Hot water supply system

• US 4,896,658 A
• Filed: 05/24/1988
• Issued: 01/30/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kidouchi, Yasuo, Tokumoto, Munehiko, Yonekubo, Hiroaki, Ueda, Yasukiyo
• Primary Examiner(s): Green, Randall L.
• Application Number:
  US07/202,576
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• Field of Search: 126/351, 126/362, 236/12.12, 236/51, 364/502, 137/814, 137/818, 137/831, 4/324, 4/524, 4/598
• US Class Current: 122/13.3
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 19/1051 for domestic hot water
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1393 characterised by the use of electric means

Abstract

A hot water supply system includes an arrangement for adjusting a temperature of water. A plurality of outlets are connected to water supplied objects. A change-over valve selects one of the outlets and supplies the water to the selected outlet. An outlet setting unit determines a target outlet selected from the outlets. A temperature setting unit determines a target temperature. A control unit controls the change-over valve and the temperature adjusting means in accordance with the target outlet and the target temperature.

Claims

1. A hot water supply system comprising:

(a) means for adjusting a temperature of water supplied to the temperature adjusting means from a hot water line and a cold water line, wherein the temperature adjusting means includes a mixing valve mixing hot water and cold water supplied thereto at an adjustable ratio;

(b) a plurality of outlets receiving water from the temperature adjusting means and connected to water supplied objects;

(c) a change-over valve means interposed between the temperature adjusting means and the outlets for selecting one of the outlets and supplying the water to a selected target outlet;

(d) an outlet setting unit means connected to the changeover valve means for determining the target outlet selected from the outlets;

(e) a temperature setting unit means connected to the mixing valve for determining a target temperature; and

(f) a control unit means for controlling the change-over valve means and the temperature adjusting means in accordance with the selected target outlet to attain the target temperature, wherein the control unit controls the temperature adjusting means and thereby controls the temperature of water in accordance with which of the outlets is selected by the change-over valve means, wherein the control unit means includes means for predetermining different target temperatures corresponding to the respective target outlets, the target temperatures being in present individual ranges of the temperature of the water, and means for controlling the temperature adjusting means on the basis of the target temperature which corresponds to the selected outlet and which is in the preset individual range of the temperature of the water such that the target temperature at each location of said selected outlet cannot of exceeded by the actual temperature be water supplied to that outlet.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a remote control setting unit converted to enable the change-over valve means to select a predetermined one of the outlets and thereby supply water to the selected outlet.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the outlet setting unit means comprises a number of sections equal to the number of the outlets.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising an end section connected to the change-over valve means and passages connecting the respective outlets to the end section, the passages meeting at a point upstream of the end section.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said mixing valve includes a hot water inlet valve and a cold water inlet valve each having a valve axis substantially lying along the direction of inlet flows into the hot and cold water valves to allow the mixing ratio to vary substantially linearly.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the change-over valve means is operative to adjust a supply rate of the water.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising means for determining a target supply rate, means for controlling the change-over valve means in accordance with the target supply rate, means for detecting an actual supplied quantity of the water, means for determining a target supplied quantity, and means for suspending a further supply of the water when the actual supplied quantity reaches the target quantity.

8. A hot water supply system comprising:

(a) means for adjusting a temperature of water supplied to the temperature adjusting means from a hot water line and a cold water line, wherein the temperature adjusting means includes a mixing valve mixing hot water and cold water supplied thereto at an adjustable ratio;

(b) a plurality of outlets receiving water from the temperature adjusting means and connected to water supplied objects;

(c) a change-over valve means interposed between the temperature adjusting means and the outlets for selecting one of the outlets and supplying the water to a selected target outlet;

(d) an outlet setting unit means connected to the change-over valve means for determining the target outlet selected from the outlets;

(e) a temperature setting unit means connected to the mixing valve for determining a target temperature; and

(f) a control unit means for controlling the change-over valve means and the temperature adjusting means in accordance with the selected target outlet to attain the target temperature, wherein the control unit controls the temperature adjusting means and thereby controls the temperature of water in accordance with which of the outlets is selected by the change-over valve means;

further comprising a temperature safety valve means connected to the change-over valve means for preventing a supply of the water via one of the outlets when the temperature of the water exceeds an upper limit of the range of the temperature of the water corresponding to the selected outlet.

9. A hot water supply system comprising:

(a) means for adjusting a temperature of water supplied to the temperature adjusting means from a hot water line and a cold water line, wherein the temperature adjusting means includes a mixing valve mixing hot water and cold water supplied thereto at an adjustable ratio;

(b) a plurality of outlets receiving water from the temperature adjusting means and connected to water supplied objects;

(c) a change-over valve means interposed between the temperature adjusting means and the outlets for selecting one of the outlets and supplying the water to a selected target outlet;

(d) an outlet setting unit means connected to the changeover valve means for determining the target outlet selected from the outlets;

(e) a temperature setting unit means connected to the mixing valve for determining a target temperature; and

(f) a control unit means for controlling the change-over valve means and the temperature adjusting means in accordance with the selected target outlet to attain the target temperature, wherein the control unit controls the temperature adjusting means and thereby controls the temperature of water in accordance with which of the outlets is selected by the change-over valve means;

further comprising means for detecting a temperature of the water, means for determining different target temperatures corresponding to the respective outlets, and means for, when the detected temperature appreciably differs for the target temperature corresponding to the selected outlet, forcing the change-over valve means to select another of the outlets, and means for, when the detected temperature becomes substantially equal to the target temperature corresponding to the selected outlet, forcing the change-over valve to select the previously-selected outlet again.

10. A hot water supply system comprising:

(a) means for adjusting a temperature of water supplied to the temperature adjusting means from a hot water line and a cold water line, wherein the temperature adjusting means includes a mixing valve mixing hot water and cold water supplied thereto at an adjustable ratio;

(b) a plurality of outlets receiving water from the temperature adjusting means and connected to water supplied objects;

(c) a change-over valve means interposed between the temperature adjusting means and the outlets for selecting one of the outlets and supplying the water to a selected target outlet;

(d) an outlet setting unit means connected to the changeover valve means for determining the target outlet selected from the outlets;

(e) a temperature setting unit means connected to the mixing valve for determining a target temperature; and

(f) a control unit means for controlling the change-over valve means and the temperature adjusting means in accordance with the selected target outlet to attain the target temperature, wherein the control unit controls the temperature adjusting means and thereby controls the temperature of water in accordance with which of the outlets is selected by the change-over valve means;

wherein the mixing valve comprises a valve member and an electric driver driving the valve member, and further comprises means for detecting whether or not a supply of the water is being supplied to the mixing valve, and means for deactivating the electric driver when the supply of the water is not being supplied, and further including water temperature measuring means detecting water temperature in the mixing valve to provide a signal for controlling the mixing valve, said water temperature measuring means being subject to natural cooling when the supply of water through the mixing valve ceases, whereby said deactivation of the electric driver prevents a supply of excessively hot water from being supplied to the mixing valve upon restart of water supply, said supply of excessively hot water tending to be caused by natural cooling of the temperature measuring means which occurs during suspension of hot water supply.