one or more other parameters having the correlation of .

In each of the above embodiments, the hot water supply heating device 12 and the bath heating device 22 of the heat source device 2 are combustion heating devices. However, it may be an electric heating device, a heat pump device, or the like.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the bath device 1 is a device that has a function of supplying hot water to the hot water supply target parts other than the bathtub BT in addition to the bath operation. It may not be prepared. Also, the bath operation that the bath apparatus 1 can perform may be only the hot water filling operation, for example.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Bath apparatus 12... Heating apparatus 20... Circulating water channel (hot water filling channel) 40a... Hot water quantity determination part 40b... Warm air determination part 40c... 1st notification part 40d... 2nd notification part 40e... Bathing detection Part, BT...Bathtub, Bc...Lid, BR...Bathroom.

Claims (7)

A bath apparatus capable of performing a hot-water filling operation for supplying hot water heated by a heating device to a bathtub so that the amount of hot water in the bathtub reaches a preset amount of hot water,
a first notification unit for outputting first notification information indicating that the lid of the bathtub should be opened when the hot water filling operation is started;
a warm-up determination unit that determines whether or not the bathroom has been warmed up after outputting the first notification information;
a hot water amount determination unit that determines whether or not the amount of hot water in the bathtub has reached the set amount of hot water;
On the condition that both the judgment result of the warm air judging section and the judgment result of the hot water amount judging section are affirmative, it is determined that the bathtub has been filled with hot water and is ready for bathing. and a second notification unit that outputs second notification information indicating
The warm-up judgment unit completes warming up of the bathroom on the condition that the elapsed time after the start of the hot water filling operation or the elapsed time after the end of the hot water filling operation reaches a set value of the warm-up required time. A bath apparatus characterized in that it is configured to determine that The bath apparatus according to claim 1,
The required warm-up time is determined by the bathroom temperature at the beginning of the hot water filling operation, immediately before or after the hot water filling operation, or at the end of the hot water filling operation, immediately before or after the hot water filling operation. A bath apparatus characterized in that the bath apparatus is set according to a detected value of the bath temperature at the beginning of filling the hot water or at the end of filling the hot water so that the lower the length, the longer the time. The bath apparatus according to claim 1,
The bath apparatus is characterized in that the required warm-up time is set according to the target bath temperature so that the higher the target bath temperature, which is the target value of the hot water temperature in the bathtub, the shorter the required time. The bath apparatus according to claim 1,
The required warm-up time is set according to the required time so that the shorter the time required from the start to the end of the hot water filling operation, the longer the required time. A bath apparatus capable of performing a hot-water filling operation for supplying hot water heated by a heating device to a bathtub so that the amount of hot water in the bathtub reaches a preset amount of hot water,
a first notification unit for outputting first notification information indicating that the lid of the bathtub should be opened when the hot water filling operation is started;
a warm-up determination unit that determines whether or not the bathroom has been warmed up after outputting the first notification information;
a hot water amount determination unit that determines whether or not the amount of hot water in the bathtub has reached the set amount of hot water;
On the condition that both the judgment result of the warm air judging section and the judgment result of the hot water amount judging section are affirmative, it is determined that the bathtub has been filled with hot water and is ready for bathing. and a second notification unit that outputs second notification information indicating
After the hot water amount determining unit makes a positive determination, the hot water temperature determination unit determines whether the detected value or estimated value of the hot water temperature in the bathtub is equal to the hot water amount determining unit before the hot water amount determining unit determines a positive determination result. When the temperature drops to a predetermined temperature lower than the temperature of the hot water supplied to the bathtub, it is determined that the warming is completed, and the predetermined temperature is lowered as the set amount of hot water is smaller. A bath apparatus characterized in that it is configured to variably set according to the set amount of hot water . In the bath apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
After the determination result of the hot water amount determination unit becomes affirmative, a reheating operation can be performed to heat the hot water in the bathtub so that the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub reaches a temperature equal to or higher than a preset target value. is configured as
The second notification unit is configured to detect the hot water temperature in the bathtub or A bath apparatus characterized in that the second notification information is output on condition that the estimated value has reached a temperature equal to or higher than the target value. In the bath apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
further comprising a bathing detection unit that detects the user's start of bathing in the bathtub,
After the output of the second notification information, when the user's start of bathing is detected by the bathing detection unit, the hot water in the bathtub is set to a temperature equal to or higher than a preset target value. A bath apparatus characterized in that it is configured to perform a reheating operation for heating the.

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