JPH0781737B2 - Remote-controlled water heater - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial field of application> The present invention relates to an operating device in which a main body (base unit) of a water heater having a gas boiler, an oil boiler, etc. in a combustion section is installed at a position apart from the main body. Regarding the improvement of a remote-controlled water heater that can be operated by (remote unit), in particular, in addition to basic hot water supply functions such as hot water from a faucet and hot water from a shower, The present invention relates to an improvement of a water heater which can realize an additional function based on a switch operation operated by a user.

<Prior Art> In recent hot water heaters, for example, a device body (base unit) that directly controls a combustion part of a boiler or the like is installed outdoors, and operation commands to the base unit are installed indoors. A remote control type that can be sent from a remote unit) has been developed, and when connecting the base unit and the remote unit with an electrical data signal line and a power line, the number of lines of crossover wiring increases. To prevent this, a two-wire system in which the data signal is appropriately modulated and superimposed on the power supply line is the most rational at present.

A typical conventional example of such a two-wire remote-controlled hot water heater or combustion device can be found in the following publications.

Conventional example: JP-A-57-120027; name "two-wire combustion control device" Conventional example: JP-A-60-228820; name "remotely operated combustion device" However, in recent years, hot water is simply discharged. In addition to the above basic hot water supply function, for example, when the hot water beam switch is operated, the bathtub is filled with hot water until the amount reaches a predetermined amount, and when the reheating switch is operated, a predetermined circulation path is established. Some have begun to perform various additional functions such as the function of allowing a so-called bath heater to function by flowing hot water and warming the cold hot water in the bathtub.

<Problems to be solved by the invention> However, in the past, it was the remote control unit that had been considered to be the minimum required basic operation function regardless of manufacturer for remote-controlled water heaters. By operating the operation switch of the user provided on the side, it is possible to start the combustion of the combustion section installed outdoors or to stop the combustion of the burning combustion section.

In other words, in the water heaters of this type that have been conventionally proposed, it is premised that there is an operation switch left to the operation of the user, and the ON / OFF of the entire device is regulated by this. It was

Therefore, if there are additional functions that can be operated by the dedicated switch operation as described above, when trying to use each of the additional functions, the user first operates the operation switch to activate the water heater and then responds. It has been required twice to operate the switch for starting the additional function.

Further, with such an operation switch, when a plurality of remote units are provided, the convenience and inconvenience of the user are considerably affected by where the remote unit having the operation switch is installed.

For example, if a remote unit in the living room is equipped with an operation switch, even if you want to cook it with the remote unit in the bathroom, if the device is in a dormant state, you have to go to the living room and operate the operation switch. I couldn't cook up any more, which would make it meaningless to have multiple remote units for flights.

On the other hand, it is not realistic to equip all remote units with an operation switch.

In such a case, if the operation switch is set to the alternate type (state holding type), the device turned on by one remote unit remains on even if the operation switch of the other remote unit is turned off. Therefore, it is necessary to use a momentary type (instantaneous on type) so that the device state is changed each time this switch is pressed once. However, when such a momentary type switch is used, a special circuit is used. Unless you devised, even though you turned on the operation switch with a remote unit,
The reason is that if a family member who does not know this pushes the operation switch for another remote unit to turn it on, there is a drawback that the device that has been turned on is turned off.

Furthermore, not only in such a case, but using the operation switch anyway means that in the case of the alternate type,
The base unit side always needs a circuit to monitor the operating switch state, and even in the case of the momentary type, the remote unit side needs a circuit to determine the operating switch state. There is also a drawback that the manufacturing cost is reduced.

In order to eliminate such inconvenience, the present invention basically aims to eliminate such inconvenience, without operating the operation switch
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a water heater in which the corresponding additional function can be immediately started only by operating a switch for starting various additional functions.

<Means for Solving Problems> In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a remote-controlled water heater with an additional function having the following configuration.

A base unit that directly controls the combustion device and a remote unit that operates the base unit from a remote place are connected by a two-wire data transmission line that also serves as a power supply line, and data to be placed on the data transmission line is created. And a microcomputer for transmitting and receiving is built in each of the base unit and the remote unit, and
In addition to the basic hot water supply function, a remote-controlled water heater that also realizes corresponding additional functions by operating a dedicated command switch; the microcomputer built into each of the base unit and remote unit is Each has an on-mode and an off-mode, and can perform an operation for realizing the hot water supply function and the additional function only when in the on-mode; and whether the microcomputer incorporated in the remote unit is in the on-mode. It detects whether it is in the off mode and whether the additional function starting switch provided in the remote unit is operated, and the microcomputer is in the off mode and the additional function starting switch is A reset signal is issued only when operated, and the reset signal is sent to the two-wire data. Remote controlled water heater, wherein; the base unit by placing the transmission line, and resets the microcomputer incorporated in each of the remote units each having a circuit to put them both in on mode.

<Operation and Effect> According to the present invention, even when the microcomputer is in the hibernation state or the off mode, for example, hot water, additional cooking, etc.
By operating the start switch of various additional functions, it is possible to reset the built-in microcomputers in the base unit and remote unit by putting the reset signal on the two-wire data transmission line, and put them in the ON mode. The operation of the operation switch, which has been necessary so far, can be omitted.

Further, even when a plurality of remote units are used, the operation for realizing the additional function can be performed only from the specific remote unit, and the operation can be performed from any remote unit.

Of course, when the hot water supply function and other additional functions are in operation, that is, when the microcomputer is in the ON mode, each additional function starting switch starts its own additional function like those switches so far. Can only be used for In other words, even if the circuit that selectively outputs the reset signal detects that the additional function start switch has been operated, it does not detect the off mode of the microcomputer, which is another condition for issuing the reset signal. is there.

Further, as the applicant of the present invention separately applied, when the structure for detecting the generation of the water flow and putting the device into the ON mode is also applied to the basic hot water supply function, the additional function as the problem here is added. It is possible to provide a water heater with a built-in heater that does not require an operation switch at all, and the circuit can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

<Embodiment> FIG. 1 shows a schematic circuit configuration of a preferred embodiment of a remote-controlled water heater constructed according to the present invention.

First, of the circuits that have been provided in the past, the basic ones will be described for convenience.
In both 10 and the remote unit 20, the microcomputers 11 and 12, the transmission circuits 12 and 22, the reception circuits 13 and 23, and the power supply circuits 14 and 24 are connected to the commercial power supply although the power supply circuit 14 of the base unit is not shown. Has been done.

Also, although not shown, generally, there is an electromagnetic valve that opens the fuel flow path only when an electric current is applied, the valve opening is controlled by a control signal from the microcomputer 11, and the presence or absence of water flow or A sensor for detecting the flow rate, various temperature sensors and the like are also provided, and there is also one that is provided with a valve means for limiting the maximum amount of hot water supply in consideration of the combustion ability of the equipment.

Various data necessary for controlling the combustion section is transmitted from each of the microcomputers 11 and 21 via the respective transmission circuits 13 and 23 by a two-wire type power supply / data transmission line 30 which also serves as a power supply line.
(Hereinafter, simply processed (modulated) into a form suitable for being superimposed on the data transmission line 30 and then placed on the data transmission line 30. From the base unit to the remote unit, and from the remote unit to the base unit, respectively. It is sent and input to its own microcomputer 21, 11 which is decoded (demodulated) by the corresponding receiving circuit 23, 13.

In addition, each reception circuit 13 and 23 can also monitor the transmission data output from its own unit, and in addition to the various data for combustion control, the reset signal sent via the data transmission line 30 can be used. Can also be detected.

Normal combustion control is performed by such a circuit system, but since the specific aspect itself does not directly define the present invention, further detailed description will be omitted.

The configuration added to the water heater of this embodiment regarding the implementation of the present invention will become apparent from the more detailed operation description of each unit described below with reference to FIG.

In this embodiment, there are two additional functions, one of which is the hot water beam, and this function occurs when the hot water beam switch S ₁ is operated, and the other one is the additional heating and the additional heating switch. When S ₂ is operated, the additional cooking function occurs, but for simplicity, in FIG. 2, the additional cooking switch S ₂
Only about.

Further, a reset signal generating circuit 27, which will be described later in detail, as shown in FIG. ₁ , _{one of} these two additional function starting switches S ₁ and S ₂ is connected via buffer diodes D ₁ and D _2. However, when it is turned on, it can be detected.

The reset circuits 15 and 25 provided in each of the base unit 10 and the remote unit 20 include the corresponding receiving circuits 13 and 25.
Monitor the data appearing at the output of 23 and confirm that it has received the reset signal.
Reset 11,21. Further, when an unillustrated original power source of the base unit side is turned on, a power-on reset is also performed.

The transmission pulse monitoring circuit 26 provided in the remote unit 20 considers the case where no data is detected over a certain time Δt (FIG. 2) or the pulse width of transmission / reception data exchanged in a normal state. It detects a condition that is considered to have caused some abnormality, such as when an abnormally long or abnormally short pulse width that exceeds the pulse width range that can be taken by the pulse width under normal conditions is detected. When such a state is detected, the microcomputer 21 is put in the off mode.

The reset signal generation circuit 27 monitors the output of the transmission pulse monitoring circuit 26 and the states of the two additional function starting switches S ₁ and S _{2 described above} , and the transmission pulse monitoring circuit puts the microcomputer 21 in the off mode. When at least one of the above two switches is operated when the mode signal is issued, that is, when the device is in the rest state, the remote unit is issued a reset command signal.
It is sent out into the data transmission line 30 in a state of being appropriately modulated through the transmission circuit 22 in 20. As well shown in FIG. 2, even if the additional cooking switch S ₂ is operated,
The reset signal is not generated when the device is in the ON mode, such as in the hot water supply state, but only when it is in the OFF mode.

The microcomputer 11 in the base unit 10 executes basic functions related to combustion and hot water supply, and when demodulating (decoding) the reset signal from the remote unit side through the receiving circuit 13 in the off mode, After resetting, data transfer is started, the microcomputer 21 in the remote unit is turned on mode, and thereafter, various control target data is received from the remote unit side, and hot water supply operation, hot water boiling, and additional cooking are performed according to those data. While performing operations, etc., it sends out data regarding its own hot water supply operation etc. to the remote unit side.

In the case of this embodiment, since the data transmission operation is based on the alternate transmission method, which is often shown as "reception data" in FIG. 2, it is transmitted several times when there is no reply from the remote unit within a predetermined time. After the re-execution, the data transfer is stopped. This relates to later operation under the alarm mode.

The microcomputer 21 in the remote unit 20 operates in the ON mode after the reset, and the transmission pulse monitoring circuit 26
When the off mode signal is received from, the off mode is set.

In the off mode, additional function start switches S ₁ and S ₂
When any one of these switches is operated, it is confirmed which switch has been operated, and the data related to that switch is stored and stored.On the other hand, the reset signal generation circuit 27, the transmission is performed as described above. As a result of receiving the reset command signal transmitted through the circuit 22 through its own receiving circuit 23, the reset circuit 25 is reset by the action of the reset circuit 25 to be in the ON mode, and then operates in the ON mode, and is transmitted from the base unit side. According to the incoming data, the data stored in the off mode is sent to the base unit side.

Further, in the ON mode, it is desirable to display an operating state (hot water supply, hot water beam, additional cooking, etc.) via a display circuit (not shown).

Further, as shown in the right hand side of FIG. 2, when an alarm associated with the detection of any abnormality is operated by operating either of the additional function switches S ₁ and S _{2 described} above. ,
It is configured not to reply even if data is transmitted from the base unit side. Therefore, the device is in the off mode due to the action of the transmission pulse monitoring circuit 26 described above. In particular, this is a very desirable consideration in actual commercialization.

A conventional water heater with an operation switch has a disadvantage that the entire device cannot be stopped unless the operation switch is turned off during an alarm operation. Especially, if there are multiple remote units, only one of them can be used. , In the case of having an operation switch, the entire device could not be stopped without going to that remote unit, whereas if it was configured as described above This is because the off mode can be set. Further, it is possible to treat the completion signal of the hot water beam according to this alarm.

Although related to the above, in the illustrated case, only a single remote unit 20 is shown, but as shown by the virtual branch line of the line 30, a plurality of remote units, which may have the same configuration, are provided in the transmission line. It is also possible to provide 30 in parallel.

In addition, in the case of this embodiment, regarding the hot water supply start as well, it is considered not to operate the operation switch but to automatically set the on mode by detecting that the user opens the faucet or the like and the water starts flowing. ing.

Under such conditions, as shown on the left-hand side in FIG. 2, even if the additional cooking switch S ₂ is operated while the device is in the hot water supply state, this is only for starting additional cooking. If the additional cooking switch S ₂ is operated again, the additional cooking function is stopped, and if the hot water supply function has already been stopped before that as shown in the figure, the device is in the off mode.

However, the operation of the apparatus for hot water supply is separately disclosed by the applicant, and the presence of the additional function as in the present invention is not essential in the invention. However, by combining the present invention with the present invention, as described above, it is possible to provide a water heater without an operation switch altogether, which proves to be the most desirable. In that case, the flow sensor normally provided in this kind of water heater is diverted to detect the water flow generation, and when the device is in the off mode, the device is turned on by detecting the water flow generation. On the contrary, when the additional function according to the configuration of the present invention is generated, the detection of water flow generation is not for turning on the device but only for starting the original hot water supply function. You can use it.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a preferred embodiment of a remote control type water heater according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an operation example of the first illustrated embodiment. In the figure, 10 is a base unit, 11 and 21 are microcomputers, 12 and 22 are transmitting circuits, 13 and 23 are receiving circuits, 14 and 24 are power circuits, 15 and 25 are reset circuits, 20 is a remote unit, and 26 is a A transmission pulse monitoring circuit, 27 is a reset signal generating circuit, 30 is a two-wire type power supply / data transmission line, and S ₁ and S ₂ are switches for starting additional functions.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A base unit for directly controlling a combustion device and a remote unit for operating the base unit from a remote place are connected by a two-wire data transmission line which also serves as a power supply line, and the data transmission line. It is made by incorporating a microcomputer for creating and sending and receiving data to be placed in each of the above base unit and remote unit, and in addition to the basic hot water supply function, the corresponding additional function by operating the dedicated command switch The microcomputer incorporated in each of the base unit and the remote unit has an on-mode and an off-mode, and the hot-water supply is performed only in the on-mode. Functions and additional functions can be performed; (B) It detects whether the computer is in the on mode or the off mode, and detects whether the additional function starting switch provided in the remote unit is operated, and the microcomputer is in the off mode. And a reset signal is issued only when the additional function starting switch is operated, and the reset signal is mounted on the two-wire data transmission line, so that the base unit and the remote unit each have the built-in reset signal. Having a circuit for resetting each of the microcomputers and putting them in an on mode together;