JPH07102197B2 - Method and apparatus for removing scales in bath equipment - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for removing scales from a bathtub in a bath apparatus and an apparatus therefor, which can be used for removing scales floating in a bathtub.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Scales of water often float on the surface of a bathtub. Especially, as the number of bathers increases, this floating scale also increases. Therefore, various tools for removing this scale have been proposed, but in each case, the scale that floats in the bathtub is scooped by a removing mesh or a removing tool prepared separately from the bath device. However, it has been difficult and troublesome to reliably remove the scales floating on the water surface in the bathtub by this conventional method. In particular, it is difficult to remove the scale that adheres to the inner surface of the bathtub. On the other hand, many recent bath equipment have a function of supplying hot water to the bathtub. The amount of hot water is supplied (hereinafter, this operation is called hot water filling). An object of the present invention is to reliably remove scales floating on the water surface in a bathtub by using the bath device that can supply hot water into the bathtub by a water heater connected to the bathtub. [Invention of Claim 1]

[0003]

[Technical Means] A technical means of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is to provide a "water heater (1) connected to a bathtub (B), and dispose a scale removing operation portion on the operation portion of this water heater. The hot water in the bathtub (B) is supplied to the bathtub by supplying hot water or the like from the water heater to the bathtub by operating the scale removing operation section .
It was made to overflow from the top of the constituent wall to the outside temporarily, and this overflow condition was continued for a desired time. "

[0004]

The above technical means operates as follows. To remove scales after or during bathing, operate the scale removal operation part. As a result, hot water is supplied to the bathtub (B) from the water heater (1), or hot water overflows from the top surface of the constituent wall of the bathtub (B). At this time, the scales floating on the water surface of the bathtub are discharged to the outside of the bathtub together with the overflowing hot water. Further, the scales gathered in the vicinity of the water line on the inner surface of the bathtub are also moved as the water level rises, and finally discharged together with the overflowing hot water. Thus, the scales floating on the water surface of the bathtub and the scales gathering on the inner peripheral surface of the bathtub are discharged together with the overflowing hot water. Then, this discharging operation continues for a desired time after the time when the bathtub (B) is in an overflow state after the scale removal operation.

[0005]

[Effects] The present invention having the above-described structure has the following unique effects. The scales floating on the water surface of the bathtub and the scales gathering on the inner surface of the bathtub are discharged together with the overflowing hot water, and this discharging operation continues for a desired time, so that the floating scales in the bathtub can be reliably removed. Further, for this purpose, only the scale removing operation section provided in the operating section of the water heater (1) is operated, so that the scale removing operation is extremely simple. Alternatively,
It's the normal water level, like the Kaikaidai 3-27242.
Drop hot water to a higher wash water level, and then use Kaikaihei 2
Suction and remove the scale on the surface by the method of 1-373216.
In this case, it was attached to the water
The scale is the side wall of the bathtub when it rises to the washing water level.
Is once peeled off, but when the cleaning water level is reached,
Reattach to the wall. Therefore, in this state, suction the scale on the water surface.
Even so, the scale reattached to the side wall of the bathtub is part of the water
Will remain attached. According to the above configuration of the present invention, the bath
Is it discharged together with the hot water that overflows from the top of the side wall of the tank?
There is no such inconvenience. In addition, the suction removal device etc.
The structure is simpler than that of the prior art because it is essential.
I can.

[Invention of Claim 2] In the present invention, "a water filling circuit from the water heater (1) to the bathtub (B) is connected to control the water filling operation from the water heater to the bathtub (B). The water level in the bathtub (B) is below the top surface of the side wall of the bathtub.
A bath apparatus equipped with a water filling control circuit for stopping the water filling operation when the water level reaches a lower set water level ", and relates to an apparatus for carrying out the invention according to claim 1.

[0007]

[Technical Means] The technical means of the present invention adopted to carry out the invention of claim 1 is to perform an additional hot water supply operation or an additional water supply operation from the water heater (1) with an unlimited water level above the set water level. It is provided with an additional water supply operation circuit which is allowed, and an overflow switch (3) which is inserted into the additional water operation circuit and switches the circuit between a conducting state and a non-conducting state, and the overflow switch (3) is used to operate the water heater. It was arranged in. ”

[0008]

The above technical means of the present invention operates as follows. After the bath or during bathing, when the overflow switch (3) is operated to make the additional water supply operation circuit conductive, the water heater (1) is in the additional hot water supply state or the additional water supply state by this operation. Since this operation allows the water supply or water supply with an unlimited water level above the water level set in the water filling operation, the water level rises indefinitely above the water level set in the bathtub. Finally, the hot water in the bathtub (B) overflows, and if this overflowing state is continued for a desired time, the scales floating on the water surface of the bathtub are discharged and the invention of claim 1 is implemented. . After that, when the overflow switch (3) is restored, the additional water supply operation circuit becomes non-conductive, and the hot water supply operation by the water heater (1) is stopped. In this way, the overflow switch (3) functions as an operation unit for removing scale.

[0009]

[Effect] As described above, the operation of the operation unit for removing scales can make the water overflow state for a desired time as needed, and the invention of claim 1 can be easily implemented.

[Invention of Claim 3] This Claim 3
The present invention relates to the improvement of the invention of claim 2, and an object thereof is to automatically implement the invention of claim 1 by the operation of the scale removing operation portion.

[0011]

[Technical Means] The technical means of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problem is to detect a water heater (1) having a hot water supply circuit connected to a bathtub (B) and the water level in the bathtub (B) to detect the water level. According to
A water level detecting means (11) for outputting a value, and a scale removing operation unit provided in the operation unit of the water heater (1) and for bringing the water heater into a hot water supply operation state or a water supply operation state, and a water heater (1) An overflow water judging device which is in an output state when the output value of the water level detecting means (11) continues to be a constant value for a certain period of time in a state where hot water or the like is supplied from the overflow water judging device. Therefore, the hot water supply operation or the water supply operation is stopped ”.

[0012]

The above technical means of the present invention operates as follows. When the scale removing operation unit is operated, hot water is supplied to or supplied to the bathtub (B) by the output of the operation unit. As a result, the water level in the bathtub (B) rises and eventually overflows from the bathtub. In this flooded state, the water level does not change . On the other hand, the water level
The detection means (11) is configured to output a value according to the water level.
Therefore, the output of the water level detection means (11) continues at a constant level. During this time, the scales floating on the surface of the bathtub are discharged together with the overflowing hot water. When this state continues for a certain period of time, the overflow determination device enters an output state, and the output stops the water heater (1).

[0013]

[Effect] Since the invention according to claim 1 is automatically carried out by the operation of the scale removing operation section, the scale removing work is further simplified. When the output of the water level detection means (11) is constant
Hot water overflows from the bathtub by maintaining a constant value for a while
Multiple water level detection
Using a means or special means for determining flood conditions
The configuration can be greatly simplified compared to those that prepare equipment.
It

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention described above will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. [Example 1] In this example, the bathtub (B) can be filled with water, the interior of the bathtub (B) can be reheated as necessary, and the bathtub (B) can also be used as a bubble bath.
The water heater (1) includes a heat exchanger (20) for hot water serving as a hot water supply function unit, a heat exchanger (10) for circulating and heating the inside of the bathtub (B), and air for forming a bubble bath. It contains a pump (P). The hot water supply circuit (21) from the heat exchanger (20) is branched into a hot water filling circuit (22) equipped with a hot water filling valve (23) and other circuits. This hot water filling circuit (22) Is connected to a circulation circuit (12) connecting the bath (B) and the heat exchanger (10). The circulation pump (14) is inserted into the circulation circuit (12), and the outlet of the circulation circuit (12) and the downstream end of the air circuit (15) connected to the air pump (P) are connected to the bathtub (B). ) Is connected to a base (13) provided on the side wall. The water level detecting means (11) for detecting the water level in the bathtub (B) is connected to a circuit on the lower pipe side to which the water filling circuit (22) is not connected in the circulation circuit (12), The water level in the bathtub (B) is constantly detected. And in this example,
A pressure sensitive pressure gauge is used as the water level detecting means (11), and a voltage corresponding to the water level in the bathtub (B) is output from the water level detecting means (11).

In the bath apparatus having the above structure, the hot water supply circuit (2
When the downstream side of 1) is opened, the burner corresponding to the heat exchanger (20) automatically becomes a combustion state, and when it is closed, the combustion of the burner is stopped. Therefore, the on-off valve (24) inserted in the circuit to the burner is interlocked with the opening and closing of the hot water supply circuit (21). Therefore, when the water filling valve (23) is opened to open the water filling circuit (22),
The heat exchanger (20) and the burner corresponding to the heat exchanger (20) are in the operating state, and hot water is supplied to the bathtub (B). Then, when the water level in the bathtub (B) reaches a predetermined level, the water filling valve (23) is closed by the output of the water level detecting means (11) and the water filling is completed. In order to control the water filling operation, as shown in FIG. 2, a water filling control device (27) is incorporated, and when the water filling switch (29) is operated, the operation automatically proceeds. The configuration at this point is publicly known. In addition, in this type of bath device, the operation part of the water heater is provided on the indoor side, and it is usually arranged in two places in the bathroom and in the kitchen so that the hot water filling operation can be performed from either operation part. Has become.

When the bathtub (B) is reheated during bathing, the heat exchanger (10) and the burner corresponding thereto are activated and the circulation pump (14) is activated. As a result, the inside of the bathtub (B) is circulated and heated by the heat exchanger (10) via the circulation circuit (12). When it boils to the desired temperature, the operation of the heat exchanger (10) is stopped and the operation of the circulation pump (14) is stopped. To bring the foam bath state, the circulation pump (14) and the air pump (P) are operated. As a result, the air sucked by the air pump (P) is discharged from the base (13) into the bath (B). As described above, in the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the bathtub (B) is automatically filled with water, and can be reheated as needed, and can be used as a bubble bath. .

By the way, when the bubble bath is used, the dirt adhered to the human body is easily removed from the skin by the ultrasonic waves when the bubbles are ruptured. Therefore, after using the bubble bath, dirt tends to float on the water surface of the bathtub (B). Therefore, in the bath apparatus of this embodiment, in order to remove such floating dirt, a scale removing control apparatus is incorporated in the control apparatus (C).

As shown in FIG. 2, this scale control device inserts a normally open output contact of a relay (R), which is turned on and off by an overflow switch (3), in series with a circuit of a water filling valve (23). When the overflow switch (3) is closed, the water filling valve (23) is opened, and the hot water supply function part of the water heater (1) is in the operating state. At this time, the water level detecting means (11). The hot water supply operation proceeds regardless of the output of. Then, when the overflow switch (3) is opened, the hot water filling valve (23) is closed and the hot water supply operation is stopped by the above-described action. Therefore, the overflow state continuation time from the bathtub (B) can be arbitrarily set by operating the overflow switch (3), and during this time, the scales floating on the water surface of the bathtub can be discharged and removed. The overflow switch (3) is provided on the operation unit arranged in the bathroom.

[Embodiment 2] This embodiment is adapted to automatically keep the overflow state from the bathtub (B) for a predetermined time, and corresponds to the invention of claim 3. Therefore, in this embodiment, the scale removing device uses the outputs of the hot water supply function part of the water heater (1) and the water level detection means (11) shown in FIG. 1, and the overflow switch ( The scale removal is executed by the operation 3). In order to control this operating state, a microcomputer is used as the control device (C) in this embodiment, and the output from this microcomputer is inserted into the gas circuit to the burner corresponding to the heat exchanger (20). The open / close valve (24) and the water filling valve (23) inserted in the water filling circuit (22) are controlled. The control program of the microcomputer is based on the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, and the control operation by the microcomputer will be described below with reference to FIG.

When the overflow switch (3) is turned on,
The water filling valve (23) and the opening / closing valve (24) are opened, and the hot water heated by the heat exchanger (20) is filled with the hot water filling circuit (2).
2) and via the upper pipe of the circulation circuit (12) into the bath (B). As a result, the water level in the bathtub (B) rises. In this state, I = 1. Then, the overflow judgment routine (J) is entered, the detection output (h) of the water level detection means (11) is stored in the memory (HI), and after waiting for a fixed time (30 seconds), The detection output (h) of the water level detection means (11) is compared with the stored value (hI) stored in the memory (HI). If the water level in the bathtub (B) is rising, the two values will not be equal. If these two values are not equal, the detection output (h) and the stored value (h
The comparison of the detection outputs of the water level detection means (11) is repeated at the constant intervals until the value of (I) becomes equal to that of I). Memory value (h
If I) and the detection output (h) are the same, I = I + 1. In this way, the detection output (h) during hot water supply
The state in which the water temperature continues for 30 seconds corresponds to a state in which the water level in the bathtub (B) is full, that is, a state in which hot water overflows from the bathtub (B).

Next, the value of I is incremented by "1" each time the overflow determination routine (J) is executed until the value of I becomes a constant value (= 5). After that, when I = 5, the water filling valve (23) is closed and at the same time the opening / closing valve (2
4) is closed to stop hot water supply from the water filling circuit (22). In this embodiment, in the overflow judgment routine (J), the waiting time is set to 30 seconds and the hot water supply operation from the water filling circuit (22) is stopped when I = 5. Will continue for about 2 minutes. Then, the dust floating on the water surface in the bathtub (B) is discharged and removed from the bathtub (B) during this overflowing state.
That is, the scale removal operation continues for 2 minutes. In the above embodiment, a constant ignition operation is performed at the same time as the opening / closing valve (24) is opened, but illustration and description of this point are omitted.

Even if the microcomputer is operated in accordance with the flow chart shown in FIG. 4, it is possible to determine the overflow condition, and by continuing the overflow condition, the scale removal operation can be continued for a certain period of time. In this embodiment, following the overflow determination routine (J) in the second embodiment, the water supply or hot water supply operation to the bathtub (B) is continued for a certain period of time, and the overflow condition is determined by the overflow determination routine (J). If judged, this state is maintained for 2 minutes by the next step, and then the water filling valve (23) is closed and the on-off valve (24) is closed at the same time, so that the water filling circuit (2
Stop hot water supply or water supply from 2). In this embodiment, in order to maintain the overflow condition for a certain period of time, this duration is managed by time, but this may be managed by the hot water supply amount after the overflow judgment or the water supply amount. . This is because by performing a certain amount of hot water supply or water supply, the above-described flooded state will continue for a certain period of time, and the scale can be removed.

The overflow condition can also be controlled by operating the microcomputer of the second embodiment according to the flow chart shown in FIG. In the case of this embodiment, the step of detecting a flooding condition, determines whether the detection output of the water level detection means (11) (h) has reached the tub full water level value of _(B) (h o) It consists of a step and a step of determining whether or not a predetermined time has passed. When the water level in the bathtub (B) is maintained at the full water level for a certain period of time while the hot water from the heat exchanger (20) is being supplied through the hot water filling circuit (22), the bathtub (B ), Hot water overflows for the above time, and functions as in the case of the above embodiment. Also in the case of this embodiment, the flooded state may be continued for a certain period of time by managing the hot water supply amount after the flooding determination.

In the above embodiment, a pressure-sensitive pressure gauge is used to detect the water level in the bathtub (B) during filling with water, and this pressure gauge is connected to a path different from the water filling path. Although the water pressure is constantly detected, it may be connected to the water filling circuit (22) or a circuit connecting the water filling circuit (22) and the bathtub (B) (for example, the upper water pipe (16) in FIG. 1). In this case, the water filling operation may be intermittently performed at a fixed amount of hot water, and the water in the bathtub may be detected by the pressure-sensitive pressure gauge while the water filling is stopped. Further, in any of the above embodiments, after the overflow condition is once determined, the overflow condition is continued to remove the scale by continuing this overflow condition. However, the overflow determination routine (J By setting the elapsed time determination step in 1) to, for example, about 2 minutes, the hot water supply may be stopped after one overflow determination. In short, the scale is removed if the flooded state continues for a certain time. further,
Cold water may be supplied from the water heater (1) in order to bring the bathtub (B) into an overflow state when removing the scale. In this case, it is not necessary to ignite the burner in the water heater.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a bath device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an electric circuit diagram of a main part of a control device (C) of this embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a main part of a control program for a microcomputer according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a modified example of a main part of the control program.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a modified example of the main part of the control program of the second embodiment.

[Explanation of sign]

 (1) ・ ・ ・ Bath device (11) ・ ・ ・ Water level detection means (B) ・ ・ ・ Bathtub (3) ・ ・ ・ Overflow switch

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Shinji Umemura, Shinji Umemura 2-26, Fukuzumi-cho, Nakagawa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Rinnai Co., Ltd. (56) Reference JP 62-197536 (JP, A) 3-27242 (JP, U) Actual Kaihei 1-32716 (JP, U)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A water heater (1) connected to a bathtub (B) is provided, and a scale removing operation unit is provided in an operation unit of the water heater, and the scale removing operation unit is operated to operate from the water heater to the bathtub. The hot water in the bathtub is supplied to this bathtub (B) by additionally supplying hot water to the
Descaling method overflow state of the lever overflowing from the top of the structure wall to the outside in a bath apparatus that is continued desired time. 2. A water filling circuit is connected from the water heater (1) to the bathtub (B) to control the water filling operation from the water heater to the bathtub (B) so that the water level in the bathtub (B) constitutes the bathtub. Below the top of the side wall
In the bath apparatus equipped with a water filling control circuit that stops the water filling operation when the water level reaches the set water level, an additional hot water supply operation or an additional water supply operation from the water heater (1) with an unlimited water level above the set water level is performed. Allowable additional water supply operation circuit,
And an overflow switch (3) which is inserted into this additional water supply operation circuit and switches the circuit between a conducting state and a non-conducting state.
A scale removing device in a bath device in which the overflow switch (3) is arranged in the operation part of the water heater. 3. A water heater (1) in which a hot water supply circuit is connected to the bathtub (B) and the water level in the bathtub (B) are detected and the water level is determined according to the water level.
A water level detecting means (11) for outputting a value, and a scale removing operation unit provided in the operation unit of the water heater (1) and for bringing the water heater into a hot water supply operation state or a water supply operation state, and a water heater (1) An overflow water judging device which is in an output state when the output value of the water level detecting means (11) continues to be a constant value for a certain period of time in a state where hot water or the like is supplied from the overflow water judging device. A scale removing device in a bath device in which the hot water supply operation or the water supply operation is stopped by the above.