JPH04312414A - Liquid pump for electric water boiler - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simply disassemble a pump unit by separating a driving unit and the liquid pump unit, and concurrently removing a container and the pump unit. CONSTITUTION:An inner container 2 storing a liquid is provided, an impeller 10 containing a magnetic substance driven by a driving source 8 is provided in the inner container 2, the impeller 10 is covered by a case 13, and a water intake port section communicated to the container 2 side is provided to constitute a pump chamber. A shaft supporting the rotation of the case impeller 10 is provided as a pump unit, a discharge port communicating with a passage to the outside on the outer periphery of the impeller 10 is formed on the case 13, a driving source for driving a motor via the inner container 2 and a driving unit fitted with a magnetic substance on the driving source side are separated against the pump unit provided in the inner container 2, and the magnetic substance of the pump unit and the magnetic substance of the driving unit are synchronized to rotate the impeller 10.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric water heater using a liquid pump for dispensing hot water.

0002

[Prior Art] Conventionally, this type of liquid pump connects the water inlet for leading out the liquid to the outside of the inner container containing the liquid and the water intake port of the pump with a tube or the like, and connects it to the hot water outlet side of the impeller. A case equipped with a spout was provided, and magnetic bodies made of magnets were attached to opposing parts of the drive source such as a motor and the impeller, so that the rotation of the drive source was transmitted to the impeller through magnetic coupling.

[0003] On the impeller side, the magnet and rotating shaft are fixed to the impeller body by adhesives, welding, or the like, so that the impeller body rotates together with the magnets. With such a configuration, one pump unit was attached to the bottom of the inner container with a metal fitting or the like to form a liquid pump. In addition, a filter for preventing foreign matter from being mixed in was attached to the water intake port of the liquid pump to prevent foreign matter from entering the space between the impeller and the case from within the container.

[0004] The pump unit and the case were attached to a metal fitting via a packing made of silicone rubber or the like so as to relieve stress.

[0005] Furthermore, the pump chamber housing the impeller and the motor drive side are constructed to be watertight with each other by sealing members such as O-rings or other packings to prevent hot water from leaking.

[0006] A heating element is provided at the bottom of the inner container, and is fixed to the outer case by means of a container mounting bracket so as to sandwich the outer case.

[0007]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, according to the above configuration, for example, the pump unit is located at the bottom outside the inner container, and the impeller and the cover are configured to be covered with a case with an arbitrary interval between them. If a foreign object accidentally enters the inner container, it may enter the pump chamber and get caught between the impeller and the case, causing the motor to stop. In this case, the electric water heater cannot produce hot water and becomes unusable. In addition, a filter is attached to the water inlet to prevent foreign matter from entering, but if the filter is accidentally lost or forgotten, foreign matter can enter. Therefore, foreign matter gets caught between the impeller and the case, causing the impeller to stop and the magnetically coupled drive source to stop, resulting in no hot water being produced.

Furthermore, after long-term use, limescale and the like may accumulate in the pump chamber and enter the gap between the impeller and the case, causing the motor to stop.

[0009] Furthermore, when water enters the pump chamber when water is poured into the inner container, air cannot escape smoothly from the water inlet and an air layer is formed. At this time, when an air layer was formed in the pump chamber, cavitation occurred and the pump chamber was filled with air bubbles, causing the impeller to spin idly and making it impossible to discharge hot water. In addition, when assembling the pump unit, the case is made of a resin with good hot water resistance, but since the resin is weak in strength, it was necessary to assemble the pump unit using packing to relieve the stress, so it took a long time to assemble. It was necessary to take care to control the torque when tightening the resin. Furthermore, if the pump case is not tightened enough or the packing deteriorates, hot water may leak from gaps in the case. Furthermore, with this type of configuration, it is not possible to check whether the pump is stopped from the outside, so it is necessary to disassemble the entire unit and replace the pump unit.
Functionality could not be restored unless the pump unit was disassembled and cleaned.

[0010] Furthermore, since the inner container could not be removed, the inside of the container could not be washed. When washing the inner container, water could get into the main body and cause a malfunction. The present invention solves such conventional problems, and the first purpose is to separate a pump unit equipped with an impeller and configured into a pump chamber and a drive unit that drives this pump unit,
Even if the pump chamber is clogged with foreign matter, it can be easily disassembled and cleaned from inside the container, and hot water can be reliably discharged. The second purpose is to make it possible to remove the inner container separately and remove the pump unit and inner container from the main body for washing.

The third object is to simplify the mounting structure for mounting the drive unit on the board. The fourth purpose is to make it possible to remove the impeller of the pump unit from the container side and clean it. The fifth purpose is to provide a pump chamber in the recess to reduce the amount of water remaining after use and increase the amount of water effectively used. The sixth purpose is to ensure safety by stopping the power-off device when the container and pump unit are removed from the main body. The purpose is to provide such an electric water heater.

0012

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the first object, the present invention provides an inner container for containing a liquid, and includes the magnetic material driven by a drive source in the inner container. A pump chamber is composed of an impeller and a case that covers the impeller and is provided with a water intake port that communicates with the container side, and forms a pump unit with a discharge port that communicates with the inside of the passage on the outer periphery of the impeller. The impeller is constituted by an impeller body having blades on one side and a magnetic body storage space on the other side, and a cover that has a magnet in the magnetic body storage space and closes an opening on the drive source side. .

Further, a drive source such as a driving motor and a magnetic material are attached to the side of the drive source through the inner container in opposition to the pump unit provided in the inner container to separate the pump unit as a drive unit. The magnetic body and the magnetic body of the drive unit are synchronized, and as a result, the impeller rotates. Furthermore, the inner container and the pump unit can be attached and detached at the same time.

[0014] In order to achieve the second object, a pump unit is arranged on the container side and a drive unit is arranged on the main body side, so that the container can be attached and removed.

[0015] In order to achieve the third object, a drive unit is mounted on the board of the water heater control circuit.

[0016] In order to achieve the fourth object, a cover for covering the impeller is detachably attached to the container.

[0017] In order to achieve the fifth object, a recess is provided in the container and a pump unit is provided in the recess.

[0018] To achieve the sixth object, a switch or sensor is provided at the bottom of the container of the main body to turn off the power when the container is attached or removed.

[0019]

[Operation] According to the configuration of the present invention, the first means causes the inner container to be heated by the magnetic attraction force generated between the magnetic material of the outer drive unit on the inner container side and the magnetic material of the impeller provided in the pump unit. Rotational force is transmitted to the impeller located inside the container from outside the container. Since the pump unit, which is composed of an impeller that discharges hot water, and the drive unit, which has a drive source that includes a motor that transmits drive to the impeller and the magnetic body, are separated, sealing materials such as packing are unnecessary.

[0020] By the second means, the impeller attached to the container side and the container can be attached and detached at the same time. The third means allows the drive unit to be directly mounted and fixed on the board. According to the fourth means, the impeller is covered with a case, and by removing the case, the impeller can be attached and detached. The fifth means allows the water inlet to be made flush with the bottom of the container. The power can be turned off by removing the container using the sixth means.

[0021]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The one shown in FIG. 1 is installed for tapping hot water from an electric water heater; that is, hot water in a container 2 having a heating element 1 is forcibly sent to a hot water tap path 4 by a liquid pump 3. It is discharged from the outlet 5. 6
7 is a check valve interposed in the hot water outlet path 4, and 7 is a lid of the container 2. The liquid pump 3 is composed of a pump side located inside the container and a drive side such as a motor located outside the inner container.

The rotation of a drive source 8 such as a motor is transmitted to an impeller 10 inside the container via a magnetic transmission means 9. More specifically, the impeller 10 has a water intake port 16
This case 1 is covered by a case 13 having
3 is attached with a fixed shaft 17 that supports the rotation of the impeller 10. Further, the impeller 10 is provided with blades 18 on one side and encloses a magnetic material 22 by a cover 11, and the other side opposite to the blades 18 is configured to rotate by contacting the container 2, thereby forming a pump unit.

One drive side is equipped with a magnetic body 14 and is provided with a drive plate 15 directly connected to the drive source 8, forming a drive unit. The impeller 10 has a discharge port 12 on its outer periphery for discharging hot water. The case 13 naturally constitutes a part of the outlet channel 4.

The impeller 10 is configured to rotate on the outer peripheral surface of a fixed shaft 17, and its detailed configuration is as shown in FIG. 1. That is, an impeller main body (hereinafter referred to as the main body) 19 having blades 18 formed on one side has a substantially cap-like shape, and has a circular magnetic material storage space 20 on the side opposite to the blade forming surface. The opening of the magnetic body storage space 20 on the drive source 8 side has an integrally molded convex portion and supports the fixed shaft 17 . Further, the impeller 10 is closed with a cover 11. A magnetic body 22 is disposed inside the magnetic body storage space 20, and at least one or both of the magnetic bodies 14 and 22 are magnetized with a magnetic body corresponding to the magnetic body 14 on the driving side. Therefore, the rotation of the drive source 8 such as a motor can be transmitted to the impeller 10.

Furthermore, an inner container recess 25 is formed and a discharge port 12 for discharging to the outside is provided, the impeller 10 is disposed in this recess 25, and a case 13 provided with a water inlet 16 is arranged so as to cover this recess 25. The effective amount of hot water used increases and the amount of remaining water decreases.

The inner container 2 also has a spout 2 that holds the inner container 2.
6 is provided, and the outer case 27 is attached to the container attachment fittings 29 so as to be held between the hakama 28. In the above configuration, the rotation of the drive source 8 is transmitted to the impeller 10 by magnetic coupling between the magnetic bodies 14 and 22. Impeller 10 is container 2
The hot water inside is sucked and sent to the hot water outlet path 4, and then discharged from the hot water outlet 5.

By the way, the magnetic body 22 on the impeller 10 side has a magnetic attraction force with the magnetic body 14 on the drive side, so that the rotational force transmitted to the magnetic body 22 is transmitted to the impeller 10 of the pump unit.

Since this liquid pump unit is separated into a drive unit side and a pump unit side serving as a discharge port, the discharge side pump unit is located on the inner surface of the container.

Therefore, by removing the case 13 of the pump unit, the impeller 10 can be removed from the inner surface of the container. Furthermore, the entire container can be attached to and removed from the electric water heater body.

Therefore, even if foreign matter such as tea leaves gets mixed into the container, it can be easily disassembled and cleaned.

Furthermore, since the pump chamber is provided in the inner container 2, the air in the case 13 can easily escape when water is injected into the container, and an air layer is not formed in the pump, and the impeller 10 is prevented from being drawn in. Even when rotating, hot water can be completely discharged to the outside.

In addition, the pump unit side that discharges hot water is located inside the inner container 2, and the drive unit side that drives the impeller 10 on the pump side is provided outside the container, so that packing etc. that seal the pump side and the drive side are provided. becomes unnecessary. Also, assembly is easier because there are fewer parts. Further, the inner container 2 is surrounded by an outer case 28 and is detachable.

The drive unit side is attached to a control circuit board 32 for controlling the water heater by soldering or the like.

The outer case 28 is attached to the body 27 by means of a container attachment fitting 29 and a hakama 30 and a back plate 31, and the inner container 2 is detachably attached to the inside of the outer case. When the inner container 2 is removed, the power is automatically turned off by a switch 24 provided at the bottom of the inner container 2. Further, the connection with the outlet channel 4 is such that the discharge port of the container is automatically closed when it is attached or detached, and opened when it is set.

[0036] Therefore, the inner container 2 can be removed to discard hot water or to be cleaned.

[0037]

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention separates the liquid pump unit into the drive unit side and the pump unit side that provides the discharge port, and the pump unit on the discharge side is located on the inner surface of the container. By removing the case, the impeller can be removed from the inner surface of the inner container. Therefore, even if foreign matter such as tea leaves gets mixed into the container, it can be easily cleaned.

Furthermore, since a pump chamber is provided within the inner container, air is not drawn into the pump when water is injected into the container, and hot water can be completely discharged to the outside even when the impeller rotates.

Furthermore, by locating the pump side that discharges hot water inside the container and providing the drive side that drives the impeller on the pump side outside the container, there is no need for a packing or the like to seal the pump side and the drive side. Also, assembly is easier because there are fewer parts.

Furthermore, since the drive unit side is mounted on the circuit board, mounting parts can be eliminated and the structure can be simplified.

Furthermore, since the container is removable and the entire container can be removed, the inner surface of the container can be completely washed without getting the main body wet. Therefore, breakdowns due to water intrusion into the water heater can be prevented. This allows stable liquid transfer under all conditions. It also requires fewer parts and is easier to process and assemble, which helps reduce costs.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

[Fig. 1] Cross-sectional view of a pump showing a first embodiment

[Fig. 2] A cross-sectional view of the first embodiment when it is used for discharging hot water from an electric water heater.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 Container 3. Liquid pump 8 Drive source 9 Magnetic transmission means 10 Impeller 11 Cover 13 Case 14, 22 Magnetic material 18 Feather 20 Magnetic material storage space 24 Switch 25 Recess 32 Control circuit board

Claims (6)

[Claims] Claim 1: An inner container for storing liquid is provided, and a pump unit is formed by an impeller containing a magnetic material on the inner container side and a pump chamber having a water inlet. Hot water in the inner container is pumped by rotation of the impeller. A drive unit is arranged by attaching a magnetic body such as a motor to the outside of the inner container in opposition to the water channel leading to the outside of the body and the magnetic material of the impeller. A liquid pump for an electric water heater characterized by driving an impeller. 2. The liquid pump for an electric water heater according to claim 1, wherein the inner container is configured to be attached and removed together with the pump unit from the electric water heater main body. 3. Claim 1, wherein the drive unit is disposed on a circuit board that controls an electric water heater.
Liquid pumps such as electric water heaters as described in . 4. The liquid pump for an electric water heater according to claim 1, wherein the impeller provided in the inner container is removable from the inner container. 5. The liquid pump for an electric water heater according to claim 1, wherein a recess is formed in a part of the inner container and the impeller is provided therein. 6. The liquid pump for an electric water heater according to claim 1, wherein the power supply is stopped by attaching and detaching the inner container.