Bath equipment with electric drain valve

Abstract

To solve a problem that when draining bathtub water by manually operating an electric drain plug after finishing bathing in order to prevent molds and moisture in a bathroom, the bathtub water cannot be circulated between a bath circulation circuit and the bathtub and water might freeze in the bath circulation circuit in seasons when atmospheric temperature is low.SOLUTION: When an operation to start drainage with an electric drain plug 36 is made on a remote controller 32, a control device 29 issues a notification for selecting whether or not to perform a hot-water filling operation with a prescribed quantity of water from the remote controller 32. When a hot water filling operation has been selected via the remote controller 32, the control device 29 performs the hot-water filling operation with the prescribed quantity of water when a detection value of an atmospheric temperature sensor 31 is lower than a prescribed temperature after a finish of drainage. After the finish of the hot-water filling operation with the prescribed quantity of water, when the detection value of the atmospheric temperature sensor 31 is equal to or lower than a prescribed freeze prevention operation start temperature which is lower than the prescribed temperature, the control device 29 performs a freeze prevention operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an anti-freeze operation for a bathtub device having an electric drain valve. [Background technology]

[0002] It has been known that in bathtub systems equipped with this type of electric drain valve, the electric drain valve can automatically switch to a closed state when filling the bathtub, or that the user can manually operate a control switch on a remote control to drain the water from the bathtub when bathing is finished (Patent Document 1).

[0003] In addition, during seasons when the outside temperature is low and bath operations such as filling the bath or reheating the water are not being performed, the water in the bath circulation circuit connected to the bathtub freezes, so an anti-freeze operation is performed to circulate the bathwater between the bathtub and the bath circulation circuit (Patent Document 2).

[0004] It was also known that when the outside temperature drops to a point where the pipes could freeze, the electric drain valve is closed, the bathtub is filled with hot water, and the bathwater accumulated in the bathtub is circulated through the bath circulation circuit to prevent the bath circulation circuit from freezing (Patent Document 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-198379 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-325597 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-95518 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, with this conventional system, the start of anti-freeze operation is determined based on the value detected by the outside air temperature sensor, and the water filling operation is then carried out. Therefore, if there is a small child or pet in the bathtub, or if the bathtub is being used for purposes other than bathing, the water filling operation may be carried out at an unexpected and sudden time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] Therefore, in order to solve the above problem, claim 1 of the present invention provides a bathtub in a bathroom, an electric drain valve that can be electrically opened and closed to drain the bathtub water in the bathtub, a bath circulation circuit connected to the bathtub and circulating the bathtub water using a bath circulation pump, a filling circuit that fills the bathtub with hot water, a remote control that can issue instructions for various operations and can notify the user to perform specific operations, an outside air temperature sensor that detects the outside air temperature, a filling operation that fills the bathtub with a desired amount of hot water from the filling circuit, and a freeze prevention operation that circulates the bathtub water between the bathtub and the bath circulation circuit for a predetermined period of time to prevent the bath circulation circuit from freezing. In a bath device with an electric drain plug that performs the above-mentioned operation and is equipped with a control device that is communicatively connected to the remote control, when the remote control is used to start draining using the electric drain plug, the control device notifies the remote control to allow the user to choose whether or not to perform the predetermined amount of water filling operation, and if the remote control selects to perform the water filling operation, after draining is completed, if the detection value of the outside air temperature sensor is below a predetermined temperature, the control device performs the predetermined amount of water filling operation, and after the predetermined amount of water filling operation is completed, if the detection value of the outside air temperature sensor is below a predetermined temperature, which is below a predetermined anti-freeze operation start temperature, the control device performs the anti-freeze operation.

[0008] In addition, in claim 2, when the remote control is used to select the filling operation, if the detection value of the outside air temperature sensor is higher than the predetermined temperature after the drainage is completed, the control device will not perform the selected filling operation, and when the detection value of the outside air temperature sensor falls below the predetermined temperature, the control device will perform the filling operation for the predetermined amount.

[0009] In addition, in claim 3, when the remote control is used to start draining using the electric drain valve, the control device notifies the user to choose whether or not to perform the water filling operation with the specified amount if the detected value of the outside air temperature sensor is below a specified predicted freezing temperature which is higher than the specified temperature. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, by making it possible to select in advance whether or not to perform the predetermined amount of water filling operation after draining is completed, it is possible to prevent the predetermined amount of water filling operation from being started at an unexpected time when the outside temperature drops, when there are young children or pets in the bathtub, or when the bathtub is being used for purposes other than bathing, and it is possible to reliably prevent the bath circulation circuit from freezing based on the planned use of the bathtub. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] Schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention [Figure 2] A flowchart illustrating the antifreeze operation of the same embodiment. [Figure 3] Table for bath circulation pump ON / OFF control [Figure 4] A flowchart illustrating the antifreeze operation after drainage is completed in the same embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a hot water storage tank for storing hot water, 2 is a heat pump unit that is an outdoor unit installed outdoors as heating means for heating the hot water, and 3 is a bathtub.

[0013] Reference numeral 4 denotes a heating circulation circuit that connects the hot water storage tank 1 and the heat pump unit 2 in a circulatory manner, and is composed of a heat pump supply pipe 4a connected to the bottom of the hot water storage tank 1 and a heat pump return pipe 4b connected to the top of the hot water storage tank 1, and has a heating circulation pump 5. Cold water at the bottom of the hot water storage tank 1 is heated by the heat pump unit 2 via the heat pump supply pipe 4a, and the heated high-temperature hot water is returned to the top of the hot water storage tank 1 via the heat pump return pipe 4b, thereby heating and storing the hot water in the hot water storage tank 1. The outer surface of the hot water storage tank 1 is also vertically fitted with multiple hot water storage temperature sensors 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, and these hot water storage temperature sensors 6 detect the amount of hot water stored by detecting a temperature above a predetermined hot water storage temperature.

[0014] Reference numeral 7 denotes a water supply pipe that supplies water to the hot water storage tank 1, 8 denotes an outlet pipe that dispenses hot water from the hot water storage tank 1, 9 denotes a mixing valve that mixes cold water from the water supply pipe 7 and hot water from the outlet pipe 8 to reach a set temperature, 10 denotes a hot water supply pipe that supplies the mixed hot water at the set temperature, and 11 denotes a faucet installed at the end of the hot water supply pipe 10. Reference numeral 12 denotes a hot water temperature sensor installed downstream of the mixing valve 9, and 13 denotes a hot water supply flow rate sensor that counts the amount of hot water supplied. Reference numeral 14 denotes a pressure reducing valve that reduces the water pressure to a specified pressure, and 15 denotes a pressure relief valve that releases overpressure caused by heating.

[0015] Reference numeral 16 denotes a bath circulation circuit, which connects an indirect heat exchanger 17 consisting of a coiled pipe installed inside the hot water storage tank 1 to the bathtub 3 via a bath supply pipe 16a and a bath return pipe 16b to enable circulation. Reference numeral 18 denotes a bath circulation pump installed in the bath circulation circuit 16, 19 denotes a water flow sensor that detects the presence or absence of running water, 20 denotes a bath temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the bathtub water flowing through the bath circulation circuit 16, and 21 denotes a water level sensor that detects the water level in the bathtub 3 from the water pressure of the bathtub water.

[0016] Here, the water level sensor 21 is installed in the bath circulation circuit 16, and in order to detect the water pressure of the bathtub water, the water level must be above the circulation port of the bathtub (not shown) in order for the bathtub water to be circulated within the bathtub circulation circuit.Therefore, if the water level is below the circulation port, it is determined that there is no water in the bathtub even if there is water in the bathtub, and if the water level is above the circulation port, it is determined that there is water in the bathtub.

[0017] Reference numeral 22 denotes a bypass pipe that bypasses the indirect heat exchanger 17 and connects the bath supply pipe 16a and the bath return pipe 16b, and a flow path switching means 23 consisting of a three-way valve is provided at the connection between the bypass pipe 22 and the bath return pipe 16b, and selectively switches whether or not the hot water flowing through the bath circulation circuit 16 flows to the indirect heat exchanger 17.

[0018] Reference numeral 24 denotes a filling pipe that branches off midway through the hot water supply pipe 10 and is connected to the bath circulation circuit 16 to fill the bathtub 3 with hot water, 25 denotes a filling valve that is installed on this filling pipe 24 and starts and stops filling the bathtub 3 with hot water, and 26 denotes a bath flow sensor that counts the amount of hot water filled into the bathtub 3. Reference numeral 27 denotes a two-way valve installed between the filling pipe 24 and the water level sensor 21, which opens once during filling to air purge the piping from the filling pipe 24 of the bath return pipe 16b to the bathtub 3, and then closes to allow filling to take place while the water level sensor 21 monitors the exact water level.

[0019] Reference numeral 28 denotes a heating control section that controls the heating of the heat pump unit 2, and 29 denotes a control device that controls the boiling operation, hot water supply, and bath. The control device 29 is equipped with anti-freeze operation control means 30 that controls anti-freeze operation, which will be described later, and the heat pump unit 2 is equipped with an outdoor air temperature sensor 31 that detects the outdoor air temperature.

[0020] A remote control 32 is installed inside or outside the bathroom. The remote control 32 includes a display unit 33, which is one of the notification means for displaying various information on a screen, an operation means 34 for issuing various operational instructions to the control device 29 and allowing the user to perform operations according to the displayed information, and a speaker 35, which is one of the notification means for notifying various information by sound, and is connected to the control device 29 so that they can communicate with each other.

[0021] Reference numeral 36 denotes an electric drain valve, which is opened and closed remotely by a user operating the remote control 32 to send an electrical signal from the control device 29 to the electric drain valve 36.

[0022] Next, the operation of this hot water storage type bath water heater will be explained below. First, let us explain the heating operation in which the heat pump unit 2 heats the hot water in the hot water storage tank 1. When the hot water storage temperature sensors 6a-d detect that the required amount of heat for the next day is not remaining in the hot water storage tank 1 during the late-night power period when the unit price of electricity under the time-of-day contracted power is low, the control device 29 instructs the heating control unit 28 to start the heating operation. Upon receiving the instruction, the heating control unit 28 starts operating the compressor (not shown) and the heating circulation pump 5, and the cold water supplied from the bottom of the hot water storage tank 1 via the heating circulation circuit 4 is heated to a high temperature in a water-refrigerant heat exchanger (not shown). The water is returned to the top of the hot water storage tank 1, and the high-temperature water is stored in layers starting from the top of the hot water storage tank 1. When the hot water storage temperature sensors 6a-d detect that the required amount of heat has been stored in the hot water storage tank 1, the control device 29 instructs the heating control unit 28 to stop the heating operation. Upon receiving the instruction, the heating control unit 28 stops operating the compressor and the heating circulation pump 5, thereby terminating the heating operation.

[0023] When the faucet 11 is opened, the control device 29 adjusts the opening of the mixing valve 9 so that the cold water from the water supply pipe 7 and the hot water from the hot water outlet pipe 8 are mixed together to provide hot water at the set temperature set by the remote control 32 connected to the control device 29.

[0024] Next, when a command to fill the bath is issued via remote control 32, control device 29 opens filling valve 25, and cold water from water supply pipe 7 and hot water from hot water outlet pipe 8 are adjusted by mixing valve 9 to the bath temperature set via remote control 32, and the water is filled into bathtub 3 via filling pipe 24 and bath circulation circuit 16 until bath flow sensor 26 counts the preset amount. At this time, flow path switching means 23 attached to bypass pipe 22 is switched to bypass pipe 22 side, and the hot water adjusted to the set temperature that flows into bath circulation circuit 16 by filling flows through bypass pipe 22. Therefore, the hot water adjusted to the set temperature by mixing valve 9 does not flow through indirect heat exchanger 17 in hot water storage tank 1, which stores hot water at a higher temperature, and is not heated above the set temperature by indirect heat exchanger 17.

[0025] Furthermore, when a command to reheat the bath is given via remote control 32, control device 29 switches flow path switching means 23 to the indirect heat exchanger 17 side and drives bath circulation pump 18, causing the hot water in bathtub 3 to circulate through indirect heat exchanger 17, which is installed in the high-temperature hot water in hot water storage tank 1, and heating the bathwater using the heat of the hot water stored in hot water storage tank 1. Because the hot water in hot water storage tank 1 can be used to reheat or keep the hot water in bathtub 3, an electric heater dedicated to reheating or keeping the water warm is not required, reducing costs and power consumption.

[0026] During daytime hours, when the amount of hot water in hot water storage tank 1 decreases due to hot water supply or filling, and hot water storage temperature sensors 6a-6d detect a lack of the required heat, control device 29 instructs heating control unit 28 to start reheating operation. Upon receiving the instruction, heating control unit 28 starts operating compressor and heating circulation pump 5, and heats cold water supplied from the bottom of hot water storage tank 1 via heating circulation circuit 4 to a high temperature in a water-refrigerant heat exchanger. The water is returned to the top of hot water storage tank 1, and the high-temperature water is stored in layers starting from the top of hot water storage tank 1. When hot water storage temperature sensors 6a-6d detect that the required amount of heat has been stored in hot water storage tank 1, control device 29 instructs heating control unit 28 to stop reheating operation. Upon receiving the instruction, heating control unit 28 stops operating compressor and heating circulation pump 5, thereby terminating reheating operation. Note that reheating operation is not performed if the system is set to prohibit reheating during daytime hours.

[0027] Next, the anti-freeze operation when there is a risk of the bath water in the bath circulation circuit 16 freezing in winter or the like will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. When the outdoor air temperature sensor 31 of the heat pump unit 2 detects a temperature below the predetermined antifreeze start temperature (here, 2°C) at which antifreeze operation starts (Yes in step S1) while bath operations such as filling the water or reheating the water are not being performed, the antifreeze operation control means 30 switches the flow path switching means 23 to the bypass pipe 22 side (step S2) and drives the bath circulation pump 18 (step S3). Note that in this embodiment, the start of antifreeze operation is determined based on the outdoor air temperature detected by the outdoor air temperature sensor 31, but the start of antifreeze operation may also be determined based on the bathtub water temperature detected by the bath temperature sensor 20 or the temperature detected by an internal temperature sensor (not shown), and any temperature sensor that can detect the risk of freezing will suffice.

[0028] Then, anti-freeze operation control means 30 determines whether running water sensor 19 is on (step S4), and if it is on, determines that a circulatable amount of bathtub water remains in bathtub 3 (step S5), and if it is off, determines that there is no bathtub water in bathtub 3 (step S9). At this time, if control device 29 has a history of performing a predetermined amount of water filling operation, which is the amount of water until the water level is higher than the circulation port of bathtub 3, and there is no history of electric drain valve 36 being opened thereafter, it may omit the water level confirmation step.

[0029] If it is determined in step S5 that there is bath water in the bathtub 3, the anti-freeze operation control means 30 refers to the ON / OFF control in the table of Figure 4, and starts the anti-freeze operation by driving and stopping the driving at times according to the outside air temperature (step S6).

[0030] Then, according to the table of FIG. 4, the bath circulation pump 18 is driven for the ON time (S7) and stopped for the OFF time (S8).

[0031] Also, if it is determined in step S9 that there is no bath water in the bathtub 3, the anti-freeze operation control means 30 refers to the ON / OFF control in the table of Figure 4, and starts the anti-freeze operation by driving and stopping the driving at times according to the outside air temperature (step S10).

[0032] Next, the anti-freeze operation when the water in the bathtub 3 is drained using the electric drain valve 36 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, when the remote control 32 is used to instruct the electric drain valve 36 to be in the open state (S11: Yes), the anti-freeze operation control means 30 compares the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 31 with a predetermined predicted freezing temperature (here, for example, 7°C), which is the temperature at which the possibility of the water in the bath circulation circuit 16 freezing in the future is determined (S12).

[0033] When the outside air temperature is below a predetermined predicted freezing temperature (Yes in S12), the anti-freeze operation control means 30 determines that there is a possibility that the water in the bath circulation circuit 16 will freeze in the future, and issues a notification from the notification means of the remote control 32 saying, "The outside air temperature is low, and there is a possibility that the pipes will freeze. Would you like to perform a predetermined amount of hot water filling operation during anti-freeze operation?", and also displays an option to select "Allow" or "Not Allow" for the predetermined amount of hot water filling operation (S13). At this time, the user can use the operation means 34 to make a selection from the options displayed on the display unit 33 of the remote control 32.

[0034] Then, after the draining operation is completed (Yes in S14), the antifreeze operation control means 30 checks whether the predetermined amount of water filling operation is permitted in S13 (S15).

[0035] When the predetermined amount of water filling operation is permitted (S15 is Yes) and the outdoor air temperature detected by the outdoor air temperature sensor 31 falls below a predetermined temperature (here, for example, 3°C) that determines the start of preparations for starting anti-freeze operation (S16 is Yes), the predetermined amount of water filling operation, which is the amount of water needed to bring the water level higher than the circulation port of the bathtub 3, is started (S18 is Yes).

[0036] After the predetermined amount of water filling operation is completed, the antifreeze operation control means 30 checks whether the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 31 is below the predetermined antifreeze operation start temperature (here, below 2°C), which is the temperature that determines the start of antifreeze operation (S19), and starts antifreeze operation 1 according to the table shown in Figure 3 (S21). After that, it turns the bath circulation pump 18 on and off according to the table shown in Figure 3, ends antifreeze operation (Yes in S21), returns to S19, and repeats the process from there. This repeated control may be reset, for example, at the daily changeover time at midnight, when the water filling operation is performed for bathing, or when the electric drain valve 36 is switched to the open state.

[0037] In this way, by being able to select in advance whether to "allow" or "disallow" the operation to fill the bathtub with a specified amount of water after draining is completed, it is possible to prevent the operation to fill the bathtub with a specified amount of water from starting unexpectedly when the outside temperature drops, when there are young children or pets in the bathtub 3, or when the bathtub 3 is being used for purposes other than bathing, and the user can reliably prevent the bath circulation circuit 16 from freezing by scheduling the use of the bathtub 3.

[0038] Furthermore, if the outside air temperature is higher than the predetermined predicted freezing temperature in S12 (No in S12), the antifreeze operation control means 30 determines that it is a season in which antifreeze operation is unlikely to be performed.

[0039] However, if the outdoor temperature drops to a temperature where freezing may occur over time, it becomes necessary to perform antifreeze operation, so the antifreeze operation control means 30 continues to detect the outdoor temperature using the outdoor temperature sensor 31, and if the outdoor temperature detected by the outdoor temperature sensor 31 falls below the predetermined antifreeze operation start temperature (S22: Yes), it starts antifreeze operation 2 according to the table shown in Figure 3 (S23). After that, it turns on and off the bath circulation pump 18 according to the table shown in Figure 3, and then ends the antifreeze operation (S24: Yes), and returns to S22 and repeats the process.

[0040] In this way, when the outside air temperature is higher than the predetermined predicted freezing temperature, even though the possibility of anti-freeze operation being performed is low, it is possible to avoid the cumbersome operation of having to select whether or not to fill the bath with a predetermined amount of hot water during anti-freeze operation each time the electric drain valve 36 is operated.In addition, if the outside air temperature drops suddenly and falls below the predetermined anti-freeze operation start temperature, the anti-freeze operation is performed without filling the bath with the predetermined amount of hot water, thereby preventing the bath circulation circuit 16 from freezing.

[0041] In addition, if the operation to fill the bathtub 3 with the specified amount of water is not permitted in S15, or if the user does not operate the operation means 34 and neither is selected, the anti-freeze operation control means 30 determines that the user wishes to avoid filling the bathtub 3 with the specified amount of water at an unexpected time.

[0042] However, if the outdoor temperature drops to a temperature where freezing may occur over time, it becomes necessary to perform antifreeze operation, so the antifreeze operation control means 30 continues to detect the outdoor temperature using the outdoor temperature sensor 31, and if the outdoor temperature detected by the outdoor temperature sensor 31 falls below the predetermined antifreeze operation start temperature (S22: Yes), it starts antifreeze operation 2 according to the table shown in Figure 3 (S23). After that, it turns on and off the bath circulation pump 18 according to the table shown in Figure 3, and then ends the antifreeze operation (S24: Yes), and returns to S22 and repeats the process.

[0043] In this way, if the specified amount of water filling operation is not permitted, the specified amount of water filling operation will not be performed at an unexpected time even if the outside air temperature drops below the specified temperature, and if the outside air temperature drops suddenly and falls to the specified anti-freeze operation start temperature, the specified amount of water filling will not be performed and the anti-freeze operation will be performed, thereby at least preventing the bath circulation pump 18 from freezing.

[0044] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications can be made within the scope of the invention without departing from its spirit. For example, in the present invention, the predetermined predicted freezing temperature, the predetermined temperature, and the predetermined anti-freeze operation start temperature are given as specific examples, but these specific temperatures may all be the same (predetermined predicted freezing temperature ≧ predetermined temperature ≧ predetermined anti-freeze operation start temperature. For example, all are 2°C). [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1. Hot water tank 3. Bathtub 6 Hot water temperature sensor 16 Bath circulation circuit 17 Indirect heat exchanger 18 Bath circulation pump 22 Bypass pipe 23 Flow path switching means 30 Anti-freeze operation control means 31 Outside air temperature sensor 32 Remote Control 33 Display unit (notification means) 34 Operating means 35 speakers 36 Electric drain valve

Claims

1. The bathtub in the bathroom and an electric drain plug that can be electrically opened and closed to drain the bathtub water from the bathtub; a bath circulation circuit connected to the bathtub and through which the bathtub water is circulated by a bath circulation pump; A bathtub filling circuit for filling the bathtub with hot water; a remote controller capable of issuing instructions for various operations and issuing notifications to prompt a user to perform specific operations; an outside air temperature sensor that detects the outside air temperature; In a bathtub device with an electric drain valve, a control device is provided which controls a bathtub filling operation in which a desired amount of hot water is filled into the bathtub from the bathtub filling circuit, and a freeze prevention operation in which the bathtub water is circulated between the bathtub and the bath circulation circuit for a predetermined time to prevent freezing of the bath circulation circuit, and which is communicably connected to the remote control. When the remote control is used to start drainage by the electric drain valve, the control device issues a notification to the remote control to allow the user to select whether or not to perform the predetermined amount of water filling operation, When the remote controller is used to select the filling operation, if the detected value of the outside air temperature sensor is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature after the drainage is completed, the control device performs the filling operation of the predetermined amount, A bathtub device with an electric drain plug, characterized in that after the specified amount of water filling operation is completed, if the detection value of the outside air temperature sensor is below the specified temperature, which is below the specified anti-freeze operation start temperature, the control device performs the anti-freeze operation.

2. When the remote controller is used to select the filling operation, if the detected value of the outside air temperature sensor is higher than the predetermined temperature after the drainage is completed, the control device does not perform the selected filling operation, 2. The bathtub device with an electric drain plug according to claim 1, wherein the control device performs the water filling operation with the predetermined amount when the detected value of the outside air temperature sensor becomes equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature.

3. A bathtub device with an electric drain valve as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that when the remote control is used to start draining using the electric drain valve, the control device issues a notification allowing the user to choose whether or not to perform the specified amount of water filling operation if the detection value of the outside air temperature sensor is below a specified predicted freezing temperature which is higher than the specified temperature.

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