JP7559319B2 - Bathtub cleaning device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a bathtub cleaning device, including a bathtub cleaning device, and in particular to a bathtub cleaning device that can prevent air from getting into the pump when refilling hot water into the hot water storage section.

Conventionally, bathtub cleaning devices have been put into practical use, which include a cleaning nozzle at the bottom of the bathtub, a storage tank near the bathtub that stores hot and cold water from the hot water supply device, a cleaning unit having valves (on-off valves and constant flow valves), a cleaning pump, a check valve, a flow sensor, etc., and a detergent supply system that supplies detergent to the hot and cold water that is discharged, and which spray a cleaning solution made by adding detergent to the hot and cold water from the cleaning nozzle onto the inner surface of the bathtub to automatically clean the inner surface of the bathtub.

The bathtub cleaning device in Patent Document 1 is disclosed to have a hot water tank that stores hot water for cleaning and a water level detection means that detects the water level, and when the water level is high, the pump is driven while refilling the hot water tank with hot water to perform cleaning, and when the water level becomes low, the tank is refilled with hot water until the high water level is reached.

The bathtub cleaning device in Patent Document 2 has a hot water tank that stores hot water for cleaning, a normal water level detection means that detects the normal water level below the overflow outlet, and a full water level detection means that detects the full water level above the overflow outlet, and discloses that hot water is replenished up to the normal water level when the pump is not operating, and hot water is replenished up to the full water level when the pump is operating.

The bathtub cleaning device in Patent Document 3 discloses that hot and cold water is replenished into the hot and cold water tank before the water level drops to the bottom of the tank.

JP 2019-58224 A JP 2019-118671 A JP 2020-69385 A

Since the hot water storage section (hot water tank) of the bathtub cleaning device must be installed in a small space, a relatively small tank is used, which leads to the following problems:
In the bathtub cleaning devices of Patent Documents 1 and 2, because hot and cold water is supplied from the hot and cold water storage section to the cleaning nozzle while cleaning is being performed, the liquid level in the hot and cold water storage section fluctuates up and down, and there is a risk of air being sucked into the pump. When air is sucked in, not only must the cleaning be interrupted, but the cleaning liquid that has accumulated between the venturi section, which introduces detergent to remove the air, and the cleaning nozzle is wasted.

The object of the present invention is to provide a bathtub cleaning device that can prevent air from getting into the pump when refilling the hot water storage section.

The bathtub cleaning device of claim 1 comprises a hot water storage section that is provided in a hot water passage that supplies hot water to a cleaning nozzle installed in a bathtub and is capable of storing hot water, a hot water supply solenoid valve that is disposed in the hot water passage at a position upstream of the hot water storage section, a water level detection means that detects the water level in the hot water storage section, a pump that supplies hot water from the hot water storage section to the cleaning nozzle, and a control means that controls a cleaning operation , the cleaning operation being performed by performing a preliminary rinse in which only hot water is sprayed from the cleaning nozzle, followed by spraying a cleaning liquid in which a detergent is mixed with hot water and waiting. The device is configured to perform cleaning repeatedly several times, and the first spray of cleaning liquid is set to have a larger amount of spray than the second and subsequent sprays of cleaning liquid.The control means controls the hot water inlet solenoid valve and the pump to supply hot water to the hot water storage section during standby after the spray of cleaning liquid until a high water level in the hot water storage section is detected, and to start supplying hot water to the hot water storage section when a high water level in the hot water storage section is no longer detected during the first spray of cleaning liquid.

According to the above configuration, when cleaning with cleaning liquid, basically, hot water is supplied to the hot water storage section during standby after the spraying of cleaning liquid until a high water level in the hot water storage section is detected, so the pump is not driven in a state where the liquid level in the hot water storage section fluctuates up and down due to the supply of hot water to the hot water storage section. Therefore , air does not get caught in the pump, and it is possible to reliably prevent interruptions to cleaning and wasting of cleaning liquid due to air getting caught in the pump.

In addition, since the amount of cleaning liquid sprayed in the first spray is greater than that in the second and subsequent sprays of cleaning liquid , in the case of the first spray of cleaning liquid, the control means starts supplying hot water to the hot water storage section when the high water level in the hot water storage section is no longer detected, even during the spraying of cleaning liquid .

In the first spray of cleaning liquid, which has a large spray volume, if no water is supplied to the hot water storage tank by the end of spraying, the water level in the hot water storage tank will drop and there is a risk of air being trapped in the pump , so the supply of hot water to the hot water storage tank begins when the high water level in the hot water storage tank is no longer detected during spraying of cleaning liquid. This allows hot water to be supplied to the hot water storage tank without the water level in the hot water storage tank dropping significantly, thereby suppressing air being trapped in the pump.

The bathtub cleaning device of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1 , the control means starts supplying hot water to the hot water storage tank when it detects a low water level in the hot water storage tank during standby.

According to the above configuration, when the device transitions to standby mode, the water level in the hot water storage section is usually low, so the supply of hot water to the hot water storage section will begin. Even if some abnormality occurs and the device transitions to standby mode, it is possible that the water level in the hot water storage section will not reach a low level. Therefore, by starting the supply of hot water to the hot water storage section if a low water level is detected in the hot water storage section during standby, a fail-safe is achieved and overflow from the hot water storage section can be prevented.

The present invention provides the various effects described above.

1 is a configuration diagram of a bathtub cleaning system including a bathtub cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the storage tank. 4 is a time chart showing the cleaning and standby operations, the operation of the pump, and the operation of the solenoid valve for pouring hot water when cleaning the bathtub. This is a diagram explaining the state of the high and low water level switches, valves, and pumps during standby and when cleaning liquid is sprayed.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, the overall configuration of the bathtub cleaning system including the bathtub cleaning device 10 and its peripheral devices will be described.

As shown in Figure 1, a hot water supply device 2 for filling and reheating the bathtub 1 is connected to a bathtub 1 via a filling and reheating pipe 3, and the pipe 3 is connected to a circulation adapter 1a of the bathtub 1. In addition, a drain plug 4 for draining hot and cold water and a cleaning nozzle 5 for cleaning the bathtub 1 by spraying detergent and hot and cold water are provided at the bottom of the bathtub 1.
As shown in Figure 1, a bath lid detection switch 1s consisting of a proximity switch that detects the open/closed state of the lid 1c of the bathtub 1 is provided on the flange portion of the bathtub 1, and its detection signal is supplied to the control unit 21 described later.

Near the bathtub 1, there are disposed a cleaning unit 6 that supplies detergent and hot and cold water to the cleaning nozzle 5, a detergent tank 7 that stores detergent, and a drain switch 4a for opening and closing the drain plug 4. The bathtub cleaning device 10 has the cleaning unit 6, detergent tank 7, and cleaning nozzle 5, which are connected by multiple pipes.

The washing unit 6 is connected to a detergent pipe 7a for supplying detergent from a detergent tank 7 and a hot water pipe 2a for supplying hot water from the hot water supply device 2. For example, a power supply communication unit 8 installed on the ceiling of the bathroom is connected to the hot water supply device 2 by a power cord and a communication cord, and the power supply communication unit 8 and the washing unit 6 are connected by multiple drive control cords. A human presence sensor 9 is provided in the bathroom to detect the presence or absence of a person in the bathroom, and this human presence sensor 9 is connected to the power supply communication unit 8.

The hot water supply device 2 is, for example, a combustion-type hot water supply device that supplies hot water heated by using the heat of combustion of fuel, but it may also be a hot water supply device having a heat pump-type heat source unit. A bathroom operation remote control 11 and a kitchen operation remote control 12 are connected to the hot water supply device 2 for starting the hot water filling operation and the reheating operation, setting the hot water supply temperature, etc.

In addition, a cleaning operation remote control 13, which is used to start the cleaning operation of the bathtub cleaning device 10, is connected to the power communication unit 8 and the hot water supply device 2 so that signals can be sent and received. This cleaning operation remote control 13 is installed in the changing room. Note that remote control is an abbreviation for remote controller. The kitchen operation remote control 12 and bathroom operation remote control 11 can also communicate with the bathtub cleaning device 10 via the hot water supply device 2 and the power communication unit 8.

The kitchen operation remote control 12 has a touch-operable display unit 12a and an audio output unit 12b. The bathroom operation remote control 11 has a touch-operable display unit 11a and an audio output unit 11b. The cleaning operation remote control 13 has a touch-operable display unit 13a and an audio output member 13b.

The bathroom operation remote control 11, kitchen operation remote control 12, and cleaning operation remote control 13 are connected to the Internet 15 via a home wireless network constructed, for example, by a line termination device 14 equipped with a router function. A server 16 installed by the provider (manufacturer, etc.) of the water heater 2 and bathtub cleaning device 10 is connected to the Internet 15.

The server 16 relays the data so that the user of the water heater 2 and bathtub cleaning device 10 can operate them from a smartphone 17 or the like via the Internet 15 while away from home. The bathroom operation remote control 11, kitchen operation remote control 12, cleaning operation remote control 13, smartphone 17, etc. are remote controllers that can start the cleaning operation of the bathtub cleaning device 10.

The cleaning unit 6 of the bathtub cleaning device 10 has a storage tank 22 (hot water storage section) that stores hot water, a hot water supply pipe 23 that is connected to the hot water supply pipe 2a and supplies hot water to the storage tank 22, the hot water supply pipe 23 having two branch passages 23a, 23b and a junction passage 23c where the branch passages 23a join, a filter 24 installed in the hot water supply pipe 23, a hot water supply solenoid valve 25a and a constant flow valve 26a installed in one branch passage 23a from the upstream side, and a hot water supply solenoid valve 25b and a constant flow valve 26b installed in the other branch passage 23b from the upstream side.

As shown in FIG. 2, the storage tank 22 is provided with a float-type water level detector 22a capable of detecting low and high water levels, and the detection signal is supplied to the control unit 21 in the power supply communication unit 8. The water level detector 22a has a float switch H that detects the high water level and a float switch L that detects the low water level. The storage tank 22 is also provided with an overflow port 22b.

The cleaning unit 6 further includes a discharge pipe 27 extending from the storage tank 22 to the cleaning noble 5, and a pump 28, a thermistor 29, two check valves 30, a flow sensor 31, and a venturi 32 connected to the detergent supply pipe 7a, which are arranged in this order from the upstream side of the discharge pipe 27. A detergent solenoid valve 7c is arranged in the detergent supply pipe 7a extending from the detergent tank 7.

The control unit 21 built into the power supply communication unit 8 includes, for example, a microcomputer equipped with a calculation unit, a memory unit, an input/output unit, and a clock circuit, and controls the equipment related to the flushing operation and the drain plug 4, as well as the flushing operation control described below, based on the control programs stored in the memory unit.

During the flush operation, the control unit 21 opens the drain plug 4, and based on the detection signal from the water level detector 22a, controls the opening and closing of the solenoid valves 25a, 25b, 7c of the hot and cold water supply pipe 23 and the detergent supply pipe 7a, the driving of the pump 28, etc., and also stores the flush operation history including the start and end times of the flush operation, the flush course, the number of flush operations (number of automatic flushes), etc.

The cleaning operation will now be described.
When the cleaning operation of bathtub cleaning device 10 is started by operating any of the bathroom operation remote control 11, kitchen operation remote control 12, cleaning operation remote control 13, smartphone 17, etc., with the bathtub lid closed, control unit 21 opens drain plug 4, and with hot and cold water stored in storage tank 22, drives pump 28 to spray cleaning liquid mixed with detergent into hot and cold water supplied to cleaning nozzle 5 from cleaning nozzle 5.

The flow rate of the constant flow valves 26a, 26b is, for example, 5 L/min each, and the discharge rate of the pump 28 is, for example, 6.5 L/min. When the water level in the storage tank 22 becomes low, one of the hot water supply solenoid valves 25a, 25b opens to supply hot water at a flow rate of 5 L/min, and when the water level in the storage tank 22 becomes high, the hot water supply solenoid valves 25a, 25b close.

Next, the cleaning operation performed by the control unit 21 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, when the cleaning operation is started, a preliminary rinse is performed for 20 to 40 seconds by driving the pump 28 to spray only hot and cold water, and then after a standby period of 30 to 50 seconds, a #1 cleaning (for 2 to 4 seconds) is performed in which a cleaning solution made of hot and cold water mixed with detergent is sprayed onto the inner surface of the bathtub via the pump 28, followed by a standby period of 40 seconds.

The #1 flush is performed for a relatively long time (2 to 4 seconds) to push out the hot water remaining in the discharge pipe 27 after the previous rinse. After a 40-second wait time has elapsed, the pump 28 is driven to perform the #2 flush (0.5 to 2 seconds), and then the machine waits for 30 to 50 seconds.
As with the #2 wash, the #3 wash and standby to the #6 wash and standby are performed, and then a rinse in which only hot and cold water is sprayed is performed for 70 to 100 seconds, at which point the wash operation ends.
In synchronization with the above-mentioned pre-rinse, six washings, and rinsing, the pump 28 is driven as shown in the figure. Note that the above-mentioned values indicating the washing time and waiting time are merely examples.

Next, the operation of the solenoid valve 25a during the cleaning operation will be described.
For #2 flush to #6 flush, the control unit 21 controls the hot water supply solenoid valve 25a so that hot water is supplied to the storage tank 22 during standby after each flush and until a high water level is detected in the storage tank 22. Therefore, after each flush is completed, the hot water supply solenoid valve 25a is opened to start supplying hot water as soon as a low water level is detected, and then when a high water level is detected, the hot water supply solenoid valve 25a is closed.

In the #1 flush, the amount of washing liquid sprayed is greater than in the #2 flush and subsequent flushes , so when a predetermined short time has elapsed since the start of spraying and the high water level in the storage tank 22 is no longer detected, the hot water supply solenoid valve 25a is opened to start supplying hot water to the storage tank 22, and when a high water level is detected, the hot water supply solenoid valve 25a is controlled to close.
FIG. 4 shows the ON/OFF states of the float switch, hot water supply solenoid valves 25a, 25b, detergent solenoid valve 7c, and pump 28 during the above-described washing operation (however, washing after the #2 wash).

Next, the operation and effects of the bathtub cleaning device 10 described above will be described.
For #2 flush to #6 flush, hot and cold water is supplied to the storage tank 22 during standby after each spray of cleaning liquid until a high water level in the storage tank 22 is detected, so the pump 28 is not driven in a state in which the liquid level in the storage tank 22 fluctuates up and down due to the supply of hot and cold water to the storage tank 22, and therefore no air is trapped in the pump 28. This makes it possible to reliably prevent interruptions to cleaning and wasting of cleaning liquid due to air being trapped in the pump 28.

Since the amount of cleaning fluid sprayed in the #1 flush , i.e., the first flush, is greater than the amount of cleaning fluid sprayed in the second and subsequent flushes (flushes after the #2 flush) , there is a risk that the water level will drop before the end of the first flush, causing air entrapment in the pump. Therefore, in such a case, when the high water level in the storage tank 22 is no longer detected, the supply of hot water to the storage tank 22 will begin even during the spraying of cleaning fluid. In this case, hot water will be supplied to the storage tank 22 without the water level in the storage tank 22 dropping significantly, so air entrapment in the pump 28 can be suppressed.

When the device transitions to standby mode, the water level in the storage tank 22 is usually at a low level, so the supply of hot and cold water to the storage tank 22 will begin. Even if some abnormality occurs and the device transitions to standby mode, it is possible that the water level in the storage tank 22 will not reach a low level. Therefore, by starting the supply of hot and cold water to the storage tank 22 if a low water level in the storage tank 22 is detected during standby, a fail-safe is achieved and overflow from the storage tank 22 can be prevented.

Next, a modification of the above embodiment will be described.
(1) The cleaning operation shown in FIG. 3 is an example, and the number of cleaning operations is not limited to six.
(2) In addition, a person skilled in the art would be able to implement the above-described embodiment in various modified forms, and the present invention also encompasses such modified forms.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Bathtub 2 Hot water supply device 6 Cleaning unit 8 Power supply communication unit 10 Bathtub cleaning device 11 Bathtub operation remote control 12 Kitchen operation remote control 13 Cleaning operation remote control 17 Smartphone 21 Control unit 22 Storage tank 22a Water level detector 25a, 25b Hot water supply solenoid valve 28 Pump

Claims (2)

A bathtub cleaning device comprising: a hot water storage section that is provided in a hot water passageway that supplies hot water to a cleaning nozzle installed in a bathtub and is capable of storing hot water; a hot water supply solenoid valve that is provided in the hot water passageway at a position upstream of the hot water storage section; a water level detection means that detects the water level in the hot water storage section; a pump that supplies hot water from the hot water storage section to the cleaning nozzle; and a control means that controls cleaning operation ;
The washing operation is configured to perform a preliminary rinse in which only hot and cold water is sprayed from the washing nozzle, and then to perform washing by repeating spraying of a washing liquid obtained by mixing hot and cold water with a detergent and waiting several times, and the amount of sprayed washing liquid for the first spray is set to be larger than the amount of sprayed washing liquid for the second and subsequent sprays,
The bathtub cleaning device is characterized in that the control means controls the hot water inlet solenoid valve and the pump to supply hot water to the hot water storage section during standby after the injection of cleaning liquid until a high water level in the hot water storage section is detected, and to start supplying hot water to the hot water storage section when a high water level in the hot water storage section is no longer detected during the first injection of cleaning liquid. 2. The bathtub cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the control means starts supplying hot and cold water to the hot and cold water storage tank when a low water level in the hot and cold water storage tank is detected during standby.