JP7645775B2 - Heating system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a heating system that includes a floor heating section that heats a room by circulating a heat medium from a heat source unit, and a bathroom heating section that heats a bathroom by circulating a heat medium from the heat source unit.

Such a heating system can heat rooms such as the living room in an ordinary home using a floor heating unit, and can also heat the bathroom using a bathroom heating unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In other words, since residents spend a lot of time in rooms such as the living room, these tend to be heated by the floor heating unit for most of the time, and the bathroom will be heated by the bathroom heating unit before starting to bathe.

JP 2004-61037 A

If the bathroom is cold (if the bathroom temperature is low) when taking a bath, it will be uncomfortable for the bather, so as mentioned above, it is recommended that the bathroom be pre-heated with a bathroom heater before starting to bathe.
In particular, in winter, if the temperature in rooms such as the living room is raised by the floor heating unit, but the bathroom is not heated by the bathroom heating unit, the bathroom temperature will be significantly lower than the temperature in the living room, which will not only cause great discomfort to the bather, but will also cause the bather to suffer a heat shock, which may lead to problems such as a sudden rise in blood pressure or a sudden increase in pulse rate.

For this reason, in winter, etc., when the temperature of the bathroom is significantly lower than the temperature of the living room or other occupant room, such as when the temperature of the bathroom is raised by the underfloor heating unit, it is strongly recommended that you heat the inside of the bathroom with the bathroom heating unit before starting to bathe.

However, in the past, a person planning to take a bath could not recognize the temperature difference between the living room temperature and the bathroom temperature before starting to bathe, and therefore there was a risk that the person would forget to preheat the bathroom with the bathroom heater before starting to bathe, and would start bathing when there was a large temperature difference between the living room temperature and the bathroom temperature.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a heating system that has a simple configuration that effectively utilizes existing components and can prevent a bath from starting when there is a large temperature difference between the room temperature in the living room and the bathroom temperature in the bathroom.

The heating system of the present invention is provided with a floor heating section that heats a living room by circulating a heat medium from a heat source unit, and a bathroom heating section that heats the inside of a bathroom by circulating a heat medium from the heat source unit. The heating system is characterized by the following configuration:
a control unit that executes a temperature difference presence notification process that notifies a notification unit of temperature difference presence information indicating that a temperature difference exists when the bathroom temperature detected by a bathroom temperature sensor provided in the bathroom heating unit is lower than the room temperature detected by a room temperature sensor provided in a floor heating remote control that operates the floor heating unit by a set allowable temperature or more ;
The control unit executes the temperature difference presence notification process when a command to fill the bathtub with water is issued to the heat source unit,
When the temperature difference exists, the control unit starts a heating operation of the bathroom heater.
When the control unit starts the heating operation of the bathroom heating unit, if the floor heating unit is in heating operation, the control unit starts the heating operation of the bathroom heating unit with a reduced heating output of the floor heating unit, and then, when the bathroom temperature is no longer lower than the set allowable temperature below the living room temperature, the control unit returns the heating output of the floor heating unit to the heating output before it was reduced .

That is, when the bathroom temperature detected by the bathroom temperature sensor of the bathroom heating unit is lower than the room temperature detected by the room temperature sensor of the floor heating remote control that operates the floor heating unit by a set allowable temperature or more, the temperature difference information indicating that a temperature difference exists is reported by the reporting unit , and the temperature difference information reporting process for reporting the temperature difference information by the reporting unit is executed when a command to fill the bathroom is issued, so that the temperature difference information is reported at the time when filling the bathtub with water begins for the person who plans to take a bath. Also, if a temperature difference exists at the time when filling the bathtub begins, the heating operation of the bathroom heating unit is automatically started, and if the floor heating unit is in heating operation when the heating operation of the bathroom heating unit is started, the heating operation of the bathroom heating unit is started with the heating output of the floor heating unit reduced. After that, when the bathroom temperature is no longer lower than the room temperature by a set allowable temperature or more, the heating output of the floor heating unit is returned to the heating output before the reduction .

Therefore, by recognizing the temperature difference information that is notified, a person who plans to take a bath can accurately recognize that the bathroom needs to be preheated by the bathroom heater before starting to take a bath, and thus it is possible to avoid starting a bath when there is a large temperature difference between the room temperature of the room and the bathroom temperature of the bathroom. Furthermore, a person who plans to take a bath can appropriately recognize the temperature difference information at the time when filling the bathtub starts, that is, at an appropriate time before starting to take a bath. To explain further, if the temperature difference information is constantly notified when there is a temperature difference, it is annoying to be notified of the temperature difference information even when there is no need to recognize the temperature difference information. However, by notifying the temperature difference information at the time when filling the bathtub starts for bathing, it is possible to avoid giving annoyance to the bather and to appropriately recognize the temperature difference information at an appropriate time before starting to take a bath. Furthermore, if there is a temperature difference at the time when filling the bathtub starts for the person who plans to take a bath, the heating operation of the bathroom heater starts automatically without the bather performing any special operation, and the bathroom is appropriately heated. Incidentally, by starting the bathroom heating unit at the time when the water filling starts, the bathroom can be heated by utilizing the time when the water filling is in progress. Moreover, if the floor heating unit is in heating operation when the bathroom heating unit starts its heating operation, the bathroom heating unit starts its heating operation with the heating output of the floor heating unit reduced, so that the bathroom temperature in the bathroom can be increased while lowering the room temperature in the room or suppressing an increase in the room temperature in the room. As a result, the temperature difference between the bathroom temperature in the bathroom and the room temperature in the room can be efficiently reduced. After that, when the bathroom temperature is no longer lower than the room temperature by the set allowable temperature or more, the heating output of the floor heating unit is returned to the heating output before the reduction, so that the room can be well heated with an appropriate heating power after the bathroom is heated.

In addition, the bathroom heating unit is equipped with a bathroom temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the bathroom, which is the object to be heated, and the floor heating remote control that operates the floor heating unit is equipped with a living room temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the living room, which is the object to be heated. Therefore, with a simple configuration that effectively utilizes the existing bathroom temperature sensor and living room temperature sensor, it is possible to detect temperature difference information and execute the temperature difference existence notification process.

In short, the heating system of the present invention has a simple configuration that effectively utilizes existing components, and can avoid starting a bath when there is a large temperature difference between the room temperature and the bathroom temperature , and allows the person planning to take a bath to properly recognize the temperature difference information when the bather starts filling the water. Also, the bathroom can be heated appropriately without the bather having to perform any special operations, and the temperature difference between the bathroom temperature and the room temperature can be efficiently reduced. Moreover, after the bathroom is heated, the room can be heated well with an appropriate heating power .

A further characteristic configuration of the heating system of the present invention is that a mobile terminal for issuing the hot water filling command is provided,
The control unit executes the temperature difference notification process by using a display unit of the mobile terminal as the notification unit.

In other words, by having the bather who plans to take a bath hold a mobile device, they can issue commands to fill the water using the mobile device they are holding, so the bather can issue commands to fill the water smoothly without having to go to the trouble of moving to do so.

Furthermore, if the bathroom temperature is lower than the room temperature by more than the set allowable temperature when a command to fill the water is issued, the temperature difference information will be displayed on the display unit of the mobile device, allowing the person planning to take a bath to properly recognize that the bathroom temperature is lower than the room temperature by more than the set allowable temperature.

In short, this further characteristic configuration of the heating system of the present invention allows the water filling command to be issued effectively, and also allows the person planning to take a bath to be properly made aware of the temperature difference information.

A further characteristic feature of the heating system of the present invention is that the control unit starts the heating operation of the bathroom heating unit when a command to start the heating operation of the bathroom heating unit is issued via the mobile terminal.

In other words, by having a person planning to take a bath hold a mobile device, they can use the mobile device to not only issue a command to fill the water, but also to command the bathroom heater to start heating operation, thereby starting the bathroom heater's heating operation, thereby improving convenience.

In short, a further characteristic feature of the heating system of the present invention is that it is possible to use a mobile terminal to command the bathroom heater to start heating operation in addition to commanding the water to be filled, thereby improving convenience.

A further characteristic feature of the heating system of the present invention is that, after the temperature difference existence notification process is executed, when the bathroom temperature is no longer lower than the set allowable temperature relative to the living room temperature, or when the bathroom temperature is equal to or higher than the set appropriate temperature, the control unit executes a heating completion notification process to notify heating completion information indicating that the heating of the bathroom is complete.

In other words, after the temperature difference information is notified, when the bathroom temperature is no longer lower than the set allowable temperature relative to the living room temperature, or when the bathroom temperature reaches or exceeds the set appropriate temperature, heating completion information will be notified, indicating that bathroom heating is complete.

Therefore, a person planning to take a bath can enter the bathroom and start bathing after recognizing the heating completion information, allowing them to enjoy a comfortable bath without feeling cold or other discomfort.

In short, a further characteristic feature of the heating system of the present invention allows you to take a comfortable bath when the bathroom heating is completed.

1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a heating system. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a control configuration of the heating system. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a heat medium supply unit of the heat source unit. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a bathroom heater/dryer. 5 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the bathroom heating operation process. 10 is a flowchart showing a control operation of a bathroom heating operation process in another embodiment.

[Embodiment]
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Overall configuration of heating system)
The heating system shown in FIG. 1 is an example of a system for heating a room K, such as a living room, and a bathroom Y equipped with a bathtub 1 in a typical home.
A panel-shaped living room floor heating unit P (an example of a floor heating unit) is installed on the floor of living room K. A bathroom heater/dryer A is installed on the ceiling of bathroom Y, and a panel-shaped bathroom floor heating unit B is installed on the floor of bathroom Y. That is, in this embodiment, in addition to bathroom heater/dryer A, bathroom floor heating unit B is provided as the bathroom heating unit.
Furthermore, a heat source unit G is installed outside the residence.

Bathroom heater/dryer A is configured to perform heating operation, drying operation, etc. by circulating and supplying a heat medium from heat source unit G, the details of which will be described later.
The living room floor heating section P and the bathroom floor heating section B perform living room floor heating operation and bathroom floor heating operation by circulating and supplying a heat medium from the heat source unit G. In other words, the bathroom floor heating section B and the living room floor heating section P are provided with a heat medium flow path through which the heat medium flows, and are configured to perform living room floor heating operation and bathroom floor heating operation by the heat medium flowing through the heat medium flow path.
By the way, the bathroom heater/dryer A is a high-temperature terminal to which a high-temperature heat transfer medium (e.g., a heat transfer medium of 80°C) is supplied, and the living room floor heating section P and the bathroom floor heating section B are low-temperature terminals to which a low-temperature heat transfer medium (e.g., a heat transfer medium of 60°C) is supplied.

As shown in FIG. 2, the heat source unit G includes a hot water supply unit 2, a heat medium supply unit 3, and an operation control unit C that controls the operation of these units.
As remote controls R that issue various control commands to the operation control unit C, a main remote control R1, a bathroom remote control R2, and a floor heating remote control R3 are provided.
The main remote control R1 is provided on a wall surface near the kitchen, the bathroom remote control R2 is provided on a wall surface near the bathtub 1 inside the bathroom Y, and the floor heating remote control R3 is provided on a wall surface of the living room K in which the living room floor heating unit P is installed.

The main remote control R1 is equipped with various command switches, such as an operation switch that switches the heat source unit G between operating and stopped states, a water filling switch that commands the water filling process, a bathroom heating switch that commands the heating operation of the bathroom heater/dryer A, a drying switch that commands the drying operation of the bathroom heater/dryer A, and a bathroom floor heating switch that commands the floor heating operation of the bathroom floor heating section B.
The bathroom remote control R2, like the main remote control R1, is equipped with various command switches, such as a water filling switch that commands the water filling process, a bathroom heating switch that commands the heating operation of the bathroom heater/dryer A, a drying switch that commands the drying operation of the bathroom heater/dryer A, and a bathroom floor heating switch that commands the heating operation of the bathroom floor heating section B.
The floor heating remote control R3 is equipped with various command switches, such as a room floor heating switch that commands floor heating operation of the room floor heating section P, and a temperature setting switch that sets the target temperature for heating the room K.

The hot water supply unit 2, not shown in the figure, is equipped with a water heating heat exchanger to which tap water is supplied and a hot water supply combustion burner that heats the water heating heat exchanger, and is configured to supply hot water heated by the water heating heat exchanger to the hot water tap and bathtub 1. In other words, the operation control unit C is configured to perform a general hot water supply process that supplies hot water heated by the hot water supply unit 2 to the hot water tap, and a hot water filling process that supplies heated hot water to the bathtub 1.

The heat medium supply unit 3 circulates and supplies a high-temperature heat medium to the bathroom heater/dryer A, and circulates and supplies a low-temperature heat medium to the living room floor heating unit P and the bathroom floor heating unit B. In other words, the operation control unit C is configured to execute a heat medium supply process that circulates and supplies a high-temperature heat medium and a low-temperature heat medium.

(Control Configuration)
As shown in FIG. 2, an operation control unit C of heat source unit G is connected to a bathroom heater/dryer control unit D that controls the operation of bathroom heater/dryer A so as to be able to communicate various information.
The main control unit F1 provided in the main remote control R1, the bathroom control unit F2 provided in the bathroom remote control R2, and the floor heating control unit F3 provided in the floor heating remote control R3 are connected to the operation control unit C of the heat source unit G so that various information can be freely communicated.

Therefore, when the heat source unit G is operated to the operating state by the operation switch of the main remote control R1, and the filling process is commanded by the main remote control R1 or the bathroom remote control R2, the operation control unit C executes the filling process to supply hot water heated by the hot water supply unit 2 to the bathtub 1. Incidentally, in the filling process, the operation control unit C executes the process of filling the bathtub 1 with hot water at the set target hot water supply temperature to the target water level.

When the main remote control R1 or the bathroom remote control R2 is used to command bathroom heater/dryer A to start heating operation, the operation control unit C starts the process of circulating and supplying high-temperature heat medium to the bathroom heater/dryer A, and issues a command to start heating operation to the bath/dry control unit D. The bath/dry control unit D then executes the bathroom heating operation process.
When the main remote control R1 or the bathroom remote control R2 commands the bathroom floor heating section B to start heating operation, the operation control section C starts a process of circulating and supplying low-temperature heat transfer medium to the bathroom floor heating section B, and the bathroom floor heating section B performs bathroom floor heating operation.

When floor heating operation of the living room floor heating unit P is commanded using the living room floor heating switch on the floor heating remote control R3, the operation control unit C starts a process of circulating and supplying a low-temperature heat medium to the living room floor heating unit P, and the living room floor heating unit P performs living room floor heating operation.

In addition, the main remote control R1 is provided with a remote control communication unit J connected to a router U (Wi-Fi router), and a smartphone H (an example of a mobile terminal) is connected to the remote control communication unit J via the router U so as to be able to communicate freely with the smartphone H.
The smartphone H includes a terminal control unit Hc that controls the operation of the smartphone H, a terminal communication unit Hj for communicating with the router U and the like, and a touch panel display unit Hd.
Various applications are installed in the terminal control unit Hc, such as a heating operation command application for commanding the start of heating operation, a bath filling operation command application for commanding the start of the bath filling process that supplies heated water to the bathtub 1, and an alarm application for executing the alarm process and the heating completion alarm process described below.

Therefore, when a command to start the water filling process is given via the smartphone H, the command information is communicated to the operation control unit C via the main remote control R1, and the operation control unit C executes the water filling process to supply hot water heated in the hot water supply unit 2 to the bathtub 1.
Furthermore, when a command to start heating operation is given via smartphone H, the command information is communicated to operation control unit C via main remote control R1, and operation control unit C starts the process of circulating and supplying high-temperature heat medium to bathroom heater/dryer A, and issues a command to start heating operation to bath/dry control unit D. Then, bath/dry control unit D executes the bathroom heating operation process.
By the way, in this embodiment, when a command to start heating operation is issued via smartphone H, the operation control unit C starts a process of circulating and supplying low-temperature heat medium to the bathroom floor heating unit B, and the bathroom floor heating unit B performs bathroom floor heating operation.

(Details of heat transfer medium supply section)
As shown in FIG. 3 , the heat medium supplying section 3 includes a heat medium heating heat exchanger 5 through which the heat medium is circulated, a heat medium combustion burner 6 for heating the heat medium heating heat exchanger 5, and a heat medium blower fan 7 for supplying combustion air to the heat medium combustion burner 6.
A fuel gas supply passage 8 for supplying fuel gas to the heat medium combustion burner 6 is provided with an on-off valve 9 for turning on and off the supply of fuel gas, and a fuel gas regulating valve 10 for regulating the amount of fuel gas supplied.
Although not shown in the drawings, the heat medium combustion burner 6 is provided with an igniter for ignition and an ignition sensor for detecting ignition.

A high-temperature heat medium passage 11 for supplying a high-temperature heat medium is connected to the outlet of the heat exchanger 5 for heating the heat medium, and a heat medium return passage 12 is connected to the inlet of the heat exchanger 5 for heating the heat medium.
The heat source machine G is equipped with a high-temperature side heat medium header 13 that supplies a high-temperature heat medium, a low-temperature side heat medium header 14 that supplies a low-temperature heat medium, and a return header 15 that receives the heat medium supplied from the high-temperature side heat medium header 13 and the heat medium supplied from the low-temperature side heat medium header 14 in a combined state.

The high-temperature side heat medium header 13 is connected to a high-temperature heat medium path 11 .
A junction 16 is connected to the return header 15, and the junction 16 is connected to the upstream end of the heat medium return path 12. A low-temperature heat medium supply path 17 that supplies a low-temperature heat medium is connected to the connection point of the heat medium return path 12 and the junction 16, and the low-temperature heat medium supply path 17 is connected to the low-temperature side heat medium header 14.
An expansion tank 18 for storing a heat medium and a circulation pump 19 for supplying the heat medium from the expansion tank 18 are arranged in the junction flow path 16 .

A bypass path 20 is provided that connects the high-temperature heat medium path 11 to the upstream portion of the expansion tank 18 in the junction path 16 to supply high-temperature heat medium. The bypass path 20 is provided with a temperature adjustment valve 21 that adjusts the amount of the high-temperature heat medium flowing through the high-temperature heat medium path 11 that flows into the junction path 16, thereby controlling the temperature of the low-temperature heat medium flowing through the low-temperature heat medium supply path 17.

The heat medium return path 12 is provided with a return heat medium temperature detection sensor 22 that detects the temperature of the heat medium flowing toward the heat medium heating heat exchanger 5, the high-temperature heat medium path 11 is provided with a high-temperature heat medium temperature sensor 23 that detects the temperature of the high-temperature heat medium heated in the heat medium heating heat exchanger 5, and the low-temperature heat medium supply path 17 is provided with a low-temperature heat medium temperature sensor 24 that detects the temperature of the low-temperature heat medium.

A high-temperature heat medium supply path 25a is provided, connecting the high-temperature side heat medium header 13 and the bathroom heater/dryer A, and a high-temperature heat medium return path 25b is provided, connecting the bathroom heater/dryer A and the return header 15. A high-temperature side thermal valve 26 is provided in the high-temperature heat medium supply path 25a.

A first low-temperature heat transfer medium supply passage 27a is provided connecting the low-temperature side heat transfer medium header 14 and the living room floor heating section P, and a first low-temperature heat transfer medium return passage 27b is provided connecting the living room floor heating section P and the return header 15, and a first low-temperature side thermal valve 28 is provided in the first low-temperature heat transfer medium supply passage 27a.
A second low-temperature heat transfer medium supply path 29a is provided connecting the low-temperature side heat transfer medium header 14 and the bathroom floor heating section B, and a second low-temperature heat transfer medium return path 29b is provided connecting the bathroom floor heating section B and the return header 15, and a second low-temperature side thermal valve 30 is provided in the second low-temperature heat transfer medium supply path 29a.

(Heat medium supply operation)
When supplying a high-temperature or low-temperature heat transfer medium, the heat transfer medium blower fan 7 is operated, the on-off valve 9 and the fuel gas regulating valve 10 are opened to start combustion in the heat transfer medium combustion burner 6, and the circulation pump 19 is also operated.
Then, the high-temperature side thermal valve 26 is controlled to be open to circulate and supply high-temperature heat transfer medium to the bathroom heater/dryer A, and the first low-temperature side thermal valve 28 and the second low-temperature side thermal valve 30 are controlled to be open to circulate and supply low-temperature heat transfer medium to the living room floor heating section P and the bathroom floor heating section B.

When circulating and supplying the high-temperature heat medium, the operation control unit C adjusts the rotation speed of the heat medium blower fan 7 and the opening of the fuel gas regulating valve 10 based on the temperatures detected by the return heat medium temperature detection sensor 22 and the high-temperature heat medium temperature sensor 23 so that the temperature of the high-temperature heat medium in the high-temperature heat medium path 11 becomes the high-temperature side target temperature (e.g., 80°C), thereby controlling the combustion amount of the heat medium combustion burner 6.

In addition, when circulating and supplying a low-temperature heat transfer medium, the operation control unit C is configured to control the opening and closing operation of the temperature control valve 21 so that the detected temperature (temperature of the low-temperature heat transfer medium) of the low-temperature heat transfer medium temperature sensor 24 becomes the low-temperature side target temperature (e.g., 60°C).
In other words, when the temperature control valve 21 is switched to the open state, if the detected temperature of the low-temperature heat medium temperature sensor 24 becomes higher than the low-temperature side target temperature by an upper limit set temperature (e.g., 2°C), the temperature control valve 21 is switched to the closed state, and when the temperature control valve 21 is switched to the closed state, if the detected temperature of the low-temperature heat medium temperature sensor 24 becomes lower than the low-temperature side target temperature by a lower limit set temperature (e.g., 2°C), the temperature control valve 21 is switched to the open state, so that the opening and closing operation of the temperature control valve 21 is controlled.

(Details of bathroom dryer)
As shown in Figure 4, bathroom heater/dryer A has a main body casing 31 installed on the back side of the ceiling Yc of bathroom Y, and a grill plate 32 installed on the front side of the ceiling Yc of bathroom Y.
Inside the main casing 31, there is a circulation fan 33 as a circulating air blower section that draws in air from inside the bathroom Y through a suction port 32a formed in the grill plate 32 and blows the sucked air out toward the bathroom Y through a blowing port 32b, and an air heating heat exchanger 34 as an air heating section that heats the air ventilated by the circulation fan 33.
A high-temperature heat medium is circulated and supplied to the air heating heat exchanger 34 .

Inside the main casing 31, a ventilation fan 35 is provided as a ventilation blower that sucks in air sucked through the suction port 32a and expels it to the outside.
Furthermore, the air outlet 32b formed in the grill plate 32 is equipped with a movable louver 36 that changes the blowing direction of the air blown out from the air outlet 32b, and a bathroom temperature sensor 37 that detects the temperature of the bathroom Y is equipped on the surface side of the grill plate 32.

Therefore, the bathroom heating operation is performed by operating the circulation fan 33, heating the air inside the bathroom Y sucked in through the suction port 32a in the air heating heat exchanger 34, and blowing out the heated air through the blow-out port 32b.
When this bathroom heating operation is performed, the direction in which the warm air is blown out can be changed by movable louvers 36. Also, the temperature in the bathroom can be detected by bathroom temperature sensor 37, and, for example, when the temperature in the bathroom rises to a target temperature (e.g., 25°C), the bathroom heating operation can be controlled to stop.

In addition, the circulation fan 33 and the ventilation fan 35 are operated to heat the air inside the bathroom Y in the air heating heat exchanger 34, while a portion of the air inside the bathroom Y sucked in through the suction port 32a is discharged to the outside by the ventilation fan 35, and the heated air is blown out through the air outlet 32b, thereby performing bathroom drying operation.
When performing this bathroom drying operation, the direction in which the warm air is blown out can be changed by the movable louvers 36.
Furthermore, the ventilation fan 35 is operated while the circulation fan 33 is stopped, and the air inside the bathroom Y sucked in through the suction port 32a is exhausted to the outside by the ventilation fan 35, thereby performing bathroom ventilation operation.

(Details of floor heating operation in rooms)
When the floor heating remote control R3 commands the operation of the living room floor heating and the operation control unit C circulates and supplies the heat transfer medium to the living room floor heating section P of the living room K, during start-up operation at the start of operation, the first low-temperature side thermal valve 28 is kept open to continuously supply the heat transfer medium.
Then, during normal operation after the start-up operation is completed, the first low-temperature side thermal valve 28 is periodically opened and closed to interrupt the supply of heat transfer medium, thereby adjusting the amount of heat dissipation so as to reach the target temperature level commanded by the floor heating remote control R3.

In other words, when the floor heating remote control R3 is equipped with a room temperature sensor 38 and a target room temperature is commanded as the target temperature level, the first low-temperature side thermal valve 28 is periodically opened and closed by adjusting the time for which the first low-temperature side thermal valve 28 is opened during a set time (e.g., 30 minutes) in order to maintain the temperature detected by the room temperature sensor 38 at the target temperature.

That is, in this embodiment, nine temperature levels are commanded as the target temperature level, from temperature level 1 to temperature level 9. The first low-temperature side thermal valve 28 is controlled to open and close so as to maintain the temperature detected by the room temperature sensor 38 provided in the floor heating remote control R3 at the target temperature corresponding to the target temperature level.
By the way, in the case of temperature level 4, the room temperature is heated to about 20°C.

(Bathroom heating operation process)
The system is provided with a control unit M that executes a temperature difference existence notification process. That is, control unit M is configured to execute a temperature difference existence notification process that notifies, on display unit Hd (an example of a notification unit) of smartphone H, temperature difference existence information indicating that a temperature difference exists when the bathroom temperature detected by bathroom temperature sensor 37 provided in bathroom heater/dryer A is lower than the living room temperature detected by living room temperature sensor 38 provided in floor heating remote control R3 that operates living room floor heating unit P by a set allowable temperature (e.g., 10°C) or more.

In this embodiment, the control unit M is configured with the operation control unit C as a main part.
In other words, the operation control unit C acquires the bathroom temperature detected by the bathroom temperature sensor 37 through communication with the bath/dry control unit D, and acquires the room temperature detected by the room temperature sensor 38 provided in the floor heating remote control R3 through communication with the floor heating control unit F3.
When the bathroom temperature is lower than the room temperature by more than the set allowable temperature, the operation control unit C will issue a notification command via the main remote control R1 to the terminal control unit Hc of the smartphone H to notify the terminal control unit Hc of the smartphone H of the temperature difference information, and the terminal control unit Hc of the smartphone H will display the temperature difference information on the display unit Hd.
Incidentally, examples of the temperature difference information displayed on the display unit Hd include "There is a temperature difference between the living room and the bathroom" and "There is a possibility of heat shock when taking a bath."

In addition, when the control unit M issues a command to the heat source unit G to fill the bathtub 1 with water, if the bathroom temperature detected by the bathroom temperature sensor 37 is lower than the living room temperature detected by the living room temperature sensor 38 by more than a set allowable temperature, the control unit M is configured to execute a temperature difference notification process.
In this embodiment, when a command to fill the water is issued via smartphone H, if the bathroom temperature detected by the bathroom temperature sensor 37 is lower than the room temperature detected by the room temperature sensor 38 by more than the set allowable temperature, a temperature difference notification process is executed.

Furthermore, control unit M is configured to notify heating start recommendation information that encourages bathroom heater/dryer A to operate in the temperature difference notification process.
In this embodiment, when a water filling command is issued on the smartphone H, in the case where the temperature difference notification process is executed, the heating start recommendation information is notified on the display unit Hd of the smartphone H.
The heating start recommendation information displayed on the display unit Hd is, for example, information such as "Should I heat the bathroom?" or "Should I operate the bathroom heater/dryer?".

In addition, in this embodiment, when a command to start bathroom heating operation of bathroom heater/dryer A is received via smartphone H, control unit M is configured to start bathroom heating operation of bathroom heater/dryer A and bathroom floor heating operation of bathroom floor heating unit B.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, after executing the temperature difference existence notification process, the control unit M is configured to execute a heating completion notification process to notify heating completion information indicating that heating of the bathroom Y has been completed when the bathroom temperature is no longer lower than the set allowable temperature (e.g., 10°C) relative to the living room temperature, and to stop the bathroom heating operation by the bathroom heater/dryer A and the bathroom floor heating operation by the bathroom floor heating unit B.
The heating completion information displayed on the display unit Hd is, for example, information such as "The bathroom is warmed up" and "The risk of heat shock has disappeared."

(Details of bathroom heating operation process)
Next, the control operation of the bathroom heating operation process executed by the control unit M will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG.
First, it is determined whether or not a filling command has been issued (#1), and the process waits until the filling command is issued.
When a filling command is received, it is determined whether or not there is a temperature difference between the bathroom temperature detected by bathroom temperature sensor 37 and the room temperature detected by room temperature sensor 38 that is lower by a set allowable temperature or more (#2).

If it is determined in step #2 that no temperature difference exists, the process ends.
If it is determined in the process of #2 that a temperature difference exists, a temperature difference existence notification process is executed to notify the user of temperature difference existence information and heating start recommendation information (#3).

Next, it is determined whether there is a command to start heating operation (#4), and if a command to start heating operation is received, bathroom heating operation by bathroom heater/dryer A and bathroom floor heating operation by bathroom floor heating section B are started (#6).
If the heating operation start command is not issued in the process of #4, it is then determined whether or not a set standby time (e.g., one minute) has elapsed (#5). If the heating operation start command is not issued even after the set standby time has elapsed, the process ends.

Following step #6, it is determined whether heating is complete when the difference between the room temperature and the bathroom temperature becomes lower than a preset allowable temperature (for example, 10° C.) (#7).
If the heating is not complete, the system waits until it is complete, and if the heating is complete, the system sequentially executes a heating completion notification process (#8) that notifies the user of heating completion information indicating that the heating of bathroom Y is complete, and a process (#9) that stops the bathroom heating operation by the bathroom heater/dryer A and the bathroom floor heating operation by the bathroom floor heating unit B, and then the process ends.

[Another embodiment]
Next, another embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, when a filling command is issued and the bathroom temperature detected by the bathroom temperature sensor 37 is lower than the living room temperature detected by the living room temperature sensor 38 by a temperature difference that is equal to or greater than the set allowable temperature, the control operation performed by the control unit M differs from that of the above embodiment. Explanations of the same contents as in the above embodiment will be omitted, and only the differences from the above embodiment will be described in detail.

That is, in this alternative embodiment, when a temperature difference exists, the control unit M starts bathroom heating operation by the bathroom heater/dryer A and bathroom floor heating operation by the bathroom floor heating unit B. In other words, when a temperature difference exists, the control unit M is configured to automatically start bathroom heating operation by the bathroom heater/dryer A and bathroom floor heating operation by the bathroom floor heating unit B.

When the control unit M automatically starts bathroom heating operation by the bathroom heater/dryer A and bathroom floor heating operation by the bathroom floor heating unit B, when the living room floor heating unit P is in a living room heating operation state, the control unit M is configured to start bathroom heating operation by the bathroom heater/dryer A and bathroom floor heating operation by the bathroom floor heating unit B with the heating output of the living room floor heating unit P reduced.
In this embodiment, when reducing the heating output of the living room floor heating section P, the first low-temperature side thermal valve 28 is maintained in a closed state, and the supply of heat medium to the living room floor heating section P is stopped.

Then, when the difference between the room temperature and the bathroom temperature becomes smaller than the set allowable temperature, the control unit M is configured to return the heating output of the room floor heating unit to the heating output before the reduction. In other words, the control unit M is configured to periodically control the opening and closing of the first low-temperature side thermal valve 28 to start the supply of heat medium to the room floor heating unit P.

In addition, the control unit M is configured to stop bathroom heating operation by the bathroom heater/dryer A and bathroom floor heating operation by the bathroom floor heating unit B when the difference between the bathroom temperature and the room temperature becomes smaller than the set allowable temperature.

(Details of bathroom heating operation process)
Next, the control operation of the bathroom heating operation process executed by the control unit M will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG.
First, it is determined whether or not a filling command has been issued (#11), and the process waits until the filling command is issued.
When a filling command is received, it is determined whether or not there is a temperature difference between the bathroom temperature detected by bathroom temperature sensor 37 and the room temperature detected by room temperature sensor 38 that is lower by a set allowable temperature or more (#12).

If it is determined in step #12 that there is no temperature difference, the process ends.
If it is determined in processing #12 that a temperature difference exists, a temperature difference notification processing is executed to notify the user of the temperature difference (#13), and then bathroom heating operation by bathroom heater/dryer A and bathroom floor heating operation by bathroom floor heating section B are automatically started (#14).

Next, it is determined whether the living room floor heating section P is in operation (#15), and if it is determined that the living room floor heating section P is in operation, a process is executed to reduce the heating output of the living room floor heating section P (#16).
If it is determined in process #15 that the living room floor heating section P is not in operation, or after process #16 has been executed, it is determined whether heating is complete and the bathroom temperature is no longer lower than the living room temperature by more than the set allowable temperature (e.g., 10°C) (#17).
If the heating is not complete, the system waits until it is complete. If the heating is complete, the system sequentially executes the following processes: a heating completion notification process (#8) that notifies the user of heating completion information indicating that heating of the bathroom Y is complete; if the heating output of the living room floor heating section P has been reduced, a process (#19) that restores the heating output of the living room floor heating section P to the heating output before it was reduced; and a process (#20) that stops the bathroom heating operation by the bathroom heater/dryer A and the bathroom floor heating operation by the bathroom floor heating section B, and then the processing ends.

[Other embodiments]
Next, another embodiment will be described.
(1) In the above embodiment and other embodiments, an example was given of the case where the control unit M executes a heating completion notification process to notify heating completion information indicating that heating of the bathroom Y is completed when the bathroom temperature is no longer lower than the set allowable temperature (e.g., 10°C) or more than the living room temperature after executing the temperature difference existence notification process. However, the embodiment may also be implemented in a form where the control unit M executes a heating completion notification process to notify heating completion information indicating that heating of the bathroom Y is completed when the bathroom temperature becomes equal to or higher than the set appropriate temperature (e.g., 25°C).

(2) In the above embodiment and other embodiments, the bathroom heating section includes a bathroom heater/dryer A installed on the ceiling of the bathroom Y and a bathroom floor heating section B installed on the floor of the bathroom Y, but the embodiment may also be implemented in a form in which the bathroom floor heating section B is omitted.

(3) In the above embodiment and other embodiments, when a command is issued to start bathroom heating operation of bathroom heater/dryer A via smartphone H as a mobile terminal, in addition to the bathroom heating operation of bathroom heater/dryer A, bathroom floor heating operation of bathroom floor heating unit B is executed, but the embodiment may be implemented in a form in which the bathroom floor heating operation of bathroom floor heating unit B is omitted.

(4) In the above embodiment and other embodiments, when a filling command is issued from a smartphone H as a mobile terminal, the display unit Hd of the smartphone H acts as an alarm unit to perform a temperature difference notification process and a heating completion notification process. However, when a filling command is issued from the main remote control R1 or the bathroom remote control R2, the display unit of the main remote control R1 or the bathroom remote control R2 may act as an alarm unit to perform a temperature difference notification process and a heating completion notification process.

(5) In the above embodiment and other embodiments, the case where the smartphone H as a mobile terminal is located inside a home is exemplified, but the present invention can also be implemented in a similar manner when the smartphone H as a mobile terminal is located outdoors and freely connected to the main remote control R1 via a communication line such as the Internet.

(6) In the above embodiment, when a command is issued to start bathroom heating operation of bathroom heater/dryer A via smartphone H as a mobile terminal, as in another embodiment, if the living room floor heating section P is performing living room floor heating operation, the heating operation of bathroom heater/dryer A may be started with the heating output of the living room floor heating section P reduced, and then, when the difference between the living room temperature and the bathroom temperature becomes less than the set allowable temperature (e.g., 10°C), the heating output of the living room floor heating section P may be returned to the heating output before the reduction.

(7) In the above embodiment, the control unit M executes a heating completion notification process to notify the user of heating completion information indicating that heating of the bathroom Y is complete when the bathroom temperature is no longer lower than the set allowable temperature (e.g., 10°C) or more than the living room temperature after executing the temperature difference notification process. However, instead, the embodiment may be implemented in a form in which a heating completion notification process is executed to notify the user of heating completion information indicating that heating of the bathroom Y is complete when the bathroom temperature becomes equal to or higher than the set appropriate temperature (e.g., 25°C).

(8) In the above embodiment and other embodiments, when the heating of bathroom Y is completed, the bathroom heating operation by bathroom heater/dryer A and the bathroom floor heating operation by bathroom floor heating unit B are stopped, but the embodiment may be implemented in a form in which these operations continue.

The configurations disclosed in the above embodiment (including other embodiments, the same applies below) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, so long as no contradiction arises. Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. They can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the purpose of the present invention.

37 Bathroom temperature sensor 38 Living room temperature sensor A Bathroom heating unit B Bathroom heating unit G Heat source unit H Mobile terminal Hd Notification unit K Living room M Control unit P Floor heating unit R3 Floor heating remote control

Claims (4)

A heating system including a floor heating unit that heats a room by circulating a heat medium from a heat source unit, and a bathroom heating unit that heats a bathroom by circulating the heat medium from the heat source unit,
a control unit that executes a temperature difference presence notification process that notifies a notification unit of temperature difference presence information indicating that a temperature difference exists when the bathroom temperature detected by a bathroom temperature sensor provided in the bathroom heating unit is lower than the room temperature detected by a room temperature sensor provided in a floor heating remote control that operates the floor heating unit by a set allowable temperature or more ;
The control unit executes the temperature difference presence notification process when a command to fill the bathtub with water is issued to the heat source unit,
When the temperature difference exists, the control unit starts a heating operation of the bathroom heater.
A heating system in which, when the control unit starts the heating operation of the bathroom heating unit, if the floor heating unit is in heating operation, the control unit starts the heating operation of the bathroom heating unit with a reduced heating output of the floor heating unit, and then, when the bathroom temperature is no longer lower than the set allowable temperature by more than the living room temperature, the heating output of the floor heating unit is returned to the heating output before the reduction . A mobile terminal is provided for issuing the filling command,
The heating system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit executes the temperature difference notification process by using a display unit of the mobile terminal as the notification unit. The heating system according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit starts the heating operation of the bathroom heater when a command to start the heating operation of the bathroom heater is received from the mobile terminal. A heating system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit executes a heating completion notification process to notify heating completion information indicating that heating of the bathroom is completed when, after executing the temperature difference existence notification process, the bathroom temperature is no longer lower than the living room temperature by more than the set allowable temperature, or when the bathroom temperature becomes equal to or higher than the set appropriate temperature.

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