JP6555929B2 - Valve unit - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a valve unit that takes fuel gas into a gas device such as a gas fan heater, and more particularly to a valve unit that is attached to the inner surface of an outer case of a gas device that has a negative pressure during operation.

  Gas equipment such as a gas fan heater that burns fuel gas is connected to a gas supply pipe such as a gas cord that supplies fuel gas, and is equipped with a valve unit that opens and closes the flow path of the fuel gas taken from the gas cord. Yes. Some of these valve units include a plug to which a gas cord is connected and are attached to the inner surface of an outer case of a gas device. An insertion hole through which the plug is inserted is formed in the outer case, and the plug projects from the insertion hole to the outside of the outer case (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP2013-167351A (FIG. 1)

  However, in a gas appliance in which the inside of the outer case becomes negative during operation (for example, in the case of a gas fan heater, the inner side of the outer case becomes negative as the air blows off due to the rotation of the blower fan) Since air is sucked in through the gap between the insertion hole and the valve unit plug, if moisture adheres to the outer surface of the outer case (for example, if the cleaning liquid used during cleaning remains) There was a problem of getting in. And if the water | moisture content which entered enters an internal electrical component, there exists a possibility of causing a failure.

  The present invention has been made in response to the above-described problems of the prior art, and is a gas device in which the internal pressure is negative during operation, and the inside is formed through the gap between the insertion hole of the outer case and the plug of the valve unit. It aims at providing the technique which suppresses a water | moisture content to enter.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the valve unit of the present invention employs the following configuration. That is,
In the valve unit that is attached to the inner surface of the outer casing of the gas equipment that has a negative pressure inside the outer casing during operation, and opens and closes the flow path of the fuel gas,
A plug to which a gas supply pipe for supplying fuel gas is connected in a state of being inserted into an insertion hole formed in the outer case and projecting to the outside of the outer case;
Opposite the insertion hole, forming a space between the outer case, and a recess in which the plug protrudes,
A peripheral contact portion surrounding the concave portion and in surface contact with the inner surface of the outer case.

  Here, the gas supply pipe may be a hose-like pipe such as a rubber pipe or a gas cord in which the rubber pipe is reinforced with a metal wire, or a metal pipe using an iron pipe or the like.

  In a gas appliance equipped with such a valve unit of the present invention, even if moisture is sucked together with air from the gap between the insertion hole and the plug due to negative pressure inside the outer case during operation, the moisture Instead of immediately entering the interior through the gap between the exterior case and the valve unit as it is, the space is formed by the recess into the space formed inside the exterior case. In this space, the flow path is greatly expanded compared to the gap between the insertion hole and the plug, so that the flow rate of air and moisture is reduced and the negative pressure is relieved. In this way, once moisture is trapped (trapped) in the space, it is possible to suppress the moisture from entering the inside of the gas device as compared with the case where there is no space.

  In the valve unit of the present invention described above, an inclined portion that decreases toward the outside of the outer case may be provided at the lower end of the recess.

  In this way, when the moisture that has entered the space through the gap between the insertion hole and the plug flows down by its own weight, it is discharged to the outside of the outer case along the inclined portion. It becomes possible to further suppress the intrusion.

It is explanatory drawing which showed the structure of the gas fan heater 1 as an example of the gas apparatus carrying the valve unit 20 of a present Example. It is the perspective view which looked at the gas fan heater 1 from the back side. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a state where the valve unit 20 is detached from the rear plate 3a of the case body 3. FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the valve unit 20 is attached to the rear plate 3a of the case body 3. It is the perspective view which showed a mode that the plug 21 was rotated in the state in which the valve unit 20 was positioned by the backplate 3a. It is explanatory drawing which expanded and showed the state which attached the valve unit 20 of the present Example to the rear board 3a of the case main body 3. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a rough structure of a gas clothes dryer 50. FIG.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of a gas fan heater 1 as an example of a gas appliance equipped with the valve unit 20 of this embodiment. The gas fan heater 1 is entirely covered with an outer case 2, and the outer case 2 is a case main body 3 formed in a housing shape with an open front side, and a case attached to cover the opening of the case main body 3. And a cover 4. In FIG. 1, only the upper portion of the case cover 4 is shown and most of the illustration is omitted, and the inside of the outer case 2 (the case main body 3) is shown to be visible.

  Inside the case body 3, there are provided a heating unit 5 incorporating a burner 6 for burning fuel gas, a blower fan 7 for sucking and sending air in the heating unit 5, a drive motor 8 for rotating the blower fan 7, and the like. It has been. In the illustrated example, a casing 7 a that houses the blower fan 7 is connected to the heating unit 5, and the lower part of the blower fan 7 can be seen from the opening on the front side of the casing 7 a. When the fuel gas is burned by the burner 6, the air in the heating unit 5 is warmed, and the warmed air is heated from a blower outlet (not shown) provided at the lower portion of the case cover 4 by rotating the blower fan 7. It blows out as wind. The case body 3 is provided with an intake port (not shown). When the inside of the outer case 2 becomes negative pressure due to the rotation of the blower fan 7, air is sucked from the intake port and flows into the heating unit 5.

  A valve unit 20 is mounted inside the case body 3. The valve unit 20 is connected to a gas cord and opens and closes a flow path of fuel gas taken from the gas cord. Such a valve unit 20 is attached to the inner surface of the case body 3, and is attached to the rear plate 3 a constituting the back surface of the case body 3 in this embodiment. The valve unit 20 is connected to the burner 6 via the gas pipe 9. In this embodiment, a gas cord in which a rubber tube is reinforced with a metal wire or the like will be described as an example of a gas supply tube for supplying fuel gas to a gas appliance. However, the gas supply tube is not limited to this, and the rubber tube It may be a metal pipe using an iron pipe or the like.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the gas fan heater 1 as seen from the back side. In the figure, a portion where the valve unit 20 is attached is shown enlarged. As illustrated, the rear plate 3a of the case body 3 is formed with an insertion hole 3b at a position where the valve unit 20 is attached (in the illustrated example, the lower left portion of the rear plate 3a). The valve unit 20 includes an L-shaped plug 21 to which a gas cord is connected. The valve unit 20 is inserted into the insertion hole 3b and protrudes to the outside of the case body 3. It is attached to the rear plate 3a.

  FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a state where the valve unit 20 is detached from the rear plate 3 a of the case body 3. The valve unit 20 is provided with two electromagnetic valves 30 and 31 in series for opening and closing the flow path of the fuel gas taken in from a gas cord (not shown) connected to the plug 21. On the downstream side, a proportional valve 32 that adjusts the flow rate of the fuel gas passing through the flow path is provided. The fuel gas that has passed through the proportional valve 32 is supplied to the burner 6 through the gas pipe 9.

  Further, the valve unit 20 of the present embodiment is provided with a recess 22 in a portion facing the insertion hole 3b of the rear plate 3a. When the valve unit 20 is attached to the rear plate 3a, the recess 22 and the rear plate 3a A space is formed. A peripheral edge contact portion 23 that is in surface contact with the inner surface of the rear plate 3 a is provided around the recess 22. Then, the plug 21 inserted through the insertion hole 3b is projected from the bottom surface of the recess 22 (the surface facing the insertion hole 3b). As will be described later, the L-shaped plug 21 of this embodiment is not fixed to the valve unit 20 but is rotated around the central axis on the base end side to change the direction on the front end side (upward in the illustrated example). It is possible to match the connecting direction of the gas cord. In addition, a protruding portion 26 that protrudes from the peripheral surface in the same direction as the distal end side of the plug 21 is provided on the proximal end side of the plug 21.

  Further, a claw portion 24 that hooks on the upper portion of the insertion hole 3b is provided above the concave portion 22, and a boss 25 that protrudes toward the insertion hole 3b is provided below the concave portion 22. The boss 25 is fitted into a notch 3c provided at the lower end of the insertion hole 3b and has a function of positioning the valve unit 20 with respect to the rear plate 3a.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the valve unit 20 is attached to the rear plate 3 a of the case body 3. In the figure, a cross section in which the valve unit 20 and the rear plate 3a are cut along a vertical plane passing through the central axis of the plug 21 is shown. When attaching the valve unit 20 to the rear plate 3a, first, the plug 21 is passed through the insertion hole 3b, and the top of the insertion hole 3b is lowered with the tip side of the plug 21 lowered as shown in FIG. Hook the claw portion 24 onto.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 4B, the boss 25 is fitted into the notch 3 c at the lower end of the insertion hole 3 b while raising the distal end side of the plug 21. As a result, the valve unit 20 is positioned on the rear plate 3a. In addition, the upper surface of the boss 25 of this embodiment is continuous with the lower end surface of the recess 22 and becomes an inclined surface that becomes lower toward the outside of the case body 3 when the valve unit 20 is attached to the rear plate 3a. ing. This inclined surface corresponds to the “inclined portion” of the present invention, and its role will be described later.

  The valve unit 20 thus positioned is supported by the peripheral contact portion 23 coming into contact with the inner surface of the rear plate 3a and the claw portion 24 being hooked on the upper portion of the insertion hole 3b with the boss 25 placed on the notch 3c. It is possible to be independent. Accordingly, it is possible to work with both hands, such as once releasing the hand from the valve unit 20, holding the fixing screw in one hand and holding the driver in the other hand, and supporting the valve unit 20 with one hand. Compared to the case where the operation is continued, the operation becomes easier.

  Furthermore, in the valve unit 20 of the present embodiment, as described above, the proximal end side of the plug 21 can be rotated to change the direction of the distal end side. 26 protrudes in the same direction as the tip end side of the plug 21. The protruding portion 26 can pass through the insertion hole 3b if the distal end side of the plug 21 is upward. However, as shown in FIG. 5, when the plug 21 is rotated to the left or right (left in the illustrated example) with the valve unit 20 positioned on the rear plate 3a, the protruding portion 26 becomes It becomes impossible to pass through the insertion hole 3b by being caught by 3a. If the valve unit 20 is temporarily fixed to the rear plate 3a using the protruding portion 26 in this way, the valve unit 20 is pushed toward the inner side of the rear plate 3a by an operation such as fixing with the fixing screw 40. In addition, the valve unit 20 is not detached even if it is not pressed by hand, and the operation is further facilitated.

  Moreover, the protrusion 26 of the present embodiment has a function of stopping the rotation of the plug 21 by colliding with the boss 25 when the plug 21 is further rotated from the state of FIG. Yes. The L-shaped plug 21 of the present embodiment protrudes from the lower portion of the rear plate 3a (see FIG. 2). If the gas cord is connected with the tip side of the plug 21 facing downward, the gas cord is It is bent against the floor. Therefore, there is a possibility that the gas fan heater 1 is lifted on the rear side and falls forward due to the repulsive force of the gas cord. In order to prevent the gas fan heater 1 from overturning, the plug 21 is prevented from rotating by using the protruding portion 26 and the boss 25 to prevent the plug 21 from facing downward.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing, in an enlarged manner, a state in which the valve unit 20 of this embodiment is attached to the rear plate 3a of the case body 3. In the figure, the rear plate 3a is viewed from the outside (from the rear of the gas fan heater 1), and the valve unit 20 attached to the inner side of the rear plate 3a is indicated by a broken line. As illustrated, the recess 22 of the valve unit 20 is provided to face the insertion hole 3b through which the plug 21 is inserted, and forms a space (hereinafter referred to as a relaxation chamber 27) between the rear plate 3a. As shown in the drawing with hatching, the peripheral contact portion 23 surrounds the recess 22 and is in surface contact with the inner surface of the rear plate 3a.

  As described above, in the gas fan heater 1, since the inside of the outer case 2 becomes negative pressure as hot air is blown out by the rotation of the blower fan 7, air is sucked from the gap between the insertion hole 3 b and the plug 21. . For example, if moisture such as a cleaning liquid remaining at the time of cleaning adheres around the insertion hole 3b of the rear plate 3a, the moisture may be sucked together. However, in the gas fan heater 1 equipped with the valve unit 20 of the present embodiment, the water sucked from the gap between the insertion hole 3b and the plug 21 immediately passes through the gap between the rear plate 3a and the valve unit 20 and immediately enters the interior. Rather than intruding to the rear, it escapes to the relaxation chamber 27 formed inside the rear plate 3a. In the relaxation chamber 27, since the flow path is greatly expanded compared to the gap between the insertion hole 3b and the plug 21, the flow rate of air and moisture is reduced and the negative pressure is relaxed. In this manner, once moisture is trapped (trapped) in the relaxation chamber 27, it is possible to suppress moisture from entering the gas fan heater 1 as compared with the case where the relaxation chamber 27 is not provided.

  Moreover, as FIG. 6 shows, the inclination which the center part becomes lower than the right-and-left both sides is attached to the lower end surface of the recessed part 22 of a present Example. The upper surface of the boss 25 continuous with the central portion is an inclined surface that becomes lower toward the outside of the rear plate 3a as described above (see FIG. 4B). Thereby, the moisture that flows into the relaxation chamber 27 by its own weight is collected at the center of the lower end surface of the recess 22 and is discharged to the outside of the rear plate 3 a along the upper surface of the boss 25. It becomes possible to further suppress the intrusion of moisture into the inside.

  Although the valve unit 20 of the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the gas fan heater 1 has been described as an example of the gas device on which the valve unit 20 is mounted. However, the gas appliance is not limited to the gas fan heater 1 as long as the inside of the outer case has a negative pressure during operation, and another example is a gas clothes dryer.

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a rough structure of the gas clothing dryer 50. As illustrated, the gas clothes dryer 50 includes, as an exterior case 52, a main body 53 formed in a housing shape having an opening on the front side, and a front door 54 that opens and closes the opening of the main body 53. . In the main body 53, a burner 56 for burning fuel gas, an exhaust fan 57 for discharging the air in the outer case 52, a fan motor 58 for rotating the exhaust fan 57, a cylinder into which clothes to be dried are placed. A shaped drum 60, a drum motor 61 for rotating the drum 60, and the like are provided. When the exhaust fan 57 is rotated, the air heated by the combustion of the fuel gas in the burner 56 is sucked into the drum 60 through the hot air duct 64, and clothes and the like are dried. Then, damp air is sucked out of the drum 60, passes through a moisture exhaust duct 65 formed in the front door 54, and is discharged from an exhaust port 62 formed in the upper portion of the main body 53. An air inlet 63 is provided on the side surface of the main body 53. When the inside of the outer case 52 becomes negative pressure due to the rotation of the exhaust fan 57, air is taken in from the air inlet 63 and flows into the hot air duct 64.

  Further, the valve unit 20 similar to the above-described embodiment is provided in the main body 53. In the illustrated example, the plug 21 is inserted into the insertion hole 53b formed in the rear plate 53a of the main body 53, and The valve unit 20 is attached to the rear plate 53a. The valve unit 20 is connected to a burner 56 through a gas pipe 59.

  Also in such a gas clothes dryer 50, since the inside of the outer case 52 becomes negative pressure due to the rotation of the exhaust fan 57 during operation, air is sucked from the gap between the insertion hole 53b and the plug 21. Therefore, if the valve unit 20 is configured in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment, even if moisture adhering to the outer surface of the rear plate 53a is sucked from the gap between the insertion hole 53b and the plug 21, it temporarily accumulates in the relaxation chamber 27 (trap) As a result, water can be prevented from entering the gas clothing dryer 50 as compared with the case where the relaxation chamber 27 is not provided.

  In the above-described embodiment, the valve unit 20 is attached to the rear plate 3a of the case body 3. However, if the mounting position of the valve unit 20 is the inner surface of the exterior case 2, the case is not limited to the rear plate 3a. The side surface of the main body 3 may be used.

1 ... gas fan heater, 2 ... exterior case, 3 ... case body,
3a ... rear plate, 3b ... insertion hole, 3c ... notch,
4 ... Case cover, 5 ... Heating unit, 6 ... Burner,
7 ... Blower fan, 8 ... Drive motor, 9 ... Gas piping,
20 ... Valve unit, 21 ... Plug, 22 ... Recess,
23 ... peripheral contact portion, 24 ... claw portion, 25 ... boss,
26 ... Projection, 27 ... Relaxation chamber, 30 ... Solenoid valve,
31 ... Solenoid valve, 32 ... Proportional valve, 40 ... Fixing screw,
50 ... gas clothes dryer 52 ... exterior case 53 ... main body,
53a ... rear plate, 53b ... insertion hole, 54 ... front door,
56 ... Burner, 57 ... Exhaust fan, 58 ... Fan motor,
59 ... gas piping, 60 ... drum, 61 ... drum motor,
62 ... Exhaust port, 63 ... Intake port, 64 ... Hot air duct,
65 ... Humidity duct.

Claims (2)

In the valve unit that is attached to the inner surface of the outer casing of the gas equipment that has a negative pressure inside the outer casing during operation, and opens and closes the flow path of the fuel gas,
A plug to which a gas supply pipe for supplying fuel gas is connected in a state of being inserted into an insertion hole formed in the outer case and projecting to the outside of the outer case;
Opposite the insertion hole, forming a space between the outer case, and a recess in which the plug protrudes,
A valve unit comprising: a peripheral contact portion surrounding the concave portion and in surface contact with the inner surface of the outer case. The valve unit according to claim 1, wherein
A valve unit, wherein an inclined portion that is lowered toward the outside of the outer case is provided at a lower end of the recess.

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