Hot-water storage and supply apparatus

Abstract

To provide a hot-water storage and supply apparatus having an exterior case to which a plate-shaped exterior panel can be easily attached.SOLUTION: A hot-water storage and supply apparatus (1) has a hot-water storage tank (2) that is covered with a heat-insulating material (30), and a box-shaped exterior case (20) that houses the hot-water storage tank. The exterior case has a top plate (21), a bottom plate (22), a front plate (23), a rear plate (24), and right and left side plates (25, 26). The heat-insulating material has a pair of right and left support portions (33) that support, from the inside of the exterior case, respective rear-side corner portions of an upper part of the exterior case. The top plate has an engagement member (21c) that engages the support portions so as to restrict movement in a vertical direction and in a right-left direction. The top plate is configured to be temporarily fixed to the hot-water storage tank by being placed on the hot-water storage tank in a state where the engagement member is engaged with the support portions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a hot water storage and hot water supply device equipped with a hot water storage tank for storing heated hot water. [Background technology]

[0002] Hot water storage and heating systems have been widely used for a long time, storing heated water in a hot water storage tank and using the stored water for hot water supply. The hot water storage tank is fitted with a heat insulating material, for example, made of a molded foamed resin, to prevent the heat of the stored hot water from escaping to the outside. The hot water storage tank is generally a cylindrical container closed at both ends with end plates, and is housed in a box-shaped outer case in an upright position with the axis of the cylinder vertical.

[0003] The exterior case is formed into a box shape by fastening a top plate having a peripheral wall, a bottom plate, and flat exterior plates (front plate, rear plate, left and right side plates) that cover the front, rear, left and right sides, to a frame made up of, for example, multiple pillars extending up and down and beams connecting these pillars. A plurality of fastening members, for example, screws, are used to fasten the exterior plates.

[0004] When fixing the exterior plate, the upper end of the exterior plate is inserted inside the peripheral wall of the top plate fixed to the frame, and the lower part is temporarily fixed in a state where it is supported by, for example, the bottom plate, and then the exterior plate is fixed to the frame with multiple fastening members, or the exterior plates are connected and fixed to each other. Because the flat exterior plate, which does not stand on its own, is temporarily fixed, there is no need to support the exterior plate to prevent it from falling over, and the exterior plate can be easily fixed with the fastening members.

[0005] However, an outer case with a frame is complex and heavy, and requires high manufacturing costs. Furthermore, the presence of a frame can make assembly and maintenance of the hot water storage and heating system difficult. While frames have also been used to secure heavy equipment, frames are not necessary if the outer case does not house heavy equipment other than the hot water storage tank.

[0006] For this reason, there is known a hot water storage and heating apparatus having a box-shaped exterior case in which a thermal insulating material is attached to a hot water storage tank fixed in an upright position, and exterior panels covering the front, rear, and left and right sides are connected to each other and covered with a top plate, as in Patent Document 1. There is also known a hot water storage and heating apparatus having an exterior case in which a thermal insulating material is covered on the top of a hot water storage tank fixed in an upright position, and the top plate is supported by a support member attached to the top of the thermal insulating material, as in Patent Document 2. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-32240 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 5549630 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] In Patent Document 1, a member that clamps the two thermal insulation materials sandwiching the hot water storage tank so as not to separate is used as the exterior plate fixing means, and the flat left and right side plates and rear plate are fixed to this exterior plate fixing means. However, because the flat exterior plates are not self-supporting, when fixing the left and right side plates and rear plate, it is necessary to fix them with screws or the like while supporting the fixed exterior plates so that they do not fall over, which makes fixing the exterior plates not easy.

[0009] In Patent Document 2, a support member attached to the heat insulating material covering the hot water storage tank supports the top plate. This support member supports the load caused by the impact when the tank is dropped, preventing deformation of the outer shell case, etc. There is no mention of the attachment of the exterior panels that make up the outer shell case, but if flat exterior panels are attached to each side as in Patent Document 1, it is not easy to attach the exterior panels.

[0010] Therefore, there has been a demand for an exterior case that houses a hot water storage tank of a hot water storage device that can easily attach a flat exterior plate that does not stand on its own, even without a frame.The object of the present invention is to provide a hot water storage device having an exterior case that can easily attach a flat exterior plate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The hot water storage and heating device of the invention of claim 1 is a hot water storage and heating device having a hot water storage tank covered with thermal insulation material and a box-shaped outer case that houses the hot water storage tank, wherein the outer case has a top plate, a bottom plate, a front plate, a rear plate, and left and right side plates, the thermal insulation material has a pair of left and right support parts that respectively support the rear corners of the upper part of the outer case from the inside of the outer case, the top plate has engaging members that engage with the support parts to restrict movement in the vertical and horizontal directions, and is configured to be temporarily fixed to the hot water storage tank by placing it on the hot water storage tank with the engaging members engaged with the support parts.

[0012] According to the above configuration, the temporarily fixed tabletop is restricted from moving up and down and left and right. This allows the left and right side panels to be temporarily fixed so as to prevent them from collapsing when fastening the tabletop. Therefore, there is no need to support the left and right side panels with fastening members to prevent them from collapsing, and they can be easily fixed.

[0013] The hot water storage and heating device of the invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the support portion is formed to extend rearward from the upper rear side of the thermal insulation material, and the engaging member is configured to engage with the support portion by sliding the top plate from rear to front. According to the above configuration, the engaging member can be easily engaged with the support portion, so that the top plate can be easily temporarily fixed to the hot water storage tank covered with a heat insulating material.

[0014] The hot water storage and heating device of the invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1 or 2, the top plate has a peripheral wall portion extending downward from the outer periphery, and the front plate, the rear plate, and the left and right side plates each have an insertion portion extending from the upper end toward the inside of the peripheral wall portion, and the left and right side plates are configured so that the insertion portion is inserted between the peripheral wall portion and the insulation material, thereby temporarily fixing the left and right side plates to the hot water storage tank. According to the above configuration, the left and right side panels can be temporarily fixed using the temporarily fixed top panel to prevent them from falling over, so there is no need to support the left and right side panels to prevent them from falling over, and they can be easily fixed. After the left and right side panels are fixed, the rear and front panels can also be temporarily fixed in the same way and then easily fixed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the hot water storage and heating device of the present invention, the flat exterior plate can be easily attached to the exterior case that houses the hot water storage tank. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a hot water storage tank and hot water supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a hot water storage unit of a hot water storage and heating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an assembly diagram of the main parts of the outer case of the hot water storage unit of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a support portion of the heat insulating material of FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the top plate of FIG. 3. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a top plate temporarily fixed to the heat insulating material of FIG. 4. [Figure 7] 4 is a rear view of the main part showing the procedure for temporarily fixing the left side plate of FIG. 3. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the main part showing the placement portion of the left side plate. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a rear view of the main part of the left side plate fixed by the fastening member. [Figure 10]10 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a main part of the upper end portion on the rear end side of the left side plate in FIG. 9. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Hereinafter, the mode for carrying out the present invention will be described based on examples. [Example]

[0018] First, the configuration of the hot water storage and heating apparatus 1 of the present invention will be described. As shown in Figure 1, the hot water storage and heating system 1 includes a hot water storage unit 3 having a hot water storage tank 2 for storing heated hot water, a main heat source unit 4, and an auxiliary heat source unit 5. The main heat source unit 4 is, for example, a heat pump heat source unit. The hot water storage tank 2 stores the hot water heated by the main heat source unit 4.

[0019] The hot water storage unit 3 has a water supply passage 6 that supplies clean water to the hot water storage tank 2, a hot water outlet passage 7 that discharges the hot water in the hot water storage tank 2 from the hot water storage unit 3, and a water supply bypass passage 9 that branches off from the water supply passage 6 and is connected to the hot water outlet passage 7 at a mixing valve 8. The water supply passage 6 is equipped with a water supply temperature sensor 6a that detects the temperature of the clean water. Upstream of the mixing valve 8, the hot water outlet passage 7 is equipped with a tank outlet hot water temperature sensor 7a that detects the temperature of the hot water being discharged from the hot water storage tank 2. Downstream of the mixing valve 8, the hot water outlet passage 7 is equipped with an outlet hot water temperature sensor 7b that detects the temperature of the hot water being discharged from the hot water storage unit 3 (outlet hot water temperature), and an outlet hot water flow rate sensor 7c that detects the flow rate.

[0020] Hot water discharged from the hot water storage unit 3 is supplied from the hot water tap 10 via the auxiliary heat source device 5. The auxiliary heat source device 5 is, for example, a combustion-type water heater. This auxiliary heat source device 5 supplies the hot water to the hot water tap 10 either heated or unheated, depending on the temperature of the hot water supplied from the hot water storage unit 3 (hot water outlet temperature). In order to adjust the outlet hot water temperature, the hot water storage unit 3 is equipped with a control unit 11 that controls the mixing ratio of the hot water from the hot water storage tank 2 and the clean water in the mixing valve 8 based on the temperatures detected by the feed water temperature sensor 6a and the tank hot water outlet temperature sensor 7a. This control unit 11 is connected to and communicates with the auxiliary heat source device 5 via, for example, an operation remote control 12, and controls the auxiliary heat source device 5.

[0021] Next, the hot water storage unit 3 will be described. 2 and 3, the hot water storage unit 3 has a box-shaped outer case 20 that houses the hot water storage tank 2 in an upright position. The hot water storage tank 2 is a cylindrical container closed at both ends by end plates, and the upright position is when the axis of the cylinder is vertical. Arrows U, F, and L in the figures indicate the upper, front, and left directions of the outer case 20, respectively.

[0022] The exterior case 20 has a top plate 21, a bottom plate 22, a front plate 23, a rear plate 24, and left and right side plates 25, 26, and covers the hot water storage tank 2 covered with the thermal insulation material 30 to protect it from wind, rain, etc. Although not shown in the figure, the water supply passage 6, the hot water outlet passage 7, etc. are arranged in spaces provided on the upper front side of the thermal insulation material 30 and in front of the thermal insulation material 30.

[0023] An insertion portion 24a is formed at the upper end of the rear plate 24. The insertion portion 24a extends toward the inside (front) of the exterior case 20 and then bent upward to be inserted into the inside of the top plate 21. A placement portion 24b for placing the rear plate 24 on the bottom plate 22 and a fixing portion 24c for fixing the rear plate 24 to the bottom plate 22 with a fastening member such as a screw are formed at the lower part of the rear plate 24. The left and right ends of the rear plate 24 are also bent so as to extend forward, and together with the insertion portion 24a, this prevents the rear plate 24 from bending (deforming).

[0024] Like the rear panel 24, the right side panel 26 has an insertion portion 26a at its upper end that is bent to fit inside the top panel 21, and its front end 26b, rear end 26c, and lower end are each bent leftward to extend toward the left side panel 25, preventing the right side panel 26 from bending. The leftward-extending front end 26b and rear end 26c serve as fixing portions for fixing the right side panel 26 to the top panel 21 and bottom panel 22 with fastening members. The front end 26b is bent backward and then extended to the right, increasing its rigidity. The rear end 26 is bent forward and then extended to the right, increasing its rigidity.

[0025] Like the right side plate 26, the left side plate 25 has an insertion portion 25a at its upper end, and its front end 25b, rear end 25c, and lower end are each bent to the left to prevent the left side plate 25 from bending. The front end 25b and rear end 25c serve as fixing portions for fixing the left side plate 25 to the top plate 21 and bottom plate 22 with fastening members. The front end 25b and rear end 25c have increased rigidity, similar to the right side plate 26.

[0026] The bottom plate 22 has a middle plate 27 at its front end that extends upward from the bottom plate 22. A middle bottom plate 28 extends forward from the upper end of the middle plate 27. Fittings for piping connected to the water supply passage 6, hot water outlet passage 7, etc. are fixed to the middle bottom plate 28. A piping space for accommodating piping is provided below the middle bottom plate 28, and this piping space can be accessed by removing a front piping cover 29 attached to the underside of the front plate 23. Like the rear plate 24, the front plate 23 has an insertion portion 23a at its upper end that is bent to insert it inside the top plate 21, and the lower end of the front plate 23 is fixed to the front end of the middle bottom plate 28 with fastening members. The front plate 23 is also fixed to the left and right side plates 25, 26.

[0027] The thermal insulation material 30 is composed of a front thermal insulation material 31 and a rear thermal insulation material 32, each made of a molded foam resin, but these may be separable into upper and lower parts, for example. The thermal insulation material 30 abuts against the top plate 21, front plate 23, rear plate 24, and left and right side plates 25, 26, respectively, and supports them from the inside of the exterior case 20, thereby preventing the top plate 21, front plate 23, rear plate 24, and left and right side plates 25, 26 from bending. For example, as shown in FIG. 4 , the thermal insulation material 30 has a pair of left and right support parts 33 that support the rear corners of the upper part of the exterior case 20. These support parts 33 are each formed, for example, in the shape of a rectangular pillar extending rearward from the upper rear side of the thermal insulation material 30 (rear thermal insulation material 32), and support the top plate 21 and the rear plate 24 from the inside of the exterior case 20.

[0028] As shown in Figure 5, the top panel 21 has a rectangular flat top surface portion 21a, a peripheral wall portion 21b formed to extend downward from the outer periphery of the top surface portion 21a, engagement members 21c, a front fixing member 21d, and a rear fixing member 21e. The front fixing member 21d is fixed to the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion 21b corresponding to the front panel 23 in order to fix the front panel 23 with a fastening member. The rear fixing member 21e is fixed to the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion 21b corresponding to the rear panel 24 in order to fix the rear panel 24 with a fastening member. The top panel 21a is equipped with a plurality of fastening members for fastening to the exterior wall of a building.

[0029] The engaging member 21c is formed into a rectangular C-shape with an open bottom by bending both end portions of a plate member extending left and right so as to engage with the pair of left and right support portions 33 of the thermal insulation material 30. The upper central portion extending left and right of the engaging member 21c is fixed to the lower surface of the rear end side of the top surface portion 21a, for example, by a plurality of fastening members. The tip sides of both end portions extending downward of the engaging member 21c extend toward the center, and the engaging member 21c is configured to abut against the outer side surfaces and the lower surfaces of the pair of left and right support portions 33. Note that the shape of the engaging member 21c is not limited to the above, as long as it abuts against the lower surfaces, outer side surfaces, or inner side surfaces of the pair of left and right support portions 33.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 6 , the top plate 21 is placed on the thermal insulation material 30, which covers the hot water storage tank 2, and temporarily fixed thereto with the engaging members 21c engaged with a pair of left and right support portions 33 of the thermal insulation material 30. When temporarily fixing the top plate 21, the top plate 21 placed on the thermal insulation material 30 is slid forward so that the engaging members 21c fit into the pair of left and right support portions 33 from the rear. The temporarily fixed top plate 21 is restricted from moving up and down and left and right by the engagement between the engaging members 21c and the support portions 33, but can be removed by sliding it rearward. Furthermore, because the upper front portion of the hot water storage tank 2 is used as a space for piping such as the hot water outlet passage 7, even if the thermal insulation material 30 cannot support the front portion of the top plate 21, the temporarily fixed top plate 21 is prevented from tilting forward, for example, due to its own weight.

[0031] 7, the left side panel 25 is temporarily fixed using the top panel 21 that is temporarily fixed to the hot water storage tank 2 covered with the thermal insulation material 30. At this time, the insertion portion 25a is inserted between the peripheral wall portion 21b of the top panel 21 and the thermal insulation material 30, and then the left side panel 25 is brought into contact with the thermal insulation material 30.

[0032] When the insertion portion 25a is inserted and the left side plate 25 is brought into contact with the thermal insulation material 30, a placement portion 25d formed by cutting out the front end portion 25b of the left side plate 25 is placed on the middle bottom plate 28, as shown in Fig. 8. This maintains the state in which the insertion portion 25a is inserted inside the peripheral wall portion 21b, and the left side plate 25 is temporarily fixed by the top plate 21 and the middle bottom plate 28, preventing it from falling over. The bottom plate 22 may support, for example, a lower portion of the left side plate 25, so that the left side plate 25 is temporarily fixed by the top plate 21 and the bottom plate 22.

[0033] The temporarily fixed left side panel 25 is fixed with a plurality of fastening members. For example, the front end 25b of the left side panel 25 is fixed to the cut-and-raised front end of the middle bottom panel 28 with fastening member 40, and the upper end portion of the front end 25b is fixed to the front fixing member 21d of the top panel 21 with fastening members (not shown). Also, as shown in FIG. 9, the rear end 25c of the left side panel 25 is fixed to the rear fixing member 21e of the top panel 21 with fastening member 41, and the lower end portion of the rear end 25c is fixed to the bottom panel 22 with fastening members (not shown). The temporarily fixed left side panel 25 does not need to be supported to prevent it from falling over, so it is easy to fix with fastening members.

[0034] 10, the tip of insertion portion 25a of left side plate 25 is inserted and fixed above the lower end of peripheral wall portion 21b of top plate 21. Therefore, rainwater is less likely to enter exterior case 20 through the gap between top plate 21 and left side plate 25.

[0035] Although not shown in the figures, similar to the left side plate 25, the temporarily fixed top plate 21 can be used to temporarily fix the right side plate 26, and this right side plate 26 can be easily fixed with fastening members. As a result, the top plate 21 is connected and fixed to the bottom plate 22 via the left and right side plates 25, 26, and is fixed to the hot water storage tank 2 covered with the thermal insulation material 30, so that movement of the top plate 21 in the front-to-rear direction is restricted. Also, although not shown in the figures, similar to the left and right side plates 25, 26, the rear plate 24 can be temporarily fixed and fixed with fastening members by the top plate 21 and bottom plate 22 fixed to the hot water storage tank 2, and the front plate 23 can be temporarily fixed to the top plate 21 and middle bottom plate 28 and fixed with fastening members.

[0036] As described above, the top plate 21 is temporarily fixed to the hot water storage tank 2 covered with the thermal insulation material 30, and the left and right side plates 25, 26 are temporarily fixed using this top plate 21. Then, the rear plate 24 and front plate 23 are temporarily fixed using the top plate 21, which has been fixed to the hot water storage tank 2 by connecting and fixing the top plate 21, the left and right side plates 25, 26, and the bottom plate 22 with fastening members. The rear plate 24 and front plate 23 are connected and fixed to the top plate 21, the left and right side plates 25, 26, and the bottom plate 22 with fastening members, thereby assembling the box-shaped exterior case 20 as shown in FIG. 2. The front piping cover 29 is attached after the front plate 23 is fixed.

[0037] The operation and effects of the hot water storage and boiler device 1 of the present invention will be described. The hot water storage and heating device 1 has a box-shaped exterior case 20 that houses a hot water storage tank 2 covered with a thermal insulation material 30. The exterior case 20 has a top plate 21, a bottom plate 22, a front plate 23, a rear plate 24, and left and right side plates 25, 26. The thermal insulation material 30 has a pair of left and right support parts 33 that respectively support the rear corners of the upper part of the exterior case 20 from inside the exterior case 20. The top plate 21 has engaging members 21c that engage with the support parts 33 to restrict movement in the up and down and left and right directions. The top plate 21 is configured to be temporarily fixed to the hot water storage tank 2 by being placed on the hot water storage tank 2 with the engaging members 21c engaged with the support parts 33.

[0038] The temporarily fixed top plate 21 is restricted from moving up and down and left and right. As a result, the temporarily fixed top plate 21 can be used to temporarily fix the left and right side plates 25, 26 so as to prevent them from falling over. Therefore, there is no need to support the left and right side plates 25, 26 when fastening them with fastening members, and they can be easily fixed. Furthermore, by providing the upper front portion of the hot water storage tank 2 with piping space for the hot water outlet passage 7, etc., even if the front portion of the top plate 21 cannot be supported by the heat insulation material 30, the placed top plate 21 is prevented from tilting forward due to, for example, its own weight.

[0039] The support portion 33 is formed to extend rearward from the upper portion of the heat insulating material 30, and is configured so that by sliding the top plate 21 from rearward to frontward, the engaging member 21c engages with the support portion 33. This makes it possible to easily temporarily fix the top plate 21 to the hot water storage tank 2 covered with the heat insulating material 30.

[0040] Top plate 21 has top surface portion 21a and peripheral wall portion 21b extending downward from the outer periphery of top surface portion 21a. Left and right side plates 25, 26 have insertion portions 25a, 26a at their upper ends, respectively, extending toward the inside of peripheral wall portion 21b. Then, left and right side plates 25, 26 with insertion portions 25a, 26a inserted between peripheral wall portion 21b and thermal insulation material 30 (inside peripheral wall portion 21b) are temporarily fixed to hot water storage tank 2 covered with thermal insulation material 30. In this way, left and right side plates 25, 26 can be temporarily fixed using temporarily fixed top plate 21 so as to prevent them from falling over. Therefore, there is no need to support left and right side plates 25, 26 to prevent them from falling over when fastening them with fastening members, and they can be easily fixed. The rear panel 24 and front panel 23, each having insertion portions 24a, 23a at their upper ends, can be temporarily fixed using the fixed top panel 21 in the same way as the left and right side panels 25, 26, and can be easily fixed using fastening members.

[0041] In addition, a person skilled in the art can implement the present invention in a form in which various modifications are added to the above-described embodiment without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the present invention includes such modifications. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1: Hot water storage unit 2: Hot water tank 3: Hot water storage unit 4: Main heat source machine 5:Auxiliary heat source machine 6:Water supply passage 7: Hot water passage 8: Mixing valve 9: Water supply bypass passage 10: Hot water tap 11: Control section 12: Operation remote control 20: Outer case 21: Top plate 21a: Top section 21b: Peripheral wall part 21c: Engagement member 21d: Front fixing member 21e: Rear fixing member 22:Bottom plate 23: Front panel 24: Rear plate 25: Left side panel 26: Right side panel 27: Middle plate 28: Middle bottom plate 30: Heat insulation material 31: Front insulation material 32: Rear insulation material 33: Support part 40, 41: Fastening member

Claims

1. A hot water storage and hot water supply device having a hot water storage tank covered with a heat insulating material and a box-shaped outer case that houses the hot water storage tank, The exterior case has a top plate, a bottom plate, a front plate, a rear plate, and left and right side plates, the heat insulating material has a pair of left and right support portions that respectively support rear corner portions of an upper portion of the outer case from inside the outer case, The hot water storage and heating device is characterized in that the top plate has an engaging member that engages with the support portion to restrict movement in the vertical and horizontal directions, and is configured to be temporarily fixed to the hot water storage tank by placing it on the hot water storage tank with the engaging member engaged with the support portion.

2. The support portion is formed to extend rearward from the upper rear side of the heat insulating material, The hot water storage and heating device according to claim 1, wherein the engaging member is adapted to engage with the support portion by sliding the top plate from rear to front.

3. The top plate has a peripheral wall portion extending downward from an outer periphery, the front plate, the rear plate, and the left and right side plates each have an insertion portion extending from an upper end toward an inner side of the peripheral wall portion, A hot water storage and heating device as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the left and right side panels are temporarily fixed to the hot water storage tank by inserting the insertion portion between the peripheral wall portion and the thermal insulation material.

Images