JP7658294B2 - Hot water system - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a hot water supply system.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a bath system. The bath system in Patent Document 1 has a function of determining the timing for the bather to leave the bath and the time to start sleeping based on the bather's physical condition information acquired by a thermometer that contacts the skin or a non-contact infrared thermometer, the water temperature, and the bathroom temperature. Then, when the bather starts bathing, the bather is advised of the timing for leaving the bath and the time to start sleeping.

JP 2021-120604 A

In the bath system of Patent Document 1, information about the bather is obtained using a thermometer that contacts the skin or a non-contact infrared thermometer. However, when using a thermometer, the information obtained is limited, and only a limited health appeal function is provided.

Some conventional hot water systems have a function to monitor bathers by detecting human presence, but this detection usually involves a method that uses a pyroelectric sensor to detect localized, instantaneous temperature changes to determine whether someone is in the bathroom. However, this method is prone to false positives due to sudden temperature changes in the bathroom or the effects of sunlight.

In consideration of the above problems, the present disclosure provides an improved hot water supply system that can recommend a more suitable bathing method depending on the bathroom temperature and the bath water temperature.

The hot water supply system of the present disclosure comprises a water heater, a thermopile sensor that outputs detection values corresponding to the temperature of each of multiple locations in the bathroom where the water heater is used, and a control device configured to acquire the detection values and to control the operation of the water heater, wherein the thermopile sensor outputs detection values corresponding to each of multiple compartments obtained by dividing a plane projected from the thermopile sensor into a grid pattern of compartments into which the bathroom interior is divided , and the control device acquires the wall temperature of the bathroom and the temperature of the bath water in the bathtub based on the detection values, changes the recommended bathing time which serves as a standard for bathing time based on the wall temperature and water temperature , acquires the temperature of each of the multiple compartments based on the detection values corresponding to each of the multiple compartments, and detects that the bather has started bathing if it detects that the temperature of a number of compartments corresponding to the part of the bathroom where the bathtub is located that is greater than a second reference number has changed from a temperature corresponding to the wall temperature to a temperature higher than the second reference temperature.
Alternatively, the hot water supply system of the present disclosure includes a water heater, a thermopile sensor that outputs detection values corresponding to the temperatures of each of multiple locations in the bathroom where the water heater is used, a control device configured to acquire the detection values and configured to control the operation of the water heater, and a water level sensor that detects the water level in the bathtub, wherein the thermopile sensor outputs detection values corresponding to each of multiple compartments obtained by dividing a plane projected from the thermopile sensor into a grid pattern, and the control device acquires the wall temperature of the bathroom and the temperature of the bath water in the bathtub based on the detection values, changes the recommended bathing time that serves as a standard for bathing time based on the wall temperature and the water temperature, acquires the temperature of each of the multiple compartments based on the detection values corresponding to each of the multiple compartments, detects that the temperature of a number of compartments corresponding to the part of the multiple compartments where the bathtub is located that is greater than a second reference number has changed from a temperature corresponding to the wall temperature to a temperature higher than the second reference temperature, and detects that the bath water level has risen.

According to the present disclosure, the wall temperature and bath water temperature can be obtained by a thermopile sensor, and the recommended bathing time can be changed so that the bathing time is appropriate for the bathroom environment. This makes it possible to prevent bathers from suffering from ailments such as hot flashes, heat shock, and heat stroke in the bathroom, and to provide a more comfortable bathing environment.

1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a hot water supply system according to a first embodiment. 1 is a projection diagram illustrating a state in which a bathroom is viewed from a thermopile sensor used in the hot water supply system according to embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of temperature image data output by a thermopile sensor used in the hot water supply system according to embodiment 1. FIG.

Below, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in this disclosure, expressions such as "water," "hot water," and "hot water" are used, but these do not strictly limit the temperature of the water. If there is no particular temperature limit, liquid water of any temperature can be included, from low-temperature water to high-temperature hot water.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a hot water supply system according to the first embodiment. The hot water supply system 100 according to the present embodiment includes a hot water supply machine 1. The hot water supply machine 1 may be, for example, a storage type hot water supply machine having a hot water storage tank, or an instantaneous type hot water supply machine that generates hot water by burning fuel. The hot water supply machine 1 is provided with a control device 2. The control device 2 includes a microcomputer having a memory and a processor. The control device 2 has a function of controlling the operation of the hot water supply machine 1 and adjusting the bathing environment to a bathing environment setting that is a set condition. Specifically, for example, the control device 2 adjusts the temperature of hot water supplied from the hot water supply machine 1 to a set temperature and supplies the hot water to a hot water supply destination such as a bathtub 4, or a faucet and a shower.

The hot water supply system 100 includes a living room remote control 5 and a bathroom remote control 8. The bathroom remote control 8 is installed in the bathroom 3 in which the bathtub 4 is installed, and can be operated from the bathtub 4. The living room remote control 5 is installed outside the bathroom 3, for example, in the kitchen or living room of the house in which the bathroom 3 is installed. Multiple living room remote controls 5 may be installed. In the following description, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between the living room remote control 5 and the bathroom remote control 8, they will simply be referred to as "remote control". The control device 2 and each remote control are connected to be able to communicate bidirectionally by wire or wirelessly. The control device 2 and each remote control may be able to communicate via a network.

The remote control is an example of a user interface. The room remote control 5 has a display unit 7 that displays information on a screen, and an audio unit 6 that notifies information by voice. The display unit 7 and audio unit 6 function as external notification means. The bathroom remote control 8 has a display unit 11 that displays information, and an audio unit 9 that notifies information by voice. The display unit 11 and audio unit 9 function as notification means. Each remote control also has an operation unit that can be operated by the user. The operation unit of the remote control functions as an input means that accepts operation input of commands related to the operation and setting values of the water heater 1. By operating the operation unit, the user can remotely control the water heater 1 and perform various settings. Each remote control may be equipped with a touch screen that has the functions of both a display unit and an operation unit.

In addition, instead of or in addition to the room remote control 5, an external communication device such as a smartphone may be configured to function as a user interface for the water heater 1. In this case, the external communication device is communicatively connected to the control device 2 via, for example, a home network. This allows the user to input commands from the external communication device to control the operation of the water heater 1.

The thermopile sensor 10 is attached to the bathroom remote control 8. The thermopile sensor 10 is an array sensor in which infrared sensors are arranged in an array, and can detect the surface temperature within the field of view in a matrix.

Figure 2 is a schematic projection diagram showing the state when looking into the bathroom 3 from the thermopile sensor 10. As shown in Figure 2, the thermopile sensor 10 is installed so that its field of view includes the bathtub 4 and the bathroom wall surface 14. Figure 2 also shows an example in which the bathtub 4 is filled with bath water 12 and a bather 13 is bathing. As shown in Figure 2, the thermopile sensor 10 captures a plane onto which the field of view of the bathroom 3 is projected in a grid pattern.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing temperature image data of the visual field range in the bathroom 3 acquired based on the output of the thermopile sensor 10. The thermopile sensor 10 outputs detection values corresponding to the temperatures of each of the multiple locations in the bathroom 3. More specifically, the thermopile sensor 10 outputs a signal based on the temperature of the light receiving part that absorbs infrared rays from an object or person in the visual field range as a detection value corresponding to each of the multiple sections, as shown in Figure 3. In other words, the detection value of the thermopile sensor 10 is a value indicating the temperature of each section or a value correlated with the temperature.

The control device 2 is configured to be able to acquire detection values from the thermopile sensor 10, and can acquire temperature parameters corresponding to the temperature of each section of the field of view and the distribution of temperature parameters of the field of view based on the detection values. Specifically, as shown in the example of Figure 3, the control device 2 can acquire temperature parameters corresponding to the wall temperature of the bathroom 3, the bath water temperature (hereinafter also referred to as "hot water temperature"), and the skin temperature of the bather. The control device 2 can also perform various detections and judgments based on the acquired temperature parameters and their changes. Below, the items detected or judged by the control device 2 are specifically explained.

The control device 2 determines whether the bathtub 4 is filled with water based on the temperature parameter. Specifically, when the bathtub 4 is filled with water, as shown in FIG. 3, the temperature parameter of the section 15 corresponding to the location where the bathtub 4 is installed rises to a value corresponding to the temperature of the bath water 12. Therefore, for example, the control device 2 can determine that the bathtub is filled with water when the number of sections in the field of view whose temperature parameters are higher than the first reference temperature exceeds the first reference number. Here, the first reference temperature is a threshold value that can detect the presence or absence of bath water. Therefore, the first reference temperature can be preset, for example, based on the value of the temperature parameter when the control device 2 acquires the temperature of the bath water filled at the bath filling set temperature. The first reference number is also a value preset based on the number of sections in the field of view corresponding to the location where the bathtub 4 is installed.

The control device 2 also detects whether the bather 13 is bathing in the bathtub 4 based on the temperature parameters of each section. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the temperature parameter corresponding to the section 16 in which the bather 13 is present is a temperature corresponding to the skin temperature of the bather 13. Therefore, the control device 2 detects that the number of sections in which the temperature parameter has risen to a temperature higher than the second reference temperature among the sections corresponding to the bathtub 4, among the sections whose temperature parameters indicated the bathroom wall temperature, is greater than the second reference number, and detects that the bather 13 has started bathing. Here, the second reference temperature is a temperature lower than the first reference temperature and is a threshold value for determining whether the temperature is the skin temperature of a person. Therefore, for example, the second reference temperature can be preset based on the value of the temperature parameter when the control device 2 acquires the skin temperature of a person. Also, the second reference number is a value preset based on the section corresponding to the bathtub 4 and the section corresponding to the size of the part of the bather 13 that protrudes from the bath water 12 when the bather 13 is bathing, for example. Furthermore, the control device 2 determines that the bather 13 is taking a bath while the number of sections whose temperature parameters are higher than the second reference temperature among the sections corresponding to the bathtub 4 continues to be greater than the second reference number.

Alternatively, the control device 2 may be configured to detect the start of bathing when the temperature parameters of more than a predetermined number of compartments out of all compartments become higher than a predetermined temperature, such as a second reference temperature. Alternatively, the control device 2 may be configured to detect the start of bathing when it detects that the temperature parameters have risen significantly within a specific period of time in more than a predetermined number of compartments out of the compartments 17 that were detecting the wall surface temperature of the bathroom 3.

The water heater 1 may be provided with a sensor other than the thermopile sensor 10 as a means for detecting the start of bathing. For example, the water heater 1 or the bathtub 4 may be provided with a water level sensor that detects the water level of the bathtub 4. In this case, the control device 2 can detect the start of bathing by the bather 13 based on a certain rise in the water level detected by the water level sensor. The control device 2 may also be configured to detect the start of bathing by the bather 13 when it detects that the number of compartments whose temperature parameters have risen to a temperature higher than the second reference temperature among the compartments corresponding to the bathtub 4, among which the temperature parameters indicated the wall temperature, is greater than the second reference number, and when it detects that the water level detected by the water level sensor has risen by a certain amount. In addition, a human sensor or the like that detects bathers may be provided in the bathroom 3. By combining detection by these sensors, the start of bathing or leaving the bath can be determined more accurately.

The control device 2 determines the position of the bather 13 in the bathtub 4 based on the temperature distribution indicated by the temperature parameters. As shown in FIG. 3, the temperature distribution in the bathroom 3 is divided into a relatively low temperature area corresponding to the wall surface temperature, a relatively high temperature area near a first reference temperature corresponding to the bath water temperature, and an intermediate temperature area around a second reference temperature corresponding to the skin temperature of the bather 13. Therefore, by identifying the section where the temperature parameters indicate an intermediate temperature, the control device 2 can detect the bathing position of the bather 13.

In this embodiment, the control device 2 further controls the operation of the water heater 1 or the notification by the remote control based on the above detection or judgment. This will be explained below.

The control device 2 calculates a recommended bathing time, which serves as a standard for bathing time, based on the wall temperature, water temperature, and skin temperature calculated based on the temperature parameters. There are no limitations on the method for calculating the recommended bathing time.

When the acquired wall temperature of the bathroom 3 is lower than the third reference temperature and the water temperature is higher than the fourth reference temperature, the control device 2 adjusts the recommended bathing time to be shorter. When the wall temperature is low and the water temperature is high, the large temperature difference when entering and exiting the bath can cause blood pressure to rise and fall suddenly, which can lead to heat shock. Furthermore, bathing for a long period of time can not only lower blood pressure, but can also cause cerebral infarction or myocardial infarction due to an increase in blood concentration caused by sweating. Therefore, in an environment where the wall temperature is low and the water temperature is high, the recommended bathing time is adjusted to be shorter.

The control device 2 further adjusts the recommended bathing time to be longer when the wall surface temperature is higher than the third reference temperature and the bath water temperature is lower than the fourth reference temperature. This is because when the difference between the wall surface temperature and the bath water temperature is small, bathing stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, providing a fatigue recovery and relaxation effect.

There is no limitation on the method of shortening or lengthening the recommended bathing time. For example, it may be possible to uniformly shorten or lengthen a fixed time, or to shorten or lengthen the time depending on the temperature difference, or it may be possible to multiply the recommended bathing time by a fixed coefficient or a coefficient set depending on the temperature difference, etc. When the recommended bathing time is changed by the above control, the control device 2 notifies the user through the audio unit 6, 9 or display unit 7, 11 of the remote control that the recommended bathing time has been shortened or lengthened.

The criteria by which the control device 2 determines whether to extend or shorten the recommended bathing time are not limited to the results of comparing the wall surface temperature with the third reference temperature and the results of comparing the hot water temperature with the fourth reference temperature. For example, the control device 2 may be configured to shorten the recommended bathing time when the difference between the hot water temperature and the wall surface temperature is greater than a predetermined first threshold value, and to extend the recommended bathing time when the difference between the hot water temperature and the wall surface temperature is less than a predetermined second threshold value.

The control device 2 determines the time to leave the bath to be the time after the recommended bathing time (or the adjusted recommended bathing time if adjusted) has elapsed from the time when the bather's 13 start of bathing was detected. The determined time to leave the bath is announced by the audio unit 9 or display unit 11 of the bathroom remote control 8. This allows the bather 13 to know the bathing time suitable for recovering from fatigue and relaxing, and allows them to leave the bath at the appropriate time without getting hot and bothered during the bath.

While bather 13 is bathing, control device 2 monitors the skin temperature of bather 13 based on the temperature parameters. If the skin temperature of bather 13 rises above the fifth reference temperature while bathing, control device 2 controls the operation of water heater 1 to lower the water temperature. A rise in body temperature while bathing may cause sweating, which reduces blood flow in the brain and may lead to heat stroke in the bathroom, which may result in impaired consciousness. Therefore, by lowering the water temperature when bather 13's skin temperature is high, the rise in body temperature of the bather is suppressed, and the onset of heat stroke in the bathroom is suppressed. When the control device 2 lowers the water temperature, it notifies bather 13 of the skin temperature through audio unit 9 or display unit 11 of bathroom remote control 8, and notifies the user that the water temperature has been lowered. There is no limitation on the method for lowering the water temperature, but examples include heat exchange and adding cold water.

The control device 2 may be configured to notify the bather 13 through the audio unit 9 or display unit 11 of the bathroom remote control 8 that it is recommended to leave the bath if the amount of change in the temperature parameter corresponding to the skin temperature of the bather 13 during the period from when the start of bathing is detected until the first reference time has elapsed is greater than a sixth reference temperature. This notification allows the bather 13 to choose whether to leave the bath or to lower the water temperature to avoid bathroom heatstroke.

The control device 2 may be configured to notify, via the bathroom remote control 8, the room remote control 5, or an external communication device, that if the wall temperature at the start of filling the bath is lower than the seventh reference temperature, it is recommended to operate a bathroom heater (or bath dryer) (not shown). One cause of heat shock is that blood vessels expand when bathing, causing a sudden drop in blood pressure after blood vessels have constricted in a cold bathroom and raised blood pressure. Therefore, by reducing the difference between the wall temperature and the water temperature by operating a bathroom heater or the like, the occurrence of heat shock in the bather 13 can be suppressed.

In this embodiment, the control device 2 notifies information such as the start of the bather 13's bathing, the presence or absence of the bather 13, the recommended time for the bather 13 to leave the bath, the time for the bather 13 to leave the bath, and whether the bather 13 has left the bath, by using the external notification means possessed by the room remote control 5 or the external communication device. In addition, the control device 2 determines that an abnormality has occurred if the bather does not leave the bath for a second reference time after detecting the start of the bathing. Here, cases in which leaving the bath is not detected include, for example, when the temperature parameter does not show a valid change and the water level sensor does not detect a change for a second reference time after detecting the start of the bathing, or when there is no response to the bathroom remote control 8 for a predetermined time after the bather 13 is recommended to leave the bath. When the control device 2 determines that an abnormality has occurred, it notifies the user of the abnormality by at least one of the room remote control 5 and the external communication device. By notifying the outside of the abnormality, early detection is possible even when a heat shock occurs.

As described above, according to the hot water supply system 100 of this embodiment, the thermopile sensor 10 can obtain changes in the skin temperature, wall temperature, and water temperature of the bather 13, thereby making it possible to recommend a bathing method that suits the bathing environment and the condition of the bather.

In this embodiment, a case has been described in which various controls are performed based on the wall temperature, skin temperature, and hot water temperature calculated based on the output of the thermopile sensor 10, and on changes in temperature distribution. However, the hot water supply system according to the present disclosure is not limited to having the function of performing all of the above-mentioned controls, and may be configured to perform one or more of the above controls.

In the above embodiments, when the number, quantity, amount, range, etc. of each element is mentioned, the invention is not limited to the mentioned numbers unless otherwise specified or clearly specified in principle. Furthermore, the structures, steps, etc. described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention, unless otherwise specified or clearly specified in principle.

1 Water heater, 2 Control device, 3 Bathroom, 4 Bathtub, 5 Room remote control, 6 Audio unit, 7 Display unit, 8 Bathroom remote control, 9 Audio unit, 10 Thermopile sensor, 11 Display unit, 12 Bath water, 13 Bather, 14 Bathroom wall, 15, 16, 17 Compartments, 100 Water heater system

Claims (13)

A water heater and
a thermopile sensor that outputs detection values corresponding to the temperatures of a plurality of locations in a bathroom where the water heater is used;
A control device configured to acquire the detection value and to control the operation of the water heater;
Equipped with
the thermopile sensor outputs the detection value corresponding to each of a plurality of sections obtained by dividing a plane onto which the bathroom interior is projected from the thermopile sensor into a grid pattern;
The control device includes:
Based on the detected values, a wall surface temperature of the bathroom and a water temperature in the bathtub are obtained, and a recommended bathing time serving as a standard for bathing time is changed based on the wall surface temperature and the water temperature.
acquiring a temperature of each of the plurality of compartments based on a detection value corresponding to each of the plurality of compartments;
when it is detected that the temperature of a number of compartments corresponding to the portion in which the bathtub is located that is greater than a second reference number among the plurality of compartments has changed from a temperature corresponding to the wall surface temperature to a temperature higher than the second reference temperature, it is detected that the person has started bathing.
A hot water supply system comprising: A water heater and
a thermopile sensor that outputs detection values corresponding to the temperatures of a plurality of locations in a bathroom where the water heater is used;
A control device configured to acquire the detection value and to control the operation of the water heater;
a water level sensor for detecting the water level of the bathtub ;
Equipped with
the thermopile sensor outputs the detection value corresponding to each of a plurality of sections obtained by dividing a plane onto which the bathroom interior is projected from the thermopile sensor into a grid pattern;
The control device includes:
Based on the detected values, a wall surface temperature of the bathroom and a water temperature in the bathtub are obtained, and a recommended bathing time serving as a standard for bathing time is changed based on the wall surface temperature and the water temperature.
acquiring a temperature of each of the plurality of compartments based on a detection value corresponding to each of the plurality of compartments;
a temperature change is detected in a number of compartments, among the compartments corresponding to the portion in which the bathtub is located, that is greater than a second reference number, from a temperature corresponding to the wall surface temperature to a temperature higher than the second reference temperature, and when a rise in the bath water level is detected, the start of a bather's bath is detected;
A hot water supply system comprising: A notification means capable of notifying information regarding the operating state of the water heater,
The control device notifies the user of a bathing exit time according to the recommended bathing time or information regarding a change in the recommended bathing time by the notification means.
3. The hot water supply system according to claim 1 or 2 . The hot water supply system of any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the control device determines that the tub is filled with water when the number of compartments among the plurality of compartments whose temperature is higher than a first reference temperature is greater than a first reference number. The hot water supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , characterized in that the control device sets the bathing leaving time to a time after the recommended bathing time has elapsed from the time the bathing start is detected. The hot water supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the control device shortens the recommended bathing time when the wall surface temperature is lower than a third reference temperature and the water temperature is higher than a fourth reference temperature. The hot water supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the control device changes the recommended bathing time to be longer when the wall surface temperature is higher than a third reference temperature and the water temperature is lower than a fourth reference temperature. The control device includes:
The skin temperature of the bather is obtained based on the detection value of the thermopile sensor.
When the skin temperature rises above a fifth reference temperature, the water heater is operated to lower the temperature of the bath water.
The hot water supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 7 . A notification means capable of notifying information regarding the operating state of the water heater,
The control device includes:
The skin temperature of the bather is obtained based on the detection value of the thermopile sensor.
When the change in the skin temperature during the period from when the bather starts bathing to when a first reference time has elapsed is greater than a sixth reference temperature, the notification means notifies the bather that it is recommended to leave the bath.
The hot water supply system according to claim 8 . A notification means capable of notifying information regarding the operating state of the water heater,
The hot water supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that when the wall temperature at the time when the bathtub begins to be filled with water is lower than a seventh reference temperature, the control device notifies the user through the notification means that operation of the bathroom heater is recommended. An external notification means is provided outside the bathroom and is connected to the control device so as to be capable of communicating with each other.
The external notification means notifies at least one of the following information: start of bathing by the bather, presence or absence of the bather, recommended time for the bather to leave the bath, time for the bather to leave the bath, and presence or absence of the bather to leave the bath.
The hot water supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 10 . The hot water supply system of claim 11, characterized in that the control device notifies the occurrence of an abnormality via the external alarm means when the detection value does not change during a second reference time and no fluctuation in the water level in the bathtub is detected. A notification means capable of notifying information regarding an operating state of the water heater;
an input means installed in the bathroom for receiving input of commands related to the operation of the water heater;
An external notification means that is installed outside the bathroom and is capable of notifying information regarding the operating state of the water heater;
Equipped with
The control device, after recommending the bather to leave the bath by the notification means, if there is no input to the input means, notifies the bather of an abnormality by the external notification means.
13. The hot water supply system according to claim 11 or 12 .

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