JP7268583B2 - Storage hot water heater - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a storage hot water heater.

In a hot water storage type hot water supply device, for example, hot water storage operation is performed in which hot water in a hot water storage tank is heated during the late night hours when electricity rates are low, and hot water to be used during the daytime hours of the next day is stored in the hot water storage tank. It has been known. However, even when such a hot water storage operation is performed in the middle of the night, if the amount of stored hot water is insufficient, the hot water is boiled in the daytime.

Regarding the boiling during the daytime, for example, Patent Document 1 describes control for setting the boiling capacity of the heat pump unit according to the detected amount of remaining hot water. More specifically, in this control, in order to optimize the boiling capacity of the heat pump unit, a first remaining hot water amount and a second remaining hot water amount smaller than the first remaining hot water amount are used as reference values for determining the boiling capacity. There are two values for the amount of remaining hot water. Then, when the remaining hot water amount is reduced to the first remaining hot water amount or less, the heat pump unit is operated in rated operation, and when the remaining hot water amount is reduced to a second remaining hot water amount that is less than the first remaining hot water amount, the heat pump unit is operated at high power. drive with

JP 2010-169272 A

As in Patent Document 1, in a configuration in which the start of the boiling operation is determined when the amount of remaining hot water has decreased to a uniform amount of remaining hot water set in advance, there is a possibility that hot water will run out due to a rapid increase in the amount of hot water used by the user. , and the possibility of wasteful implementation of the boil-up operation. In this regard, there is room for improvement in the control of Patent Document 1, and development of a hot water storage type water heater capable of suppressing wasteful heating without running out of hot water is desired.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and provides an improved hot water storage type water heater that can avoid unnecessary heating while securing the optimum amount of hot water stored in the hot water storage tank. It is something to do.

The hot water storage type water heater of the present invention includes a hot water storage tank unit having a built-in hot water storage tank, heating means for heating hot water in the hot water storage tank with a plurality of variable boiling capacities, and daytime hours divided at regular intervals. A hot water supply load calculation means for calculating a hot water supply load, which is the amount of heat used during each of the reference periods, based on the amount of hot water supplied from the hot water storage tank during each of the reference periods; The amount of hot water that can be boiled is calculated as the amount of hot water that can be boiled for each boiling capacity of the heating means. Accordingly, a required hot water storage amount calculation means for calculating the amount of hot water that needs to be stored in the hot water storage tank to prevent running out of hot water as the required hot water storage amount for each boiling capacity, and A boiling-up execution means for setting a corresponding required hot water storage amount as a reference amount and starting a boiling-up operation for storing hot water heated by the heating means in the hot water storage tank when the remaining hot water amount in the hot water storage tank reaches the reference amount; Prepare.

The start of the boiling operation is determined according to the required hot water storage amount determined in consideration of the maximum hot water supply load and the boiling capacity of the heat pump unit, thereby avoiding running out of hot water and executing wasteful boiling. can be suppressed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows the structure of the storage-type hot water supply machine of Embodiment 1 of this invention. 4 is a flow chart of the control operation of the hot water storage type hot water heater according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a flow chart of the control operation of the hot water storage type water heater according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 10 is a flow chart of a control operation of a hot water storage type hot water heater according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. FIG.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each figure, the same reference numerals are given to the same or corresponding parts, and the description thereof will be simplified or omitted. Note that, in the present disclosure, the amount of heat that hot water has may be treated as the amount of hot water converted to hot water at a predetermined temperature. That is, in the present disclosure, the term "hot water amount" may substantially mean the amount of heat.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a hot water storage type water heater according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1 , the hot water storage type water heater includes a heat pump unit 2 as heating means for heating water, and a hot water storage unit 40 having a hot water storage tank 1 . The heat pump unit 2 and the hot water storage unit 40 are connected via an HP outgoing pipe 48, an HP return pipe 49, and electrical wiring (not shown).

The heat pump unit 2 includes a heat pump circuit in which a compressor, a heat exchanger for hot water supply, an expansion valve, and an air heat exchanger are sequentially connected by refrigerant pipes. The boiling capacity of the heat pump unit 2 can be switched in multiple stages by changing the operating frequency of the compressor, for example.

The hot water storage type hot water supply device includes a control unit 24 . The control unit 24 has at least one memory and at least one processor. The control unit 24 is electrically connected to various actuators and various sensors, which will be described later. The operation of the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus is controlled by the control unit 24 . The control unit 24 has a calendar function for managing date and time. The control unit 24 can store the history of the driving motion in the memory together with the date and time. The control unit 24 is not limited to being configured by a single control device, and may be configured to be controlled by a plurality of control devices in cooperation.

The hot water storage tank 1 stores hot water. Inside the hot water storage tank 1, temperature stratification can be formed in which the upper side has a higher temperature and the lower side has a lower temperature due to the difference in water density due to temperature. The hot water storage tank 1 is composed of one tank, but as a modification, the hot water storage tank 1 may be composed of a plurality of tanks connected in series. In an example in which a plurality of tanks connected in series are used as the hot water storage tank 1, the lower part of the upper tank and the upper part of the next lower tank are sequentially connected via pipes. In the following description, the vertical position of the hot water storage tank 1 will be referred to. , the vertical position is specified.

On the outer surface of the hot water storage tank 1, a first temperature sensor 5a and a second temperature sensor are installed at heights such that the volumes from the top of the hot water storage tank 1 are 0 L, 50 L, 100 L, 150 L, 170 L, and 220 L. 5b, a third temperature sensor 5c, a fourth temperature sensor 5d, a fifth temperature sensor 5e and a sixth temperature sensor 5f are provided respectively. The water temperature at each position is measured by each temperature sensor 5a to 5f. By detecting the water temperature distribution in the vertical direction with these temperature sensors 5a to 5f, the heat storage amount and the remaining hot water amount in the hot water storage tank 1 can be detected. The HP outgoing pipe 48 is provided with a seventh temperature sensor 5g for detecting the temperature of water entering the heat pump unit 2 .

Inside the hot water storage unit 40 are a circulation pump 4, a general hot water mixing valve 7, a high temperature hot water path 8, a water supply pipe 9, a bathtub hot water mixing valve 11, a bath electromagnetic valve 13, a bath circulation pump 14, a water inlet switching valve 17, and a hot water supply. Flow rate sensor 19, hot water supply temperature sensor 20, bath flow rate sensor 21, bath temperature sensor 22, water supply temperature sensor 23, hot water supply switching valve 26, medium temperature return switching valve 27, medium temperature extraction switching valve 28, medium temperature hot water path 30, etc. further provided.

The upstream of the water supply pipe 9 is connected to a water source such as tap water. The downstream side of the water supply pipe 9 branches into a water supply pipe 9a and a water supply pipe 9b. The water supply pipe 9a is connected to the lower portion of the hot water storage tank 1 . The low-temperature water supplied from the water source flows into the lower part of the hot water storage tank 1 through the water supply pipe 9a, so that the inside of the hot water storage tank 1 is maintained in a full water state.

The medium temperature take-out switching valve 28 has a medium temperature inlet 28a, a low temperature inlet 28b, and a water outlet 28c. A water supply pipe 9b is connected to the low temperature inlet 28b. One end of a medium temperature water path 30 is connected to the medium temperature inlet 28a. The other end of the medium-temperature water path 30 communicates with the inside of the hot-water storage tank 1 at the medium-temperature water port 1b. The intermediate hot water port 1b is provided at an intermediate portion between the upper and lower portions of the hot water storage tank 1 . The intermediate temperature take-out switching valve 28 can switch the flow path between the "intermediate temperature position" and the "low temperature position". In the "medium temperature position", the medium temperature inlet 28a communicates with the water outlet 28c and the low temperature inlet 28b is blocked. At the "intermediate temperature position", medium temperature water supplied from the hot water storage tank 1 through the medium temperature water path 30 flows to the water outlet 28c. In the "cold position", the cold inlet 28b communicates with the water outlet 28c and the medium temperature inlet 28a is blocked. At the "low temperature position", low temperature water from the water supply pipe 9b flows to the water outlet 28c.

The hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus of the present embodiment has a general hot water mixing valve 7 and a bathtub hot water mixing valve 11 for adjusting the temperature of hot water supplied to a hot water destination. The general hot water supply mixing valve 7 includes a hot water side inlet 7a, a cold water side inlet 7b, and a hot water outlet 7c. The bathtub hot water supply mixing valve 11 includes a hot water side inlet 11a, a cold water side inlet 11b, and a hot water outlet 11c. A downstream portion of the hot water path 8 communicates with the hot water side inlet 7a and the hot water side inlet 11a. A water outlet 28c of the intermediate temperature take-out switching valve 28 communicates with the water side inlet 7b and the water side inlet 11b, respectively.

One end of the first hot water supply pipe 10 is connected to the hot water outlet 7c. The general hot water supply mixing valve 7 mixes high temperature hot water from the high temperature hot water path 8 and water from the water outlet 28c of the intermediate temperature extraction switching valve 28 to adjust the temperature. The temperature-controlled hot water flows into the first hot water supply pipe 10 . The hot water passing through the first hot water supply pipe 10 is supplied to a general hot water supply destination other than the bathtub. Common hot water supply destinations are, for example, faucets and showers.

One end of the second hot water supply pipe 18 is connected to the hot water outlet 11c. Bathtub hot water supply mixing valve 11 mixes high-temperature hot water from high-temperature hot water path 8 and water from water outlet 28c of medium-temperature take-out switching valve 28 to adjust the temperature. The temperature-controlled hot water flows into the second hot water supply pipe 18 .

The second hot water supply pipe 18 is connected to the bath-side circulation circuit 12 . A heat exchanger 15 is arranged in the hot water storage unit 40 . The bath-side circulation circuit 12 is a path that draws in bath water from the bathtub and returns the bath water that has passed through the heat exchanger 15 into the bathtub. When a bath circulation pump 14 connected in the middle of the bath-side circulation circuit 12 is operated, bath water is circulated from the bathtub through the bath-side circulation circuit 12 and back to the bathtub. The heat exchanger 15 exchanges heat between the bath water circulated by the bath-side circulation circuit 12 and the heat medium. The heat medium is hot water circulating from the hot water storage tank 1 or the heat pump unit 2 .

The control unit 24 opens the bath solenoid valve 13 when executing the hot water filling operation for filling the bath with hot water. As a result, the hot water temperature-controlled by the bathtub hot water supply mixing valve 11 flows into the bathtub through the second hot water supply pipe 18 and the bath-side circulation circuit 12 . The control unit 24 closes the bath solenoid valve 13 when finishing the operation of filling the bathtub with hot water.

The water inlet switching valve 17 is flow path switching means having ports a and b serving as inlets and a port c serving as outlets. The water inlet switching valve 17 is configured to be capable of switching between two paths ac and bc.

The outlet hot water switching valve 26 is flow path switching means having ports a and b serving as inlets and ports c and d serving as outlets. The outlet hot water switching valve 26 is configured to be capable of switching between four paths ac, ad, bc, and bd.

The intermediate temperature return switching valve 27 is flow path switching means having a port as an inlet and ports b, c, and d as outlets. The intermediate temperature return switching valve 27 is configured to be capable of switching between three paths of ab, ac, and ad.

The hot water storage unit 40 has a low temperature pipe 41 , a first water supply pipe 42 , a first hot water pipe 43 , a second hot water pipe 44 , a third hot water pipe 45 , a fourth hot water pipe 46 and a fifth hot water pipe 47 . The low temperature pipe 41 connects between the lower part of the hot water storage tank 1 and the a port of the water inlet switching valve 17 . The first water supply pipe 42 connects between the c port of the water inlet switching valve 17 and the inlet of the circulation pump 4 . The HP outgoing pipe 48 connects between the outlet of the circulation pump 4 and the inlet of the heat pump unit 2 . The HP return pipe 49 connects between the outlet of the heat pump unit 2 and the b port of the hot water switching valve 26 . The first hot water pipe 43 connects between the d port of the hot water output switching valve 26 and the a port of the intermediate temperature return switching valve 27 . The third hot water pipe 45 connects between the b port of the intermediate temperature return switching valve 27 and the hot water introduction outlet 1 c at the top of the hot water storage tank 1 . A fourth hot water pipe 46 connects between the d port of the intermediate temperature return switching valve 27 and a position in the middle of the high temperature hot water path 8 . The fifth hot water pipe 47 connects between the c port of the intermediate temperature return switching valve 27 and the hot water inlet 1 d provided in the middle portion of the hot water storage tank 1 .

An upper temperature sensor 6 is provided near the hot water introduction outlet 1c. Upper temperature sensor 6 detects the temperature of hot water heated by heat pump unit 2 and returned to the upper portion of hot water storage tank 1 .

The first tank circulation pipe 16 connects between a position in the middle of the third hot water pipe 45 and the heat medium inlet of the heat exchanger 15 . The second tank circulation pipe 50 connects between the heat medium outlet of the heat exchanger 15 and the b port of the incoming water switching valve 17 . The second water supply pipe 51 branches from between the inlet of the circulation pump 4 and the heat pump unit 2 in the HP outgoing pipe 48 and is connected to the a port of the hot water supply switching valve 26 . The bath heat recovery pipe 31 branches off from a position in the middle of the second tank circulation pipe 50 and is connected to a position in the middle of the medium-temperature water path 30 .

Two-way communication is possible between the control unit 24 and the remote controller 25 by wired communication or wireless communication. The control unit 24 and the remote controller 25 may be able to communicate via a network. Remote control 25 is an example of a user interface. The remote controller 25 has an operation unit operated by a user and a display unit 25a for displaying information. The remote controller 25 may have a touch screen that functions as both an operation unit and a display unit 25a.

By operating the remote controller 25, the user can remotely operate the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus and perform various settings. The display unit 25a of the remote controller 25 has a function as notification means for notifying the user of information. The remote controller 25 has a display unit 25a as notification means, but as a modification, it may have other notification means such as a voice guidance device.

In this embodiment, the remote controller 25 may be installed on the wall of the kitchen, living room, bathroom, or the like. A plurality of remote controllers 25 may be able to communicate with the controller 24 . Instead of the remote controller 25 or in addition to the remote controller 25, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smart phone may be configured to be used as a user interface.

Further, in the hot water storage type hot water heater, the control unit 24 may be connected to a HEMS (Home Energy Management System) that is installed by wireless communication and controls the power usage state in the home. In this case, the user can remotely operate the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus and perform various settings using the operation terminal of the HEMS.

The control unit 24 controls the heat pump unit 2, the HP circulation pump 4, the first to fifth temperature sensors 5a to 5e, the upper temperature sensor 6, the general hot water supply mixing valve 7, the bath hot water supply side electric mixing valve 11, and the bath solenoid valve 13. , bath circulation pump 14, hot water supply flow rate sensor 19, hot water supply temperature sensor 20, bath flow rate sensor 21, bath temperature sensor 22, water supply temperature sensor 23, and remote control 25. controlling.

For example, the control unit 24 changes the boiling capacity of the heat pump unit 2 according to the setting or each control by the user's operation of the remote controller 25 or the like. Further, the control unit 24 functions as a hot water storage operation executing means for executing a hot water storage operation in which the hot water heated by the heat pump unit 2 flows into the hot water storage tank 1 . In the hot water storage operation, the heat pump unit 2 and the circulation pump 4 are operated. The control unit 24 switches the inlet water switching valve 17 to the ac path, the hot water outlet switching valve 26 to the bd path, and the intermediate temperature return switching valve 27 to the ab path.

In the hot water storage operation, water taken out from the lower part of the hot water storage tank 1 is guided into the heat pump unit 2 through the low temperature pipe 41, the water inlet switching valve 17, the first water supply pipe 42, the circulation pump 4, and the HP outgoing pipe 48. . The high-temperature hot water heated in the heat pump unit 2 passes through the HP return pipe 49, the hot water output switching valve 26, the first hot water pipe 43, the intermediate temperature return switching valve 27, and the third hot water pipe 45, and then from the hot water introduction outlet 1c. It flows into the hot water storage tank 1 . By the hot water storage operation, the hot water is stored in the hot water storage tank 1 in a state in which high temperature hot water is gradually stacked from above.

In the hot water storage operation, the stored hot water temperature of the hot water storage tank 1 is determined so as to achieve the required heat storage amount corresponding to the hot water supply load. Also, the hot water storage operation is generally carried out mainly during late night hours when electricity rates are low. In the hot water storage operation, the amount of hot water to be used on the next day is calculated based on the amount of hot water supply used by the user in the past during the midnight hours, and the target hot water storage amount is set according to this amount of hot water. In the hot water storage operation in the late-night hours, hot water of the set target hot water storage amount is stored in the hot water storage tank 1.例文帳に追加

Further, the control unit 24 determines that hot water has run out when the amount of hot water stored in the tank 1 required for supplying hot water to the faucet or bathtub is insufficient. More specifically, for example, when the temperature of the first temperature sensor 5a installed at the top of the hot water storage tank 1 falls below a predetermined temperature, a hot water shortage error is generated. When an error occurs, for example, the display section 25a of the remote controller 25 displays a message that hot water is running out.

However, in the present embodiment, the controller 24 is configured to start boiling the hot water storage tank 1 when the amount of remaining hot water in the hot water storage tank 1 reaches the reference amount in order to prevent the hot water from running out. ing. Here, the calculation of the reference amount that serves as the reference for determining the start of the boiling operation will be described. The control unit 24 has functions as hot water supply load calculation means, maximum load calculation means, boilable hot water amount calculation means, and required hot water storage amount calculation means.

First, the control unit 24 functions as hot water supply load calculation means and calculates the hot water supply load. Specifically, based on the information from the timer, the hot water supply temperature sensor 20, the hot water supply flow rate sensor 19, the bath temperature sensor 22, and the bath flow rate sensor 21, the control unit 24 determines the past hot water supply performance of the user. are recorded daily. Based on this, the hot water supply load is calculated for each reference period in which daytime hours are divided at regular intervals. Furthermore, the control unit 24 obtains the maximum hot water supply load, which is the maximum among the calculated hot water supply loads. Note that the reference period is, for example, an interval of several minutes, and can be appropriately set to an optimal interval.

The control unit 24 functions as a boilable hot water amount calculating means and calculates a boilable hot water amount. The amount of hot water that can be boiled is the amount of hot water (that is, the amount of heat) that can be boiled from the start to the end of the reference period. Since the amount of hot water that can be boiled changes depending on the boiling capacity of the heat pump unit, the amount of hot water that can be boiled is calculated for each settable boiling capacity.

The control unit 24 functions as a required hot water storage amount calculation means, calculates the required hot water storage amount, and records it. The necessary amount of stored hot water is calculated by subtracting the amount of hot water that can be boiled from the maximum hot water supply load. As described above, the amount of hot water that can be boiled is calculated for each boiling capacity, so the required hot water storage amount is also calculated for each boiling capacity and recorded in association with the boiling capacity. When comparing the maximum hot water supply load and the occurrence period of the maximum hot water supply load under the same conditions, the required hot water storage amount is larger when the boiling capacity is small, and the required hot water storage amount is larger when the boiling capacity is large. Amount is small.

Note that the calculation of the required hot water storage amount is not limited to the above procedure. For example, the configuration may be such that the maximum value among the values obtained by subtracting the boiling-up hot water amount from the hot-water supply load for each reference period is calculated as the required hot-water storage amount for each boiling capacity.

The control unit 24 functions as a boiling-up executing means, and starts boiling when the amount of hot water remaining in the hot water storage tank 1 reaches a reference amount during the daytime. Here, in principle, the reference amount is set each time the midnight time zone ends. The reference amount is the required hot water storage amount corresponding to the boiling capacity set as the boiling capacity for the daytime zone at the end of the midnight time zone (that is, at the start of the daytime zone).

Even if the user changes the boiling capacity of the heat pump unit 2 during the daytime, for example, the control unit 24 does not change the reference amount. That is, the required hot water storage amount corresponding to the boiling capacity selected at the end of the late night time period is used as it is as the reference amount. If the reference amount is switched in accordance with the change of the boiling capacity by the user's operation of the remote control 25 or the like, there is a possibility that the user's unintended boiling will start when the boiling capacity is switched. Therefore, by prohibiting the change of the reference amount in the daytime period, it is possible to prevent the user's usability from deteriorating.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the control operation when determining the reference amount. The control unit 24 executes the control process of FIG. 2 at a predetermined cycle, such as once a day at the end of the late-night hours. In step S102 of the control operation in FIG. 2, the required hot water storage amount is calculated for each boiling capacity of the heat pump unit 2 and recorded in the control section 24 as a variable for each boiling capacity.

Next, in step S104, the boiling capacity of the heat pump unit 2 during the daytime hours set at the end of the midnight hours is obtained. Next, in step S106, of the required hot water storage amount calculated in step S102, the required hot water storage amount corresponding to the boiling capacity acquired in step S104 is set as a reference amount. After that, the operation of setting the reference amount is completed.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the reference amount for judging the start of boiling to prevent running out of hot water is the maximum hot water supply load among the daily hot water supply loads and the boiling capacity during the daytime hours. It is determined in consideration of the amount of hot water that can be raised. Therefore, it is possible to prevent running out of hot water by optimizing the amount of hot water to be secured in the hot water storage tank 1, and to suppress wasteful execution of the boiling operation, thereby reducing power consumption.

In this embodiment, even when the heating capacity of the heat pump unit is changed during the daytime hours, the reference amount set at the end of the midnight hours is used as it is. This is to prevent the inadvertent start of boiling due to a change in the reference amount. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and when the boiling capacity is changed during the daytime, the required hot water storage amount corresponding to the changed boiling capacity may be changed to the reference amount. In this case, by setting the execution cycle of the flowchart of FIG. 2 to be short, the reference amount can be changed as needed in response to changes in the boiling capacity during the daytime hours.

Embodiment 2.
The control unit 24 of Embodiment 2, in addition to the process of setting the required hot water storage amount according to the boiling capacity at the end of the nighttime period as the reference amount, as in the case of Embodiment 1, exceptionally sets the reference amount to A process of setting a value other than the required hot water storage amount corresponding to the boiling capacity at the end of the night time is executed. FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a control operation when determining a reference amount according to the second embodiment. The flowchart of FIG. 3 is repeatedly executed at a preset control cycle. A procedure for determining a reference amount according to the second embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

In step S202 of the control in FIG. 3, first, it is determined whether or not it is within a certain period of time after installation of the hot water storage type hot water heater. At the initial stage of installation of the hot water storage type water heater, there is no learning value of the user's hot water usage record. Therefore, the hot water supply load and the maximum hot water supply load for each reference period cannot be calculated. Therefore, when it is determined in step S202 that the fixed period has passed since the installation of the storage-type hot water heater, the control unit 24 proceeds to step S204 to calculate the initial value of the reference amount. The “fixed period” used in step S202 is a period necessary for learning the hot water supply usage pattern of the user. there is Control unit 24 learns the hot water supply load for each reference period during this period.

In step S204, the hot water supply load initial value is read. The hot water supply load initial value is set to a value that is somewhat large with a margin for the assumed hot water supply load, and is stored in the control unit 24 . Next, in step S206, the amount of hot water that can be boiled for each boiling capacity is subtracted from the hot water supply load initial value read in step S204 to calculate the required hot water storage amount. Next, in step S208, the maximum value of the required hot water storage amount is calculated as the reference amount. Until the learning period elapses, the reference amount is the reference amount set in step S208. As a result, it is possible to perform boiling efficiently to some extent while suppressing running out of hot water from the initial stage of installing the water heater.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S202 that it is not within the fixed period of time after installation of the hot water storage type hot water heater, then the process proceeds to steps S102 and S210 in order. In step S210, it is determined whether or not the energy saving priority mode for suppressing boiling during the daytime is selected. The user can select the energy saving mode by operating the remote controller 25 or the like. If it is determined in step S210 that the energy saving priority mode is selected, then the process proceeds to step S212, and the reference amount is set to the minimum value among the required hot water storage amounts calculated in step S102. That is, the required hot water storage amount corresponding to the maximum boiling capacity is set as the reference amount. As a result, since the boiling operation is not executed until the amount of hot water remaining in the hot water storage tank 1 reaches the minimum required hot water storage amount, the frequency of execution of boiling during the daytime can be reduced, and the energy saving effect can be enhanced.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S210 that the energy saving priority mode has not been selected, then the process proceeds to step S220, in which it is determined whether or not the user has specified a reference amount. Specifically, in the present embodiment, as one of the setting items of the HEMS or the remote control 25 or the like, an item is provided for selecting the reference amount from among the required hot water storage amounts for each boiling capacity. The user can arbitrarily select a reference amount by operating the remote control 25 or the like from items displayed such as "required hot water storage amount for capacity A" and "required hot water storage amount for capacity B". there is If it is determined in step S220 that the reference amount has been specified by the user, then the process proceeds to step S222, and the required hot water storage amount specified by the user is set as the reference amount.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S220 that the user has not specified the reference amount, then the flow advances to step S230 to determine whether or not a fixed mode for fixing the reference amount has been selected. In the present embodiment, the remote controller 25 has a switching mode in which the reference amount is switched each time according to the boiling capacity at the start of the daytime period, and a fixed mode in which the reference amount is uniformly fixed regardless of changes in the boiling capacity. serves as a selection means by which the user can select The fixed mode is provided, for example, when it is desired to fix the timing of boiling water every day. If it is determined in step S230 that the fixed mode is selected, the process proceeds to step S232, where the currently set reference amount is fixed as it is, and change of the reference amount is prohibited.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S230 that the fixed mode is not selected, then the process proceeds to step S240 to determine whether the correspondence between the hot water storage tank unit and the heat pump unit 2 is correct or incorrect. The control unit 24 functions as model determination means, and detects a model connection error when the hot water storage tank unit is connected to a heat pump unit of a previous model or a heat pump unit of a different capacity. discriminate.

If it is determined in step S240 that there is a model connection error, the process proceeds to step S241. In step S241, information indicating that there is an error in the correspondence between the hot water storage tank unit and the heat pump unit is displayed on the display unit 25a of the remote controller 25, and the user is notified of the error of the heterogeneous connection.

Next, in step S242, the reference amount is set to the maximum value among the required hot water storage amounts. In other words, the reference amount is the required hot water storage amount corresponding to the minimum boiling capacity. As a result, the necessary amount of hot water can be secured in the hot water storage tank 1 even when different models are connected, and running out of hot water can be prevented.

If it is determined in step S240 that there is no model connection error, then the process proceeds to step S244, in which it is determined whether hot water shortage has occurred and whether it has been within a certain period of time since the occurrence of hot water shortage. be. The "fixed period of time" here is set in advance in the control unit 24, for example, as the time from the occurrence of hot water shortage to the latest midnight start time. If it is determined in step S244 that it is within a certain period of time after the hot water shortage occurs, the process proceeds to step S242, and the reference amount is set to the maximum required hot water storage amount among the required hot water storage amounts. This suppresses further occurrence of hot water depletion.

If it is determined in step S244 that it is not within a certain period of time after the occurrence of hot water shortage, then the process proceeds to step S246 to determine whether or not the hot water storage operation executed in the immediately preceding midnight time period has been completed with less than the target hot water storage amount. is determined. If it is determined in step S246 that the hot water storage operation in the late-night time period is completed with less than the target hot water storage amount, the process proceeds to step S242, and the maximum value of the required hot water storage amount is set as the reference amount. When the amount of remaining hot water in the hot water storage tank 1 does not reach the target amount of stored hot water in the hot water storage operation in the late-night hours, it is expected that the amount of remaining hot water will continue to be small from a relatively early stage. Therefore, by setting the reference amount to the maximum value of the required hot water storage amount and starting the boiling operation early, the remaining hot water amount can be maintained at a relatively high level, and the hot water level at or before the maximum load can be maintained. Make sure to prevent breakage.

If it is determined in step S246 that the target hot water storage amount has been reached in the late-night hot water storage operation, the process proceeds to step S104, and as described in the first embodiment, the daytime time zone boils at the end of the late-night time zone. The required hot water storage amount corresponding to the capacity is set as the reference amount.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, when setting the reference amount, the setting by the user and the state of the hot water storage type hot water heater are considered, and a more appropriate reference amount is set. Therefore, running out of hot water and wasteful boiling can be suppressed more reliably.

In the second embodiment, as an example in which the reference amount is not set to the required hot water storage amount according to the boiling capacity during the daytime, after the initial installation, when the energy saving priority mode is selected and the user specifies, the fixed mode is set. Examples have been explained during selection, when there is a model connection error, within a certain period of time from the occurrence of hot water shortage, and when the hot water storage operation ends when the amount of hot water is less than the target amount of stored hot water. However, it is not limited to considering all these cases, and only for one or more of these cases, the reference amount may be separately set to a value other than the required hot water storage amount according to the boiling capacity.

Further, in Embodiment 2, the priority of the conditions for separately setting the reference amount is the order of the processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. In other words, when two or more specific conditions overlap, the condition for which it is determined whether the condition is met first is given priority. For example, if the energy-saving priority mode is selected, the minimum required amount of stored hot water is selected even within a certain period of time after the occurrence of hot water shortage. However, the order of priority is not limited to the order in the flowchart of FIG. The priority order can be appropriately changed by appropriately changing the order of the processing in the flowchart shown in FIG. In other words, for example, if the highest priority is given to the setting that maximizes the reference amount, the processing of steps S240 to S246 should be executed before the processing of step S202.

Embodiment 3.
In addition to the control of the first or second embodiment, the control unit of the third embodiment executes countermeasure control for the deterioration of the boiling capacity due to aged deterioration of the heat pump unit 2 . FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the control operation of the third embodiment. The control in FIG. 4 is executed in parallel with the control in FIG. 2 or 3 .

In the control of FIG. 4, first, in step S302, it is determined whether or not the number of years of installation of the heat pump unit 2 is equal to or longer than a certain number of years. The “fixed number of years” here is stored in advance in the control unit 24 as the number of years that the heat pump unit 2 is likely to deteriorate over time. An example of the fixed number of years is the warranty period of the device set by the manufacturer.

If it is determined in step S302 that the number of years of installation of the heat pump unit is not equal to or longer than the fixed number of years, the current process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S302 that the number of years of installation of the heat pump unit is equal to or longer than the fixed number of years, then the process proceeds to step S304, in which the number of times hot water runs out in the most recent period from the present time to before the reference time is equal to or greater than the reference number of times. It is determined whether or not Here, the most recent period is a predetermined period such as a period from two weeks ago to the present, for example. The reference number of times is determined in advance as an optimum value for judging deterioration and is recorded in the control unit. Specifically, an example of the reference number of times is a value such that the average number of hot water runs out during the most recent fixed period is one or more. The reference number of times is determined according to the most recent period. If it is determined in step S304 that the number of hot water shortages in the most recent period is not equal to or greater than the reference number of times, it can be determined that deterioration over time has not occurred, and this process ends as is.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S304 that the number of hot water shortages in the most recent fixed period is equal to or greater than the reference, the process proceeds to step S306, and it is determined that aging has occurred. In this case, the process proceeds to step S308, and the user is notified of the possibility of aged deterioration by means of display on the display unit 25a of the remote controller 25, guidance, or the like. Specifically, for example, a message such as "The heat pump unit is deteriorating" or "Please replace it" is displayed.

Next, in step S310, the reference amount is set to the maximum required hot water storage amount among the required hot water storage amounts. This setting takes precedence over the setting of the required hot water storage amount according to the boiling capacity set in the flow chart of FIG. The priority relationship with FIG. 3 can be set as appropriate.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the boiling capacity of the heat pump unit 2 deteriorates over time, the reference amount can be increased, and running out of hot water can be suppressed.

1 hot water storage tank 1b intermediate water inlet 1c hot water inlet 1d hot water inlet 2 heat pump unit 4 circulation pump 5a~5g temperature sensor 6 upper temperature sensor 7 general hot water mixing valve 7a hot water side inlet 7b Water side inlet 7c Hot water outlet 8 Hot water path 9 Water supply pipe 9a Water supply pipe 9b Water supply pipe 10 First hot water supply pipe 11 Bathtub hot water supply mixing valve 11 Bath hot water supply side electric mixing valve 11a Hot water side inlet 11b water side inlet 11c hot water outlet 12 bath side circulation circuit 13 bath solenoid valve 14 bath circulation pump 15 heat exchanger 16 first tank circulation pipe 17 water inlet switching valve 18 second hot water supply pipe 19 Hot water supply flow rate sensor 20 Hot water temperature sensor 21 Bath flow rate sensor 22 Bath temperature sensor 23 Water supply temperature sensor 24 Control unit 25 Remote control 25a Display unit 26 Hot water outlet switching valve 27 Switching valve 28 Intermediate temperature Extraction switching valve 28a medium temperature inlet 28b low temperature inlet 28c water outlet 30 medium temperature water path 31 bath heat recovery pipe 40 hot water storage unit 41 low temperature pipe 42 first water supply pipe 43-47 first to fifth hot water piping, 48, 49 piping, 50 second tank circulation piping, 51 second water supply piping

Claims (12)

a hot water storage tank unit containing a hot water storage tank;
heating means for heating hot water in the hot water storage tank with a plurality of variable boiling capacities;
a hot water supply load calculation means for calculating a hot water supply load, which is the amount of heat used during each of the reference periods, based on the amount of hot water supplied from the hot water storage tank during each of the reference periods in which daytime hours are divided at regular intervals; ,
Boiling hot water amount calculating means for calculating the amount of hot water that can be boiled by the heating means during the reference period as the boiling hot water amount for each of the boiling capacities of the heating means;
According to the difference between the maximum hot water supply load, which is the maximum value among the hot water supply loads, and the amount of hot water that can be boiled, the amount of hot water that needs to be stored in the hot water storage tank to prevent running out of hot water is a required hot water storage amount calculation means for calculating the required hot water storage amount for each capacity;
The necessary hot water storage amount corresponding to the boiling capacity during the daytime is set as a reference amount, and when the remaining hot water amount in the hot water storage tank reaches the reference amount, hot water heated by the heating means is added to the hot water storage tank. a boiling-up executing means for starting a boiling-up operation for storing hot water in
Storage hot water heater. When comparing the maximum hot water supply load and the occurrence period of the maximum hot water supply load under the same condition, the required hot water storage amount for each boiling capacity is larger when the heating means has a smaller boiling capacity. 2. The hot water storage type water heater according to claim 1, which is configured to have a larger value than . 3. The hot water storage type according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the boiling-up execution means is configured to set the reference amount to the required hot water storage amount corresponding to the boiling-up capacity set at the start of the daytime period. water heater. When the energy saving priority mode that suppresses the boiling operation is selected,
4. The boiling-up execution means according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reference amount is set to the minimum value among the required hot-water storage amounts calculated for each of the boiling capacities. storage hot water heater. further comprising model determination means for determining whether the combination of the hot water storage tank unit and the heating means is correct,
When the model determination means determines that the combination of the hot water storage tank unit and the heating means is incorrect,
5. The boiling-up execution means according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the reference amount is set to the maximum value among the required hot-water storage amounts calculated for each of the boiling-up capacities. storage hot water heater. For a certain period of time from the installation of the hot water storage type hot water heater,
The required hot water storage amount calculating means calculates the required hot water storage amount using a preset initial value as the maximum hot water supply load,
6. The boiling-up execution means according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the reference amount is set to the maximum value among the required hot-water storage amounts calculated for each of the boiling-up capacities. storage hot water heater. a hot water storage operation executing means for performing a hot water storage operation in which the hot water heated by the heating means is stored in the hot water storage tank in a late-night time zone so that the hot water in the hot water storage tank reaches a target hot water storage amount;
When the hot water storage operation ends in a state where the hot water storage amount in the hot water storage tank at the end of the late-night time period is less than the target hot water storage amount,
7. The boiling-up execution means according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the reference amount is set to the maximum value among the required hot-water storage amounts calculated for each of the boiling-up capacities. storage hot water heater. When hot water shortage occurs in which the amount of remaining hot water in the hot water storage tank is insufficient,
The boiling-up executing means is configured to set the reference amount to the maximum value among the required hot-water storage amounts calculated for each of the boiling-up capacities for a certain period of time after the occurrence of the hot water shortage. Item 8. The hot water storage type water heater according to any one of Items 1 to 7. The hot water storage type hot water heater according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the reference amount is configured to be arbitrarily changeable by a user. Further comprising selection means that allows a user to select a fixed mode in which the reference amount is a fixed value regardless of changes in the boiling capacity,
10. The hot water storage type according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the boiling-up executing means is configured not to change the currently set reference amount while the fixed mode is selected. water heater. When a certain period of time has passed since the installation of the heating means, and the number of hot water shortages in the most recent period from the present to the reference time is equal to or greater than the reference number,
11. The boiling-up execution means according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the reference amount is set to the maximum value among the required hot-water storage amounts calculated for each of the boiling-up capacities. storage hot water heater. 11. The apparatus further comprises a notification means for notifying information about aged deterioration when the certain period of time has elapsed since the installation of the heating means and the number of occurrences of the hot water shortage in the most recent period is equal to or greater than the reference number of times. The hot water storage type water heater described in .

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