JPH01320949A - Cooling unit for water tank - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the title unit so designed that a semiconductor cooling element, a cooling controller connected to this element and temperature-sensitive elements connected to this cooling controller are equipped, thereby making mechanical parts needless and keeping water temperature in a fine fashion without generating noise or vibration. CONSTITUTION:A semiconductor cooling element 10, a cooling controller 7 connected to this element 10 and temperature-sensitive elements 8, 9 connected to this controller 7 are provided. These temperature-sensitive elements are equipped with a underwater sensor 8 for detecting the temperature in a water tank 1 and an open-air sensor 9 for detecting the temperature around said tank 1, and the cooling controller 7 gives control signals to the semiconductor cooling element 10 in response to the signals from the open-air sensor 9 in cooling-to-warming changeover, and in response to those from the underwater sensor 8 in cooling, thereby favorably correcting the water temperature rise and fall due to the temperature inertia of water to enable the water temperature to be retained more precisely along with reducing unnecessary energy consumption.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to a cooling device for aquariums, particularly ornamental fish.

The present invention relates to an aquarium cooling device suitable for cooling water in an aquarium for breeding fish such as live fish.

(Background of the Invention) Generally, in constant-temperature aquariums, viewing points, aquariums for rearing live fish, etc., it is necessary to maintain a constant water temperature within the aquarium. If the water temperature is set at a relatively high temperature, this water temperature can be easily maintained by inserting a heater into the tank or placing the tank on a heater mat. However, in cases where the water temperature must be maintained at a relatively low temperature, this cannot be easily carried out because the water temperature rises due to the ambient temperature of the aquarium, the influence of sunlight, etc.

In particular, in the case of aquariums for ornamental fish, the optimal breeding temperature for tropical fish, which have relatively high temperature habitat heat, is around 25°C, while for general saltwater fish, live fish, freshwater fish, etc., the optimum temperature is around 18°C. ing. Such fish tanks are usually installed in stores and general residential rooms.

The water temperature in this type of aquarium can be very easily maintained at an appropriate temperature by using a heating device such as the heater mentioned above in spring, autumn, and winter when the room temperature rises less, i.e., when the ambient environment temperature is low. During the rainy season, it is extremely difficult to maintain the water temperature at the optimum rearing temperature because the tank is made of a transparent plate. In other words, during this period, the temperature of the aquarium and the water in the aquarium rises significantly due to the rise in ambient temperature and the effects of direct sunlight, and there is a risk that it can easily exceed 35°C in a sealed room. Ta.

In this state, the optimal temperature for saltwater fish is around 18°C.

Breeding of freshwater fish and the like has become difficult, and the environment is extremely harsh even for tropical fish whose optimum temperature is around 25°C. In addition, in the case of tropical fish, goldfish, etc. that live at relatively high temperatures, it is possible to raise them even at temperatures exceeding 30'C, but due to the large temperature difference between day and night, diseases such as white spot disease and coudainium disease may occur. This has led to various undesirable conditions, such as the development of disease and the deterioration of water quality due to leftover bait rotting.

(Prior art) In view of these circumstances, an aquarium cooling device using a refrigeration cycle using a compressor was proposed.

It is commercially available. This is a configuration in which the main body of this device is placed on the side or bottom of the aquarium, and the cooling coil attached to the main body of the device is placed directly into the aquarium or into the water tank to cool the water in the aquarium. It became.

According to the cooling device with this configuration, the water in the aquarium is cooled,
Although it is possible to maintain the temperature at a desired temperature, because it is a refrigeration cycle that uses a compressor, its external size is extremely large, and as an accessory for this type of aquarium, it is extremely unsightly and requires a large area. This had the disadvantage of requiring space. Furthermore, because it is not possible to completely suppress the generation of noise and vibration due to its structure, this is also a drawback when used indoors where quietness is required.

Furthermore, in a cooling device using this type of compressor, a down time must be provided to adjust the pressure of the compressor between ON and OFF, which also has the disadvantage of making it difficult to precisely maintain the temperature.

(Objective of the Invention) The present invention eliminates all of the above-mentioned drawbacks. By using a semiconductor element, a so-called Bertier element, mechanical parts are eliminated, and the present invention is extremely simple, small and lightweight, does not generate noise or vibration, and can be made even more precisely. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a cooling device that can maintain a constant water temperature.

(Detailed Description of the Invention) Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings. In the figure, (1) indicates a water tank. A mouth filtering device (2) is installed on the top surface of this water tank (1). This filtration device (2) consists of a pumping pipe (3) that sucks up the water in the water tank (1), and a water pump (3) that sucks up the water in the water tank (1), and the water that has been passed through the mouth into the water tank (1).
It has an outlet pipe (4) for refluxing water into the tank. (5) shows an aquarium cooling device. This aquarium cooling device (5) is
A cooling tank (6), a cooling control device (7) connected to this cooling tank (6), and two temperature sensing elements connected to this cooling control device (7), namely an underwater sensor (8) and an outside air sensor (9).
). The cooling tank (6) has a semiconductor cooling element, so-called a Bertier element (10), disposed inside thereof, and has a water inlet on its side surface and a water outlet on its bottom surface. This water inlet is equipped with the above-mentioned inlet 'a (2).
A water outlet pipe (4) is connected to the water outlet, and a reflux vibrator (4) for circulating cooling water into the water tank (1) is connected to the water outlet.
11) is connected. Further, a water channel is formed inside the cooling tank (6), passing through the water inlet and the water outlet, and this water channel is arranged to be thermally connected to the Vertier element (10).

Said cooling control device! ! (7) is provided for supplying driving power to the Bertier element (10) of the cooling tank (6), and inside thereof there is a power supply circuit (13) connected to the AC, J source (12). It also has a temperature control circuit (14) connected to this power supply circuit (13) and the Bertier element (10) of the cooling tank (6). This temperature control circuit (
14) is also connected to the underwater sensor (8) and the outside air sensor (9), and when switching between cooling and heating, the outside air sensor (9) is connected to the underwater sensor (8) and outside air sensor (9).
), and during cooling, the circuit is controlled by the detection signal of the underwater sensor (8). Furthermore, this temperature control circuit (14) also includes a circuit that performs temperature control based on a detection signal from only the underwater sensor (8).

Next, the method of use and operation of the above-mentioned embodiment will be explained in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 for an example in which the aquarium temperature is set to about 25 DEG C., which is the optimum temperature for tropical fish. Figure 3 shows
The change curves of outside air temperature and water temperature are shown; (a) shows the water temperature change when controlled by the detection signal of only the underwater sensor (8), and (b) shows the change of water temperature between the underwater sensor (8) and the outside air sensor (9). It is a graph showing water temperature change when controlled by both detection signals. Generally, even during high-temperature periods such as summer and rainy season, the outside temperature drops to about 18°C from midnight to early morning, as shown by the broken line in Figure 3. After that, the outside temperature usually starts to rise around 8.00 toH.
The temperature rises to around 25°C around 14:00, reaching a peak around 14:00 and rising to around 35°C. Part 7418
By around 00, it continued to decline until 20; By around 00, it was 20
The temperature drops to about °C. Assuming such temperature changes on -day, set the heater's ○N-〇FF temperature to 25°C5.
An example will be explained in which the operating temperature of the cooling device is set to 27°C+.

First, FIG. 3(a) shows an example in which control is performed using only the detection signal of the underwater sensor (8). In the figure, until around 10:00, the outside temperature is lower than the heater set temperature of 25°C, so a heater (not shown) installed in the water tank (1) works to maintain the water temperature at around 25°C. do. After that, the outside temperature was 2
Although the temperature in the water tank (1) rises rapidly beyond 5°C, it rises very slowly because the temperature inside the water tank (1) has a temperature inertia due to the heat storage effect of the water. When the underwater sensor (8) reaches the cooling set temperature of 27°C, the cooling control device (7)
supplies driving power to the Vertier element (10) in the cooling tank (6). Due to this action, the Vertier element (10) generates cold heat and cools the water discharged from the water outlet pipe (4) of the filtration device (2). This cooled water flows through the reflux pipe (11
) into the water tank (1). At this time, the cooling device (5) was operating, but since the water in the water tank (1) was still warming up, the cooling capacity could not keep up with the temperature inertia of the rising water temperature, and the water remained warm for a while. Continue to rise. After that, the cooling effect appears and the water temperature gradually decreases to maintain the water temperature at about 27°C, which is the set cooling temperature. As mentioned above, the outside temperature was 17;25℃ around 00.
At around 18:00, the temperature drops below the set temperature, and the cooling device (5) stops operating. However, the aquarium (1
) for a while due to temperature inertia due to heat accumulation.
The temperature is maintained at 7°C and then slowly decreased. 25°C
When the temperature drops to this point, the heater operates again to warm the water in the water tank (1), but the heating capacity of the heater cannot keep up with the temperature inertia that has been falling so far, and the water temperature continues to fall. After that, the heating effect of the heater appears on the greenery and the water temperature is maintained at the set temperature of 25°C.

Next, with reference to FIG. 3(b), an example in which control is performed using detection signals from an underwater sensor (8) and an outside air sensor (9) will be described. First, until the outside temperature reaches 25°C, which is the set temperature of the heater, the heater (not shown) is activated and the aquarium (1) is heated.
The water temperature inside is maintained at 25°C. When the outside air temperature reaches 27°C, which is the set temperature during cooling, the outside air sensor (9) detects the temperature control circuit (1) of the cooling control device (7).
4), the cooling control device (7) starts operating regardless of the temperature detected by the underwater sensor (8), and supplies driving power to the Vertier element (10) in the cooling tank (6). . At this time, since the water in the water tank (1) is not in the middle of rising, that is, it does not have temperature inertia, it rises slowly and smoothly to the cooling set temperature of 27°C. When this water temperature reaches 27°C, the control of the water temperature in the water tank (1) is switched to the underwater sensor (8>).In other words, the temperature control circuit (14) is activated by the cooling control device based on the detection signal of the underwater sensor (8). By activating (7) and controlling the supply of driving power to the Beltier element (10), the water temperature in the water tank (1) is maintained at 27°C.After that, the outside air temperature decreases to the cooling set temperature of 27°C. When the temperature reaches °C, that is, when the detection signals of the underwater sensor (8) and the outside air sensor (9) become the same, the temperature control circuit (14) stops the operation of the cooling device (5).Then, the water tank (1) The water in the aquarium slowly descends as the outside air descends.When the temperature reaches 25°C, the heater operates again to warm the water in the aquarium (1).At this time, the cooling device (5) Since the water temperature stops before reaching the set temperature of 25°C, that is, it is not in the middle of falling, the water temperature smoothly shifts to 25°C without having any temperature inertia.

Next, a second embodiment of the aquarium cooling device of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. The same parts as in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. The explanation will be omitted. In the figure, (1) shows the water tank and (2) shows the mouth passage device.

(20) shows an aquarium cooling device. This cooling device (20
) has a cooling tank (21). This cooling tank (21)
has a Bertier element (1o
) is installed internally. The cooling device (20) also includes a heat radiation water tank (22) and a pump (23) for circulating water in the heat radiation water tank (22). The cooling tank (21) has an inlet channel (24) and an outlet channel (25) for circulating water in the water tank (1). The inlet water channel (24) is connected to the outlet pipe (4) of the inlet filtration device (2), and the outlet pipe (25) is connected to the reflux pipe (11). The cooling tank (21) also includes an inlet channel (26) for circulating water in the heat radiation water tank (22).
and an outlet waterway (27). Said waterway (26)
is connected to the pump (23), and the outlet waterway (27)
is connected to a heat dissipation/recirculation pipe (28) whose one end is located within the heat dissipation water tank (22). The cooling tank (21
) is divided into two chambers using a plate-shaped Vertier element (10) as a partition, and the second chamber has inlet and outlet channels (24) and (25) for circulating water in the water tank (1), and the other chamber. The room has an inlet/outlet water channel (26) for water circulation in the heat radiation water tank (22).
), (27) are connected to each other.

(30) is a cooling control device. This cooling control system! (
30) is connected to AC power 11it (12),
Inside it is a power supply circuit (13).

It has a temperature control circuit (31) and a polarity conversion circuit (32). The temperature control circuit (31) is connected to the temperature sensing element (8) and the pump (23), and the polarity conversion circuit (32) is connected to the Bertier element (10) and the temperature control circuit (31). ing.

Next, the usage and operation of the above embodiment will be explained.

When the temperature of the water in the water tank (1) rises and reaches the cooling set temperature, the temperature sensing element (8) outputs a detection signal and the cooling control system!
(30) begins its operation. At this time, the pump (22
) is also supplied with driving power at the same time and starts operating. Due to this action, one side of the Bertier element (10), that is, the water tank (
1) The chamber on the side where the water is circulated is cooled and the reflux vibe (1)
1), cooled water is discharged into the water tank (1).

- The other side of the Beltier element (10), that is, the chamber on the side where water is circulated in the heat radiation water tank (22), is heated, and the water that has absorbed the heat dissipated by the Beltier element (10) is transferred to the heat radiation reflux vibrator ( 28) into the heat radiation water pa (22). Thereafter, when the water temperature falls below the set temperature from evening to night, the temperature sensing element (8) detects the temperature and outputs a detection signal to the temperature control circuit (31) for switching from cooling to heating. Due to this action, the polarity conversion circuit (3
2) converts the voltage polarity of the driving power supplied to the Beltier element (10) and supplies it. Due to this action, the cooling side of the Beltier element (10) switches to the heating side and the water tank (
The water in 1) is heated and discharged from the reflux pipe (11). On the other hand, the heating side becomes the cooling surface, and the heat dissipation water tank (22
) while being cooled, that is, absorbing cold heat, is passed through the heat dissipation recirculation pipe (28) to the heat dissipation water tank (22).
It is refluxed into the interior.

Next, referring to FIG.
Examples will be described in detail. In the figure, (40) indicates an aquarium cooling device. This cooling device (40) is clamped and installed on the negative side upper end of the water tank (1) via a clamping fixture (41). (10) shows a Bertier element which is a semiconductor cooling element. On the - side of this Beltier element (10), there is a heat pipe (
42) is attached, and a heat dissipation fan (43) is attached to the other side.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be explained. When the water temperature reaches the set temperature, the above-mentioned 1. Similar to the second embodiment, the cooling control device (not shown) supplies driving power to the Vertier element (10).
and the fan (43). This action cools the cooling side surface of the Beltier element (10), and this cold heat is conducted to the water in the water tank (1) via the heat pipe (42), thereby cooling the water in the water tank (1). Also, the Beltier element (
The heating side surface of the fan (42) has heat, but this heat is dissipated into the atmosphere by the action of the fan (43).

In the description of the above embodiment, the aquarium cooling device of the present invention is applied to an aquarium for breeding tropical fish as a preferred application example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the aquarium for chemical experiments 2 The present invention may be applied to any aquarium that requires cooling, such as a food aquarium. In addition, in order to reduce the influence of temperature inertia due to the heat storage effect of water, we have described a device equipped with two temperature sensing elements, an underwater sensor and an outside air sensor.
In cases where control is not required or where a large-capacity Vertier element can be used, only one underwater sensor may be used. Furthermore, the outside air temperature shown in Figure 3 has been explained using changes in the ambient temperature of the aquarium as a control factor, but for example, when using the tank in a place exposed to direct sunlight or in a place close to other heat sources, etc. For example, an infrared sensor may be provided and this may be used as an outside air sensor. In addition, when particularly precise temperature control is desired, in addition to the two sensors described in the embodiment, for example, the detection signal of the sensor that detects the direct infrared rays of sunlight or the sensor that measures the upper and lower layers in the aquarium can be used. may be further added as a temperature control element. In addition, although we have explained an example of a configuration that can be used as a heating device by changing the voltage polarity of the driving power of the Beltier element, heating is performed by a heater as in the past, and this device is designed only for cooling. Also good.

(Effects of the Invention) As is clear from the above explanation, the aquarium cooling device of the present invention uses a semiconductor cooling element to cool the water in the aquarium, so compared to a cooling device using a compressor. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a small and lightweight cooling device with an extremely simple configuration.

Furthermore, since it does not have mechanical parts, it does not generate noise or vibration, and combined with the above-mentioned compact and lightweight effect, it is possible to obtain a cooling device that does not feel strange at all even when installed indoors. moreover,
Unlike compressors, semiconductor cooling elements do not require a time lag to adjust the pressure when switching between 0N and OFF, so they can repeat 0N and OFF control within an extremely short period of time, enabling fine-grained water temperature control. has.

In particular, when the present invention is applied to an aquarium for breeding tropical fish or live fish as in the embodiment, this type of aquarium is made of a transparent glass plate or acrylic plate due to its nature, and cannot be equipped with a heat insulating material, so this cooling device is required. The effect it has is especially noticeable, and since it is installed mainly indoors, it is small and lightweight, and has no noise.
The effect of not generating vibration is extremely effective.

In addition, as shown in the first embodiment, two temperature-sensing elements, an underwater sensor and an outside air sensor, are installed, and the temperature control during cooling is controlled by the signal from the outside air sensor when switching between cooling and heating. If configured to perform this by a signal, it is possible to better correct the rise and fall of water temperature due to temperature inertia of the water, making it possible to maintain the water temperature more precisely, and reducing wasteful energy consumption. This has a practically useful effect of making it possible to reduce the capacity and reduce costs.

Furthermore, if the semiconductor cooling element is located in the circulation path of the filtration device as in the first and second embodiments, no other power is required to circulate the cooling water. It has the effect of cooling water.

In addition, as in the second embodiment, if a heat dissipation water tank is provided, the heat generated on the other side when the semiconductor cooling element is cooled can be efficiently dissipated by water cooling, and the heat dissipated into the atmosphere. It has the effect of making it possible to obtain a cooling efficiency two to three times higher than that of the conventional one.

Furthermore, as in the third embodiment, if a heat pipe is used to supply cold heat to the water in the aquarium to cool it, it is extremely simple and easy to use, and it can be used in an aquarium without an inlet filter device. It also has the effect of making it possible to install the same.

Additionally, if the cooling control device is configured with a circuit that converts the polarity of the voltage supplied to the semiconductor cooling element when the detected temperature of the temperature sensing element falls below a predetermined value, it can also operate as a heating device. Therefore, it has great effects such as being a constant temperature bath that can control both cooling and heating with a simple configuration.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the aquarium cooling device of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a sectional view thereof, FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing the cooling control device, and FIG. ) is a graph showing the water temperature change when controlled by the detection signal of the underwater sensor.
Figure (b) is a graph showing changes in water temperature when controlled by detection signals from two temperature sensing elements, an underwater sensor and an outside air sensor. 4 and 5 show the second embodiment, FIG. 4 is a sectional view thereof, and FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of the cooling control device. FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the third embodiment. (1)... Water tank, (2)... Mouth passage device. (5)...Aquarium cooling device, (7)...
...Cooling control device, (8) ...Underwater sensor (
temperature sensing element). (9)...Outside air sensor (temperature sensing element). (10) Peltier element (semiconductor cooling element)
. (14)...Temperature control circuit, (20)...
... Cooling device for water tank, (22) ... Water tank for heat radiation. (24), (25)... Input and output waterways. (26), (27)...Input/output channels for heat radiation. (30)... Cooling control device, (31)...
...Temperature control circuit, (32) ...Polarity conversion circuit. (40)...Aquarium cooling device, (42)・
...Heat vibe, (43) ...Fan.

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) An aquarium cooling device characterized by having a semiconductor cooling element, a cooling control device connected to the device, and a temperature sensing element connected to the cooling control device. (2) The temperature sensing element has an underwater sensor that detects the temperature inside the aquarium and an outside air sensor that detects the temperature around the aquarium, and when switching between cooling and heating, the cooling control device also uses a signal from the outside air sensor. 2. The aquarium cooling device according to claim 1, wherein during cooling, a control signal is output to the semiconductor cooling element based on a signal from the underwater sensor. (3) The semiconductor cooling element has an inlet/outlet channel for circulating water in the water tank and an inlet/outlet channel for circulating water in the heat radiation tank. 2. The aquarium cooling device according to item 2. (4) The cooling control device outputs a control signal for changing the polarity of the voltage supplied to the semiconductor cooling element when the detected temperature of the temperature sensing element becomes below a predetermined value. A cooling device for an aquarium according to items 1 to 3.