Bath water heating system

Abstract

The present invention provides a bath water supply system capable of determining whether or not there is sufficient hot water remaining in the bathtub. [Solution] A bath water supply system 100 comprises a water heater 10 that supplies hot water to a bathtub 8 installed in the bathroom via bath piping 26, and a control unit C that controls the operation of the water heater 10, and further comprises a bath adapter 85 attached to the bathtub 8 and connected to the bath piping 26, and a sound collection unit 9a that measures sound in the bathroom, and the control unit C performs a bathtub state determination process to determine whether or not the bath adapter 85 is submerged in hot water in the bathtub 8 based on the loudness of the sound measured by the sound collection unit 9a while hot water is being supplied from the water heater 10 to the bathtub 8.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a bath hot water supply system.

Background Art

[0002] In a bath hot water supply system including a water heater having a high-temperature hot water adding function, reheating is performed, for example, by adding high-temperature (e.g., 80°C or higher) hot water to hot water remaining in a bathtub. If such reheating is started when insufficient hot water remains in the bathtub, high-temperature hot water will be present in the bathtub. To address this phenomenon, the system described in Patent Document 1 includes a high-temperature water control functional unit in a bath adapter.

[0003] A high-temperature water shut-off valve using a shape memory alloy spring is provided with a high-temperature water shut-off valve biased by a shape memory alloy spring and a bias spring inside a bath adapter, and a valve seat portion paired with the high-temperature water shut-off valve. A transformation temperature (e.g., 60°C) is set for the shape memory alloy spring. When there is hot water at a bathable temperature in the bathtub, the spring constant is low; when the bathtub is empty and high-temperature water directly contacts the spring, the spring constant increases. Therefore, when high-temperature water is supplied with an empty bathtub, the biasing force of the shape memory alloy spring becomes greater than the biasing force of the bias spring, the high-temperature water shut-off valve is pressed against the valve seat portion, and the supply amount of high-temperature water can be reduced (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in a high-temperature water shut-off valve using a shape memory alloy spring, even if the bathtub is empty and the water is reheated, high-temperature water will continue to be supplied to the bathtub until the transformation temperature of the shape memory alloy spring is reached. Furthermore, in a high-temperature water shut-off valve using a shape memory alloy spring, even when the transformation temperature is reached, the shut-off valve does not completely shut off the high-temperature water, resulting in the problem of high-temperature water leaking into the bathtub.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a bath water supply system that can determine whether or not there is enough hot water remaining in the bathtub. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The characteristic configuration of the bath water heating system according to the present invention is: A water heater that supplies hot and cold water to a bathtub installed in the bathroom via bath piping, A bath water heating system comprising a control unit for controlling the operation of the water heater, A bath adapter that is attached to the bathtub and connected to the bath piping, The bathroom includes a sound collection unit for measuring sound inside the bathroom, The control unit performs a bathtub state determination process to determine whether or not the bath adapter is submerged in the bathtub water, based on the sound level measured by the sound collection unit while the water heater is supplying the bathtub water.

[0008] According to the above configuration, while hot water is being supplied to the bathtub, the sound level in the bathroom, such as the sound of hot water being supplied to the bathtub, is measured by the sound collection unit to determine whether or not the bath adapter is submerged in the water in the bathtub. Here, when supplying hot water to the bathtub, if the bath adapter is not submerged in the water in the bathtub, the sound of hot water being supplied to the bathtub will be louder because the water will flow out from the bath adapter. On the other hand, when supplying hot water to the bathtub, if the bath adapter is submerged in the water in the bathtub, the sound of hot water being supplied to the bathtub will be quieter than when the bath adapter is not submerged in the water. Therefore, based on the sound level measured by the sound collection unit, the state of the bathtub can be determined by whether or not the bath adapter is submerged in the water in the bathtub.

[0009] Further characteristic features of the bath water heating system according to the present invention are: The control unit determines that the bath adapter is not submerged in the bathwater if the sound level measured by the sound collection unit is above a threshold while the water heater is supplying the bathtub with hot water.

[0010] According to the above feature configuration, when supplying hot water to the bathtub, a threshold is used to determine whether or not the bath adapter is submerged in the water in the bathtub. Therefore, by pre-setting a threshold that can determine whether or not the bath adapter is submerged in the water in the bathtub, the state of the bathtub can be determined with greater accuracy.

[0011] Further characteristic features of the bath water heating system according to the present invention are: The control unit determines that the bath adapter is not submerged in the bathwater if the sound level measured by the sound collection unit is continuously above the threshold value each time the set measurement time has elapsed.

[0012] According to the above configuration, when supplying hot water to the bathtub, the sound level in the bathroom is measured at set intervals, and if the measured sound level is continuously above a threshold, it is determined that the bath adapter is not submerged in the bathtub water. As a result, even if the sound level in the bathroom temporarily exceeds the threshold due to sounds other than the sound of supplying hot water to the bathtub, such as human voices, the bathtub status can be accurately determined without false detection.

[0013] Further characteristic features of the bath water heating system according to the present invention are: When the control unit receives a command to start a threshold determination process for determining the threshold, The supply of hot and cold water from the water heater to the bathtub is started. The sound level measured by the sound collection unit while the hot water is being supplied from the water heater to the bathtub is recorded in the recording unit of the bath water supply system. The key point is that the threshold is determined based on the loudness of the sound while the sound measured by the sound collection unit remains relatively loud, and the loudness of the sound while the sound measured by the sound collection unit remains relatively quiet.

[0014] According to the above feature configuration, the threshold determination process commands the recording of the sound level inside the bathtub while hot water is being supplied to the bathtub, and a threshold is set based on the change in the sound level to determine whether or not the bath adapter is submerged in the water in the bathtub. Here, if the bath adapter is not submerged in the water after hot water has been supplied to the bathtub, the water flows out of the bath adapter into the bathtub. On the other hand, if the bath adapter is submerged in the water in the bathtub, the water does not flow out of the bath adapter, so the sound level becomes relatively lower, and if the low sound level continues for a certain period of time, it is determined that the bath adapter is submerged in the water. As a result, for example, by performing the threshold determination process during a trial run and setting a threshold that matches the bathroom environment, the bathtub state determination process can determine the state of the bathtub with greater accuracy.

[0015] Further characteristic features of the bath water heating system according to the present invention are: The control unit is characterized in that, when it is determined in the bathtub state determination process that the bath adapter is not immersed in the hot water, the supply of the hot water from the water heater to the bathtub is stopped.

[0016] According to the above characteristic configuration, when supplying hot water to the bathtub, if it is determined that the bath adapter is not immersed in the hot water, the supply of hot water to the bathtub is stopped. Accordingly, for example, even when additional heating operation by adding high-temperature hot water is started in a state where there is little hot water in the bathtub, the supply of hot water can be stopped before high-temperature water accumulates in the bathtub.

[0017] A further characteristic configuration of the bath hot water supply system according to the present invention is that: A hot water cutoff valve for cutting off hot water is provided in the bath pipe, The control unit is characterized in that, when it is determined in the bathtub state determination process that the bath adapter is not immersed in the hot water, the control unit operates the hot water cutoff valve to cut off, thereby stopping the supply of the hot water from the water heater to the bathtub.

[0018] According to the above characteristic configuration, when supplying hot water to the bathtub, if it is determined that the bath adapter is not immersed in the hot water, the hot water cutoff valve provided in the bath pipe is operated to cut off, thereby stopping the supply of hot water to the bathtub. Accordingly, for example, even when additional heating operation by adding high-temperature hot water is started in a state where there is little hot water in the bathtub, the supply of hot water can be stopped before high-temperature water accumulates in the bathtub.

[0019] A further characteristic configuration of the bath hot water supply system according to the present invention is that: A filling operation including supplying the hot water having a temperature equal to or lower than a set temperature to the bathtub, and an additional heating operation including supplying the hot water having a temperature exceeding the set temperature to the bathtub can be performed, The control unit is characterized in that the bathtub state determination process is performed while the additional heating operation is performed by the water heater.

[0020] According to the above characteristic configuration, the bath hot water supply system can perform a hot water filling operation and a reheating operation, and the reheating operation includes a reheating operation by high-temperature hot water injection that supplies hot water exceeding a set temperature to a bathtub. Further, by performing bathtub state determination processing while the reheating operation is being performed, even if the reheating operation by high-temperature hot water injection is performed when the amount of hot water in the bathtub is small, it can be detected at an early stage when high-temperature water accumulates in the bathtub.

[0021] A further characteristic configuration of the bath hot water supply system according to the present invention is that the bath adapter has a supply blocking mechanism that blocks supply of the hot water to the bathtub according to a temperature of the hot water supplied from the water heater to the bathtub.

[0022] According to the above characteristic configuration, the supply of hot water to the bathtub is blocked by the supply blocking mechanism of the bath adapter according to the temperature of the hot water supplied to the bathtub. Here, when the temperature of the hot water supplied to the bathtub is higher than a predetermined temperature, the supply of hot water to the bathtub is blocked by the supply blocking mechanism. Accordingly, even when high-temperature hot water is supplied in a state where the amount of hot water in the bathtub is small, the supply of hot water can be blocked, and accumulation of a large amount of high-temperature hot water in the bathtub can be suppressed.

[0023] A further characteristic configuration of the bath hot water supply system according to the present invention is that the system comprises a bathroom controller provided in the bathroom, the bathroom controller having an input reception unit that receives input from a user, and the sound collection unit is provided in the bathroom controller.

[0024] According to the above characteristic configuration, the sound collection unit is provided in the bathroom controller. Therefore, the sound collection unit can be provided by using an existing bathroom controller.

[0025] A further characteristic configuration of the bath hot water supply system according to the present invention is that the bathroom controller has an information output unit that outputs information, the control unit The key feature is that, in response to the bathtub state determination process determining that the bath adapter is not immersed in the hot water, the information output unit outputs information indicating that the supply of hot water from the water heater to the bathtub has been stopped.

[0026] According to the above feature configuration, in the bathtub state determination process, if it is determined that the bath adapter is not immersed in water and the supply of water to the bathtub is stopped, the information output unit of the bathroom controller outputs information indicating that the supply of water to the bathtub has stopped. This allows the user to recognize that the supply of water to the bathtub was started when there was little water in it, and that the supply of water has stopped. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0027] [Figure 1] This is a schematic overall diagram of a bath water heating system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This diagram shows a flowchart for the reheating operation. [Figure 3] This diagram shows a flowchart of the threshold determination process. [Figure 4] This figure shows a graph illustrating the relationship between the time from the start of the threshold determination process to the loudness of the sound inside the bathroom. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0028] The following describes a bath water supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention. While preferred embodiments are described below, these embodiments are provided to illustrate the present invention more concretely, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. The present invention is not limited to the following description.

[0029] [Embodiment] As shown in Figure 1, the bath water supply system 100 of this embodiment includes a water heater 10, a bathtub 8, a control device C (an example of a control unit), a recording device D (an example of a recording unit), a bathroom controller 9, an inlet passage 22, an outlet passage 23, a bypass passage 25, a distribution valve 50, and a flow control valve 55, and has a high-temperature hot water supply function described later. The water heater 10 includes a primary heat exchanger 20, a secondary heat exchanger 30, and a combustion burner 40, etc. The control device C is composed of a microcomputer.

[0030] The bathtub 8 is equipped with a bath adapter 85, and the bath adapter 85 is equipped with a safety device 85a (an example of a supply obstruction mechanism). The bathroom controller 9 is equipped with a sound level meter 9a (an example of a sound collection unit) and a controller unit 9b having an information processing unit (an example of an input receiving unit and an information output unit).

[0031] The information processing unit in the controller section 9b performs processing to receive user input and to output information such as user input information to the bathroom controller 9 and alarms caused by the operation of the hot water supply solenoid valve 75 or safety device 85a.

[0032] The control device C measures the sound level inside the bathroom using a sound level meter 9a, and the measured sound level transmitted to the control device C is recorded in the recording device D.

[0033] The water heater 10 heats the low-temperature water (supply water) flowing in from the inlet channel 22. The heated water from the water heater 10 is output to the outlet channel 23 for hot water supply. Low-temperature water such as tap water is supplied to the inlet channel 22. A check valve 61 is placed at the outlet of the hot water supply channel 23 to prevent backflow of the hot water.

[0034] The bypass channel 25 is located between the inlet channel 22 and the outlet channel 23 and bypasses the low-temperature water (supply water) flowing in from the inlet channel 22. A flow rate adjustment valve 50 is positioned between the inlet channel 22 and the bypass channel 25. Depending on the opening of the distribution valve 50, a portion of the supply water flowing through the inlet channel 22 is diverted from the inlet channel 22 to the bypass channel 25, and the remainder flows into the water heater 10. The ratio of the diverted water to the total supply water is controlled according to the opening of the distribution valve 50.

[0035] In the water heater 10, the combustion burner 40 generates combustion heat by burning fuel gas supplied from the main gas solenoid valve group (not shown). The amount of heat generated in the water heater 10 is controlled by a combination of the number of burners and the gas flow rate. In the combustion burner 40, a mixture of the supplied gas and combustion air supplied by a blower fan (not shown) is ignited by an ignition device (not shown). This causes the combustion gas to burn and a flame to be generated from the combustion burner 40.

[0036] The heat of combustion generated by the flame from the combustion burner 40 is supplied to the primary heat exchanger 20 and the secondary heat exchanger 30 within the water heater 10. The primary heat exchanger 20 heats the low-temperature water by heat exchange using the sensible heat (heat of combustion) of the combustion gas from the combustion burner 40. The secondary heat exchanger 30 heats the low-temperature water that has been passed through it by heat exchange using the latent heat of the combustion exhaust gas from the combustion burner 40.

[0037] The bypass channel 25 merges with the hot water outlet channel 23 at the confluence point 32. As a result, in the bath hot water supply system 100, when the hot water taps 5 in the kitchen and washbasin, or showers (not shown) are opened, the hot water from the water heater 10 and the low-temperature water that has passed through the bypass channel 25 are mixed and supplied from the hot water outlet channel 23. In other words, the bath hot water supply system 100 performs "hot water supply operation". A flow control valve 55 is provided in the hot water outlet channel 23. By changing the opening degree of the flow control valve 55, the amount of hot water supplied from the hot water outlet channel 23 can be increased or decreased.

[0038] The bath water supply system 100 includes a hot water supply channel 26 (an example of bath piping) that branches off from the hot water outlet channel 23 to supply hot water to the bathtub 8, and a hot water supply channel 27 (an example of bath piping) that supplies hot water directly from the water heater 10 to the bathtub 8.

[0039] The hot water supply channel 26 branches off from the hot water outlet channel 23 at branching point 33 on the outlet channel 23. In the outlet channel 23, branching point 33 is located downstream of the confluence point 32 of the bypass channel 25 and the outlet channel 23. On the other hand, the hot water supply channel 27 branches off from the outlet channel 23 at branching point 31, which is upstream of the confluence point 32. A check valve 52 is installed between branching point 31 and confluence point 32. The check valve 52 prevents the mixing of the hot water from the water heater 10 flowing to the hot water supply channel 27 via branching point 31 with the low-temperature water flowing in the bypass channel 25. Furthermore, the hot water supply channel 27 merges with the hot water supply channel 26 at confluence point 34 on the outlet channel 26 from branching point 31.

[0040] In the hot water supply channel 26, a hot water supply solenoid valve 60 is provided between the branching point 33 and the confluence point 34 to open and close the passage through the hot water supply channel 26. When the hot water heater 10 performs a heating operation (fuel combustion by the combustion burner 40), the hot water supply solenoid valve 60 is opened, and the bath hot water supply system 100 performs a "bath filling operation" to supply hot water from the outlet channel 23 to the bathtub 8.

[0041] The hot water supply channel 27 is equipped with a hot water supply solenoid valve 75 (an example of a hot water shut-off valve) for opening and closing the passage, and a hot water supply flow control valve 70 for controlling the flow rate through the hot water supply channel 27. When the water heater 10 performs a heating operation (fuel combustion by the combustion burner 40), the hot water supply solenoid valve 75 is opened, causing the bath water supply system 100 to perform a "high-temperature hot water supply operation" (hereinafter also simply referred to as "hot water supply operation"), which supplies hot water output from the water heater 10 to the bathtub 8 without mixing it with low-temperature water.

[0042] The bath adapter 85 is installed on the lower side of the center of the wall of the bathtub 8 and is connected to the water supply channel 26. Inside the bath adapter 85 is a safety device 85a, which is a safety device that utilizes a shape memory alloy spring. If the temperature of the hot water supplied from the water supply channel 26 to the bath adapter 85 is higher than the transformation temperature of the shape memory alloy, the safety device 85a controls the flow rate of the hot water supplied to the bathtub 8 and obstructs the supply. This prevents the supply of hot water from being obstructed even when there is little hot water in the bathtub 8 and high-temperature hot water is supplied, thus preventing a large amount of high-temperature hot water from accumulating in the bathtub 8. In this embodiment, the safety device 85a that utilizes a shape memory alloy spring cannot completely shut off the supply of hot water to the bathtub 8.

[0043] Check valves 62 and 64 are positioned in a double configuration between the confluence point 34 and the bath adapter 85. The check valves 62 and 64 prevent the hot water in the bathtub 8 from flowing back.

[0044] Next, the arrangement of various sensors in the bath water heating system 100 will be explained.

[0045] The bath water heating system 100 is equipped with flow sensors 90, 95, and 97. Typically, the flow sensors 90, 95, and 97 consist of impeller-type sensors that incorporate a rotating body (impeller) whose rotational speed changes according to the flow rate.

[0046] The flow sensor 90 is located downstream of the distribution valve 50 in the water inlet channel 22 to detect the flow rate of the water heater 10. The flow sensor 97 is located in the hot water supply channel 26 to detect the flow rate of the hot water supply channel 26. In other words, the flow sensor 97 monitors the supply status of hot and cold water to the hot water supply channel 26.

[0047] The flow sensor 95 is positioned in the hot water outlet channel 23 between the junction point 32 with the bypass channel 25 and the branching point 33 of the hot water injection channel 26. The flow sensor 95 detects the total flow rate of the hot water outlet channel 23, which is the sum of the hot water flow rate supplied to the taps 5, etc., and the hot water flow rate supplied to the bathtub 8 by the hot water injection channel 26.

[0048] Furthermore, the bath water heating system 100 is equipped with temperature sensors 82, 84, 86, and 88. Typically, the temperature sensors 82, 84, 86, and 88 are composed of thermistors whose electrical resistance changes depending on the temperature.

[0049] The temperature sensor 82 is located in the water inlet channel 22 and detects the temperature of the low-temperature water (supply water) input to the water heater 10. The temperature sensor 84 is located in the water outlet channel 23 upstream of the branching point 31 and detects the output temperature from the water heater 10. The temperature sensor 84 can also detect the temperature of the low-temperature water (supply water) if the heating operation of the water heater 10 (fuel combustion by the combustion burner 40) is not being performed.

[0050] The temperature sensor 86 is positioned between the confluence point 32 and the branching point 33 on the hot water outlet channel 23 to detect the temperature of the hot water coming out of the hot water outlet channel 23. Furthermore, the temperature sensor 88 is positioned downstream of the confluence point 34 (towards the bathtub) to detect the temperature of the hot water at the outlet for the bath water supply system 100 that is output from the bath adapter 85 to the bathtub 8.

[0051] The control device C receives output signals (detected values) from each sensor and user inputs to the bathroom controller 9, and generates control commands for each device to control the overall operation of the bath water heating system 100. The control commands include commands for opening and closing and the degree of opening of each valve (each solenoid valve and each flow control valve).

[0052] User operations include on / off commands for the bath water heating system 100, set temperature commands, and threshold determination processing commands, which will be described later. On / off commands include on / off commands for hot water supply operation, bath filling operation, reheating operation by adding hot water, and cold water addition operation.

[0053] Furthermore, when a command for hot water supply operation, bath filling operation, or reheating operation by adding hot water is turned on for the bath water supply system 100, the control device C starts the heating operation (fuel combustion by the combustion burner 40) by the water heater 10 after confirming that the flow rate detected by the flow sensor 90 has exceeded the minimum operating flow rate. This enables the hot water supply operation, bath filling operation, or reheating operation by adding hot water to be performed.

[0054] When the user instructs the system to fill the bathtub 8 with hot water, the hot water inlet valve 60 is opened and the hot water supply valve 75 is shut off, and the water heater 10 performs a heating operation, thereby supplying hot water from the outlet passage 23 to the bathtub 8 through the inlet passage 26. During the bathtub filling operation, the control device C supplies water to the bathtub 8 at or below the set temperature (e.g., 40°C).

[0055] In the bath water heating system 100, when a reheating operation for the bathtub 8 is instructed, the hot water supply solenoid valve 75 is opened and the hot water injection solenoid valve 60 is shut off, and the heating operation by the water heater 10 is performed, so that hot water from the outlet passage 23 is supplied to the bathtub 8 through the hot water supply passage 27. When reheating is performed, the control device C supplies water to the bathtub 8 at a temperature higher than the set temperature (e.g., 80°C or higher) than the set temperature (e.g., 40°C). In addition, during reheating, the control device C measures the level of sound in the bathroom from the sound level meter 9a provided in the bathroom controller 9, and performs a bathtub state determination process to determine whether the bath adapter 85 is immersed in the hot water in the bathtub 8 based on the measured level of sound. If the measured level of sound is above a threshold, the control device C shuts off the supply of hot water to the bathtub 8 with the hot water supply solenoid valve 75 and ends the reheating operation.

[0056] Furthermore, if the sound level inside the bathroom, as measured by the sound level meter 9a, is below a threshold, the control device C determines that the bath adapter 85 is submerged in the bathwater in the bathtub 8 and continues the reheating operation.

[0057] In the reheating operation, which supplies water hotter than the set temperature to the bathtub 8, when the reheating operation to the bathtub 8 is instructed, and after the water heater 10 performs a heating operation, low-temperature water (e.g., 60°C) is supplied to the bathtub 8 for a certain period of time (e.g., 1 minute), and after a certain period of time, high-temperature water (e.g., 80°C or higher) is supplied to the bathtub 8. The control device C performs a bathtub state determination process to determine whether the bath adapter 85 is immersed in the water in the bathtub 8 during the certain period of time when low-temperature water is supplied. As a result, even if the reheating operation is started when the bath adapter 85 is not immersed in the water in the bathtub 8, the supply of water can be stopped before high-temperature water accumulates in the bathtub 8.

[0058] As described above, the bath water supply system 100 according to this embodiment is equipped with a bath water supply function comprising a hot water supply passage 26 branched from the hot water supply route to the bathtub 8 and a hot water supply passage 27 for supplying hot water to the bathtub 8. In particular, by operating the hot water supply passage 27, it is possible to raise the bath water temperature with a simple configuration without providing a reheating circulation route including a pump and a heat exchanger.

[0059] A bath water supply system 100 equipped with a water heater 10 that has a high-temperature hot water supply function has a problem in that if reheating is started when there is not enough hot water remaining in the bathtub 8, the safety device 85a does not completely shut off the hot water supply, causing high-temperature hot water to leak into the bathtub 8. Therefore, the bath water supply system 100 includes a water heater 10 that supplies hot water to a bathtub 8 located in the bathroom via a hot water supply passage 26, and a control device C that controls the operation of the water heater 10. The bath water supply system 100 also includes a bath adapter 85 attached to the bathtub 8 and connected to the hot water supply passage 26, and a sound level meter 9a that measures sound inside the bathroom. The control device C performs a bathtub state determination process to determine whether or not the bath adapter 85 is submerged in hot water in the bathtub 8 based on the sound level measured by the sound level meter 9a while the water heater 10 is supplying hot water to the bathtub 8.

[0060] Figure 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the bath water heating system 100 during reheating operation. The flowchart in Figure 2 is executed by the control device C, etc., when the command to start reheating operation is turned on.

[0061] In step #01, the command to start the reheating operation is turned on, and the control device C starts the reheating operation using high-temperature hot water. Following step #01, in step #02, the control device C starts supplying hot water to the bathtub 8. That is, hot water at a temperature higher than the set temperature heated by the water heater 10 (for example, 80°C or higher) is supplied to the bathtub 8.

[0062] Following step #02, in step #03, the control device C starts the bathtub state determination process and measures the sound level inside the bathroom using the sound level meter 9a at predetermined set measurement times (e.g., 1 second).

[0063] Following step #03, in step #04, the control device C checks whether the sound level measured by the sound level meter 9a is above a threshold that allows it to determine whether the bath adapter 85 is immersed in the bathwater in the bathtub 8 for a preset time (e.g., 20 seconds). If the condition is met in step #04 (step #04, Yes), the control device C determines in step #05 that the bath adapter 85 is not immersed in the bathwater in the bathtub 8, and in step #06, it shuts off the hot water supply solenoid valve 75 provided in the hot water supply passage 27, stopping the supply of hot water to the bathtub 8. In other words, if the reheating operation is started when the bathtub 8 is empty or has a small amount of hot water, the hot water supply from the water heater 10 to the bathtub 8 is stopped by shutting off the hot water supply solenoid valve 75. After the hot water supply solenoid valve 75 is shut off, information indicating that the supply of hot water to the bathtub 8 has been stopped is output to the controller unit 9b. This allows the supply of hot water to be stopped before high-temperature water accumulates in the bathtub 8. Furthermore, it is preferable that the determination of whether or not the bath adapter 85 is immersed in the hot water in the bathtub 8 is completed within a certain time period (for example, 1 minute) after the start of the supply of hot water to the bathtub 8.

[0064] Furthermore, by continuously checking the threshold for a predetermined period of time, false detections will not occur even if the sound in the bathroom temporarily exceeds the threshold due to sounds other than the sound of hot water being supplied to the bathtub 8, such as human voices. Note that if the set period is short, detection can be performed when there is little hot water in the bathtub 8, which increases safety but also increases the likelihood of false detections.

[0065] Following step #06, in step #09, the control device C stops the reheating operation that supplies hot water to the bathtub 8.

[0066] On the other hand, if the condition is not met in step #04 (step #04, No), in step #07, the control device C determines that the bath adapter 85 is immersed in the water in the bathtub 8 and continues the reheating operation. Subsequently, in step #08, the reheating operation is completed, and in step #09, the control device C stops the reheating operation by adding hot water to the bathtub 8. In other words, if the reheating operation is started while the bath adapter 85 is immersed in the water in the bathtub 8, hot water will not accumulate in the bathtub 8, so the operation will continue until the reheating is complete.

[0067] When the control device C is commanded to perform threshold determination processing, it can determine a threshold based on the change in the sound level in the bathroom measured by the sound level meter 9a. This is performed when the bathtub 8 is empty of water or when the bath adapter 85 is not submerged. After the threshold determination processing begins, the control device C starts supplying water to the bathtub 8, starts measuring the sound level in the bathroom with the sound level meter 9a, and executes a process to determine a threshold that can determine whether or not the bath adapter 85 is submerged in the water in the bathtub 8, based on the measured sound level in the bathroom. When the sound level meter 9a starts measuring the sound level in the bathroom, the measured sound level is recorded in the recording device D. It is preferable to determine the threshold in accordance with the environment in which water is supplied to the bathtub 8, such as through trial operation.

[0068] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the bath water heating system 100 during threshold determination processing. The flowchart in Figure 3 is executed by the control device C, etc., when the command to start threshold determination processing is turned on to the bathroom controller 9. It is preferable that the process is started with the bathtub 8 empty.

[0069] Figure 4 shows a graph illustrating the relationship between the time elapsed since the start of the threshold determination process and the loudness of the sound in the bathroom.

[0070] In step #10, the command to start the threshold determination process is turned on, and the control device C starts the threshold determination process. Following step #10, in step #11, the control device C starts supplying hot water to the bathtub 8. That is, the bath filling operation begins, in which hot water heated by the water heater 10 is supplied to the bathtub 8.

[0071] Following step #11, in step #12, the control device C starts measuring the sound level in the bathroom using the sound level meter 9a. That is, it measures the sound level in the bathroom when the bath adapter 85 is not immersed in the water in the bathtub 8 and when water is being supplied to the bathtub 8.

[0072] Following step #12, in step #13, the control device C calculates the average value of the sound level over a predetermined period (e.g., 20 seconds) and records it as the average value V1 in the recording device D. That is, after the start of the supply of hot water to the bathtub 8, while the bath adapter 85 is not immersed in the hot water in the bathtub 8, the average value of the sound level in the bathroom during the predetermined period (EF in Figure 4) while hot water is being supplied to the bathtub 8 is recorded as V1 in the recording device D. Alternatively, the average value of the predetermined period may be calculated as V1 after a certain time (e.g., 30 seconds) has elapsed since the start of the supply of hot water to the bathtub 8.

[0073] Following step #13, in step #14, the control device C checks whether the sound level has remained below a preset value (e.g., 4 dB) from the average value V1 of the measured sound for a certain period of time (e.g., 30 seconds). That is, after the bath adapter 85 begins to be immersed in the water in the bathtub 8 due to the supply of hot water (G in Figure 4), the control device C determines that the bath adapter 85 is completely immersed in the water when the sound level in the bathroom decreases below a preset value (H in Figure 4) and this continues for a certain period of time (HI in Figure 4).

[0074] If the condition is met in step #14 (step #14, Yes), then in step #15, the control device C calculates the average value of the sound level over a predetermined period (e.g., 20 seconds) and records it as the average value V2 in the recording device D. That is, with the bath adapter 85 immersed in the water in the bathtub 8, the recording device D records the average value of the sound level in the bathroom as V2 during a predetermined period (IJ in Figure 4) while the bathtub 8 is being supplied with water.

[0075] Following step #15, in step #16, the control device C calculates the median of the average values ​​V1 and V2 and sets this median as the threshold. Then, in step #17, the control device C stops supplying hot water to the bathtub 8 and stops measuring the sound level with the sound level meter 9a. That is, the average sound level inside the bathtub 8 when hot water is supplied while the bath adapter 85 is not submerged in the hot water inside the bathtub 8, and the median of the average sound level inside the bathtub 8 when hot water is supplied while the bath adapter 85 is not submerged in the hot water inside the bathtub 8, are set as the threshold. If the conditions are not met in step #14 (step #14, No), the control device C continues to supply hot water to the bathtub 8 and measure the sound level using the sound level meter 9a.

[0076] As described above, when supplying hot water to the bathtub 8, if the control device C determines that the bath adapter 85 is not submerged in hot water, the hot water supply solenoid valve 75 installed in the hot water supply passage 27 stops the supply of hot water to the bathtub 8. This ensures that even if the reheating operation using high-temperature hot water is started when there is little hot water in the bathtub 8, the supply of hot water can be stopped before the bathtub 8 is filled with high-temperature water. Furthermore, a threshold determination process command records the loudness of the sound inside the bathtub 8 while hot water is being supplied to it, and a threshold is set based on the change in the loudness of the sound to determine whether or not the bath adapter 85 is submerged in the hot water inside the bathtub 8. This allows the threshold determination process to be performed during trial runs, etc., and a threshold is set that matches the bathroom environment, enabling more accurate determination of the state of the bathtub 8 in the bathtub state determination process.

[0077] [Another embodiment] In the above embodiment, the safety device 85a is shown as an example of a safety device using a shape memory alloy spring, but it is not limited to this, and for example, a safety device using a thermistor may also be used.

[0078] In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the bathroom controller 9 outputs information to the controller unit 9b as an information output unit, but it is not limited to this, and output may also be in the form of sound from a speaker, for example.

[0079] In the above embodiment, the sound level meter 9a is provided on the bathroom controller 9, but the invention is not limited to this, and for example, the sound level meter 9a may be provided independently in the bathroom.

[0080] In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which a water heater 10 that burns gas is used as the heating unit for heating hot water. However, the heating unit is not particularly limited as long as it can heat low-temperature water (supply water), and may be, for example, an electric heater.

[0081] Furthermore, the configurations disclosed in the above embodiments (including other embodiments, the same applies hereinafter) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, as long as no inconsistencies arise. Moreover, the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the object of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 8: Bathtub 9: Bathroom controller 9a: Sound level meter (sound collection unit) 9b: Controller section (input reception section, information output section) 10: Water heater 27: Hot water supply line (bathroom piping) 75: Hot water solenoid valve (hot water shut-off valve) 85: Bath adapter 85a: Safety device (supply obstruction mechanism) 100: Bath water heating system C: Control unit (control section) D: Recording device (recording unit)

Claims

1. A water heater that supplies hot and cold water to a bathtub installed in the bathroom via bath piping, A bath water heating system comprising a control unit for controlling the operation of the water heater, A bath adapter that is attached to the bathtub and connected to the bath piping, The bathroom includes a sound collection unit for measuring sound inside the bathroom, A bath water supply system in which the control unit performs a bath state determination process to determine whether or not the bath adapter is submerged in the bath water, based on the loudness of the sound measured by the sound collection unit while the hot water is being supplied from the water heater to the bathtub.

2. The bath water supply system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines that the bath adapter is not submerged in the bath water if the sound level measured by the sound collection unit is above a threshold while the hot water is being supplied from the water heater to the bathtub.

3. The bath water supply system according to claim 2, wherein the control unit determines that the bath adapter is not submerged in the bath water if the sound level measured by the sound collection unit is continuously above the threshold value each time a set measurement time has elapsed.

4. When the control unit receives a command to start a threshold determination process for determining the threshold, The supply of hot and cold water from the water heater to the bathtub is started. The sound level measured by the sound collection unit while the hot water is being supplied from the water heater to the bathtub is recorded in the recording unit of the bath water supply system. The bath water heating system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the threshold is determined based on the loudness of the sound while the sound measured by the sound collection unit remains relatively loud and the loudness of the sound while the sound measured by the sound collection unit remains relatively quiet.

5. The bath water supply system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines in the bath state determination process that the bath adapter is not immersed in the hot water, and stops supplying the hot water from the water heater to the bath.

6. A hot and cold water shut-off valve is provided in the bath piping to shut off the hot and cold water. The bath water supply system according to claim 5, wherein the control unit, when it determines in the bath state determination process that the bath adapter is not immersed in the hot water, shuts off the hot water shut-off valve to stop the supply of hot water from the water heater to the bath.

7. The system can perform a filling operation which includes supplying the bathtub with hot water at or below a set temperature, and a reheating operation which includes supplying the bathtub with hot water at or above a set temperature. The bath water supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit performs the bathtub state determination process while the water heater is performing the reheating operation.

8. The bath water supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the bath adapter has a supply inhibition mechanism that inhibits the supply of hot water to the bathtub according to the temperature of the hot water supplied from the water heater to the bathtub.

9. The bathroom controller is provided within the bathroom and has an input receiving unit that receives input from the user. The bath water supply system according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the sound collection unit is provided in the bathroom controller.

10. The bathroom controller has an information output unit that outputs information, The control unit, The bath water supply system according to claim 9, wherein the information output unit outputs information indicating that the supply of hot water from the water heater to the bathtub has been stopped in response to the determination in the bathtub state determination process that the bath adapter is not immersed in the hot water.

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