KR20080107133A

KR20080107133A - Constant temperature apparatus for an aquarium using thermoelement

Info

Publication number: KR20080107133A
Application number: KR1020070055072A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 홍기영; 홍성호
Original assignee: 주식회사 이코로직스
Priority date: 2007-06-05
Filing date: 2007-06-05
Publication date: 2008-12-10

Abstract

A thermostat for a water bath is provided to allow the water bath to be heated and cooled in the optimum state by using a thermoelectric element. A thermostat for a water bath comprises a water tank(120) which allow the water flown through an inlet pipe(11) to be discharged through an outlet pipe(12) connected with the water bath by a pump; and a heating/cooling part(140) which is provided with a thermoelectric element heating/cooling the water tank according to the value set by an input part and a polarity conversion device, wherein a plurality of linear pipes are integrated at the water tank, and a cap(170) integrated with a U-shaped connection pipe is adhered to connect the plurality of pipes in S shape or in zigzag.

Description

Constant temperature apparatus for an aquarium using thermoelement

1 is a perspective view showing a water tank to which a thermostat device for a water tank using a thermoelectric device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied;

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a thermostat device for the tank using the thermoelectric element of Figure 1; And

3 is a block diagram illustrating the water tank thermostat of FIG. 2.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

10: tank 11: inflow pipe

12: outlet pipe 110: pumping unit

120: water tank 121: euro tube

140: heating / cooling unit 141: thermoelectric element

142: polarity converter 150: sensor

170: cap 171: connector

172: insertion tube

The present invention relates to a thermostatic apparatus for a water tank, and more particularly, to a thermostatic device for a water tank using a thermoelectric element capable of heating / cooling the water temperature of water contained in the water tank to an optimal state using a thermoelectric element.

In general, aquariums, aquariums, etc. for raising fish families should maintain a temperature environment suitable for growth depending on the characteristics of each species.

To this end, a heater in which a heating element such as nichrome wire is directly settled in water in a tank to heat water is used. However, since the heating element is directly exposed to water, the fish family may be in contact with the wound. There is a risk of electric shock to fish families.

In addition, when the water temperature is high to pass the water stored in the cooler using the refrigerant to lower the water temperature, but the freon gas due to the use of the refrigerant has a problem of polluting the atmospheric environment and destroy the ozone layer.

Accordingly, in order to solve the above problems, a method for selectively raising and lowering the temperature of the water in the water tank is emerging.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to allow the water tank through which the water inside the tank passes to be heated / cooled by a thermoelectric element so that the water of the tank is heated / cooled when the water tank passes, enabling water temperature control and preventing air pollution. It is to provide a water tank thermostat using a thermoelectric element that can be prevented.

In addition, another object of the present invention is a flow path through which the water flows in the water tank is formed in a zigzag in the interior of the water tank and the cap fitted to both sides of the water tank, the heating / cooling efficiency by the thermoelectric element It is to provide a thermostat device for the tank using a thermoelectric element that can improve the.

According to the present invention, the water tank 120 to allow the water of the water tank 10 introduced through the inlet pipe 11 by the pump 111 flows out again through the outlet pipe 12 connected to the water tank 10 again. )Wow; Heating / cooling having a thermoelectric element 141 and a polarity conversion device 142 that heats / cools the water tank 120 so that the water in the water tank 10 has a constant temperature according to the value set by the input unit 130. It includes a portion 140, the water tank 120 is formed integrally with a plurality of straight flow path tube 121 through which the water of the water tank 10 flows, the water of the water tank 10 on both sides Cap 170 is formed integrally with the 'U'-shaped connecting pipe 171 connecting the plurality of flow pipes 121 in an' S 'or zigzag in order to flow through the plurality of flow pipes 121 A thermostatic device for a water tank using the attached thermoelectric element is provided.

Here, one end of the inlet pipe 11 and the outlet pipe 12 is connected to the flow pipe 121 of the water tank 120 at the top and bottom of the cap 170 attached to one side of the water tank 120. It is preferable to include an insertion tube 172 to be.

In addition, the connection pipe 171 is preferably formed of a detachable pipe or synthetic resin material.

In addition, the polarity converting device 142 has a high frequency transformer (SMPS) T connected to a rectifying / smoothing circuit V for rectifying AC power and converting the DC power into a DC voltage, and among the output terminals of the high frequency transformer T, The positive voltage V + of the first output terminal T1 and the negative voltage V- of the second output terminal T2 are rectified by the bridge rectifying device B, and the positive voltage V + output terminal of the bridge rectifying device B. (B1) or a first voltage for selectively applying a positive voltage (V +) or a negative voltage (V-) between the negative voltage (V−) output terminal (B2) and the P-type semiconductor (P) of the thermoelectric element (141). Polarity conversion in which the second switching elements Q1 and Q2 are connected, and the zero voltage V0 of the middle end T0 of the output terminal of the high frequency transformer T is connected to the N-type semiconductor N of the thermoelectric element 141. It is preferable to include a circuit.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail the configuration and effect of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

In the following description of the present invention, when it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

1 is a perspective view showing a water tank using a thermostat device for thermostat using a thermoelectric device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the thermostat device for a bath using the thermoelectric element of Figure 1, Figure 3 2 is a block diagram showing the water tank thermostat of FIG.

1 to 3, the thermostat device for a water tank using a thermoelectric device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the pumping unit 110 for pumping the water in the water tank 10 using the pump 111 And a plurality of flow paths through which the water in the water tank 10 introduced through the inflow pipe 11 by the pump 111 flows out again through the outflow pipe 12 connected to the water tank 10. The thermoelectric element 141 which heats / cools the water tank 120 so that the water in the water tank 10 has a constant temperature according to a value set by the water tank 120 having the pipe 121 and the input unit 130. Heating and cooling unit 140 having a polarity conversion device 142, a sensor unit 150 for detecting the water temperature of the water tank 10 and the pumping unit 110, the input unit 130, heating / cooling unit And a controller 160 electrically connected to the 140 and the sensor unit 150 to control the components.

The water tank 120 has a shape of a rectangular parallelepiped having a material having a very high thermal conductivity such as aluminum and hardly occurring corrosion, and a plurality of straight flow path tubes 121 through which water in the water tank 10 flows are integrally formed. do.

In addition, both sides of the water tank 120 in order to allow the water of the water tank 10 to flow with a long flow path through the plurality of flow pipes (121) 'S' A cap 170 having a 'U' shaped connector 171 connecting in a ruler or zigzag is attached.

Here, the upper end and the lower end of the cap 170 attached to one side of the water tank 120 is inserted into one end of the inlet pipe 11 and the outlet pipe 12 and the flow pipe 121 of the water tank 120 and It is preferable to include an insertion pipe 172 to be connected, the connection pipe 171 provided in the cap 170 is formed of a separate pipe or integral with the flow pipe 121 of the water tank 120 It may be formed as.

In addition, the other end of the inlet pipe 11 and the outlet pipe 12, as shown in Figure 1, may extend from one side of the water tank 10 to the water tank 120, more preferably conventional In order to be more easily employed in the water tank 10, it is preferable that the synthetic resin pipes extend from the water tank 120 to the inside of the water tank 10 through the upper portion of the water tank 10.

Therefore, the plurality of flow pipes 121 of the water tank 120 is connected to the 'S' or zigzag through the connecting pipe 171 of the cap 170 attached to both sides of the water tank 120, one long flow path ( By forming a conduit, it is possible to lengthen the time for the water circulated from the water tank 10 to flow in the water tank 120 to improve heating / cooling efficiency using the water tank 120.

In addition, by detaching the cap 170 attached to both sides of the water tank 120, by directly washing the flow path tube 121 integrally formed in the water tank 120 using a brush or the like, the flow path tube 121 ) Can be more easily washing the water tank 120 than in the form of a separate pipe or the like.

In addition, since the water tank 120 can be washed in a state in which only the cap 170 attached to both sides is detached when the water tank 120 is washed as described above, it is cumbersome to reinstall the outer surface of the water tank 120. There is no need to remove the (141) and the like can simply wash the flow pipe (121).

The heating / cooling unit 140 is attached to the outer surface of the water tank 120 and is generated according to the heating / cooling of the thermoelectric element 141 such as Peltier, which transfers heat to the water tank 120, and the thermoelectric element 141. Polarity conversion device for selectively controlling the heating / cooling operation of the thermoelectric element 141 by converting the polarity of the power supplied to the heat sink (not shown), cooling fan (not shown) and the thermoelectric element 141 to cool the heat 142.

Here, in the polarity conversion device 142, a high frequency transformer (SMPS) T is connected to a rectifying / smoothing circuit V for rectifying AC power and converting the AC power into a DC voltage, and among the output terminals of the high frequency transformer T, The positive voltage V + of the first output terminal T1 and the negative voltage V- of the second output terminal T2 are rectified by the bridge rectifying device B, and the positive voltage V + output terminal of the bridge rectifying device B. (B1) or a first voltage for selectively applying a positive voltage (V +) or a negative voltage (V-) between the negative voltage (V−) output terminal (B2) and the P-type semiconductor (P) of the thermoelectric element (141). Polarity conversion in which the second switching elements Q1 and Q2 are connected, and the zero voltage V0 of the middle end T0 of the output terminal of the high frequency transformer T is connected to the N-type semiconductor N of the thermoelectric element 141. It includes a circuit.

Therefore, when the water temperature of the water tank 10 is different from the set value range input by the input unit 130 through the operation of the sensor unit 150 for measuring the water temperature of the water tank 10, the polarity is controlled by the controller 160. The amount of the high frequency transformer T is applied to the P-type semiconductor P of the thermoelectric element 141 by selectively turning on or off the first switching element Q1 or the second switching element Q2 of the converter 142. Heating the thermoelectric element 141 by applying a voltage (V +) or a negative voltage (V-) and applying a zero voltage (V0) of the high frequency transformer (T) to the N-type semiconductor (N) of the thermoelectric element (141). / Cooling operation can be selectively controlled.

That is, one of the output terminals of the positive voltage V + and the negative voltage V− of the high frequency transformer T is selectively applied to the P-type semiconductor P of the thermoelectric element 141 through the switching elements Q1 and Q2. The switching elements Q1 and Q2 are applied to the N-type semiconductor N of the thermoelectric element 141 without grounding the zero voltage V0 output terminal of the high frequency transformer T. Through the application of the positive voltage (V +) and negative voltage (V-) can be selectively controlled.

Therefore, the polarity conversion circuit as described above may be applied to both P-type and N-type semiconductors of the thermoelectric element selectively according to the operation of the two pairs of relays and the two pairs of relays used to convert the polarity of the thermoelectric elements as in the related art. 'H-bridge' method using two pairs of switching elements controlled to apply voltage and negative voltage respectively, for example, than the 'polarity conversion circuit for temperature control' disclosed in Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-0241955. It is possible to simplify the configuration and to overcome the problem that the polarity conversion circuit malfunctions due to the voltage drop by the plurality of switching elements.

The sensor unit 150 may include a water temperature sensor 151 provided inside the water tank 10 or inside the inlet pipe 11 to detect a temperature of water.

Here, the water temperature sensor 151 is in close contact with one side of the water tank 120 to measure the temperature of the water tank 120 or attached to the thermoelectric element 141 may measure the temperature of the thermoelectric element 141. It is preferable that the thermistor detect a temperature change based on the electrical resistance value according to the temperature measurement.

On the other hand, the water tank is applied to the thermostat device using a thermoelectric element according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, is installed on one side inside the water tank 10 to supply an appropriate amount of oxygen to the water tank 10 (not shown) C) and a filtration device (not shown) for circulating clean water.

In addition, a timer (not shown) and a dimming according to seasons in the water tank 10 for controlling the thermoelectric element 141 to set a time for heating or cooling to maintain the threshold temperature for a predetermined time and then automatically return to the set temperature. It is preferable to further include a dimmer (not shown) for arbitrarily controlling the seasonal change by controlling arbitrarily.

Hereinafter, the operation and effect of the thermostat device for the water tank using the thermoelectric device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention having the configuration as described above.

First, a temperature value for water in the water tank 10 is input by the input unit 130.

Thereafter, the water in the water tank 10 is introduced into the inflow pipe 11 connected to the cap 170 provided at one side of the water tank 120 by the pump 111 of the pumping unit 110 and the water tank 120 After flowing through the flow pipe 121 and the connection pipe 171 of the cap 170 is circulated to the water tank 10 along the outflow pipe 12 connected to the water tank 20 again.

At this time, the thermoelectric element 141 of the heating / cooling unit 140 is heated or cooled, and thus the heating or cooling heat is transferred to the water tank 120 in close contact with the thermoelectric element 141, thereby providing the water tank 120. ) And the water flowing along the flow path of the cap 170 is heated or cooled.

Here, the plurality of flow pipes 121 of the water tank 120 is connected to the 'S' or zigzag through the connecting pipe 171 of the cap 170 attached to both sides of the water tank 120, one long flow path By forming a water path, the time circulating from the water tank 10 flows into the water tank 120, so that the heating / cooling efficiency using the water tank 120 can be improved.

Thereafter, the temperature of the thermoelectric element 141 corresponding to the temperature of the water in the water tank 10 or the temperature of the water in the water tank 10 is measured by the water temperature sensor 151 of the sensor unit 150.

If the temperature of the water in the water tank 10 or the temperature measurement value of the thermoelectric element 141 corresponding thereto is located in the temperature range of the set value set by the input unit 130, the heating of the thermoelectric element 141 Or cooling is stopped.

On the other hand, if the temperature of the water in the water tank 10 or the temperature measurement value of the thermoelectric element 141 corresponding thereto exceeds the temperature range of the set value set by the input unit 130, the heating / cooling unit 140 A positive voltage (V +) of the high frequency transformer (T) is applied to the P-type semiconductor (P) of the thermoelectric element (141) by the polarity conversion device 142 of the high frequency transformer (T). When the zero voltage V0 is applied, the thermoelectric element 141 is cooled until the water temperature of the water tank 10 is located in the temperature range of the set value.

In addition, when the temperature of the water in the water tank 10 or the temperature measurement value of the thermoelectric element 141 corresponding thereto is less than the temperature range of the set value set by the input unit 130, the heating / cooling unit 140 The negative voltage (V-) of the high frequency transformer (T) is applied to the P-type semiconductor (P) of the thermoelectric element (141) by the polarity conversion device 142 of the high frequency transformer (T). The zero voltage (V0) is applied to the thermoelectric element 141 is heated until the water temperature of the water tank 10 is located in the temperature range of the set value.

Here, one of the output terminals of the positive voltage (V +) and the negative voltage (V−) of the high frequency transformer (T) is selectively applied to the P-type semiconductor (P) of the thermoelectric element (141) and the zero voltage of the high frequency transformer (T). By applying the output terminal (V0) to the N-type semiconductor (N) of the thermoelectric element 141 and selectively controlling the application of the positive voltage (V +) and negative voltage (V-) based on the zero voltage (V0) output terminal, 'H-bridge' type power supply that controls to apply positive voltage (V +) and negative voltage (V-) to P-type semiconductor and N-type semiconductor of the thermoelectric element selectively according to the operation of a plurality of relays and the relays Its configuration can be simpler than that of the polarity conversion circuit, thereby overcoming the problem that the polarity conversion circuit malfunctions due to the voltage drop caused by the plurality of switching elements.

Therefore, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention as described above, the water tank through which the water in the tank is passed is heated / cooled by the thermoelectric element so that the water of the tank is heated / cooled when the water tank passes. Can be used to prevent air pollution.

In addition, a flow path through which water in the water tank flows in a zigzag shape is formed in the water tank and the cap fitted to both sides of the water tank, so that the heating / cooling efficiency by the thermoelectric element can be improved.

In addition, when the caps attached to both sides of the water tank are detached, the flow path tube integrally formed inside the water tank can be directly washed by using a brush, etc. Cleaning can be made easier.

In addition, when cleaning the water tank, it is possible to simply clean the flow path without the need to separate the heat element and the heat sink is cumbersome reinstallation on the outer surface of the water tank.

Further, one of the positive and negative voltage output terminals of the high frequency transformer is selectively applied to the P-type semiconductor of the thermoelectric element, and the zero voltage output terminal of the high frequency transformer is applied to the N-type semiconductor of the thermoelectric element so that the zero voltage output terminal is used as the reference. By selectively controlling the application of the positive voltage and the negative voltage, the configuration can be simplified compared to the polarity conversion circuit according to the method of simultaneously supplying the positive and negative voltages to the P-type semiconductor and the N-type semiconductor. Voltage drop can be prevented to enable more stable polarity change.

In the above-described invention, specific embodiments have been described, but various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention should not be defined by the described embodiments, but should be defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Therefore, according to the above, the water tank through which the water in the water tank passes is heated / cooled by the thermoelectric element and the flow path in which the water flows inside the water tank and the cap fitted to both sides of the water tank is zigzag long. By forming, the heating / cooling efficiency by the thermoelectric element can be improved.

In addition, by removing the caps attached to both sides of the water tank and directly washing the flow path tube formed integrally inside the water tank using a brush or the like, the water tank is washed as compared to the formation of a separate pipe, etc. You can make your work easier.

Claims

A water tank 120 allowing the water of the water tank 10 introduced by the pump 111 to flow through the inflow pipe 11 to flow out again through the outflow pipe 12 connected to the water tank 10;

A heating / cooling unit having a thermoelectric element 141 and a polarity conversion device 142 that heat / cool the water tank 120 so that the water in the water tank 10 has a constant temperature according to the value set by the input unit 130. 140,

The water tank 120 is formed integrally with a plurality of straight flow path tube 121 through which the water of the water tank 10 flows, the water of the water tank 10 is a plurality of flow path tube 121 on both sides. Thermoelectric element, characterized in that the cap 170 is formed integrally with the 'U'-shaped connecting pipe 171 connecting the plurality of flow pipes 121 to the' S 'or zigzag to be flowed through Tank thermostat using.

According to claim 1, One end of the inlet pipe 11 and the outlet pipe 12, the upper end and the lower end of the cap 170 attached to one side of the water tank 120, the flow path pipe ( A thermostat device for a water tank using a thermoelectric element comprising an insertion tube 172 to be connected to the 121.

The thermostat device of claim 2, wherein the connection pipe (171) is formed to be detachable from a pipe or a synthetic resin material.

The method of claim 3, wherein the polarity conversion device 142,

A high frequency transformer (SMPS) T is connected to a rectifying / smoothing circuit V for rectifying AC power and converting it into a DC voltage.

Among the output terminals of the high frequency transformer T, the positive voltage V + of the first output terminal T1 and the negative voltage V− of the second output terminal T2 are rectified by the bridge rectifier B.

Positive voltage (V +) or negative voltage between the positive voltage (V +) output terminal (B1) or negative voltage (V-) output terminal (B2) of the bridge rectifying element (B) and the P-type semiconductor (P) of the thermoelectric element (141). First or second switching elements Q1 and Q2 are connected for selectively applying (V-),

The number using thermoelectric elements, characterized in that the zero voltage (V0) of the intermediate terminal (T0) of the output terminal of the high frequency transformer (T) includes a polarity conversion circuit connected to the N-type semiconductor (N) of the thermoelectric element (141). Quiet thermostat.