CN209399561U

CN209399561U - Water heater and frost valve

Info

Publication number: CN209399561U
Application number: CN201821548578.0U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 邱步; 朱吴阳; 蔡茂虎
Original assignee: AO Smith China Water Heater Co Ltd
Current assignee: AO Smith China Water Heater Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-09-20
Filing date: 2018-09-20
Publication date: 2019-09-17
Anticipated expiration: 2028-09-20

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of water heater, comprising: for storing the container of water；Water inlet pipe, the outlet pipe being connected with the container；The antifreeze mechanism being set on the water inlet pipe；The antifreeze mechanism has the normal condition for allowing the water flowing in the water inlet pipe to pass through and blocks off state of the water inlet pipe to the container water delivery；The antifreeze mechanism switches to the off state from the normal condition under the driving of pressure inside it when environment temperature is lower than the first predetermined temperature.Water heater and frost valve provided by the present application can prevent heat exchanger from freeze damage occurs in the case where water heater powers off, while the case where avoid user house from being steeped.

Description

Water heater and frost valve

Technical Field

The application relates to the field of water heaters, in particular to a water heater and an anti-freezing valve.

Background

In order to prevent the water heater from being frozen, the existing water heater is generally provided with an anti-freezing function. The existing antifreezing function utilizes electric heating antifreezing and ignition antifreezing to avoid water in the water heater from freezing and expanding. Both electrical heating freeze protection and ignition freeze protection require a supply of electrical power.

However, due to the power consumption habit problems of different users, the power supply of the water heater can be turned off when the water heater is used up or the gas water heater is not used for a long time, or the natural gas valve of the gas water heater is turned off, so that the existing anti-freezing function of the water heater cannot work, and the water tank of the water heater is frozen.

Because the water heater is constantly communicated with the tap water inlet pipeline, if the water heater is frozen when a user is not at home, the situation that the user is soaked can be caused, and great loss is formed. Especially in the Yangtze river basin without heating air supply, a large amount of water heaters are usually frozen when the weather below zero occurs, so that great loss is caused, and the user experience is very influenced.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the present application aims to provide a water heater and an anti-freezing valve, so as to avoid the situation that the home of a user is soaked under the condition that the water heater is powered off.

The technical scheme of the application is as follows:

a water heater, comprising:

a container for storing water;

a water inlet pipe and a water outlet pipe which are connected with the container;

the anti-freezing mechanism is arranged on the water inlet pipe; the anti-freezing mechanism is provided with a normal state for allowing water in the water inlet pipe to flow through and a cut-off state for blocking the water delivery of the water inlet pipe to the container; the anti-freezing mechanism is switched from the normal state to the off state under the driving of the internal pressure thereof when the ambient temperature is lower than a first predetermined temperature.

In a preferred embodiment, the anti-freezing mechanism is provided with a preset force capable of enabling the anti-freezing mechanism to be in the normal state, the preset force is a constant value, and the anti-freezing mechanism is switched from the normal state to the off state under the driving of the internal pressure of the anti-freezing mechanism when the internal pressure of the anti-freezing mechanism is higher than the preset force.

As a preferred embodiment, the anti-freezing mechanism is provided with a preset force that enables the anti-freezing mechanism to be in the normal state; the preset force is reduced to be lower than the internal pressure of the anti-freezing mechanism when the ambient temperature is lower than a first preset temperature, so that the anti-freezing mechanism is switched from the normal state to the off state under the driving of the internal pressure of the anti-freezing mechanism.

In a preferred embodiment, the anti-freeze mechanism is further adapted to drain at least a portion of the water in the container from the container when the ambient temperature is below a first predetermined temperature.

As a preferred embodiment, the anti-freeze mechanism includes a closure assembly and a drain assembly;

when the anti-freezing mechanism is in a normal state, the sealing assembly opens an internal flow passage of the sealing assembly, and the drainage assembly is communicated with the downstream of the sealing assembly;

when the anti-freezing mechanism is in a closed state, the sealing assembly closes an internal flow passage of the anti-freezing mechanism, and the drainage assembly is communicated with the atmosphere to drain water in the container.

In a preferred embodiment, the closing assembly and the draining assembly are separated when the anti-freeze mechanism is in the off state.

In a preferred embodiment, the closing assembly and the draining assembly are capable of moving relatively along the length direction of the water inlet pipe, so that the anti-freezing mechanism is switched from a normal state to a closed state.

In a preferred embodiment, the closing assembly has a housing, and a valve core capable of closing and opening a flow passage inside the housing;

the drain assembly comprises a drain tube; the drain pipe is provided with a first position and a second position, wherein the first position at least partially extends into the shell and enables the valve core to open the flow passage, and the second position is communicated with the atmosphere and enables the valve core to close the flow passage.

In a preferred embodiment, the drain pipe is interlocked with the valve element when the drain pipe is switched from the first position to the second position with respect to the housing.

In a preferred embodiment, the housing is movable relative to the outlet conduit in a direction opposite to the direction of flow of water in the inlet conduit to switch the outlet conduit from the first position to the second position.

As a preferred embodiment, the housing has a connection end connected to the water inlet pipe, and an open end; the drain pipe can extend into the shell from the opening end; a clamping groove is formed in the outer wall of the drainage pipe;

the shell is provided with a clamping piece capable of moving along the radial direction; when the anti-freezing mechanism is in a normal state, the clamping piece extends into the clamping groove so that the drain pipe is located at the first position;

when the internal pressure of the anti-freezing mechanism is higher than the preset force, the discharge pipe enables the clamping piece to move outwards along the radial direction to be separated from the clamping groove, and then the shell moves along the direction opposite to the flow direction of water in the water inlet pipe.

As a preferred embodiment, the shell is further provided with a reset structure; the resetting structure can apply the preset force inwards along the radial direction to the clamping piece.

As a preferred embodiment, a through hole for the clamping piece to pass through in the radial direction is formed in the wall of the shell;

the reset structure includes: an outer tube sleeved outside the shell and a spring; the outer wall of the shell is provided with a propping step; the spring is positioned between the outer pipe and the abutting step; the spring applies an elastic force in the flow direction to the outer tube; a first inclined plane is arranged on the inner wall of the outer pipe; the first inclined plane applies the preset force to the clamping piece.

In a preferred embodiment, the clamping member is a spherical structure.

In a preferred embodiment, the diameter of the through hole is smaller than the diameter of the spherical structure.

As a preferred embodiment, the clamping groove has a second inclined surface matched with the clamping piece; the second slope slopes toward the inside of the drain pipe along the flow direction.

In a preferred embodiment, the spring is a first heat-sensitive spring or is made of spring steel; wherein the elastic force exerted by the first heat-sensitive spring on the outer tube can be reduced along with the reduction of the ambient temperature or the elastic force is not exerted on the outer tube when the ambient temperature is lower than a first preset temperature.

As a preferred embodiment, the housing is provided with a sealing member upstream of the clamping member; the seal is used for sealing the drain pipe and the shell; the housing is provided with a sealing face upstream of the seal; and when the valve core is contacted with the sealing surface, the internal flow passage of the shell is closed.

As a preferred embodiment, the housing is further provided with a stopper located downstream of the outer tube; the outer pipe is limited by the contact with the limiting piece and cannot move continuously along the flow direction.

As a preferred embodiment, one end of the drain pipe close to the valve core is provided with a water passing part; the water passing part is provided with at least one water passing hole;

the shell is also internally provided with an elastic element which enables the valve core to move towards the sealing surface; one end of the valve core facing the water passing part is also provided with a propping rod; when the bleeder tube is positioned at the first position, the jacking rod pushes the valve core to open the flow passage in the shell.

As a preferred embodiment, the inlet conduit comprises a first portion and a second portion; the first part is connected between a water inlet joint of the water heater and the shell; the second portion is connected between the container and the drain tube.

As a preferred embodiment, a movable assembly is arranged between the first part and the water inlet joint; the movable assembly allows the first section to move along the length of the inlet pipe.

In a preferred embodiment, the movable assembly includes a connecting tube having a first hinged end and a second hinged end; the connecting pipe is hinged with the first part through a first hinged end; the connecting pipe is hinged with the water inlet joint through a second hinged end.

As a preferred embodiment, the vessel comprises a heat exchanger.

In a preferred embodiment, the predetermined force is lower than a minimum pressure resistance value of the heat exchanger.

As a preferred embodiment, a pressure relief valve is further arranged on the water outlet pipe; the pressure relief valve can be opened when the ambient temperature is lower than a second predetermined temperature; the second predetermined temperature is lower than the first predetermined temperature.

As a preferred embodiment, the pressure relief valve comprises a valve body and a plugging piece arranged in the valve body; a second heat-sensitive spring for applying elastic force to the plugging piece is further arranged in the valve body; the second thermosensitive spring can drive the plugging piece to open the pressure release valve through deformation when the ambient temperature is lower than a second preset temperature.

As a preferred embodiment, the water heater comprises a gas water heater or a wall-mounted stove.

An antifreeze valve having a normal state and an off state; the antifreezing valve can be switched from the normal state to the off state under the driving of the internal pressure of the antifreezing valve;

wherein the antifreeze valve has a closure assembly and a drain assembly;

when the anti-freezing valve is in a normal state, the sealing assembly opens an internal flow passage of the anti-freezing valve, and the drainage assembly is communicated with the downstream of the sealing assembly;

when the anti-freezing valve is in a closed state, the sealing assembly closes an inner flow passage of the anti-freezing valve.

In a preferred embodiment, the closing assembly has a housing, and a valve core capable of closing and opening a flow passage inside the housing; the drain assembly comprises a drain tube; the drain pipe is provided with a first position and a second position relative to the shell, wherein the first position at least partially extends into the shell and enables the valve core to open the flow passage, and the second position is separated from the shell and enables the valve core to close the flow passage; wherein,

the shell is provided with a connecting end and an opening end; the drain pipe can extend into the shell from the opening end; a clamping groove is formed in the outer wall of the drainage pipe;

the shell is provided with a clamping piece capable of moving along the radial direction; when the anti-freezing valve is in a normal state, the clamping piece extends into the clamping groove so that the drain pipe is located at the first position;

when the anti-freezing valve is switched from the normal state to the off state, the internal pressure of the anti-freezing valve drives the drain pipe to enable the clamping piece to move outwards along the radial direction to be separated from the clamping groove, and then the shell and the drain pipe move relatively.

As a preferred embodiment, a through hole for the clamping piece to pass through in the radial direction is formed in the wall of the shell; the shell is also provided with a reset structure;

the reset structure includes: an outer tube sleeved outside the shell and a spring; the outer wall of the shell is provided with a propping step; the spring is positioned between the outer pipe and the abutting step; the spring applies elastic force to the outer pipe along the flowing direction of the liquid in the anti-freezing valve; a first inclined plane is arranged on the inner wall of the outer pipe; the first inclined surface applies a preset force inwards along the radial direction to the clamping piece.

As a preferred embodiment, the clamping member is a spherical structure; the diameter of the through hole is smaller than that of the spherical structure.

Has the advantages that:

the utility model provides a water heater sets up anti-freezing mechanism on the inlet tube, is less than first predetermined temperature through anti-freezing mechanism and follows normal condition switches to the off-state to cut off into water under low temperature environment, and this anti-freezing mechanism can follow under the drive of internal pressure normal condition switches to the off-state need not power supply, can switch to the off-state under the gas hot water system outage condition. Therefore, the water heater provided by the embodiment can avoid the situation that the home of a user is soaked under the condition that the water heater is powered off.

The anti-freezing mechanism of the water heater provided by the application can also drain at least part of water in the heat exchanger when the ambient temperature is lower than a first preset temperature, so that the heat exchanger is prevented from being frozen and damaged.

Specific embodiments of the present invention are disclosed in detail with reference to the following description and the accompanying drawings, which specify the manner in which the principles of the invention may be employed. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present invention are not so limited in scope. The embodiments of the invention include many variations, modifications and equivalents within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Features that are described and/or illustrated with respect to one embodiment may be used in the same way or in a similar way in one or more other embodiments, in combination with or instead of the features of the other embodiments.

It should be emphasized that the term "comprises/comprising" when used herein, is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components.

Drawings

In order to illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art more clearly, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below, it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained according to these drawings without inventive exercise.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of a gas-fired water heating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken at A-A of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the freeze protection mechanism of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 3 in a normal state;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 3 in an off state;

FIG. 6 is a simplified schematic view of the water intake riser and movable assembly of FIG. 2;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a pressure relief valve according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

In order to make the technical solutions in the present invention better understood, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, but not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by a person skilled in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. When an element is referred to as being "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or intervening elements may be present. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and the like as used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only embodiments.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used herein in the description of the invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Please refer to fig. 1 to 6. The embodiment of this application provides a gas hot water system, includes: a heat exchanger 100; a water inlet pipe 200 and a water outlet pipe 400 connected with the heat exchanger 100. The gas hot water device can comprise a gas water heater or a wall-mounted furnace.

In this embodiment, the gas-fired water heating apparatus further includes an anti-freezing mechanism 300 provided on the water inlet pipe 200. The anti-freeze mechanism 300 has a normal state allowing water in the water inlet pipe 200 to flow therethrough and a shut-off state blocking water supply of the water inlet pipe 200 to the heat exchanger 100. The antifreeze mechanism 300 is switched from the normal state to the off state by driving of its internal pressure when the ambient temperature is lower than a first predetermined temperature.

The gas water heater provided by the embodiment is provided with the anti-freezing mechanism 300 on the water inlet pipe 200, the anti-freezing mechanism 300 is switched from the normal state to the off state when the ambient temperature is lower than the first preset temperature, so that the water inflow is cut off in the low-temperature environment, and the anti-freezing mechanism 300 can be switched from the normal state to the off state under the driving of the internal pressure, does not need power supply, and can be switched to the off state under the condition that the gas water heater is powered off. Therefore, the gas water heater provided by the embodiment can avoid the situation that the home of a user is soaked due to the frozen damage of the heat exchanger under the condition that the water heater is powered off.

The anti-freezing mechanism 300 in this embodiment is a purely mechanical action structure, is driven by the pressure inside itself, and does not need power supply, so that it can be used in a power-off state, and has a very high application value.

To avoid false triggering of the off state of the anti-freeze mechanism 300, the first predetermined temperature may be below 5 degrees celsius. The first predetermined temperature of the freeze protection mechanism 300 may also be different for different embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, the first predetermined temperature may be higher than 0 degrees celsius, and in some embodiments, the first predetermined temperature may be below 0 degrees celsius (including 0 degrees celsius).

In the embodiment of the present application, the anti-freeze mechanism 300 is affected by the ambient temperature to switch from the normal state to the off state, so as to achieve the anti-freeze effect. The ambient temperature at which the freeze protection mechanism 300 is located may be the temperature at or around the location of the freeze protection mechanism 300. For example, when the anti-freeze mechanism 300 is located indoors, the environment temperature of the anti-freeze mechanism 300 may be an indoor temperature, and considering that there may be temperature differences between different rooms, the environment temperature of the anti-freeze mechanism 300 may be an environment temperature near the anti-freeze mechanism 300.

Considering that the volume of water expands when freezing, the pressure inside the heat exchanger increases after expansion, and accordingly, the pressure inside the antifreeze mechanism 300 increases, and the antifreeze mechanism 300 is switched to the off state by the pressure. Wherein the anti-freeze mechanism 300 may be connected in series to the water inlet pipe 200. Of course, the anti-freeze mechanism 300 may also be provided at one end of the water inlet pipe 200 so as to be connected in series between the heat exchanger 100 and the water inlet pipe 200. Preferably, the anti-freezing mechanism 300 is connected in series to the water inlet pipe 200 for better anti-freezing and protection effects.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 2 and 6. The water inlet pipe 200 comprises a first portion 201 and a second portion 202. The first portion 201 is connected between a water inlet joint 700 of the gas water heater and the anti-freezing mechanism 300. The water inlet joint 700 may be installed in the housing 600 of the gas-fired water heating apparatus. The second portion 202 is connected between the heat exchanger 100 and the antifreeze mechanism 300. Wherein the first portion 201 is connected upstream of the freeze protection mechanism 300 and the second portion 202 is connected downstream of the freeze protection mechanism 300.

To facilitate switching of the antifreeze mechanism 300 from the normal state to the second state, one of the first portion 201 and the second portion 202 is allowed to be active. Preferably, a movable assembly 800 is disposed between the first portion 201 and the water inlet connector 700. The movable assembly 800 allows the first portion 201 to move along the length of the inlet pipe 200.

Specifically, refer to fig. 2 and 6. The movable assembly 800 includes a connecting tube 801 having a first hinged end 802 and a second hinged end 803. The connecting tube 801 is hinged to the first portion 201 by a first hinged end 802. The connection pipe 801 is hinged to the water inlet joint 700 by a second hinged end 803.

During the action of switching the anti-freeze mechanism 300 from the normal state to the off state, the first portion 201 moves downward and drives the connecting pipe 801 to rotate through the first hinge end 802. Accordingly, the connecting tube 801 is rotated about the second hinged end 803, thus effecting downward movement of the first portion 201, resulting in relative movement of the components of the antifreeze mechanism 300.

In the present embodiment, the antifreeze mechanism 300 can be switched from the normal state to the off state. The present application does not limit whether the antifreeze mechanism 300 can be switched from the off state to the normal state. The antifreeze mechanism 300 can also be switched from the off state to the normal state in order to facilitate reuse of the antifreeze mechanism 300. The anti-freezing mechanism 300 can be automatically reset to a normal state by a self-reset mechanism, and can also be switched to the normal state from an off state in a manual assembly mode.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5. The freeze preventing mechanism 300 has flow passages (1a, 2a) inside for water in the water inlet pipe 200 to pass through. In a normal state, the flow passage inside the anti-freeze mechanism 300 is in a communication state, and at this time, the water in the water inlet pipe 200 can enter the heat exchanger 100 through the flow passage. In the closed state, the flow path of the anti-freeze mechanism 300 is blocked, and accordingly, the water in the water inlet pipe 200 cannot be supplied to the heat exchanger 100 through the anti-freeze mechanism 300, so that even if the heat exchanger 100 is cracked due to the temperature reduction, only a small amount of water inside is discharged without having a great influence on the home of the user.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2. The heat exchanger 100 may be provided with heat exchange pipes through which heat is exchanged with high-temperature flue gas formed in the combustion chamber 500 to heat water therein. The heat exchanger 100 (water tank) and the heat exchange pipe may be installed in the housing 600 of the gas-fired water heating apparatus. The water inlet pipe 200 may input cold water to the heat exchanger 100.

Specifically, the water inlet pipe 200 may be connected to a water inlet joint 700 of the gas water heater, and the water inlet joint 700 may be used to communicate with a service pipe (tap water pipe) of a user. The water inlet pipe 200 is communicated with the tap water pipe, so that the pressure inside the water inlet pipe 200 is the same as the water pressure in the tap water pipe at a normal temperature (for example, above 5 ℃). The water outlet pipe 400 may output the water in the heat exchanger 100 to the outside. The water outlet pipe 400 may be connected to a water outlet connector of a gas water heater, and the water outlet connector may be connected to a water outlet (e.g., a shower head or a faucet).

The first predetermined temperature is not limited solely in this application. For example: in one embodiment, the first predetermined temperature may be 0 degrees Celsius (0℃.). In this embodiment, the ambient temperature of the anti-freeze mechanism 300 is lower than 0 degrees (0 degrees celsius for short), and the water in the heat exchanger 100 begins to freeze. Since the water cannot be discharged to the outside, the pressure inside the heat exchanger 100 increases as the internal volume of the heat exchanger 100 expands. Since the inlet pipe 200 is in communication with the heat exchanger 100, the pressure in the inlet pipe 200 is also increased. The freeze preventing mechanism 300 has flow passages (1a, 2a) therein communicating with the water inlet pipe 200. In this state, the internal pressure of the antifreeze mechanism 300 also increases, and the antifreeze mechanism 300 is switched from the normal state to the off state by the internal pressure thereof.

In this embodiment, the anti-freeze mechanism 300 is provided with a predetermined force that enables it to be in the normal state. The antifreeze mechanism 300 can be maintained in a normal state by the preset force. The anti-freeze mechanism 300 acts against the preset force when switching from the normal state to the off state. The preset force may be a constant value, and the anti-freeze mechanism 300 is switched from the normal state to the off state by driving of the internal pressure of the anti-freeze mechanism 300 when the internal pressure of the anti-freeze mechanism 300 is higher than the preset force.

In this embodiment, when the ambient temperature is lower than the first predetermined temperature, the fluid in the heat exchanger 100 and the water inlet pipe 200 or the water outlet pipe 400 (considering that the heat exchanger 100 is the main water storage mechanism, the inside of the heat exchanger 100 is the main) expands to raise the internal pressure until the pressure inside the anti-freeze mechanism 300 is higher than the predetermined force.

In the present embodiment, the preset force does not vary with temperature or is weak with temperature, and thus exhibits a constant value. As such, the pressure inside the freeze preventing mechanism 300 needs to be increased until a preset force is exceeded. In this embodiment, when the anti-freeze mechanism 300 is triggered to switch to the off state, the freezing expansion phenomenon exists inside the heat exchanger 100, so as to cause the internal pressure to increase, and accordingly, the first predetermined temperature may be 0 ℃.

In another embodiment, the internal pressure of the freeze protection mechanism 300 is not required to be increased. In this embodiment, the first predetermined temperature may be 5 degrees celsius to reduce the probability of false triggering while ensuring the anti-freeze effect. When the ambient temperature of the anti-freeze mechanism 300 is lower than 5 degrees, for example, the ambient temperature is between 0 and 5 degrees, the preset force (also referred to as a pre-tightening force) of the anti-freeze mechanism 300 in the normal state is reduced and is reduced to be smaller than the internal pressure of the anti-freeze mechanism 300 (the internal pressure may be unchanged or slightly increased, which is not required in this embodiment), and accordingly, the internal pressure of the anti-freeze mechanism 300 is driven to switch from the normal state to the off state, so that the anti-freeze mechanism 300 turns off the water inlet.

In this embodiment, the anti-freeze mechanism 300 is provided with a predetermined force that enables it to be in the normal state. The preset force is reduced to be lower than the internal pressure of the antifreeze mechanism 300 when the ambient temperature is lower than the first preset temperature, so that the antifreeze mechanism 300 is switched from the normal state to the off state by the driving of the internal pressure thereof.

In this embodiment, the preset force may vary with temperature, with the preset force decreasing as the temperature decreases. Of course, the preset force may be continuously variable, i.e. varying with temperature, or it may be intermittently variable, e.g. at a certain temperature point the preset force suddenly decreases, whereas above the temperature point the preset force may remain constant. Of course, the present application does not impose any limitation on how the predetermined force varies with temperature.

In this embodiment, when the anti-freeze mechanism 300 is triggered to switch to the off state, the freezing expansion phenomenon may not exist inside the heat exchanger 100, and only the ambient temperature reaches below the first predetermined value. The anti-freezing mechanism achieves that the internal pressure drives the anti-freezing mechanism 300 to be triggered to move to the off state by reducing the preset force. Correspondingly, the first predetermined temperature may be a value between 0 and 5 degrees celsius to avoid false triggering of the anti-freeze mechanism 300 and to ensure normal use by the user.

Illustrative examples are: the preset force may be provided by the spring 6, and when the spring 6 is a heat-sensitive spring (memory spring), the elastic coefficient of the heat-sensitive spring decreases with a decrease in temperature or loses elasticity (the elastic coefficient returns to zero) at a first predetermined temperature, so that the preset force provided by the heat-sensitive spring 6 is changed. At this time, the anti-freeze mechanism 300 can be switched to the off state by being driven by the normal water pressure inside.

In addition, when the spring 6 is made of common spring steel, the common spring does not change its elastic coefficient with the change of temperature, so that the predetermined force provided by the spring 6 is kept constant. At this time, the anti-freeze mechanism 300 needs to raise the internal pressure above a preset force by virtue of the expansion of the freezing of the internal water, and then switch to the off state.

It should be noted that, in order to protect the heat exchanger 100 from being broken during the internal pressure increase, the preset force is lower than the minimum pressure-resistant value of the heat exchanger 100. Therefore, when the preset force is reached, the anti-freezing mechanism 300 can be driven and switched to the off state, the minimum pressure resistance value of the heat exchanger 100 cannot be reached, and the heat exchanger 100 is guaranteed not to be damaged.

In order to avoid the problem that the normal use of the gas water heating device is influenced by the cracking of the heat exchanger 100 caused by the freezing and expansion of water in the heat exchanger 100 due to the temperature reduction. In a preferred embodiment, the antifreeze mechanism 300 is further capable of draining at least a portion of the water in the heat exchanger 100 out of the heat exchanger 100 when the ambient temperature is below a first predetermined temperature. The anti-freeze mechanism 300 may discharge a part of the heat exchanger 100 or discharge all of the water in the heat exchanger 100, so as to alleviate the increase of the internal pressure caused by the expansion of the frozen water, and reduce the probability of the heat exchanger 100 cracking due to freezing.

In this embodiment, the antifreeze mechanism 300 turns off the water intake while turning off the water in the heat exchanger 100 when the ambient temperature is lower than the first predetermined temperature. When the freeze prevention mechanism 300 discharges the water inside the heat exchanger 100, the water inlet pipe 200 cannot continue to supply water into the heat exchanger 100 because the freeze prevention mechanism 300 has shut off the water inlet of the water inlet pipe 200.

In this embodiment, the anti-freeze mechanism 300 may discharge the discharged water to a designated location (e.g., a container), or the discharge location may not be defined after the anti-freeze mechanism 300 is discharged. Since the amount of water in the heat exchanger 100 is small, it is preferable that the water discharged when the antifreeze mechanism 300 is in the off state is directly discharged to the outside of the antifreeze mechanism 300 in view of the ease of installation.

Specifically, the freeze protection mechanism 300 includes a closure assembly and a drain assembly. When the anti-freeze mechanism 300 is in the normal state, the sealing assembly opens the internal flow passage 1a thereof, and the drain assembly communicates with the downstream of the sealing assembly. When the antifreeze mechanism 300 is in the off state, the closing member closes its internal flow passage 1a, and the drain member communicates with the atmosphere to drain the water in the heat exchanger 100.

When the anti-freeze mechanism 300 is in the off state, the closure assembly and the drain assembly are separated. In other embodiments, the closure assembly and the drain assembly may not be separate, as long as the drain assembly is capable of draining the heat exchanger 100. By way of example, the vent assembly and the closure assembly may remain in combination (suspended state) when the antifreeze mechanism 300 of the configuration shown in fig. 5 is in the off state, but the seal of the vent assembly has been broken to communicate with the outside atmosphere to drain water to the outside of the antifreeze mechanism 300. In some embodiments, the closure assembly and the vent assembly may be released from the suspended state by gravity or as the internal pressure increases.

In the embodiment of the present application, the closing assembly and the draining assembly can move relatively along the length direction of the water inlet pipe 200, so that the anti-freezing mechanism 300 is switched from the normal state to the off state. The sealing component can move relative to the drainage component, namely, the drainage component is fixed and does not move, and the sealing component moves; alternatively, the vent assembly may be moveable relative to the closure assembly, i.e., the closure assembly is stationary and the vent assembly is moveable.

Of course, this application does not exclude the solution of reverse movement of the closing component and the draining component, the closing component moving away from the draining component, the draining component moving away from the closing component, both of which can be actuated. It can be seen that, in the embodiment of the present application, the closing component and the drainage component only need to generate relative movement, and are not limited to the actions of the closing component and the drainage component. In the embodiment of the present application, it is preferable that one of the closing component and the drainage component is fixed, and the other is capable of moving, so that the arrangement and the manufacture are convenient.

In addition, other relative directions of movement of the closure assembly and the vent assembly are not precluded in the embodiments of the subject application, as the pressure within the freeze protection mechanism 300 can be considered as static pressure, and thus it can provide a driving force in any direction. The relative directions of movement that the closure assembly and the vent assembly can produce under the internal pressure of the freeze protection mechanism 300 can be flexibly set as desired.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5. The closure assembly has a housing 1 and a valve cartridge 3 capable of closing and opening a flow passage inside the housing 1. The drain assembly comprises a drain tube 2. The drain pipe 2 has a first position, in which it projects at least partially into the interior of the housing 1 by moving relative to the housing 1, and causes the valve element 3 to open the flow passage, and a second position, in which it is open to the atmosphere and causes the valve element 3 to close the flow passage.

The drain pipe 2 and the inlet pipe 200 may be of an integral structure, and one end of the inlet pipe 200 is provided to be inserted into the housing 1. In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, the drain pipe 2 is fixedly connected to the end of the second portion 202 of the inlet pipe 200 remote from the heat exchanger 100. In the normal state, the spool 3 is located upstream of the drain pipe 2. In the off state, the valve core 3 blocks the flow passage in the shell 1, and the drain pipe 2 is located at the second position.

In the present embodiment, the drain pipe 2 is interlocked with the valve body 3 when switched from the first position to the second position with respect to the housing 1. Wherein the bleeder 2 moves synchronously with the valve core 3. The valve body 3 has an open position for opening the flow path in the housing 1 and a closed position for closing the flow path in the housing 1. When the drain pipe 2 moves from the first position to the second position with respect to the housing 1 by the pressure in the antifreeze mechanism 300 (housing 1), the valve body 3 moves from the open position to the blocking position until the inner wall flow passage of the housing 1 is blocked.

In the present embodiment, the valve core 3 and the drain pipe 2 are linked with respect to the housing 1, and the valve core 3 and the drain pipe 2 may have the same operation manner, such as both translation and both rotation, and the valve core 3 and the drain pipe 2 may have different operation manners, such as switching the valve core 3 from the open position to the blocking position by rotation and switching the drain pipe 2 from the first position to the second position by translation. In the embodiment shown in fig. 5, the drain pipe 2 and the valve element 3 are moved together in translation upwards (with respect to the housing 1) to effect the switching from the first position to the second position and from the open position to the blocking position.

The drain pipe 2 has a first position in communication with the housing 1 and a second position not in communication with the housing 1. The bleeder 2 may be separated from the housing 1 or suspended or connected to the housing 1 in the second position, which is not limited in this application. Wherein the housing 1 is moved down to be disengaged from the drain pipe 2, forming two separate parts.

As a preferred embodiment, the housing 1 is movable relative to the drain pipe 2 in a direction opposite to the direction of the water flow in the inlet pipe 200 to switch the drain pipe 2 from the first position to the second position. The movable assembly 800 is connected via the first part 201, enabling the housing 1 to be moved downwards until the off-state is established.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, 3, 4, 5, the housing 1 has a connection end to which the water inlet pipe 200 is connected, and an open end. The open end has an opening for the run-off pipe 2 to extend into. The drain pipe 2 can extend into the housing 1 from the open end. And a clamping groove 15 is arranged on the outer wall of the discharge pipe 2. The shell 1 is provided with a clamping piece 4 capable of moving along the radial direction. The clamping piece 4 realizes the locking and unlocking of the bleeder tube 2 through the movement along the radial direction. When the anti-freezing mechanism 300 is in the normal state, the clamping member 4 extends into the clamping groove 15 so that the drain pipe 2 is located at the first position.

In the normal state, at least part of the drain pipe 2 extends into the housing 1 from the open end until the locking groove 15 of the side wall thereof is aligned with the locking element 4 in the radial direction. And, part of the clamping piece 4 extends into the clamping groove 15 to lock the position of the drain pipe 2. At this time, the drain pipe 2 pushes (presses down when facing fig. 4 and 5) the valve body 3, and moves the valve body 3 from the closed position to the open position.

When the internal pressure of the anti-freezing mechanism 300 is higher than the preset force, the drainage tube 2 makes the clamping member 4 move outwards along the radial direction to separate from the clamping groove 15, so that the shell 1 moves along the direction opposite to the flow direction of the water in the water inlet pipe 200. In this embodiment the drain pipe 2 is stationary. Casing 1 passes through joint spare 4 locking on the bleeder tube 2, breaks away from the back at joint spare 4 and draw-in groove 15, and casing 1 loses the support effect of hanging of bleeder tube 2 to casing 1 can move along the direction of keeping away from bleeder tube 2, and until bleeder tube 2 and atmosphere intercommunication, case 3 is with the inside runner shutoff of casing 1.

Of course, in other embodiments, the housing 1 is fixed in position, and the drain pipe 2 can also move in the direction of the inlet pipe 200.

In this embodiment, the housing 1 is further provided with a reset structure. The resetting structure can apply the preset force inwards along the radial direction to the clamping piece 4. The reset structure can keep the clamping piece 4 at a locking position which can lock the drain pipe 2, so that the drain pipe 2 and the shell 1 are kept communicated at a relative fixing position in a normal state. In other embodiments, the clip member 4 itself may be an elastic structure, for example, the clip member 4 is an open ring structure, and at this time, a reset structure is not additionally disposed.

Specifically, the wall of the housing 1 is provided with a through hole 10 for the clamping member 4 to pass through along the radial direction. The reset structure includes: an outer tube 5 sleeved outside the shell 1 and a spring 6. And the outer wall of the shell 1 is provided with an abutting step at the upstream of the outer pipe 5. The spring 6 is located between the outer tube 5 and the abutting step. The spring 6 applies an elastic force in the flow direction to the outer tube 5; a first inclined plane 9 is arranged on the inner wall of the outer pipe 5; the first inclined surface 9 applies the preset force to the snap-in member 4.

The preset force acts radially inwards to enable the clamping piece 4 to at least partially extend into the clamping groove 15, so that the relative positions of the drain pipe 2 and the shell 1 are fixed, and the relative fixation of the drain pipe 2 and the shell 1 is kept. Wherein the first inclined plane 9 is inclined outwardly in the flow direction of the water in the water inlet pipe 200. The first inclined surface 9 is driven by the outer tube 5 to push the clamping piece 4 inwards along the radial direction when moving upwards (moving away from the first part 201); the first inclined surface 9 is driven by the outer tube 5 to allow the clamping member 4 to move radially outward when moving downward (moving close to the first portion 201), so that the discharge tube 2 pushes the clamping member 4 to move outward under the driving of the pressure inside the anti-freezing mechanism 300, and the unlocking of the discharge tube 2 is realized.

The clamping member 4 can have various structures, and the clamping member 4 can be a rod body extending along the radial direction, a long strip structure and the like. Specifically, the clamping piece 4 is of a spherical structure. The cross section of the through hole 10 is circular, the through hole 10 can be a conical hole, and the inner diameter of the through hole 10 gradually decreases along the radial direction. In order to avoid the clamping piece 4 from falling into the shell 1 through the through hole 10, the clamping piece 4 is kept between the shell 1 and the outer tube 5, and the diameter of the through hole 10 is smaller than that of the spherical structure.

To ensure smooth switching of the antifreeze mechanism 300 from the normal state to the off state. The locking slot 15 has a second inclined surface 14 which is matched with the locking member 4. The second inclined surface 14 is inclined toward the inside of the drain pipe 2 in the flow direction. Wherein the clamping groove 15 has an upper side wall and a lower side wall along the flow direction (the flow direction in the present embodiment is understood as the flow direction of water in the water inlet pipe 200). The second inclined surface 14 forms a lower side wall of the card slot 15.

Under the action of the water pressure inside the anti-freezing mechanism 300, the discharge pipe 2 and the housing 1 have a tendency of being separated from each other, and the clamping piece 4 extends into the clamping groove 15 to block the separation of the discharge pipe 2 and the housing 1. By arranging the second inclined plane 14, the drain pipe 2 and the clamping piece 4 can be prevented from being clamped, so that the drain pipe 2 and the shell 1 can be smoothly separated, and the anti-freezing mechanism 300 can be smoothly switched from a normal state to a turn-off state.

The spring 6 is a first heat-sensitive spring or made of spring steel. Wherein the elastic force exerted by the first thermal spring on the outer tube 5 can be reduced with the decrease of the ambient temperature or no elastic force is exerted on the outer tube 5 when the ambient temperature is lower than a first predetermined temperature. When the spring 6 is made of spring steel and is a common spring 6, the preset force provided by the spring 6 is a constant value.

In the normal state shown in fig. 4, the flow passage 2a of the drain pipe communicates with the flow passage 1a of the housing 1. As shown in fig. 4 and 5. The casing 1 is provided with a sealing element 11 at the upstream of the clamping element 4. The seal 11 is used to seal the drain pipe 2 from the housing 1. In particular, the sealing element 11 is a sealing ring fixed to the inner wall of the casing 1. The housing 1 is provided with a sealing surface 7 upstream of the seal 11. When the valve core 3 contacts the sealing surface 7, the internal flow passage of the shell 1 is closed.

In this embodiment, a stopper located downstream of the outer tube 5 is further provided on the housing 1. The outer tube 5 is limited in contact with the limiting piece and cannot move continuously along the flow direction. The limiting member may be fixed to the outer wall of the outer tube 5, or may be integrated with the outer tube 5. The limiting piece forms a limiting bulge on the outer wall of the outer pipe 5.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the outer tube 5 moves upward, and the ball snap 4 moves radially inward by the first slope 9. When the outer tube 5 hits a limit plate (a specific embodiment of the limit member), the outer tube 5 cannot be pushed upwards by the spring 6 and is kept at the located position. Through setting up the locating part, prevent that outer tube 5 from upwards removing and breaking away from casing 1 leads to the subassembly structure dispersion of preventing frostbite, is unfavorable for the reutilization to, prevent that outer tube 5 upwards moving distance overlength from leading to globular joint spare 4 to locate the card at through-hole 10 and die, be unfavorable for the smooth switching of the mechanism 300 state of preventing frostbite.

To achieve synchronous movement of the drain tube 2 and the spool 3. And a water passing part 12 is arranged at one end of the drainage pipe 2 close to the valve core 3. The water passing part 12 is provided with at least one water passing hole 13. The water passing member 12 may be a water passing plate. The water passing plate is fixed at the lower end of the drainage pipe 2. The water passing plate is provided with a plurality of water passing holes 13 which are communicated with the water inlet pipe 200 along the flow direction of the water in the water inlet pipe, so that the water is stably supplied to the heat exchanger 100 in a normal state.

An elastic member 8 for moving the valve element 3 toward the sealing surface is further provided in the housing 1. And one end of the valve core 3 facing the water passing part 12 is also provided with a propping rod. When the drain pipe 2 is located at the first position, the valve core 3 is pushed by the abutting rod to open a flow passage in the shell 1. The elastic member 8 may be a cylindrical spring sleeved outside the valve core 3.

The upper end of the drain pipe 2 is connected to a second portion 202 of the inlet pipe 200, when the reader is faced with fig. 1-6. The first portion 201 is connected between a water inlet joint 700 of the gas water heater and the housing 1. The second portion 202 is connected between the heat exchanger 100 and the drain pipe 2. The upper end of the drain pipe 2 is internally threaded to the end of the second portion 202. The drain pipe 2 extends in the extension direction of the inlet pipe 200. The housing 1 is divided into two parts in the flow direction inside the inlet pipe 200: a lower housing part 1b for connecting the first part 201 of the water inlet pipe 200, and an upper housing part 1c for housing the outer pipe 5. The upper end of the upper partial casing 1c has an opening through which the drain pipe 2 protrudes into the upper partial casing 1 c.

Under normal state, the upper shell 1c is sleeved outside the drainage pipe 2, and the outer pipe 5 is sleeved outside the upper shell 1c and coaxially arranged with the upper shell 1 c. The upper casing 1c has the same outer diameter in the length direction, and the lower casing 1b has an outer diameter larger than that of the upper casing 1 c. The lower end of the lower housing part 1b is connected to the first part 201 of the water inlet pipe 200 by means of an internal thread. The valve core 3 is positioned below the drain pipe 2.

In the present embodiment, the valve core 3 is a rod structure, and the upper end of the valve core 3 has a tapered sealing end 3 a. The inner wall of the shell 1 is provided with a sealing conical surface 7 (an embodiment of the sealing surface 7), and when the sealing end of the valve core 3 is contacted with the sealing conical surface 7, the position of the sealing conical surface 7 is blocked. The valve core 3 is sleeved with a cylindrical spring 6, and the valve core 3 is propped by the cylindrical spring 6 and is kept in contact with a water passing baffle (an embodiment of a water passing part) at the lower end of the drainage pipe 2. When the discharge pipe 2 moves upwards relative to the shell 1 (namely, the shell 1 moves downwards), the valve core 3 moves upwards together with the discharge pipe 2 under the supporting and pushing action of the cylindrical spring 6, and moves towards the sealing conical surface 7 until the sealing conical surface 7 is contacted.

Accordingly, the arrival of the drain pipe 2 at the second position releases the corresponding seal and can be disengaged from the housing 1. The shell 1 and the drain pipe 2 can be quickly separated under the driving of the internal pressure of the anti-freezing mechanism. In addition, the housing 1 can also lose the suspended support of the drain pipe 2 and thus move downward under the influence of gravity to disengage the drain pipe 2. After the drain pipe 2 is separated from the casing 1, the lower end port of the drain pipe 2 is exposed to drain water outwards until the inside of the heat exchanger 100 is emptied to prevent frost cracking.

In a preferred embodiment of the present application. The water outlet pipe 400 is further provided with a pressure release valve 900. The pressure relief valve 900 can be opened when the ambient temperature is lower than a second predetermined temperature; the second predetermined temperature is lower than the first predetermined temperature. The pressure relief valve 900 may further include that the heat exchanger 100 is not burst, ensuring that all of the contents of the heat exchanger 100 are vented.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 7. The pressure relief valve 900 includes a valve body 91 and a plugging member 95 disposed in the valve body 91. A second thermal spring 6 for applying an elastic force to the blocking member 95 is further provided in the valve body 91. The second thermal spring 6 can drive the blocking piece 95 to open the pressure release valve 900 through deformation when the ambient temperature is lower than a second preset temperature.

In this embodiment, the valve body 91 is provided with a water inlet 92 and a water outlet 93 (in some embodiments, the two may be reversed, and the present application is not limited thereto). A fixing ring is provided in the valve body 91. The second memory spring 94 is a heat sensitive spring. The second memory spring 94 is located between the block piece 95 and the fixing ring. One end of the second memory spring 94 is connected to the blocking piece 95. The second memory spring 94 may be in an abutting state at a temperature higher than the second predetermined temperature, and abuts the blocking member 95 against the valve seat opening to block the flow passage in the valve body 91. The second memory spring 94 is deformed below the second predetermined temperature, and the deformation can shorten the length of the second memory spring 94, so as to pull the blocking piece 95 to open the flow passage of the valve body 91, and thus the water in the heat exchanger 100 can be completely discharged.

Please continue to refer to fig. 1 to fig. 7. The embodiment of the application also provides an anti-freezing valve 300, wherein the anti-freezing valve 300 has a normal state and a closed state; the antifreeze valve 300 can be switched from the normal state to the off state by the driving of its internal pressure. Wherein the freeze valve 300 has a closure assembly and a drain assembly.

When the frost valve 300 is in a normal state, the sealing assembly opens the internal flow passage thereof, and the drainage assembly is communicated with the downstream of the sealing assembly. When the frost valve 300 is in the off state, the sealing assembly closes the internal flow passage thereof. In the off state, the bleed assembly is adapted to bleed fluid downstream thereof. In a normal state, the vent assembly has a communication end in communication with the closure assembly. In the off state, the communication end of the drain assembly is in communication with the atmosphere.

The anti-freeze valve 300 may be installed at the position of the inlet pipe 200 of the desired anti-freeze apparatus when installed. When the anti-freezing device is used, the drainage assembly can be communicated with the atmosphere in a turn-off state, so that fluid in a container communicated with the downstream of the drainage assembly is drained, and freezing prevention is achieved. The frost valve 300 is a purely mechanical valve, is driven by the pressure inside the valve, does not need power supply, can be used in a power-off state, and has a very high application value.

Specifically, the closing assembly comprises a shell 1 and a valve core 3 capable of closing and opening a flow passage in the shell 1; the drain assembly comprises a drain pipe 2; the drain pipe 2 has a first position relative to the housing 1, which extends at least partially into the housing 1 and causes the valve element 3 to open the flow passage, and a second position, which allows fluid to escape and causes the valve element 3 to close the flow passage. When the bleeder 2 is located at the second position, the bleeder is separated from the shell 1 and the valve core 3 is enabled to close the flow passage.

Wherein the housing 1 has a connection end and an open end; the drain pipe 2 can extend into the shell 1 from the open end; a clamping groove 15 is formed in the outer wall of the drainage pipe 2; the shell 1 is provided with a clamping piece 4 capable of moving along the radial direction; when the frost valve 300 is in a normal state, the clamping member 4 extends into the clamping groove 15 so that the drain pipe 2 is located at the first position; when the frost valve 300 is switched from the normal state to the off state, the drain pipe 2 causes the clamping member 4 to move radially outward to be separated from the clamping groove 15, and thus the housing 1 and the drain pipe 2 move relatively. The drain pipe 2 can be driven by the internal pressure of the anti-freeze valve 300.

The wall of the shell 1 is provided with a through hole 10 for the clamping piece 4 to pass through along the radial direction; the shell 1 is also provided with a reset structure; the reset structure includes: an outer tube 5 sleeved outside the shell 1 and a spring 6. And the outer wall of the shell 1 is provided with a propping step. The spring 6 is located between the outer tube 5 and the abutting step. The abutment step is located upstream of the outer tube 5. The spring 6 applies an elastic force in the flow direction to the outer tube 5; a first inclined plane 9 is arranged on the inner wall of the outer pipe 5; the first inclined surface 9 applies the preset force radially inward to the snap-in member 4. The clamping piece 4 is of a spherical structure; the diameter of the through-hole 10 is smaller than the diameter of the spherical structure.

It should be noted that, in the antifreeze valve 300 of the present embodiment, reference may be made to the description of the antifreeze mechanism 300 described in the above embodiment or the embodiment, and details in the present embodiment are not repeated.

Please continue to refer to fig. 1 to fig. 7. The embodiment of the application also provides a water heater, which comprises but is not limited to the gas water heating device, and also can be an electric water heater or a small kitchen appliance.

Specifically, the water heater comprises a container for storing water; a water inlet pipe 200 and a water outlet pipe 400 connected with the container; an anti-freezing mechanism 300 disposed on the water inlet pipe 200; the anti-freezing mechanism 300 has a normal state allowing water in the water inlet pipe 200 to flow therethrough and an off state blocking water delivery from the water inlet pipe 200 to the container; the antifreeze mechanism 300 is switched from the normal state to the off state by driving of its internal pressure when the ambient temperature is lower than a first predetermined temperature.

Wherein, the container can be a water tank, an inner container or a heat exchanger 100. In the preferred embodiment, the water heater is a gas-fired water heating unit and the vessel is the heat exchanger 100.

The water heater in this embodiment can refer to the content of the gas water heating device described in the above embodiments, and is not described in detail here.

Any numerical value recited herein includes all values from the lower value to the upper value that are incremented by one unit, provided that there is a separation of at least two units between any lower value and any higher value. For example, if it is stated that the number of a component or a value of a process variable (e.g., temperature, pressure, time, etc.) is from 1 to 90, preferably from 20 to 80, and more preferably from 30 to 70, it is intended that equivalents such as 15 to 85, 22 to 68, 43 to 51, 30 to 32 are also expressly enumerated in this specification. For values less than 1, one unit is suitably considered to be 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1. These are only examples of what is intended to be explicitly recited, and all possible combinations of numerical values between the lowest value and the highest value that are explicitly recited in the specification in a similar manner are to be considered.

Unless otherwise indicated, all ranges include the endpoints and all numbers between the endpoints. The use of "about" or "approximately" with a range applies to both endpoints of the range. Thus, "about 20 to about 30" is intended to cover "about 20 to about 30", including at least the endpoints specified.

All articles and references disclosed, including patent applications and publications, are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes. The term "consisting essentially of …" describing a combination shall include the identified element, ingredient, component or step as well as other elements, ingredients, components or steps that do not materially affect the basic novel characteristics of the combination. The use of the terms "comprising" or "including" to describe combinations of elements, components, or steps herein also contemplates embodiments that consist essentially of such elements, components, or steps. By using the term "may" herein, it is intended to indicate that any of the described attributes that "may" include are optional.

A plurality of elements, components, parts or steps can be provided by a single integrated element, component, part or step. Alternatively, a single integrated element, component, part or step may be divided into separate plural elements, components, parts or steps. The disclosure of "a" or "an" to describe an element, ingredient, component or step is not intended to foreclose other elements, ingredients, components or steps.

It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. Many embodiments and many applications other than the examples provided will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading the above description. The scope of the present teachings should, therefore, be determined not with reference to the above description, but should instead be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. The disclosures of all articles and references, including patent applications and publications, are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes. The omission in the foregoing claims of any aspect of the subject matter that is disclosed herein is not intended to forego such subject matter, nor should the inventors be construed as having contemplated such subject matter as being part of the disclosed inventive subject matter.

Claims

1. A water heater, comprising:

a container for storing water;

2. The water heater as recited in claim 1, wherein: the anti-freezing mechanism is provided with a preset force which can enable the anti-freezing mechanism to be located in the normal state, the preset force is a constant value, and the anti-freezing mechanism is driven by the internal pressure of the anti-freezing mechanism to be switched from the normal state to the off state when the internal pressure of the anti-freezing mechanism is higher than the preset force.

3. The water heater as recited in claim 1, wherein: the anti-freezing mechanism is provided with a preset force which can enable the anti-freezing mechanism to be in the normal state; the preset force is reduced to be lower than the internal pressure of the anti-freezing mechanism when the ambient temperature is lower than a first preset temperature, so that the anti-freezing mechanism is switched from the normal state to the off state under the driving of the internal pressure of the anti-freezing mechanism.

4. A water heater as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein: the anti-freeze mechanism is further operable to drain at least a portion of the water within the container from the container when the ambient temperature is below a first predetermined temperature.

5. The water heater as recited in claim 4, wherein: the anti-freezing mechanism comprises a sealing assembly and a drainage assembly;

6. The water heater as recited in claim 5, wherein: when the anti-freezing mechanism is in the off state, the closing assembly and the drainage assembly are separated.

7. The water heater as recited in claim 5, wherein: the sealing assembly and the drainage assembly can move relatively along the length direction of the water inlet pipe, so that the anti-freezing mechanism is switched from a normal state to a turn-off state.

8. The water heater as recited in claim 7, wherein: the closing assembly is provided with a shell and a valve core capable of closing and opening a flow passage in the shell;

9. The water heater as recited in claim 8, wherein: the drain tube is interlocked with the valve core when the drain tube is switched from the first position to the second position relative to the housing.

10. The water heater as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein: the housing is movable relative to the drain tube in a direction opposite to the direction of flow of water in the inlet tube to switch the drain tube from a first position to a second position.

11. The water heater as recited in claim 10, wherein: the shell is provided with a connecting end connected with the water inlet pipe and an opening end; the drain pipe can extend into the shell from the opening end; a clamping groove is formed in the outer wall of the drainage pipe;

12. The water heater as recited in claim 11, wherein: the shell is also provided with a reset structure; the resetting structure can apply the preset force inwards along the radial direction to the clamping piece.

13. The water heater as recited in claim 12, wherein: the wall of the shell is provided with a through hole for the clamping piece to pass through along the radial direction;

14. The water heater as recited in claim 13, wherein: the clamping piece is of a spherical structure.

15. The water heater as recited in claim 14, wherein: the diameter of the through hole is smaller than that of the spherical structure.

16. The water heater as recited in claim 13, wherein: the clamping groove is provided with a second inclined surface matched with the clamping piece; the second slope slopes toward the inside of the drain pipe along the flow direction.

17. The water heater as recited in claim 13, wherein: the spring is a first thermosensitive spring or made of spring steel; wherein the elastic force exerted by the first heat-sensitive spring on the outer tube can be reduced along with the reduction of the ambient temperature or the elastic force is not exerted on the outer tube when the ambient temperature is lower than a first preset temperature.

18. The water heater as claimed in any one of claims 11-17, wherein: the shell is provided with a sealing element at the upstream of the clamping piece; the seal is used for sealing the drain pipe and the shell; the housing is provided with a sealing face upstream of the seal; and when the valve core is contacted with the sealing surface, the internal flow passage of the shell is closed.

19. The water heater as claimed in any one of claims 13-17, wherein: the shell is also provided with a limiting piece positioned at the downstream of the outer pipe; the outer pipe is limited by the contact with the limiting piece and cannot move continuously along the flow direction.

20. The water heater as recited in claim 18, wherein: one end of the drainage pipe close to the valve core is provided with a water passing part; the water passing part is provided with at least one water passing hole;

21. The water heater as recited in claim 10, wherein: the water inlet pipe comprises a first part and a second part; the first part is connected between a water inlet joint of the water heater and the shell; the second portion is connected between the container and the drain tube.

22. The water heater as recited in claim 21, wherein: a movable assembly is arranged between the first part and the water inlet connector; the movable assembly allows the first section to move along the length of the inlet pipe.

23. The water heater as recited in claim 22, wherein: the movable assembly includes a connecting tube having a first hinged end and a second hinged end; the connecting pipe is hinged with the first part through a first hinged end; the connecting pipe is hinged with the water inlet joint through a second hinged end.

24. The water heater as recited in claim 2, wherein: the vessel includes a heat exchanger.

25. The water heater as recited in claim 24, wherein: the preset force is lower than a minimum pressure resistance value of the heat exchanger.

26. The water heater as recited in claim 1, wherein: a pressure release valve is also arranged on the water outlet pipe; the pressure relief valve can be opened when the ambient temperature is lower than a second predetermined temperature; the second predetermined temperature is lower than the first predetermined temperature.

27. The water heater as recited in claim 26, wherein: the pressure relief valve comprises a valve body and a plugging piece arranged in the valve body; a second heat-sensitive spring for applying elastic force to the plugging piece is further arranged in the valve body; the second thermosensitive spring can drive the plugging piece to open the pressure release valve through deformation when the ambient temperature is lower than a second preset temperature.

28. The water heater as recited in claim 1, wherein: the water heater comprises a gas water heater or a wall-mounted furnace.

29. An antifreeze valve, characterized in that said antifreeze valve has a normal state and an off state; the antifreezing valve can be switched from the normal state to the off state under the driving of the internal pressure of the antifreezing valve;

wherein the antifreeze valve has a closure assembly and a drain assembly;

30. The antifreeze valve of claim 29, wherein: the closing assembly is provided with a shell and a valve core capable of closing and opening a flow passage in the shell; the drain assembly comprises a drain tube; the drain pipe is provided with a first position and a second position relative to the shell, wherein the first position at least partially extends into the shell and enables the valve core to open the flow passage, and the second position is separated from the shell and enables the valve core to close the flow passage; wherein,

when the anti-freezing valve is switched from the normal state to the off state, the discharge pipe enables the clamping piece to move outwards along the radial direction to be separated from the clamping groove, and then the shell and the discharge pipe move relatively.

31. The antifreeze valve of claim 30, wherein: the wall of the shell is provided with a through hole for the clamping piece to pass through along the radial direction; the shell is also provided with a reset structure;

32. The antifreeze valve of claim 31, wherein: the clamping piece is of a spherical structure; the diameter of the through hole is smaller than that of the spherical structure.