Automatic hot water supply apparatus

• US 5,058,804 A
• Filed: 09/06/1989
• Issued: 10/22/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hirata, Katsumi, Miyoshi, Risho, Tokumoto, Munehiko, Iwasa, Takashi, Yonekubo, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Wayner, William E.
• Application Number:
  US07/403,522
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• Field of Search: 236/12.12, 236/12.11, 236/93 B, 364/502, 4/192
• US Class Current: 236/12.12
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/04 Water-basin installations specially adapted to wash-basins or baths valves, faucets, mixing valves, taps F16K
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 19/1051 for domestic hot water
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/174 Supplying heated water with desired temperature or desired range of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/219 after heating
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/31 of valves having only one inlet port and one outlet port, e.g. flow rate regulating valves
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/36 of burners
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1393 characterised by the use of electric means

Abstract

An automatic hot water supply apparatus produces and supplies hot water by mixing, with a hot water/cold water mixing valve, hot water supplied from an instantaneous water heater unit through a hot water supply pipe and cold water supplied through a cold water supply pipe. The automatic hot water supply apparatus includes a flow rate control valve actuatable by an electric actuator, and a flow rate limiting unit responsive to a hot water temperature setting, or a season setting, or a detected hot water temperature, for varying the flow rate of mixed hot water. The electric actuator is controlled by a signal from the flow rate limiting unit to operate the flow rate control valve in order to solve the problems of a low water temperature during the winter, an excessive hot water flow rate, and a low instantaneous water heater unit capability, so that the automatic hot water supply apparatus can supply hot water at a desired temperature.

Claims

1. An automatic hot water supply apparatus comprising:

a cold water/hot water mixing valve for mixing cold water supplied through a cold water supply pipe and hot water supplied from an instantaneous water heater unit through a hot water supply pipe, to form temperature-regulated hot water;

a temperature-regulated hot water supply pipe for supplying the temperature-regulated hot water from said cold water/hot water mixing valve to a tap location;

a temperature-regulated hot water temperature setting unit for setting a temperature for the temperature-regulated hot water;

a temperature-regulated hot water temperature detector disposed in said temperature-regulated hot water supply pipe, for detecting the temperature of the temperature-regulated hot water;

a flow rate control valve for controlling the rate of flow of the temperature regulated hot water;

electric actuator means for actuating said flow rate control valve; and

a controller for comparing signals from said temperature-regulated hot water temperature detector and said temperature-regulated hot water temperature setting unit for controlling said cold water/hot water mixing valve, and for detecting a reduction in the temperature of the temperature-regulated hot water temperature detector and controlling said flow rate control valve to reduce the rate of flow to the temperature-regulated hot water when the temperature set by said temperature-regulated hot water temperature setting unit cannot be achieved by said cold water/hot water mixing valve.

2. An automatic hot water supply apparatus comprising:

a cold water/hot water mixing valve for mixing cold water supplied through a cold water supply pipe and hot water supplied from an instantaneous water heater unit through a hot water supply pipe, into temperature-regulated hot water;

a temperature-regulated hot water supply pipe for supplying the temperature-regulated hot water from said cold water/hot water mixing valve to a tap location;

a temperature-regulated hot water temperature setting unit for setting a temperature for the temperature-regulated hot water;

a flow rate control valve for controlling the rate of flow of the temperature-regulated hot water;

electric actuator means for actuating said flow rate control valve;

flow rate limiting means for determining a flow rate at which the temperature-regulated hot water is to flow, based on either one or a combination of the capability of the instantaneous water heater unit, the temperature set by said temperature-regulated hot water temperature setting unit, and an actual or estimated temperature of the cold water such that the rate of flow of the temperature-regulated hot water is either increased or reduced depending on the capability of the instantaneous water heater unit, and/or the temperature set by said temperature-regulated hot water temperature setting unit, and/or the actual or estimated temperature of the cold water supplied through the cold water supply pipe; and

a controller for controlling said electric actuator means according to the rate determined by said flow rate limiting mans when the temperature-regulated hot water starts to be supplied.

3. An automatic hot water supply apparatus comprising:

a cold water/hot water mixing valve for mixing cold water supplied through a cold water supply pipe and hot water supplied from an instantaneous water heater unit through a hot water supply pipe, into temperature-regulated hot water;

a temperature-regulated hot water supply pipe for supplying the temperature-regulated hot water from said cold water/hot water mixing valve to a tap location;

a temperature-regulated hot water temperature setting unit for setting a temperature for the temperature-regulated hot water;

a flow rate control valve for controlling the rate of flow of the temperature-regulated hot water;

electric actuator means for actuating said flow rate control valve;

flow rate limiting means for determining a flow rate at which the temperature-regulated hot water is to flow, based on either one or a combination of the capability of the instantaneous water heater unit, the temperature set by said temperature-regulated hot water temperature setting unit, and an actual or estimated temperature of the cold water;

a controller for controlling said electric actuator means according to the rate determined by said flow rate limiting means when the temperature-regulated hot water starts to be supplied; and

a tap location setting unit for indicating one, at a time, of a plurality of tap locations, said flow rate limiting means comprising means for determining the flow rate at which the temperature-regulated hot water is to flow, based on the tap location indicated by said tap location setting and the temperature set by said temperature-regulated hot water temperature setting unit.

4. An automatic hot water supply apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said flow rate limiting means comprises a memory for storing flow rates determined by said tap location setting unit and temperatures set by said temperature-regulated hot water temperature setting unit.

5. An automatic hot water supply apparatus comprising:

a cold water/hot water mixing valve for mixing cold water supplied through a cold water supply pipe and hot water supplied from an instantaneous water heater unit through a hot water supply pipe, into temperature-regulated hot water;

a temperature-regulated hot water supply pipe for supplying the temperature-regulated hot water from said cold water/hot water mixing valve to a tap location;

a temperature-regulated to water temperature setting unit for setting a temperature for the temperature-regulated hot water;

a flow rate control valve for controlling the rate of flow of the temperature-regulated hot water;

electric actuator means or actuating said flow rate control valve;

flow rate limiting means for determining a flow rate at which the temperature-regulated hot water is to flow, based on either one or a combination of the capability of the instantaneous water heater unit, the temperature set by said temperature-regulated hot water temperature setting unit, and an actual or estimated temperature of the cold water, said flow rate limiting means comprising a season setting unit for setting a season dependent on which the temperature of the cold water is estimated; and

a controller for controlling said electric actuator means according to the rate determined by said flow rate limiting means when the temperature-regulated hot water starts to be supplied.

6. An automatic hot water supply apparatus comprising:

a cold water/hot water mixing valve for mixing cold water supplied through a cold water supply pipe and hot water supplied from an instantaneous water heater unit through a hot water supply pipe, into temperature-regulated hot water;

a temperature-regulated hot water supply pipe for supplying the temperature-regulated hot water from said cold water/hot water mixing valve to a tap location;

a temperature-regulated hot water temperature setting unit for setting a temperature for the temperature-regulated hot water;

a flow rate control valve for controlling the rate of flow of the temperature-regulated hot water;

electric actuator means for actuating said flow rate control valve;

flow rate limiting means for determining a flow rate at which the temperature-regulated hot water is to flow, based on either one or a combination of the capability of the instantaneous water heater unit, the temperature set by said temperature-regulated hot water temperature setting unit, and an actual or estimated temperature of the cold water;

a controller for controlling said electric actuator means according to the rate determined by said flow rate limiting means when the temperature-regulated hot water starts to be supplied; and

an indicator panel indicating instantaneous water heater unit capabilities and seasons, said flow rate limiting means comprising manually operable means for setting the flow rate at which the temperature-regulated hot water is to flow, according to the instantaneous water heater unit capabilities and seasons indicated by said indicator panel.

7. An automatic hot water supply apparatus comprising:

a cold water/hot water mixing valve for mixing cold water supplied through a cold water supply pipe and hot water supplied from an instantaneous water heater unit through a hot water supply pipe, into temperature-regulated hot water;

a temperature-regulated hot water supply pipe for supplying the temperature-regulated hot water from said cold water/hot water mixing valve to a tap location;

a temperature-regulated hot water temperature setting unit for setting a temperature for the temperature-regulated hot water;

a flow rate control valve for controlling the rate of flow of the temperature-regulated hot water;

electric actuator means for actuating said flow rate control valve;

flow rate limiting means for determining a flow rate at which the temperature-regulated hot water is to flow, based on either one or a combination of the capability of the instantaneous water heater unit, the temperature set by said temperature-regulated hot water temperature setting unit, and an actual or estimated temperature of the cold water, said flow rate limiting means comprises a flow rate table containing flow rates at which the temperature-regulated hot water is to flow, and means for selecting one of said flow rates contained in said flow rate control table base don a combination of at least two of the capability of the instantaneous water heater unit, the temperature set by sad temperature-regulated hot water temperature setting unit, and the temperature of the cold water; and

a controller for controlling said electric actuator means according to the rate determined by said flow rate limiting means when the temperature-regulated hot water starts to be supplied.