DEVICE FOR PROVIDING A FLUID AND SANITARY FITTING SYSTEM

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for providing a fluid, in particular water, comprising a central supply device of warm fluid, preferably comprising a central heating system, for providing warm fluid, a supply device of cold fluid for supplying cold fluid, a local supply device of hot fluid, characterized in that a control device is arranged, which is designed to control the devices, in such a way that, below a warm fluid output quantity and/or below a temperature at at least one point of a warm-fluid supply line from the supply device of warm fluid to an outlet, the warm fluid is provided by admixing hot fluid, and above the predeterminable tapped warm-fluid quantity and/or temperature at at least one point of a warm-fluid supply line, the warm fluid is provided by the central supply device of warm fluid.

Claims

1. A device for providing a fluid, in particular water, comprising a central supply device of warm fluid, preferably comprising a central heating system, for providing warm fluid, a supply device of cold fluid for supplying cold fluid, a local supply device of hot fluid, characterized in that a control device is arranged, which is designed to control the devices in such a way that below a warm fluid output quantity and/or below a temperature at at least one point of a warm-fluid supply line from the supply device of warm fluid to an outlet, the warm fluid is provided by admixing hot fluid, and above the pre-determinable warm fluid tapped quantity and/or temperature at at least one point of a warm fluid supply line, the warm fluid is provided by the central warm-fluid-supply device.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that a desired quantity of warm fluid can be set by means of a setting device, wherein the control device is designed to check whether the desired quantity of warm fluid is greater or lesser than the predeterminable output quantity of warm fluid.

3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that the setting device comprises a mechanical operating element, an optical detection element and/or a radio interface for setting the desired quantity of warm fluid.

4. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that the control device and/or the setting device comprise(s) a computing device, which computes an output quantity of warm fluid on the basis of a tapping period, a measured value of a fluid volume flow and/or a predeterminable value of the fluid volume flow.

5. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one temperature sensor for measuring the temperature is arranged at at least one point downstream of the supply device of warm fluid.

6. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the warm-fluid supply line and hot-fluid supply line can be interconnected via at least one switchable valve.

7. The device according to claim 1,characterized in that the setting device comprises a user interface for actuating the heating of the supply device of hot fluid.

8. A method for providing a fluid, in particular water, comprising the steps: providing warm fluid by means of a central supply device of warm fluid, preferably comprising a central heating system, providing cold fluid by means of a supply device of cold fluid for providing cold fluid, providing hot fluid by means of a local hot-fluid-supply device, characterized in that below a predeterminable output quantity of warm fluid and/or below a temperature at at least one point of a warm-fluid supply line from the supply device of warm fluid to an outlet, the warm fluid is provided by admixing hot fluid, and above the predeterminable output quantity of warm fluid and/or temperature at at least one point of a warm-fluid supply line, the warm fluid is provided by the central supply device of warm fluid.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that the predeterminable output quantity of warm fluid is set by means of a user interface and an output of the fluid is initiated.

10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that a heating device for the supply device of hot fluid is actuated by means of a user interface.

11. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that a warm-fluid withdrawal quantity is computed on the basis of a determined magnitude of a volume flow of the discharged fluid and/or on the basis of specifications for the volume flow and/or on the basis of a withdrawal period of the discharged fluid, this is compared to the predeterminable output quantity of warm fluid, and the warm fluid is output in accordance with the comparison.

12. A sanitary fitting system), comprising a device for providing a fluid according to claim 1,and a sanitary fitting connected in a fluidic manner to the device for providing the fluid.

Description

[0047] In schematic form

[0048] FIG. 1 shows a sanitary fitting according to an embodiment of this invention; and

[0049] FIG. 2 shows steps of a method according to an embodiment of this invention.

[0050] FIG. 1 shows a sanitary fitting system according to an embodiment of this invention.

[0051] In detail, FIG. 1 shows a sanitary fitting system 1 that includes a cold-water supply line 2, a central heating system with warm-water supply 3, a boiler 4, and a sanitary fitting 21 for dispensing cold, warm, and hot water. Here, the sanitary fitting 21 has a base body 5 with a mixing device 5b, on which a lever 5a is arranged for setting the flow rate and for setting the temperature of the mixed water to be dispensed by means of the mixing device 5b. Mixed water can be discharged via a discharge 6 having the outlet 6a at one end thereof wherein the outlet is arranged on the base body 5. Furthermore, the sanitary fitting 21 comprises an activation device 12, in particular for initiating the dispensing of minute quantities of warm water via the discharge 6. The activation device 12 can also be designed to set a delivery quantity and/or a total volume flow.

[0052] For the output of mixed water, on the one hand, the cold-water line 2 is directly connected to the mixing device 5, and on the other hand, to the central heating system having a warm-water supply 3 for the production of warm water from the cold water. In addition, the cold-water line 2 is also connected to the locally arranged boiler 4 for generating hot water from the cold water. A mixing valve 7 is arranged downstream of the warm-water supply 3, which can be used to provide cold water from the cold-water line 2 and warm water from the warm-water supply 3 mixed in one line 23. Another mixing valve 8 is arranged downstream of the line 23 to provide mixed water of the line 23 with hot water from boiler 4 in a line 234. In this case, the line 234 is connected to the outlet 6a via the mixing device 5. The boiler 4 is additionally also directly connected to the mixing device 5.

[0053] A temperature sensor 10 for measuring the temperature in the line 23 is arranged between the two mixing valves 7 and 8, and a further temperature sensor 11 is arranged in the line 234 between the mixing valve 8 and the mixing device 5. Both mixing valves 7, 8 and both temperature sensors 10, 11 are connected to a control device 9 for their control. This connection can be wired, as shown in FIG. 1, or wireless. In addition, the control device 9 may have a configuration interface (not shown) and/or a control interface for receiving further control signals 25, for instance actuation signals for switching the valves 7, 8 by means of the activation device 12 or the like.

[0054] In detail, the control device 9 can measure the temperature in the lines 23 and 234 and, depending on the temperatures present there and the warm-water tapped quantity via the outlet 6a, actuate the valves 7 and 8 accordingly to provide small tapped quantities of warm water as a mixture of cooled warm water in the lines 23 and 234 and hot water from the boiler 4. In this case, the warm-water line can be released for larger tapped quantities via an explicit release, for instance, by a user or the explicit locking of the warm-water line from the warm-water supply 3 by means of the mixing valve 7, or in the case of small withdrawal quantities by the activation device 12. The activation device 12 can have a mechanical switch/button, for instance on the sanitary fitting 21, and/or an optical detection device by means of which codes, for instance QR codes, on containers to be filled can be read and/or by means of which optical detection of the container size, for instance by means of depth measurement, can be performed. Likewise, the control device 9 can be connected to further sensors, for instance flow sensors, which are arranged in particular in the line 234 and or a clock for measuring the withdrawal period of warm water via the discharge 6a. The control device 9 can then, for instance, release the line 23 again by means of the valve 7 if a withdrawal period specified for the small withdrawal is exceeded and/or if there is such an excess or if it is predicted on the basis of a volume flow measurement and/or volume flow specification. Furthermore, a corresponding control and/or configuration can also be performed by means of an app or the like. The value of the volume flow specification can be stored in the control device 9. For the computation, the pipe length from the central warm-water supply 3, for instance a central heating system, and its diameter can be used. This volume flow specification can be set, for instance, by an installer - as mentioned above - by means of an app, a corresponding activation button, in particular by pressing it several times, by means of an adjustment wheel or by means of direct input on a touch-sensitive screen, a pushbutton or similar. A user of the sanitary fitting system can then, for instance, still select on the basis of the specifications whether [0055] there is a house or apartment, whether [0056] there is a warm-water tank or a combination boiler, where [0057] the warm-water supply device is located, in particular by specifying the floor distance between the warm-water supply device and the withdrawal point, how great [0058] the approximate distance from the withdrawal point to the warm-water supply device is, and/or how high [0059] the warm-water temperature of the warm-water supply device should be.

[0060] By means of the activation device 12, it is also possible to provide hot water only when required by the user. The warm water in boiler 4 is then only heated up again to a presettable temperature when necessary. In other words, the heating phase in the boiler 4 is actively triggered, for instance, by pressing a button.

[0061] FIG. 2 shows steps of a method according to an embodiment of this invention.

[0062] FIG. 2 shows steps of a process for providing a fluid, in particular water. The method comprises the steps outlined below: [0063] providing S1 warm fluid by means of a central supply device of warm fluid, preferably comprising a central heating system, [0064] providing S2 cold fluid by means of a supply device of cold fluid for providing cold fluid, [0065] providing S3 hot fluid by means of a local supply device of hot fluid, [0066] in that below a predeterminable output quantity of warm fluid and/or below a temperature at at least one point of a warm-fluid supply line from the supply device of warm fluid to an outlet, the warm fluid is provided by admixing hot fluid S4a, and above the predeterminable output quantity of warm fluid and/or temperature at at least one point of a warm-fluid supply line, the warm-fluid is provided by the central supply device of warm fluid S4b.

[0067] In summary, at least one embodiment of this invention provides at least one of the advantages listed below and/or provides at least one of the features listed below: [0068] Simple, inexpensive manufacture. [0069] Energy savings in the provision of warm water. [0070] Conserving water in the use of warm water. [0071] Higher user satisfaction. [0072] Increase in comfort due to immediate warm-water supply

[0073] Although this invention has been described with reference to preferred exemplary embodiments, it is not limited thereto and can be modified in a variety of ways.

TABLE-US-00001 List of reference numerals and terms 1 sanitary fitting system 2 cold-water line 3 warm-water tank 4 hot water tank/boiler 5 base body 5a control lever mixing water 5b mixing device 6 discharge 6a outlet 7 switching valve 8 switching valve 9 control device 10 temperature sensor 11 temperature sensor 12 activation device 20 supply device 21 sanitary fitting 23 line 25 control interface 234 line S1-S4a Steps of a Method