Connected hot-water supply system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10107521-B2
Application number	US-201514966188-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2015
Priority date	Dec 25, 2014
Publication date	Oct 23, 2018
Grant date	Oct 23, 2018

Abstract

To provide a connected hot-water supply system capable of preventing combustion failure of the burner of each hot-water supplier during hot-water supply operation to achieve stable hot-water supply operation. When dispersion in the rotation speed of a fan 15 among respective hot-water suppliers 1 is detected, a connection control unit 2 regulates the combustion amount of each of the hot-water suppliers 1 so as to reduce a difference in the rotation speed of the fan 15 among the respective hot-water suppliers 1.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A connected hot-water supply system, comprising
a plurality of hot-water suppliers connected to each other, the hot-water suppliers each comprising
a water flow passage,
a heat exchanger provided in the water flow passage,
a burner configured to heat the heat exchanger,
a fan configured to make combustion air and combustion exhaust of the burner forcibly flow,
an exhaust passage configured to discharge combustion exhaust of the burner that passed the heat exchanger by airstream by the fan, and
a hot-water supply controller configured to control hot-water supply operation,

wherein
the hot-water supply controller in each of the hot-water suppliers is connected to a connection control unit configured to control linked operation of the respective hot-water suppliers,
the exhaust passage of each of the hot-water suppliers is connected to a common exhaust passage configured to collectively discharge combustion exhaust from each of the hot-water suppliers,
the fan of each of the hot-water suppliers is controlled to have a rotation speed corresponding to a combustion amount of the burner by the hot-water supply controller to deliver the combustion exhaust in the exhaust passage to the common exhaust passage,
the connection control unit comprises a combustion regulator configured to regulate the combustion amount in each of the hot-water suppliers through the hot-water supply controller in each of the hot-water suppliers and to thereby regulate the rotation speed of the fan in each of the hot-water suppliers,
the combustion regulator acquires information about hot-water supply operation from the hot-water supply controller of each of the hot-water suppliers, and when dispersion of the rotation speed of the fan among the respective hot-water suppliers is detected, the combustion regulator regulates the combustion amount of the respective hot-water suppliers to reduce a difference in the rotation speed of the fan among the respective hot-water suppliers,
the hot-water suppliers each comprise a water amount detector configured to detect an amount of water flow in the water flow passage and a flow regulating valve configured to regulate the amount of water flow in the water flow passage,
the hot-water supply controller of each of the hot-water suppliers regulates the combustion amount of the burner in accordance with the water amount detected by the water amount detector, and
the combustion regulator of the connection control unit acquires the water amount detected by the water amount detector, as information about the hot-water supply operation, from the hot-water supply controller of each of the hot-water suppliers, and when dispersion in the detected water amount among the respective hot-water suppliers is detected, the combustion regulator determines that dispersion in the rotation speed of the fan among the respective hot-water suppliers occurred, and controls the flow regulating valve of each of the hot-water suppliers through the hot-water supply controller of each of the hot-water suppliers while maintaining a number of the hot-water suppliers in hot-water supply operation to reduce a difference in the detected water amount among the respective hot-water suppliers.

2. The connected hot-water supply system according to claim 1 , wherein
the hot-water suppliers each comprise a hot-water supply temperature detector configured to detect temperature of hot water obtained from the water flow passage,
the hot-water supply controller of each of the hot-water suppliers regulates the combustion amount of the burner so that the temperature detected by the hot-water supply temperature detector reaches a target temperature,
the combustion regulator of the connection control unit comprises a target temperature setting portion configured to set a target temperature for each of the hot-water supply controllers in each of the hot-water suppliers, and
when the combustion regulator of the connection control unit detects dispersion in the combustion amount among the respective hot-water suppliers, the target temperature setting portion determines that dispersion in the rotation speed of the fan among the respective hot-water suppliers occurred, and sets the target temperature for each of the hot-water supply controllers in each of the hot-water suppliers to reduce a difference in the combustion amount among the respective hot-water suppliers.

3. The connected hot-water supply system according to claim 1 , wherein
the burner of each of the hot-water suppliers is constituted of a plurality of burner blocks,
the hot-water supply controller of each of the hot-water suppliers controls the combustion amount of the burner based on heating power of the respective burner blocks and a combination of the burner blocks to be combusted,
when the combustion regulator of the connection control unit detects dispersion in the rotation speed of the fan among the respective hot-water suppliers and when there are a plurality of combinations of the burner blocks having an identical combustion amount but a different rotation speed of the fan, the combustion regulator instructs the hot-water supply controller of each of the hot-water suppliers to select a combination of the burner blocks that provides a higher rotation speed of the fan for combustion.

4. The connected hot-water supply system according to claim 1 , wherein
the burner of each of the hot-water suppliers is constituted of a plurality of burner blocks,
the hot-water supply controller of each of the hot-water suppliers controls the combustion amount of the burner based on heating power of the respective burner blocks and a combination of the burner blocks to be combusted, and
when the combustion regulator of the connection control unit detects dispersion in the rotation speed of the fan among the respective hot-water suppliers, the combustion regulator instructs the hot-water supply controller of each of the hot-water suppliers excluding any one hot-water supplier to control the combustion amount of the burner so that the fan has a specified rotation speed or more.

Assignees

• Rinnai Kk

Inventors

• Sato Eri
• Kitagawa Hideki

Classifications

• F23N2241/04

  Heating water · CPC title

• F24H1/20

  with immersed heating elements, e.g. electric elements or furnace tubes · CPC title

• F23N3/082

  using electronic means · CPC title

• F23N2041/04

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F24H9/124

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic