JP2011196563A - Water heater - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a water heater provided with a channel switching means that can surely switch channels without enlarging and consumes no power at channel switching.SOLUTION: The water heater includes a hot water storage tank for storing hot water, a heating means for heating the hot water in the hot water storage tank, and the channel switching means for sending the hot water heated by the heating means to an upper part or lower part of the hot water storage tank. The channel switching means is configured so that an opening-closing valve supported by a shape memory spring and a return spring slides on an inner face of the channel switching means, thereby the switching operation of channels corresponding to the temperature of the hot water heated by the heating means can be surely performed without enlarging the channel switching means.

Description

  The present invention relates to a hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus, and more particularly to a hot water supply apparatus having a flow path switching means for switching a flow path without using electric power.

  Conventionally, this type of hot water supply apparatus has a hot water storage tank for storing hot water, a heating means for heating the hot water in the hot water tank, and a flow path switching means for sending the hot water heated by the heating means to the upper or lower part of the hot water tank. And a shape memory spring and a stop valve are used as the flow path switching means (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the flow path switching means of the conventional hot water supply apparatus described in Patent Document 1. This flow path switching means is composed of a left body 26 and a right body 27, and a joint portion is sealed with an O-ring 28. Then, a heat pump return port 18 to which a heat pump return pipe (not shown) is connected, a tank lower return port 20 to which a tank lower return pipe (not shown) is connected, and a tank upper return pipe (not shown) are connected. The tank upper return port 21 has three open ports to form a flow path.

  The right body 27 is provided with a bearing 29, and an operating shaft 30 is inserted into the bearing 29 and attached so as to slide in the left-right direction toward the paper surface of FIG. The operating shaft 30 has a packing A31 and a packing B32 as closing valves. When the operating shaft 30 slides and moves to the left and right, the flow path communicating with the tank return port 21 is closed by the packing A31, and the packing B32 Thus, the flow path communicating with the tank lower return port 20 is closed.

  The operating shaft 30 is provided with a support tool 40, and the support tool 40 and the left body 26, and the support tool 40 and the right body 27 are connected by a spring.

  The support 40 and the left body 26 are connected by a shape memory spring 33, and the support 40 and the right body 27 are connected by a spring 34.

JP 2010-25363 A

  However, in the flow path switching means of the conventional hot water supply apparatus, since it is necessary to provide a flow path through which water flows between the support 40 and the inner wall of the left body 26, the outer diameters of the left body 26 and the right body 27. And the flow path switching means is increased in size.

  Further, since there is a gap between the support tool 40 and the inner surface of the left body 27, when the support tool 40 slides to the left and right, the support tool 40 is rattled and the support tool 40 does not slide smoothly. There was a fear. For this reason, there is a problem that a gap is generated between the left body 26 or the right body 27 and the packing A31 or the packing B32, and there is a possibility that water leaks to the flow path side where the flow of water should be blocked.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and is capable of reliably switching the flow path without increasing the size and having a flow path switching means that does not consume power when switching the flow path. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, a hot water supply apparatus of the present invention includes a hot water storage tank for storing hot water, heating means for heating hot water in the hot water storage tank, and hot water heated by the heating means at the upper or lower part of the hot water tank. A flow path switching means for sending to any of the above, the flow path switching means, a substantially cylindrical on-off valve that slides on the inner surface of the flow path switching means, a shape memory spring that supports one end of the on-off valve, It is comprised from the return spring which supports the other end of an on-off valve.

  Accordingly, it is possible to realize a hot water supply apparatus including a channel switching unit that can reliably switch the channel without increasing the size and that does not consume electric power when the channel is switched.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can provide a hot water supply apparatus including a flow path switching unit that can reliably switch the flow path without increasing the size and does not consume power when the flow path is switched.

Schematic configuration diagram of a hot water supply apparatus in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Sectional drawing of the flow-path switching means in the same embodiment Sectional drawing of the flow-path switching means in the same embodiment Side view of on-off valve in the same embodiment Front view of on-off valve in the same embodiment Cross-sectional view of flow path switching means in the same embodiment Sectional drawing of the flow-path switching means in the same embodiment Side view of on-off valve in the same embodiment Front view of on-off valve in the same embodiment Cross-sectional view of flow path switching means in the same embodiment Sectional drawing of the flow-path switching means in the conventional hot-water supply apparatus

  A hot water supply apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is a hot water storage tank for storing hot water, a heating means for heating the hot water in the hot water storage tank, and a flow path switching for sending the hot water heated by the heating means to either the upper part or the lower part of the hot water tank. And the flow path switching means supports a substantially cylindrical on-off valve that slides on the inner surface of the flow path switching means, a shape memory spring that supports one end of the on-off valve, and the other end of the on-off valve. By comprising the return spring, it becomes possible to switch the flow path according to the temperature of the hot water heated by the heating means, so that power can be saved without consuming electric power when switching the flow path. The on-off valve supported by the shape memory spring and the return spring slides on the inner surface of the flow path switching means, so that the on-off valve can be moved stably and the water flows to the flow path side where the flow of water should be blocked. The flow path is switched reliably without leakage Rukoto can. Further, since the gap between the inner surface of the flow path switching means and the outer peripheral surface of the on-off valve is small, the flow path switching means does not increase in size.

  The hot water supply apparatus of the second invention is the inner surface of the flow path switching means, in particular, in the first invention, the opening / closing valve is provided with a flow path opening for circulating hot water heated by the heating means. Since the flow path area can be secured without providing a flow path between the valve and the outer peripheral surface of the on-off valve, the overall structure of the flow path switching means can be reduced in size. In addition, since the opening / closing valve can be reduced in weight by providing the opening / closing valve in the opening / closing valve, the shape memory spring and the return spring having a small elastic force can be used. The overall structure of the flow path switching means can be reduced in size.

In particular, in the first or second invention, the hot water supply apparatus of the third invention is provided with a valve portion for closing hot water at both ends with respect to the sliding direction of the on-off valve. Since the number of parts of the flow path switching means can be reduced, the size can be reduced, and the weight and cost can be reduced. Further, it is not necessary to provide a seal portion on the outer peripheral portion of the on-off valve serving as the sliding surface or the inner surface of the main body portion, and the force for moving the on-off valve 29 can be reduced, so that the shape memory spring and the return spring can be reduced in size. As a result, the overall structure of the flow path switching means can be reduced in size.

  The hot water supply apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the invention is particularly characterized in that, in any one of the first to third aspects of the invention, the on-off valve has a symmetrical shape with respect to the sliding direction, so that quality and production can be achieved without erroneous insertion during production assembly. Can be improved.

  The hot water supply apparatus according to the fifth invention is, in particular, in the third invention, because the valve portion is made of a material different from that of the main body of the on-off valve. Since it can be configured with an inexpensive resin material, the cost can be reduced.

  In the hot water supply apparatus of the sixth aspect of the invention, in particular, in the first aspect of the invention, the shape memory spring is made of a material that is different in material from the return spring and that changes in size depending on the temperature of the hot water heated by the heating means. As a result, it is possible to reduce the cost because it is possible to return the shaft in the axial direction with an inexpensive ordinary spring without using an expensive shape memory spring for returning.

  The hot water supply apparatus according to the seventh invention, in particular, in the first or sixth invention, the shape memory spring has a different shape from the return spring, so that the quality and productivity can be reduced without being erroneously inserted during production assembly. Can be improved.

  In the hot water supply apparatus according to the eighth aspect of the invention, in particular, in the first aspect of the invention, the flow path switching means has a drain plug for extracting hot water in the pipe that sends hot water heated by the heating means to the upper part of the hot water tank. By being provided, the user of the hot water supply device can drain the water accumulated in the pipes when he / she is not staying for a long time in winter, so that the flow path switching means can be prevented from being broken due to freezing.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a hot water supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The hot water supply apparatus of FIG. 1 includes a hot water storage tank 1 for storing hot water and a heat pump heat source 2 as heating means, and a water supply pipe 3 for supplying water from the water supply source is connected to the bottom of the hot water storage tank 1. ing. The water supplied from the water supply source passes through the water supply pipe 3 and is stored in the hot water tank 1. Alternatively, the water is branched from the water supply pipe 3 and supplied to the water side of the hot water supply mixing valve 4.

  The hot water mixing valve 4 is feedback-controlled so that the temperature detected by the hot water temperature sensor 15 on the downstream side of the hot water mixing valve 4 becomes the hot water temperature set by the user. Is mixed with low-temperature water from the tap and discharged from the tap 16.

  Further, the lower part of the hot water tank 1 and the heat pump heat source 2 are connected by a heat pump outgoing pipe 6 through a boiling pump 5, and the bottom part of the hot water tank 1 is connected to the heat pump heat source 2 by driving the boiling pump 5. We are sending low-temperature water.

The heat pump heat source 2 includes a water-refrigerant heat exchanger that exchanges heat between water and refrigerant, a decompression device that decompresses the refrigerant, an evaporator that absorbs heat from the atmosphere, and a compressor 7 that compresses the refrigerant. It is connected in an annular shape by piping and has a heat pump circuit. Then, the refrigerant water heat exchanger performs heat exchange between the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 7 and having a high temperature and high pressure and the low temperature water sent from the bottom of the hot water tank 1 to generate high temperature water.

  At the inlet of the heat pump heat source 2 is an incoming water temperature sensor 12 for measuring the incoming water temperature, which is the temperature of the water entering the water / refrigerant heat exchanger, and at the outlet of the heat pump heat source 2 is hot water flowing out of the water / refrigerant heat exchanger. A hot water temperature sensor 13 for measuring the hot water temperature, which is the temperature of the hot water, is provided, and the measured temperature data is sent to the control board 14 and used for controlling the rotation speed of the compressor 7 and the boiling pump 5. .

  Moreover, the hot water supply apparatus of this Embodiment is the heat pump return piping 8 which returns to the hot water storage tank 1 from the heat pump heat source 2, and the tank upper return for returning the high temperature water produced | generated by the heat pump heat source 2 to the upper part of the hot water storage tank 1 A pipe 11 and a tank return pipe 9 for returning relatively low-temperature water returning from the heat pump heat source 2 to the lower part of the hot water tank 1 when the heat pump heat source 2 is activated are provided.

  Furthermore, a flow path switching means 100 is provided at a location where the heat pump return pipe 8, the tank lower return pipe 9 and the tank upper return pipe 11 are connected. Either the pipe 11 or the tank return pipe 9 can be selected.

  Next, the configuration of the flow path switching unit 100 will be described.

  2 and 3 are cross-sectional views of the flow path switching unit 100 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The flow path switching unit 100 includes a main body portion 26 and a lid portion 27, and a joint portion thereof is sealed with an O-ring 28. The three open ports are a heat pump return port 18 to which the heat pump return line 8 is connected, a tank lower return port 20 to which the tank lower return line 9 is connected, and a tank upper return port 21 to which the tank upper return line 11 is connected. Each of which is connected to three pipes to form a flow path.

  The lid 27 is provided with a drain plug 32 for draining water accumulated in the tank return pipe 11. As shown in FIG. 3, the drain plug 32 includes a drain plug body 32a and a drain plug O-ring 32b.

  A substantially cylindrical internal space 40 is formed inside the main body portion 26 and the lid portion 27. A main body hole 26a communicating with the tank lower return port 20 is provided on one end surface (the main body portion 26 side) of the internal space 40, and the tank upper return port 21 and the other end surface (lid portion 27 side). A lid hole 27a that communicates is provided.

  A substantially cylindrical on-off valve 29 is provided inside the internal space 40. The on-off valve 29 has an on-off valve flange portion 29 a, and a valve portion A 29 b and a valve portion B 29 c are provided at both ends of the on-off valve 29. The material of the valve part A29b and the valve part B29c is formed of a material different from that of the other parts. For example, the on-off valve 29 is made of a resin material, and the valve part A29b and the valve part B29c are made of a rubber material.

  The opening / closing portion 29 is attached such that the outer peripheral portion of the opening / closing valve flange portion 29a slides on the side surface of the internal space 40 and slides in the left-right direction toward the paper surface of FIG. The on-off valve 29 slides to the left and right and the valve portion B29c closes the main body hole portion 26a, thereby closing the flow path communicating with the tank return port 21, or the valve portion A29b closing the lid hole portion 27a. Thus, the flow path communicating with the tank lower return port 20 is closed.

  A coiled return spring 31 is provided between the on-off valve flange portion 29a and one end face (the main body portion 26 side) of the internal space 40, and the other end face of the on-off valve flange portion 29a and the internal space 40 is provided. A coil-shaped shape memory spring 30 is provided between (the lid 27 side). That is, the on-off valve 29 is supported by the shape memory spring 30 and the return spring 31.

  The shape memory spring 30 is shrunk when the ambient temperature is lower than about 50 degrees, for example. The shape memory spring 30 starts to expand when the temperature exceeds about 50 degrees and exceeds the load of the return spring 31 until it reaches about 65 degrees. The shape is designed.

  Next, details of the on-off valve 29 will be described. 4 is a side view of the on-off valve 29, FIG. 5 is a front view, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the flow rate switching device 100. As shown in FIG. 4, the on-off valve 29 has a substantially cylindrical shape and is symmetrical with respect to a plane orthogonal to the axial direction of the cylinder. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the opening / closing valve flange 29a is formed with a flow passage opening 29d composed of a plurality of through holes through which hot water from the heat pump return port 18 flows. The flow passage area of the flow passage opening 29d, that is, the total area of the plurality of through holes is larger than the flow passage areas of the main body hole portion 26a and the cover hole portion 27a formed in the main body portion 26 and the lid portion 27. It is desirable.

  The operation and action of the hot water supply apparatus of the present embodiment using the flow path switching means 100 configured as described above will be described below.

  FIG. 2 shows the state of the flow path switching means 100 such as when the heat pump heat source 2 starts up, and FIG. 7 shows the state of the flow path switching means 100 after the heat pump heat source 2 has started up and a predetermined time has elapsed. .

  When the heat pump heat source 2 starts up, the temperature of the hot water entering the flow path switching means 100 from the heat pump return port 18 is not sufficiently increased.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in this case, for example, when the hot water boiling set temperature is about 65 degrees, the shape memory spring 30 is contracted because the temperature of the hot water discharged from the heat pump heat source 2 is lower than about 65 degrees. However, since almost no force is applied to the on-off valve flange portion 29, the return spring 31 always pushes the on-off valve flange portion 29 with a rightward force, so that the valve portion B29c is open to the lid portion 27. It is pressed down so as to close the hole 27a and blocks the flow of water.

  Accordingly, the hot water returning from the heat pump heat source 2 passes through the valve hole A29b and the main body hole 26a vacated in the main body 26a, exits the tank lower return port 20, and returns to the lower part of the hot water tank 1.

  Further, after a predetermined time has elapsed since the heat pump heat source 2 started up, the generated hot water is at a high temperature, so the temperature of the hot water entering the flow path switching means 100 from the heat pump return port 18 is high.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in this case, for example, when the hot water boiling set temperature is about 65 degrees, when the temperature of the hot water discharged from the heat pump heat source 2 reaches about 50 degrees, the shape memory spring 33 gently By starting to stretch, the load of the return spring 31 is exceeded until the temperature of the hot water reaches about 65 degrees, and the valve portion A29b is pressed in the axial direction so as to close the body hole portion 26a vacant in the body 26. The hunting phenomenon of the on-off valve 29 is prevented by slowing the movement of the shape memory spring 33 and providing hysteresis.

  Therefore, the tank lower return port 20 is securely closed, and the valve portion B29c on the opposite side and the lid hole portion 27a open in the lid portion 27 are opened reliably, so that the hot water returned from the heat pump heat source 2 is returned to the tank upper return port 21. To return to the top of the hot water tank 1.

  As described above, the hot water supply apparatus of the present invention does not require switching of the flow path while measuring the temperature of the hot water with a temperature sensor or the like. 29 and the side surface of the internal space 40 of the main body portion 26 are operated so as to be a sliding surface. Therefore, water leakage does not occur on the channel side where the water flow should be blocked, and the channel is reliably The hot water can be stored in the upper part of the hot water tank 1.

  Further, since the flow passage opening 19d for flowing hot water into the on-off valve flange portion 29a is provided, hot water is circulated without providing a flow passage between the inner surface of the internal space 40 and the outer peripheral surface of the on-off valve 29. Since a sufficient flow path can be secured, the flow path switching means 100 can be reduced in size. Furthermore, since the opening / closing valve 29 can be reduced in weight by providing the opening / closing valve flange portion 29d in the opening / closing valve flange portion 29a, a shape memory spring or return spring having a small elastic force can be used. 31 can be reduced in size, and thus the overall structure of the flow path switching means 100 can be reduced in size.

  Further, by providing the valve portion A29b and the valve portion B29c at both ends of the on-off valve 29, a plurality of flow paths can be switched with one component, and the number of parts of the flow path switching means 100 can be reduced. It is possible to reduce the size of the path switching unit 100 and to reduce the weight and cost. Further, by providing the valve portion A29b and the valve portion B29c at both ends of the on-off valve 29, a seal such as an O-ring is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the on-off valve 29 serving as a sliding surface and the side surface of the internal space 40 of the main body portion 26. There is no need to provide a section. For this reason, since the on-off valve 29 can be moved with a relatively small force, a shape memory spring or a return spring having a small elastic force can be used. Thereby, the shape memory spring 30 and the return spring 31 can be reduced in size, and the entire structure of the flow path switching means 100 can be reduced in size.

  In addition, since the on-off valve 29 has a symmetrical shape with respect to the sliding direction, quality and productivity can be improved without being erroneously inserted during production assembly.

  Further, the opening / closing valve 29 is provided with a valve part A29b and a valve part B29c, so that, for example, the valve part A29b and the valve part B29c are made of an expensive rubber material, and the other body parts are made of an inexpensive resin material. Therefore, the cost can be reduced.

  In addition, since the shape memory spring 30 and the return spring 31 are made of different materials, the return spring 31 is not a material of the expensive shape memory spring 30, but an ordinary spring is used for opening and closing operations. The switching means 100 and the hot water supply device can be produced.

  In addition, the shape memory spring 30 and the return spring 31 are different in shape, for example, by making the shape of the spring winding number, outer diameter, free length, color difference, etc., which can be instantly judged visually, during production assembly Productivity can be improved without any mistakes.

  Furthermore, since the drain part is formed in the lid part 27, when the user is absent for a long time in winter, the drain plug O-ring part is sealed by twisting the drain plug body 32a by hand. Since the water accumulated in the tank return pipe 11 can be drained to the outside, the flow path switching means 100 can be prevented from being broken due to freezing.

  In this embodiment, the shape memory spring 30 is assumed to expand when heated, but a shape memory spring that contracts by heating can be used if the return spring 31 and the installation position are reversed. Further, the shape memory spring 30 and the return spring 31 are assumed to be coil-shaped, but may be plate-shaped, for example.

Further, in the present embodiment, the opening / closing valve flange 29a is formed with a flow passage opening 29d by a plurality of through holes. However, as shown in FIGS. The channel opening 29d may be formed by providing a notch. In this way, the area of the flow path opening 29d can be increased, and the outer shape of the main body 26 can be designed to be smaller. Furthermore, since the opening / closing valve 29 can be reduced in weight by providing a notch in the opening / closing valve flange 29a, the shape memory spring 30 and the return spring 31 can be reduced in size, and the overall structure of the flow path switching means 100 can be reduced accordingly. Can be

  As described above, the hot water supply apparatus according to the present invention includes an integrated heat pump type hot water heater in which a heat pump cycle and a hot water supply cycle are integrally configured, a separate heat pump type hot water heater configured separately, and a heat exchanger for hot water supply. The present invention can also be applied to various heat pump water heaters such as a direct hot water heat pump type hot water heater that can discharge hot water as it is, and a hot water storage type heat pump hot water heater.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hot water storage tank 2 Heat pump heat source 3 Water supply pipe 4 Hot water supply mixing valve 5 Boiling pump 6 Heat pump outgoing piping 7 Compressor 8 Heat pump return piping 9 Tank return piping 11 Tank return piping 12 Water temperature sensor 13 Hot water temperature sensor 14 Control board 15 Hot water supply Temperature sensor 16 Faucet 18 Heat pump return port 20 Tank lower return port 21 Tank upper return port 26 Main body part 26a Main body hole part 27 Cover part 27a Cover hole part 28 O-ring 29 Open / close valve 29a Open / close valve flange part 29b Valve part A
29c Valve B
29d Flow path opening 30 Shape memory spring 31 Return spring 32 Drain plug 32a Drain plug body 40 Internal space 100 Flow path switching means

Claims (8)

A hot water storage tank for storing hot water, a heating means for heating the hot water in the hot water tank, and a flow path switching means for sending the hot water heated by the heating means to either the upper part or the lower part of the hot water tank, The channel switching means includes a substantially cylindrical on-off valve that slides on the inner surface of the channel switching means, a shape memory spring that supports one end of the on-off valve, and a return spring that supports the other end of the on-off valve. A hot water supply apparatus characterized by comprising: The hot water supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the opening / closing valve is provided with a flow path opening for circulating hot water heated by the heating means. The hot water supply device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein valve portions for closing hot water are provided at both ends of the on-off valve with respect to the sliding direction. The hot water supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the on-off valve has a symmetrical shape with respect to a sliding direction. The hot water supply apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the valve portion is made of a material different from that of the main body of the on-off valve. 2. The hot water supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shape memory spring is made of a material that is different in material from the return spring and whose dimensions change depending on the temperature of hot water heated by the heating means. The hot water supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 6, wherein the shape memory spring has a shape different from that of the return spring. 2. The drain switch according to claim 1, wherein the flow path switching unit is provided with a drain plug for draining hot water in a pipe that sends hot water heated by the heating unit to an upper part of the hot water storage tank. Hot water supply device.