Hot water supply device

Abstract

To provide a hot water supply device capable of performing appropriate operation from the point of view of sanitation and energy saving when use of hot water stored in a bathtub is commanded.SOLUTION: A hot water supply device includes a hot water supply part G capable of performing hot water filling operation and reheating operation, a display part R1 capable of displaying various information, hot water supply control means 104 for controlling actuation of the hot water supply part G and the display part R1, sanitary state discrimination means 100 for discriminating a sanitary state of hot water in a bathtub when use of hot water stored in a bathtub is commanded, energy use prediction means 101 for calculating use amounts and use charges of resource of to be respectively used in the case of performing first operation for performing hot water filling operation after draining hot water and in the case of performing second operation for adding hot water after performing reheating operation, and display control means 102 for displaying the use charges about the respective first operation and second operation in the display part R1 if a sanitary state of the hot water is discriminated to be satisfactory when the use of the hot water stored in the bathtub is commanded.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a hot water supply device equipped with a hot water supply unit that can perform a hot water filling operation to fill a bathtub with hot water and a reheating operation to reheat remaining hot water stored in the bathtub. [Background technology]

[0002] In the above-mentioned water heating device, in the past, when a user commanded a water filling operation or a reheating operation, the device would predict the usage and fees for resources such as combustion gas and tap water when the specified operation was carried out and notify the user (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-178051 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the conventional configuration, when a user performs a desired driving operation, the system notifies the user of the amount of resources required and the fees incurred due to the consumption of resources, thereby promoting resource and energy conservation. However, the conventional configuration only notifies the user of the amount of resources used and the fees incurred only for the driving operation specified by the user, and is unable to accommodate different usage patterns.

[0005] For example, there are cases where the remaining hot water in a bathtub is used for another bath. In this case, energy savings can be expected by using the remaining hot water, but the remaining hot water is not necessarily used only a short time after the previous bath; it may be used a long time after the previous bath. In this case, if the water is reheated immediately, it is unhygienic from the perspective of the proliferation of bacteria and microorganisms. Therefore, in such cases, it may be better to drain the remaining hot water and then refill the bathtub.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a water heater that can perform appropriate operation from the standpoints of hygiene and energy conservation when a command is given to use hot water stored in a bathtub. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The water heater according to the present invention is characterized by a water heater unit capable of performing a water filling operation to fill a bathtub with water and a reheating operation to reheat remaining hot water stored in the bathtub, a remaining hot water usage status command means that commands the use of the hot water stored in the bathtub by manual operation, a display unit that can display various information, a water heater control means that controls the operation of the water heater unit and the display unit, a sanitary condition determination means that determines the sanitary condition of the hot water in the bathtub when the remaining hot water usage status command means commands the use of the hot water stored in the bathtub, and when the water heater unit drains the hot water in the bathtub and then performs a first operation to fill the bathtub with a predetermined amount of hot water; The system is equipped with an energy usage prediction means that calculates the amount of resource usage and usage fee to be used when the hot water supply unit operates to reheat the water until the water temperature reaches a predetermined level and then performs a second operation of adding hot water to reach a predetermined amount, and a display control means that, when the remaining hot water usage status command means commands the use of the hot water stored in the bathtub, and the hygiene status determination means determines that the hygiene status of the hot water is good, controls the operation of the display unit to display the amount of resource usage and usage fee for each of the cases where the first operation and the second operation calculated by the energy usage prediction means are performed.

[0008] According to the present invention, when a user commands the use of hot water stored in the bathtub, for example, when there is remaining hot water in the bathtub and the reheating operation is performed to reheat the remaining hot water, the hygienic condition determination means determines the hygienic condition of the hot water in the bathtub. Furthermore, the energy usage prediction means calculates the usage amount and usage fee of the resources used in each of the cases where the first operation is performed to drain the hot water from the bathtub and then refill it with a predetermined amount of hot water, and the second operation is performed to reheat the hot water until it reaches a predetermined temperature and then refill it to the predetermined amount.

[0009] If the sanitary condition of the hot water is determined to be good, the display unit will show the usage fees for the first operation and the second operation, allowing the user to determine which usage mode will result in the most energy savings based on the information shown on the display unit.

[0010] Based on the results of the user's judgment based on the displayed content, the bathtub can be filled with water as desired in a manner that is hygienic and contributes to energy conservation.

[0011] Therefore, it has become possible to provide a water heater that can perform appropriate operation from the standpoints of hygiene and energy conservation when a command is given to use the hot water stored in the bathtub.

[0012] A further characteristic feature of the water heating device of the present invention is that the water heating control means controls the operation of the water heating unit to perform the first operation when the user selects to perform the first operation in response to the display of the usage fee, and to perform the second operation when the user selects to perform the second operation.

[0013] According to this configuration, even if it is disadvantageous from the viewpoint of resource conservation, the driving operation selected by the user's will is performed, which makes it user-friendly.

[0014] A further characteristic feature of the water heating device of the present invention is that it is equipped with an advantage discrimination means for determining whether the second required time for performing the second operation is a low advantage state in which the second required time for performing the first operation is longer than a set time than the first required time for performing the first operation, and the display control means controls the operation of the display unit so that when the remaining hot water usage status command means commands the use of the hot water stored in the bathtub, even if the hygiene status determination means determines that the hot water is in good hygiene, if the advantage discrimination means determines that the state is low advantage state, a message urging the user to perform the first operation is displayed.

[0015] According to this configuration, for example, if the second required time to perform the second action is much longer than the first required time to perform the first action, the priority of the second action is deemed to be low, and the user is prompted to perform the first action, i.e., the hot and cold water replacement action of draining the hot and cold water in the bathtub and refilling the water.

[0016] This allows the user to recognize the amount of time required for each of the driving operations, and allows the user to make an appropriate selection.

[0017] A further characteristic feature of the water heater of the present invention is that the hygiene condition determination means determines that the hygiene condition of the hot water is not good when at least one of the following conditions is met: a time exceeding condition, in which the elapsed time since the water filling operation started exceeds a predetermined time, and a number exceeding condition, in which the number of times people have bathed in the bathtub since the water filling operation started exceeds a predetermined number.

[0018] If a long period of time has passed since the start of the bathtub filling operation, such as 10 hours or more, it is likely that bacteria and microorganisms have proliferated in the remaining hot water. Similarly, if the number of times people have bathed in the bathtub since the start of the bathtub filling operation exceeds a predetermined number, it is likely that bacteria and microorganisms have proliferated in the remaining hot water. Therefore, with this configuration, if these conditions are met, it is determined that the sanitary condition of the hot water is not good, and if the conditions are not met, it is determined that the sanitary condition of the hot water is good. As a result, the sanitary condition of the hot water can be determined appropriately.

[0019] A further characteristic feature of the water heater of the present invention is that it is equipped with a bathing entry / exit detection means for detecting the bathing action of a person entering the bathtub and the bathing exit action of a person exiting the bathtub, and a bathing entry / exit count measurement means for counting the number of bathing times from the time the bathing entry / exit detection means detects the bathing action to the time the bathing exit action is detected as one bathing unit, accumulating the number of bathing units from the time the water filling operation is started, and storing the result as the number of bathing times.

[0020] According to this configuration, by detecting bathing and exiting actions, the number of times a person has entered the bathtub can be properly measured and stored.

[0021] A further characteristic feature of the water heating device of the present invention is that the display control means controls the operation of the display unit so as to display a message urging the user to perform the first action when the hygiene condition determination means determines that the hygiene condition of the hot water is not good.

[0022] According to this configuration, when the remaining hot water in the bathtub is not in a good sanitary condition, the hot water in the bathtub can be drained and then refilled with a specified amount of hot water, allowing the user to take a bath in a clean state.

[0023] A further characteristic feature of the water heating device of the present invention is that the water heating control means controls the operation of the water heating unit so that if the user agrees to the display of the message, the first action is executed, and if the user does not agree, the operating action commanded by the user is executed.

[0024] According to this configuration, if the hygienic condition of the hot water is not good, the first operation is automatically executed according to the user's wishes, so that the user can fill the bathtub with water in the desired operating state without any hassle.

[0025] A further characteristic feature of the water heater of the present invention is that it is provided with a continuous use determination means for determining whether the bathtub is in a continuous use state in which it is being used continuously, and the display control means does not display the usage fee when the continuous use determination means determines that the bathtub is in a continuous use state.

[0026] According to this configuration, if the user commands reheating while taking a bath, or if the bath is taken at short intervals, or if the condition is such that the water is being used continuously, the usage fee will not be displayed, thereby avoiding the user having to perform unnecessary confirmation work.

[0027] A further characteristic feature of the hot water supply device according to the present invention is that the bathtub is provided with an automatic drain valve that can be switched between a draining state and a water-retaining state based on a command from the hot water supply control means.

[0028] According to this configuration, the remaining hot water in the bathtub can be automatically drained, which is less troublesome and more convenient than if the user had to drain it manually. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a water heater; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a bathtub. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart of a control operation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a water heater according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0031] (Overall composition) As shown in Figure 1, the water heater is equipped with a water heater unit G that can perform a water filling operation to fill the bathtub with water and a reheating operation to reheat the remaining water stored in the bathtub, an operation control unit C that serves as a water heater control means for controlling the operation of the water heater unit G, and a remote control R that issues various control commands to the operation control unit C.

[0032] The remote controls R include a main remote control R1 and a bathroom remote control R2. The main remote control R1 is installed on a wall near the kitchen, and the bathroom remote control R2 is installed on a wall near the bathtub 1 inside the bathroom Y (see Figure 2).

[0033] Although not shown, the main remote control R1 and bathroom remote control R2 have similar configurations and include an operation switch that commands the start and stop of the water heater operation, a bath automatic switch that commands the filling operation, a hot water temperature setting switch that sets the general hot water temperature, a bathtub temperature setting switch that sets the target filling temperature as the set filling temperature, a water level setting switch that sets the target water level in bathtub 1, a hot water top-up switch that commands the top-up operation to fill bathtub 1 with additional hot water, a top-up switch that commands the top-up operation, an information display unit that displays information such as the set temperature, and an alarm unit that notifies users when the water filling or top-up operation has finished.The information display unit provided on the main remote control R1 is also configured to be able to display text information such as messages, as described below.Therefore, the main remote control R1 corresponds to a display unit that can display various types of information.

[0034] As shown in Figure 2, the bathroom remote control R2 is equipped with a human sensor J (an example of a bathing entry / exit detection means) such as an infrared sensor that detects a bather in the bathtub 1. In addition, an electric bathtub drain valve V is provided at the bottom of the bathtub 1 as an automatic drain plug that drains the bathwater from the bathtub 1. This bathtub drain valve V is configured using, for example, a valve that is opened and closed by a solenoid valve or an electric motor, and is configured to be controlled to open and close by the operation control unit C.

[0035] The operation control unit C controls the operation of the hot water supply unit G to perform hot water supply operation (general hot water supply operation, hot water filling operation) to supply hot water to the bathtub 1 and the hot water tap 2, and reheating operation to reheat the bath water in the bathtub 1, based on commands from the main remote control R1 and the bathroom remote control R2.

[0036] The hot water supply section G is equipped with a hot water heating section A that heats water from a water supply line 4 connected to a general household water pipe and supplies the heated hot water to the bathtub 1 and hot water tap 2 via the hot water supply line 5, and a bathtub water heating section D that reheats the bathtub water in the bathtub 1. A hot water filling line 6 that branches off from the hot water supply line 5 supplies the hot water passing through the hot water supply line 5 to the bathtub 1.

[0037] (Configuration of hot water heater and bath water heater) The hot water heating section A is equipped with a hot water heat exchanger 8, which has a water supply passage 4 connected to its inlet side and a hot water passage 5 connected to its outlet side, a hot water burner 9 that heats the hot water heat exchanger 8, and a hot water blower fan 10 that supplies combustion air to the hot water burner 9. A hot water supply side gas supply passage 11 that supplies fuel gas such as city gas is connected to the hot water supply burner 9, and the water passing through the hot water supply heat exchanger 8 is heated by the combustion gas from the hot water supply burner 9.

[0038] The bathtub water heating section D is equipped with a reheating heat exchanger 14, the inlet of which is connected to a bathtub water return path 12 of a bathtub water circulation path K that circulates bathtub water between the bathtub 1 and the bathtub water heating section D, and the outlet of which is connected to a bathtub water forward path 13 of the bathtub water circulation path K, a reheating burner 15 that heats the reheating heat exchanger 14, and a reheating blower fan 16 that supplies combustion air to the reheating burner 15. The reheating burner 15 is connected to a reheating gas supply line 17 that supplies fuel gas such as city gas, and is configured so that the bath water passing through the reheating heat exchanger 14 is heated by the combustion gas from the reheating burner 15.

[0039] The hot water supply side gas supply passage 11 and the additional heating side gas supply passage 17 are provided with an electromagnetic gas proportional valve 18 for adjusting the amount of fuel gas supplied, and an on-off valve 19 for turning on and off the supply of fuel gas.

[0040] (General hot water supply configuration) A water supply thermistor 20 that detects the water supply temperature and a water volume sensor 21 that detects the water supply volume are provided in the water supply passage 4. A portion of the water supply passage 4 downstream of the water supply thermistor 20 and the water volume sensor 21 is connected to the hot water supply passage 5 by a water supply bypass passage 22 that bypasses the hot water heat exchanger 8.

[0041] A mixing valve 23 is provided at the connection point between the hot water supply line 5 and the water supply bypass line 22, adjusting the mixing ratio between the amount of hot water from the hot water heat exchanger 8 and the amount of water from the water supply bypass line 22. In the hot water supply line 5, upstream of the connection point with the water supply bypass line 22, a hot water outlet thermistor 24 is provided that detects the temperature of the hot water sent out from the hot water heat exchanger 8, and downstream of the connection point with the water supply bypass line 22, in this order from upstream, a hot water thermistor 25 that detects the temperature of the hot water after being mixed in the mixing valve 23, a water proportional valve 26 that adjusts the flow rate of the hot water, and an interruption detection water volume sensor 27 that detects an interruption to the general hot water supply.

[0042] (Configuration for reheating) A circulation adapter H is attached to the side wall near the bottom of bathtub 1, and the bathtub water return path 12 of bathtub water circulation path K and the bathtub water supply path 13 of bathtub water circulation path K are connected to this circulation adapter H. The bathtub water return path 12 and the bathtub water supply path 13 are composed of a pipe section located inside the hot water supply unit G and a pipe section located outside the hot water supply unit G.

[0043] The bathtub water return path 12 is provided with, from the upstream side, a bathtub water temperature detection sensor 38 that detects the temperature of the bathtub water passing through the bathtub water return path 12, a water level detection sensor 39 that detects the water level of the bathtub 1 by detecting the pressure of the bathtub water inside the bathtub water return path 12, a water flow switch 40, and a bathtub water circulation pump 37.

[0044] On the other hand, the bathtub water supply path 13 is provided with a bathtub supply temperature detection sensor 41 that detects the temperature of the bathtub water heated in the reheating heat exchanger 14.

[0045] When the operation control unit C operates the bathtub water circulation pump 37, the bathtub water stored inside the bathtub 1 is supplied to the reheating heat exchanger 14 through the bathtub water return line 12, and the bathtub water heated in the reheating heat exchanger 14 is supplied to the bathtub 1 through the bathtub water supply line 13. In this way, the bathtub water is reheated.

[0046] (Composition for hot water filling) The hot water filling path 6, which branches off from the hot water supply path 5, is connected to the bathtub water return path 12 downstream of the bathtub water circulation pump 37. This bathtub water filling path 6 is equipped with, in order from upstream to downstream, a bathtub water filling solenoid valve 42 that opens and closes the bathtub water filling path 6, an air layer forming hopper 44, and a bathtub water filling check valve 43. The air layer forming hopper 44 is equipped with a drainage path 45 that drains hot water and an electromagnetic drain valve 46 that opens and closes the drainage path 45. The drainage path 45 is connected to the bathtub water return path 12 at a point between the bathtub water circulation pump 37 and the water flow switch 40.

[0047] When the hot water filling solenoid valve 42 is opened, hot water heated in the hot water supply heating section A is supplied to the bathtub water return line 12 via the hot water filling line 6, and the hot water supplied to the bathtub water return line 12 is supplied to the bathtub 1 through the bathtub water supply line 13 and the bathtub water return line 12 while flowing upstream and downstream of the bathtub water circulation pump 37.

[0048] (Operation control of hot water supply unit G) Operation control unit C becomes controllable when the operation switch is operated, and when hot water tap 2 is turned on, it performs a general hot water supply operation to supply hot water from hot water tap 2. In addition, when the automatic bath switch is turned on and a command to fill the bathtub is issued, operation control unit C performs a bathwater filling operation (bathwater filling process) to fill the bathtub 1 so that the temperature of the water in bathtub 1 reaches the target bathwater filling temperature and the water level in bathtub 1 reaches the target water level.

[0049] The operation control unit C executes the reheating operation when the reheating switch is operated and the reheating operation is commanded. Furthermore, the operation control unit C is configured to execute the reheating operation when the reheating operation is commanded by the reheating switch.

[0050] Below, the general hot water supply operation, hot water filling operation, and reheating operation will be explained.

[0051] (General hot water operation) When the hot water tap 2 is opened and the amount of water detected by the water amount sensor 21 becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, the operation control unit C executes the general hot water supply operation. In general hot water supply operation, after driving hot water supply fan 10 in hot water heating section A, intermittent valve 19 is opened and the igniter ignites hot water burner 9, and the amount of heat generated by hot water burner 9 is adjusted based on the general hot water temperature set by the hot water temperature setting switch, the water volume detected by water volume sensor 21, the water temperature detected by water supply thermistor 20, the temperature detected by outlet thermistor 24, and the temperature detected by hot water thermistor 25, so that the temperature detected by hot water thermistor 25 becomes the general hot water temperature set by the hot water temperature setting switch. When water flow is no longer detected by water volume sensor 21, intermittent valve 19 is closed to stop combustion in hot water burner 9, hot water supply fan 10 is stopped, and general hot water supply operation is terminated.

[0052] (Boiling operation) When the automatic bath switch commands filling with water, the operation control unit C executes a process to close the bathtub drain valve V, and then executes the filling operation. In the hot water filling operation, the hot water filling solenoid valve 42 is opened, and the hot water supply burner 9 is ignited in the same way as in the general hot water supply operation described above, and the amount of heat generated by the hot water supply burner 9 is adjusted so that the temperature detected by the hot water supply thermistor 25 becomes the target hot water filling temperature, based on the target hot water filling temperature set by the bathtub temperature setting switch, the water volume detected by the water volume sensor 21, the water temperature detected by the water supply thermistor 20, the temperature detected by the hot water outlet thermistor 24, and the temperature detected by the hot water supply thermistor 25. When the hot water filling and hot water supply process is stopped, the hot water filling solenoid valve 42 is closed, and combustion of the hot water supply burner 9 is stopped.

[0053] (Reheating operation) The operation control unit C executes the reheating operation when the reheating switch is operated. During reheating operation, the bathtub water circulation pump 37 is operated with the drain valve 46 closed, and the temperature detected by the bathtub water temperature sensor 38 is then read. If the temperature detected by the bathtub water temperature sensor 38 is lower than the target filling temperature, the bathtub water circulation pump 37 is operated to circulate the hot water in the bathtub 1 through the bathtub water return line 12 and the bathtub water supply line 13, and the reheating burner 15 is ignited. Furthermore, the amount of heat generated by the reheating burner 15 is adjusted so that the temperature detected by the bathtub supply temperature sensor 41 becomes the set hot water outlet temperature for reheating (e.g., 60°C). When the temperature detected by the bathtub water temperature sensor 38 reaches or exceeds the target filling temperature, the intermittent valve 19 is closed to stop combustion in the reheating burner 15, and the reheating blower fan 16 is stopped, ending the reheating operation.

[0054] (Regarding operation control when using leftover hot water) When the reheating switch on the remote control R is operated to instruct reheating, it is performed when there is remaining hot water in the bathtub 1 and that remaining hot water needs to be used effectively. In other words, the reheating switch corresponds to the remaining hot water usage status command means that commands the use of the hot water stored in the bathtub 1.

[0055] The hot water supply device of this embodiment includes a sanitary condition determination means 100 for determining the sanitary condition of the hot water in the bathtub 1, an energy usage prediction means 101 for calculating the amount of resources (tap water, combustion gas) used and the usage fees (water fee, gas fee) when the hot water supply unit G performs a first operation (hereinafter simply referred to as the first operation) of draining the hot water in the bathtub 1 and then filling it with a predetermined amount of hot water, and when the hot water supply unit G performs a reheating operation until the hot water reaches a predetermined temperature and then reheats the hot water to the predetermined amount of hot water, and an energy usage prediction means 101 for calculating the amount of resources used (tap water, combustion gas) and the usage fees (water fee, gas fee) when the reheating switch is commanded to reheat the hot water. When the separate means 100 determines that the hygienic condition of the hot water is good, the system is equipped with a display control means 102 that controls the operation of the main remote control R1 as a display unit to display the resource usage and usage fee for each of the cases where the first action and the second action calculated by the energy usage prediction means 101 are performed, a dominance determination means 103 that determines whether or not the state is low dominance, where the second required time for performing the second action is longer than the first required time for performing the first action by a set time or more, and a hot water supply control means 104 that controls the operation of the hot water supply unit G and the main remote control (display unit).

[0056] When a reheating command is issued by the reheating switch, the display control means 102 is configured to control the operation of the main remote control R1 to display a message urging the user to perform a water and hot water replacement operation, which involves draining the water from the bathtub 1 and filling the bath, if the priority determination means 103 determines that the water and hot water is in a low priority state, even if the hygiene condition determination means 100 determines that the water and hot water is in a good hygiene state. Furthermore, the display control means 102 is configured to control the operation of the main remote control R1 to display a message urging the user to perform a first operation, if the hygiene condition determination means 100 determines that the water and hot water is not in a good hygiene state.

[0057] The hygienic condition determination means 100 is configured to determine that the hygienic condition of the hot water is not good when both of the following conditions are met: a time exceeding condition, in which the elapsed time since the start of the hot water filling operation exceeds a predetermined time, and a number exceeding condition, in which the number of times people have bathed in the bathtub 1 since the start of the hot water filling operation exceeds a predetermined number.

[0058] In addition, the bathing count measuring means 105 is provided, which counts the number of bathing times from when the bathing action of a person entering the bathtub 1 is detected by the human sensor J until the bathing action of a person leaving the bathtub 1 is detected as one bathing unit, and adds up the number of bathing units from when the water filling operation begins and stores the result as the number of bathing times.

[0059] Specifically, the operation control unit C functions as a hygiene state determination means 100, an energy use prediction means 101, a display control means 102, a priority determination means 103, a hot water supply control means 104, and a bathing entry / exit frequency measurement means 105. That is, the operation control unit is equipped with a microcomputer that can execute various controls using a control program, and each of the hygiene state determination means 100, the energy use prediction means 101, the display control means 102, the priority determination means 103, the hot water supply control means 104, and the bathing entry / exit frequency measurement means 105 is configured in the form of a control program.

[0060] Hereinafter, the operation control by the operation control unit C when using remaining hot water will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0061] When a command to reheat is issued by operating the reheating switch, a determination is made based on the detection information from the human sensor J as to whether someone is bathing in the bathtub 1 or whether it has been within the first set time t1 since the last person left the bath. If the result is positive (Yes), the reheating operation described above is performed (steps #1, #2, #16). The first set time t1 is set to, for example, 30 minutes. When bathing at such short intervals, there is no problem with the remaining hot water, so the operation is carried out as instructed by the user. The first set time t1 can be changed or set by the user as desired.

[0062] If the result in step #2 is No, it is further determined whether or not a second set time t2 or more has passed since the last time the user left the bath (step #3). The second set time t2 is set to, for example, 48 hours. If a long time, such as more than 48 hours, has passed since the last time the user left the bath, it is assumed that bacteria and microorganisms will grow in the remaining water, which is unhygienic. The second set time t2 cannot be changed by the user.

[0063] Therefore, if the result in step #3 is affirmative (Yes), a display process is executed to display a message on the information display section of the main remote controller urging the user to perform the first operation (step #9). For example, a message such as "Drain the hot water and fill the tub. If you want to perform the operation, operate XX, and if you do not want to perform the operation, operate XX" is displayed. However, the message is not limited to this, as long as it urges the user to perform the hot and cold water replacement operation. The user's intention is expressed by operating a switch (good / bad command means) provided on the main remote controller. A dedicated good / bad switch may be provided as the switch, or an existing switch may be used.

[0064] If the result in step #3 is No, it is further determined whether or not a third set time t3 or more has passed since the last time the bather left (step #4). The third set time t3 is set, for example, to 12 hours. The user cannot change the third set time t3. If the result in step #4 is Yes, it is determined whether the number of baths taken since the water filling began is equal to or greater than the set number N (step #5). If the result is Yes, a display process is executed to display a message on the information display unit of the main remote controller R1 prompting the user to perform the first action (step #9). The set number N is set, for example, to 5 times and cannot be changed by the user.

[0065] Even if the time that has passed is not that long, if the number of baths is large, bacteria and microorganisms may grow in the remaining water, creating an unsanitary condition. The processing of steps #2 to #5 corresponds to the sanitary condition determination means 100.

[0066] To explain the number of bathing sessions, the operation control unit C counts the time from when a person enters the bathtub 1 and when a person leaves the bathtub 1 as one bathing session based on the detection results of the human presence sensor J, and adds up the number of bathing sessions from when the water filling operation begins and stores the total as the number of bathing sessions. This process corresponds to the bathing entry and exit counting means 105.

[0067] The processing of step #9 corresponds to the display control means 102, but when the display processing is performed when the result of step #5 is affirmative (Yes), in addition to the above display content, it may also be possible to display that the condition is unhealthy from a hygienic standpoint.

[0068] If the result in step #4 is No, and if the result in step #5 is No, it is assumed that there is no problem from a hygienic standpoint, so bathtub water circulation pump 37 is operated (step #6), the temperature of the remaining hot water is detected by bathtub water temperature detection sensor 38, and the amount of remaining hot water in bathtub 1 is detected by water level detection sensor 39, and the amount of hot water required to reach the target water level is calculated. Furthermore, based on this information and the information on the water supply temperature and target temperature detected by water supply thermistor 20, a first required time required to perform the first operation and a second required time required to perform the second operation are calculated (step #7).

[0069] Then, it is determined whether the second required time is longer than the first required time by a set time or more (step #8), and if the result is positive (Yes), that is, if it is determined that the state is low-dominant, a display process is executed to display a message urging the user to perform the first action (step #9). The display content is as described above.

[0070] The processing of step #8 corresponds to the superiority determination means 103, and the processing of step #9 corresponds to the display control means 102. However, when the display processing is performed when the result of step #8 is affirmative (Yes), in addition to the above display content, information may also be displayed to inform the user that the required time for the second action is significantly longer than the required time for the first action.

[0071] If the result in step #8 is No, the amount of resource (tap water, combustion gas) used and the usage fees (water fee, gas fee) for the first operation and the second operation are calculated based on the amount of hot water required to reach the target water level, the temperature of the remaining hot water, the water supply temperature, and the target temperature (step #10). Then, the information display unit of the main remote controller R1 displays the calculation result (usage fee) and asks which operation to select (step #11). For example, the display may say something like, "Reheating will cost XX yen. Filling the water tank will cost XX yen. Which would you like?" However, the display is not limited to this and may be other content. The processing of step #10 corresponds to the energy usage prediction means 101.

[0072] If the user selects the first operation in response to the display in step #11, the hot water in the bathtub 1 is drained and then filled with the specified amount of hot water (target water level) (first operation) (steps #12, #15).If the user selects the second operation, the water heater operates to reheat the water until the specified water temperature is reached, and then adds hot water up to the specified amount (second operation) (step #14).

[0073] If the user inputs an indication of consent in response to the display in step #9, the hot water in the bathtub 1 is drained and then the bathtub is filled with the specified amount of hot water (target water level) (first operation) (step #15). If the user inputs an indication of disapproval in response to the display in step #9, the reheating operation is performed (step #16).

[0074] Therefore, the judgment process of step #1 corresponds to a continuous use judgment means that judges whether the bathtub is in a continuous use state, in which it is being used continuously, and if it is judged that it is in a continuous use state, the usage fee will not be displayed.

[0075] [Another embodiment] Other embodiments are listed below.

[0076] (1) In the above embodiment, the hygienic condition determination means 100 determines that the hygienic condition of the hot water is not good when both the time exceeding condition, that is, the time elapsed since the start of the hot water filling operation exceeds a predetermined time, and the number exceeding condition, that the number of times people have bathed in the bathtub 1 since the start of the hot water filling operation exceeds a predetermined number, are both met. However, instead of this configuration, the condition may be limited to the time exceeding condition or the number exceeding condition. Furthermore, in addition to these conditions, for example, a sensor may be provided that directly detects the growth of bacteria and microorganisms in the remaining hot water, and the hygienic condition of the hot water may be determined to be not good based on the detection results.

[0077] (2) In the above embodiment, the operation of the hot water supply unit G is controlled so that if the user indicates acceptance in response to the display of step #9, the first operation is executed, and if the user indicates refusal, the reheating operation is executed. However, the user may manually command each of the specified operating operations depending on the display content.

[0078] (3) In the above embodiment, the remote control R of the water heater is used as the display unit. However, instead of this configuration, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or tablet terminal may be configured to be able to communicate with the operation control unit C via a communication line, and the mobile terminal may be used as the display unit.

[0079] (4) In the above embodiment, an example was given of a case where a human presence sensor J is provided as a bathing detection unit, but instead of this configuration, a configuration may be used in which when a bather enters the bathtub 1 and the water level in the bathtub 1 rises suddenly, it is determined that this is a bathing action, and when a person leaves the bath and the water level drops suddenly, it is determined that this is a leaving action.

[0080] (5) In the above embodiment, the superiority determining means 103 is provided, but the superiority determining means 103 may not be provided.

[0081] (6) In the above embodiment, the bathtub 1 is configured to be equipped with a bathtub drain valve V, but it may also be equipped with a manual drain valve that can be opened and closed manually, allowing the user to perform the draining process when it is necessary to drain the water.

[0082] (7) In the above embodiment, an example was given of a case where a reheating switch was operated as a means for instructing the remaining hot water usage status, but other operating devices such as a hot water top-up switch may also be used.

[0083] (8) In the above embodiment, the hot water supply section G is exemplified as being provided with a reheating heat exchanger 14 heated by a reheating burner 15 and a hot water supply heat exchanger 8 heated by a hot water burner 9, which are separately provided. However, the reheating heat exchanger 14 and the hot water supply heat exchanger 8 may be integrally formed as a single fin-tube type heat exchanger and heated by the combustion gas of a common heating burner.

[0084] (9) In the above embodiment, the hot water supply section G is exemplified as being provided with a reheating heat exchanger 14 heated by a reheating burner 15 and a hot water heat exchanger 8 heated by a hot water burner 9. However, instead of the reheating heat exchanger 14, a hot water supply section G may be provided with a heat medium heating heat exchanger that heats the heat medium for heating that is circulated and supplied to heat consumption terminals such as floor heating panels and bathroom heater-dryers. In this case, it is preferable to configure the hot water supply section G so that reheating can be performed by a reheating heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the heat medium circulated and supplied to the heat consumption terminal and the bathtub water flowing through the bathtub water circulation path K.

[0085] The configurations disclosed in the above embodiments (including other embodiments, the same applies below) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, as long as no contradiction arises. Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are examples, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to these, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope that does not deviate from the purpose of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0086] The present invention can be applied to a water heater. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] 1 bathtub 100 Hygiene status determination means 101 Energy Use Prediction Tools 102 Display control means 103 Superiority Discrimination Method 104 Hot water supply control means 105 Bathing frequency measurement method G Hot water supply section J. Human sensor (bath entry / exit detection means) R1 Main remote control (display) V Bathtub drain valve (automatic drain valve)

Claims

1. A hot water supply unit capable of performing a hot water filling operation to fill a bathtub with hot water and a reheating operation to reheat the remaining hot water stored in the bathtub; a remaining hot water use status command means for manually commanding the use of hot water stored in the bathtub; A display unit capable of displaying various types of information; a hot water supply control means for controlling the operation of the hot water supply unit and the display unit; a sanitary condition determining means for determining the sanitary condition of the hot water in the bathtub when the remaining hot water use state command means commands the use of the hot water stored in the bathtub; An energy usage prediction means for calculating the usage amount and usage fee of the resources used when the hot water supply unit performs a first operation of draining hot water from the bathtub and then filling it with a predetermined amount of hot water, and when the hot water supply unit performs a second operation of reheating hot water until the water temperature reaches a predetermined level and then adding hot water to the predetermined amount of hot water; A hot water supply device comprising: a display control means for controlling the operation of the display unit to display the usage fees for performing the first operation and the second operation calculated by the energy usage prediction means when the remaining hot water usage status command means commands the use of the hot water stored in the bathtub and the hygiene status determination means determines that the hygiene status of the hot water is good.

2. The hot water supply control means The water heating device of claim 1 controls the operation of the water heating unit so that if the user selects to perform the first action in response to the display of the usage fee, the first action is performed, and if the user selects to perform the second action, the second action is performed.

3. a priority determination means for determining whether or not a low priority state is present in which a second required time for performing the second action is longer than a first required time for performing the first action by at least a set time; The display control means The water heater device of claim 1, wherein when the remaining hot water usage status command means commands the use of hot water stored in the bathtub, even if the hygiene status determination means determines that the hygiene status of the hot water is good, if the priority determination means determines that the hot water is in the low priority state, the operation of the display unit is controlled to display a message prompting the user to perform the first action.

4. The water heater device of claim 1, wherein the hygiene condition determination means determines that the hygiene condition of the hot water is not good when at least one of the following conditions is met: a time exceeding condition, in which the elapsed time since the start of the hot water filling operation exceeds a predetermined time, and a number exceeding condition, in which the number of times people have bathed in the bathtub since the start of the hot water filling operation exceeds a predetermined number.

5. bathing entry / exit detection means for detecting a bathing action of a person entering the bathtub and a bathing exit action of a person exiting the bathtub; The hot water supply device of claim 4, further comprising a bathing in / out count measuring means which counts the number of bathing times from the time the bathing action is detected by the bathing in / out detection means until the time the bathing action is detected as one bathing unit, and which accumulates the number of bathing times from the time the water filling operation is started and stores the total as the number of bathing times.

6. The hot water supply device of claim 1, wherein the display control means controls the operation of the display unit so as to display a message prompting the user to perform the first action when the hygiene condition determination means determines that the hygiene condition of the hot water is not good.

7. The hot water supply control means controls the operation of the hot water supply unit so that if the user agrees to the display of the message, the first action is executed, and if the user does not agree, the operating action commanded by the user is executed.

8. A continuous use determination means is provided for determining whether the bathtub is in a continuous use state, in which the bathtub is being used continuously; 2. The hot water supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control means does not display the usage fee when the continuous use determining means determines that the continuous use state is in progress.

9. 9. The hot water supply device according to claim 1, wherein the bathtub is provided with an automatic drain valve that can be switched between a draining state and a water-retaining state based on a command from the hot water supply control means.

Images