JP7294218B2 - Storage hot water heater - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus that stores hot water heated by a heating means such as a heat pump in a hot water storage tank, and uses the hot water extracted from the hot water storage tank to supply hot water to a hot water supply destination such as a bathtub, shower, kitchen or washroom faucet. Widely used. The hot water tank is housed in an outer case made of a metal thin plate or the like. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a hot water storage unit capable of preventing rainwater from entering the inside of a casing corresponding to an outer case.

JP 2012-107818 (paragraph 0006-0007)

BACKGROUND ART In recent years, natural disasters such as typhoons and heavy rains have increased, and there are concerns about flood damage caused by overflow of rivers and the like. For example, in a situation where the floor of a house is flooded due to flood damage, there is a possibility that the outer case that houses the hot water tank will be submerged. If water intrudes into the outer case, the electrical components arranged inside the outer case will fail. As a countermeasure, it is conceivable to make the outer case a closed structure. However, when the outer case is submerged in water, the water pressure applied to the outer case increases, so that the outer case cannot withstand the water pressure and is deformed, causing water to enter the interior.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-described problems, and is a hot water storage type hot water supply system capable of protecting electric parts inside the outer case without deformation even when the outer case is submerged in water. You get the device.

A hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a hot water storage tank that stores hot water, an outer case that houses the hot water storage tank and is sealed from the outside, and a pre-set It comprises water detecting means for detecting water reaching a height, and pressurizing means for pressurizing the inside of the outer case when water is detected by the water detecting means.

According to the present disclosure, when water is detected by the water detection means, the pressurizing means pressurizes the inside of the outer case. It can protect internal electrical components.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. Fig. 2 is a front view showing a state in which the front panel of the outer shell case of the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus according to Embodiment 1 is removed; FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the outer case of the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus according to Embodiment 1; 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus showing Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a processing circuit of a control unit of the storage-type hot water supply apparatus according to Embodiment 1; FIG. Fig. 10 is a front view showing a state in which a front panel of the outer case of the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus according to Embodiment 2 is removed; FIG. 11 is a front view showing a state in which a front plate of the outer shell case of the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus according to Embodiment 3 is removed; FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of a hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus showing Embodiment 4; FIG. 11 is a front view showing a state in which a front panel of the outer case of the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus according to Embodiment 5 is removed;

Embodiments will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals are given to the same or corresponding parts in each figure.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus 1 includes a hot water storage tank 10 that stores hot water, and an outer case 20 that houses the hot water storage tank 10 therein. Further, the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus 1 is provided with a heating means 2 for heating water to generate high temperature hot water. The heating means 2 is composed of, for example, a heat pump unit that heats water using a refrigeration cycle. The hot water storage tank 10 and the heating means 2 are connected via an outgoing pipe 3 and a return pipe 4 . The water sent from the hot water storage tank 10 to the heating means 2 through the outgoing pipe 3 is heated by the heating means 2, then sent to the hot water storage tank 10 through the return pipe 4 and stored. A water supply pipe 5 and a hot water supply pipe 6 are connected to the hot water storage tank 10 . The water supply pipe 5 is a pipe for supplying water to the hot water storage tank 10 from a water source such as an external tap. The hot water supply pipe 6 is a pipe for supplying hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 10 to a hot water supply terminal such as a faucet of a bathtub, a shower, a kitchen or a washroom.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state in which the front panel 23 of the outer case 20 is removed. FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the outer case 20. As shown in FIG. 2 and 3 omit some of the parts arranged inside the outer case 20, such as piping, joints, functional parts such as switching valves and circulation pumps, and measurement parts such as temperature sensors and flow sensors. showing. In this embodiment, the hot water storage tank 10 has a substantially cylindrical shape and is made of, for example, stainless steel. The outer case 20 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and is formed of, for example, a metal thin plate. The thickness of the outer case 20 is, for example, approximately 0.45 mm to 0.5 mm. The outer case 20 includes a top plate 21 forming the upper surface of the outer case 20, a bottom plate 22 forming the bottom surface of the outer case 20, a front plate 23 forming the front surface of the outer case 20, and the rear surface of the outer case 20. , a right side plate 25 forming the right side of the outer case 20, a left side plate 26 forming the left side of the outer case 20, and a riser 27. The riser plate 27 is arranged in front of the bottom plate 22 and has a stepped portion that is one step higher than the bottom plate 22 . A stepped portion of the riser plate 27 is provided with a pipe connection portion for drawing the forward pipe 3 , the return pipe 4 , the water supply pipe 5 , the hot water supply pipe 6 , etc. into the outer shell case 20 . Three external legs 28 are installed under the bottom plate 22 of the outer case 20 . The external legs 28 are fixed to anchor bolts (not shown) embedded in an installation surface such as the ground, pedestal, floor, or the like.

The outer case 20 is sealed to the outside. In the present embodiment, the plate members forming the outer shell case 20 described above are fixed to each other by fastening members such as screws with their respective ends overlapped. The outer case 20 can be made to have a sealed structure by providing a seal member such as a gasket or packing between the plate members or in the gap of the screw hole, or applying caulking.

The hot water storage type hot water supply device 1 also includes a pressurizing means 30 and a water detecting means 40 .

The pressurizing means 30 pressurizes the inside of the outer shell case 20 . More specifically, the pressurizing means 30 increases the pressure in the space between the outer case 20 and the hot water tank 10 . In this embodiment, an air pump 31 is provided as the pressurizing means 30 . The air pump 31 is arranged at the top inside the outer shell case 20 . The air pump 31 is connected with an intake port 32 for taking in air from the outside of the outer shell case 20 . The intake port 32 is provided above the top plate 21 of the outer case 20 . The intake port 32 is preferably provided at a high position so as not to suck in water as much as possible in the event of water damage or the like. The air pump 31 pressurizes the air taken in through the intake port 32 and discharges it into the outer shell case 20 through the exhaust port 33 . Thereby, the inside of the outer shell case 20 is pressurized. The pressurization inside the outer shell case 20 is set to a level that does not damage the outer shell case 20 due to the pressure inside the outer shell case 20 and that the outer shell case 20 can withstand the water pressure when the outer shell case 20 is submerged. be done. In addition, a check valve is provided at the exhaust port 33 so that the pressurized air inside the outer shell case 20 does not flow out from the intake port 32 through the air pump 31 after the air pump 31 stops. good too.

The water detection means 40 detects water reaching a preset height below the height of the bottom surface of the outer case 20 . The height referred to here is a position in the vertical direction, and increases upward in the vertical direction. With such a configuration, water immersion is detected before the outer case 20 is immersed in water. As the water detection means 40, for example, a contact-type water detection sensor is used. In this embodiment, the water detection means 40 is installed below the bottom plate 22 of the outer case 20 . Therefore, the sensitive part of the water detection means 40 is positioned below the bottom plate 22 of the outer case 20 which is below the height of the bottom surface of the outer case 20 . The water detection means 40 detects the water when flood damage or the like occurs and the place where the outer case 20 is installed starts to be flooded and the water reaches the height where the sensitive part of the water detection means 40 is installed. .

Moreover, the pressurizing means 30 pressurizes the inside of the outer shell case 20 when water is detected by the water detecting means 40 . In the present embodiment, storage-type hot water supply apparatus 1 is provided with control unit 50 . The controller 50 operates the air pump 31 as the pressurizing means 30 when water is detected by the water detecting means 40 . As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 50 is provided, for example, inside the outer shell case 20 at an intermediate portion in the height direction via a crosspiece (not shown). FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. The control unit 50 is electrically connected to each of the water detection means 40 and the air pump 31 by, for example, signal lines. When a detection signal indicating that water has been detected is input from the water detection means 40 , the control section 50 outputs a signal for operating the air pump 31 to the air pump 31 . As a result, the air pump 31 operates to pressurize the inside of the outer case 20 .

The control unit 50 is implemented, for example, as a processing circuit having the hardware configuration shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a processing circuit; Each component constituting the control unit 50 is implemented by executing a program stored in the memory 52 by the processor 51 shown in FIG. 5, for example. Also, multiple processors and multiple memories may work together to achieve the above functions. Also, part of the functions of the control unit 50 may be implemented as an electronic circuit, and other parts may be realized using the processor 51 and the memory 52 .

Next, the operation of the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus 1 at the time of flooding due to occurrence of flood damage or the like will be described. Normally, the inside of the outer shell case 20 is not pressurized by the air pump 31 . When flood damage occurs and the place where the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus 1 is installed starts to be flooded, and the water level gradually increases and reaches a predetermined height, the water detecting means 40 detects the flooding. When the water detection means 40 detects water intrusion, the controller 50 operates the air pump 31 . As a result, the air pump 31 takes in air from outside the outer shell case 20 , pressurizes it, and discharges it into the outer shell case 20 . In this way, the inside of the outer shell case 20 is pressurized. By pressurizing the inside of the outer case 20, even if the outer case 20 is submerged in water, deformation of the outer case 20 due to water pressure can be prevented. As a result, the control board, functional parts such as switching valves and circulation pumps, electrical parts such as measurement parts such as temperature sensors and flow sensors, and charging units, which are arranged inside the outer shell case 20, can be protected from water.

In the event of flood damage, it is preferable that the water level of the inundation exceeds the bottom surface of the outer case 20 after the inside of the outer case 20 is pressurized. However, normally, even if the controller 50 operates the air pump 31, the pressurization of the inside of the outer shell case 20 is not completed immediately, and it takes a certain amount of time. On the other hand, it is assumed that the inundation water level at the time of flood damage will rise over a certain period of time. Therefore, for example, an air pump capable of completing the pressurization of the inside of the outer shell case 20 in about 5 to 10 minutes is selected, and the water detection means 40 detects water in anticipation of a rise in the water level in about the same amount of time. Set the height to be detected.

As described above, the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes the hot water storage tank 10 that stores hot water, the outer case 20 that houses the hot water storage tank 10 and is sealed from the outside, A water detection means 40 for detecting water reaching a preset height below the height of the bottom surface of the outer shell case 20; A pressure means 30 is provided.

With this configuration, the pressurizing means 30 pressurizes the inside of the outer case 20 when the water detecting means 40 detects water reaching a predetermined height below the bottom surface of the outer case 20 . As a result, the inside of the outer case 20 is pressurized when the water inundation reaches a predetermined height below the height of the bottom surface of the outer case 20, so even if the outer case 20 is submerged in water after that, , the outer case 20 can withstand the water pressure due to the internal pressure of the outer case 20, and the outer case 20 can be prevented from being deformed. Since the outer case 20 does not deform, there is no gap between the joints of the plate members constituting the outer case 20, so water does not enter the outer case 20, and the inside of the outer case 20 does not enter. It is possible to protect the placed electric parts and live parts.

Further, the pressurizing means 30 is arranged inside the outer shell case 20 . By arranging the pressurizing means 30 inside the outer shell case 20 in this manner, the pressurizing means 30 can also be protected from water intrusion.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the heating means 2 is configured by a heat pump unit as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. The heating means 2 is not limited to a heat pump type heat source, but may be a combustion type heater, a solar water heater, a heater disposed inside the hot water tank 10, or a combination of a plurality of methods.

Further, the configuration of the outer shell case 20 described above is merely an example, and is not particularly limited as long as it can accommodate the hot water storage tank 10 . In addition, although a contact-type water detection sensor is used as an example of the water detection means 40, it is not limited to this. A non-contact type sensor may be used as the water detection means 40 , and in that case, the water detection means 40 may not necessarily be provided below the bottom plate 22 .

Moreover, although the air pump 31 is provided as the pressurizing means 30 in the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the pressurizing means 30 may be composed of a cylinder filled with high-pressure gas and a valve for releasing the gas in the cylinder into the outer shell case 20 . In this case, for example, the cylinder is arranged inside the outer shell case 20 . The opening and closing of the valve is controlled by the control unit 50, and the gas in the cylinder is released to the outside of the cylinder, that is, into the outer shell case 20 by opening the valve. In addition, the cylinder may be provided with a pressure regulator for adjusting the pressure of the gas to be released, if necessary. With this configuration, unlike the air pump 31, it does not require power to pressurize the air, so that the gas for pressurizing the inside of the outer case 20 can be obtained without a power source. Moreover, since the intake port 32 provided outside the outer shell case 20 is not required, the configuration can be simplified.

Embodiment 2.
Next, Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a front view showing a state in which front plate 23 of outer case 20 of hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment is removed. Note that descriptions of the same portions of the present embodiment as those of the above-described embodiment will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6, storage-type hot water supply apparatus 101 in the present embodiment differs from storage-type hot water supply apparatus 1 in Embodiment 1 in that an uninterruptible power supply 60 is further provided. The uninterruptible power supply 60 supplies power to the air pump 31, which is the pressurizing means 30, when power supply from an external power supply such as a commercial power supply is stopped. The uninterruptible power supply 60 is composed of, for example, a battery. In this embodiment, the uninterruptible power supply 60 is arranged inside the outer shell case 20 and can also supply power to the control unit 50 . The uninterruptible power supply 60 is, for example, connected to the air pump 31 via a power line 61 and connected to the controller 50 via a power line 62 .

With such a configuration, even if a power failure occurs in the event of a disaster and the supply of electric power from the outside to the hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus 101 is stopped, electric power can be supplied to the air pump 31 and the outer case 20 can be operated. The inside can be pressurized.

Embodiment 3.
Next, Embodiment 3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a front view showing a state in which front plate 23 of outer case 20 of hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus 201 according to the present embodiment is removed. Note that descriptions of the same portions of the present embodiment as those of the above-described embodiment will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, storage-type hot water supply apparatus 201 in the present embodiment differs from storage-type hot water supply apparatus 1 in Embodiment 1 in that a relief valve 70 is further provided. The relief valve 70 discharges the gas inside the outer case 20 to the outside of the outer case 20 when the pressure inside the outer case 20 exceeds a preset first pressure. In this embodiment, relief valve 70 is attached to top plate 21 of outer case 20 . Also, the first pressure is set to a pressure that does not damage the outer shell case 20 due to the internal pressure.

With such a configuration, even if the inside of the outer shell case 20 is likely to be excessively pressurized by the pressurizing means 30, the pressure inside the outer shell case 20 becomes equal to or higher than the first pressure. 70 operates to release pressure to the outside of the outer case 20 . As a result, the inside of the outer case 20 can be prevented from being excessively pressurized, and the damage or breakage of the outer case 20 due to the pressure inside the outer case 20 can be prevented.

Embodiment 4.
Next, Embodiment 4 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus 301 according to the present embodiment. Note that descriptions of the same portions of the present embodiment as those of the above-described embodiment will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 8, storage-type hot-water supply apparatus 301 in the present embodiment differs from storage-type hot-water supply apparatus 1 in Embodiment 1 in that pressure detection means 80 is further provided. The pressure sensing means 80 senses the pressure inside the outer shell case 20 . As the pressure detection means 80, for example, a pressure sensor provided inside the outer shell case 20 is used. When the pressure detecting means 80 detects a pressure equal to or higher than a preset second pressure, the air pump 31 as the pressurizing means 30 stops. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 50 is electrically connected to the pressure detection means 80 by, for example, a signal line, and the control unit 50 receives a detection signal from the pressure detection means 80. is entered. The control unit 50 outputs a signal to the air pump 31 to stop the air pump 31 when the pressure detection means 80 detects a pressure equal to or higher than a preset second pressure. As a result, the air pump 31 stops, and the pressurization inside the outer shell case 20 stops. The second pressure is set to a pressure that does not damage the outer shell case 20 due to the internal pressure.

With such a configuration, even if the inside of the outer shell case 20 is likely to be excessively pressurized by the pressurizing means 30, when the pressure detecting means 80 detects a pressure equal to or higher than the second pressure, the air is Pump 31 stops. As a result, the inside of the outer case 20 can be prevented from being excessively pressurized, and the damage or breakage of the outer case 20 due to the pressure inside the outer case 20 can be prevented.

If hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus 301 includes relief valve 70 described in the third embodiment in addition to pressure detection means 80, the second pressure may be set lower than the first pressure, for example. With this configuration, even if the pressure detecting means 80 detects a pressure equal to or higher than the second pressure and the controller 50 tries to stop the air pump 31, the air pump 31 will stop due to an electrical failure or the like. Even if there is no pressure, the relief valve 70 mechanically operates to release the pressure to the outside of the outer case 20 when the pressure inside the outer case 20 becomes equal to or higher than the first pressure.

Embodiment 5.
Next, Embodiment 5 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a front view showing a state in which front plate 23 of outer case 20 of hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus 401 according to the present embodiment is removed. Note that descriptions of the same portions of the present embodiment as those of the above-described embodiment will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 9, storage-type hot-water supply apparatus 401 in the present embodiment differs from storage-type hot-water supply apparatus 1 in Embodiment 1 in that pressurizing means 30 is arranged outside outer shell case 20. there is In this embodiment, an air pump 131 is arranged outside the outer case 20 as the pressurizing means 30 . The air pump 131 is connected to the inside of the outer case 20 by a pipe 34 . Therefore, the air pump 131 discharges the pressurized air into the outer shell case 20 through the pipe 34 .

With such a configuration, the maintainability of the air pump 131 can be improved compared to the case where the air pump is arranged inside the outer shell case 20 . Further, even in a hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus in which the pressurizing means 30 such as the air pump 131 is not mounted at the time of product shipment, the pressurizing means 30 can be added later without replacing the product. For this reason, there is a merit in terms of cost for the user of the existing hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus.

It should be noted that appropriate combinations, modifications, and omissions of the embodiments are also included within the scope of the technical ideas shown in the embodiments.

Reference Signs List 1, 101, 201, 301, 401 hot water storage type hot water supply device 2 heating means 3 forward pipe 4 return pipe 5 water supply pipe 6 hot water supply pipe 10 hot water storage tank 20 outer case 21 top plate 22 bottom plate 23 Front plate 24 Rear plate 25 Right side plate 26 Left side plate 27 Risers 28 External legs 30 Pressurizing means 31, 131 Air pump 32 Intake port 33 Exhaust port 34 Piping 40 Water detection means 50 control unit, 51 processor, 52 memory, 60 uninterruptible power supply, 61, 62 power line, 70 relief valve, 80 pressure detection means.

Claims (7)

a hot water storage tank for storing hot water;
an outer shell housing the hot water storage tank inside and sealed from the outside;
water detection means for detecting water reaching a preset height below the height of the bottom surface of the outer case;
pressurizing means for pressurizing the inside of the outer case when water is detected by the water detecting means;
A hot water storage type hot water supply device comprising: 2. The hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said pressurizing means is arranged inside said outer shell case. The pressurizing means is arranged outside the outer case,
2. The hot water storage type hot water supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said pressurizing means and the inside of said outer shell case are connected to each other by a pipe. The hot water storage type according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an uninterruptible power supply that supplies power to the pressurizing means when power supply from an external power supply is stopped. water heater. 1 to 4, further comprising a relief valve for discharging the gas inside the outer case to the outside of the outer case when the pressure inside the outer case exceeds a preset first pressure. 5. The hot water storage type hot water supply device according to any one of 4. Further comprising pressure detection means for detecting pressure inside the outer shell case,
6. The pressurizing means according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the pressurizing means is stopped when a pressure equal to or higher than a second pressure set in advance is detected by the pressure detecting means. Storage type water heater. 7. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said pressurizing means comprises a cylinder filled with high-pressure gas and a valve for releasing the gas in said cylinder into said outer shell case. The hot water storage type hot water supply device according to any one of the above items.

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