Drain valve assembly and water heater

Abstract

The present invention discloses a drain valve assembly and a water heater. The drain valve assembly is applied to the water heater and comprises: a housing, the housing comprises a valve body and a connecting sleeve, the valve body has a water inlet end, a water outlet end and a water passage connecting the water inlet end and the water outlet end, the side wall of the valve body is provided with a first through hole connected with the water passage, the connecting sleeve is sleeved on the water inlet end; a ball valve switch comprises a valve ball and a valve stem, the valve ball is provided with a water passage and is installed in the water passage, the valve stem passes through the first through hole and is connected to the valve ball to control the on and off of the water passage by controlling the rotation of the valve ball; and a first sealing ring is provided between the valve body and the connecting sleeve. The technical solution of the present invention can solve the technical problem of how to simplify the structure of the drain valve and make it more stable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of water heaters, and in particular to a drain valve assembly and a water heater. Background Art

[0002] Electric water heaters have become a commonly used household appliance. People use water heaters not only for bathing, but also for other domestic water needs, such as washing vegetables and hands in winter and other occasions that require hot water. However, after long-term use, some sediment will accumulate at the bottom of the inner tank of the electric water heater and need to be cleaned regularly. Therefore, in addition to the water inlet and outlet, the inner tank of the existing storage-type electric water heater is generally provided with a drain port, and a drain valve is installed on the drain port for users to regularly drain and discharge sewage from the inner tank of the water heater. The traditional water heater drain valve usually adopts a flexible joint to install the ball valve and the porcelain valve at the sewage pipe, and realizes the drainage function by switching the valve body, but the structure of this drain valve is complicated and inconvenient to install. Although the water heater drain valve in the prior art simplifies the structure of the drain valve, it also makes the structure of the drain valve unstable. Summary of the invention

[0003] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a drain valve assembly, aiming to solve the technical problem of how to simplify the structure of the drain valve and make it more stable.

[0004] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a drain valve assembly, which is applied to a water heater and includes:

[0005] A housing, the housing comprising a valve body and a connecting sleeve, the valve body having a water inlet end, a water outlet end and a water passage connecting the water inlet end and the water outlet end, a first through hole communicating with the water passage is formed on a side wall of the valve body, and the connecting sleeve is sleeved on the water inlet end;

[0006] A ball valve switch, comprising a valve ball and a valve stem, wherein the valve ball is provided with a water passage and is installed in the water passage, and the valve stem passes through the first through hole and is connected to the valve ball, so as to control the on-off of the water passage by controlling the rotation of the valve ball; and

[0007] The first sealing ring is arranged between the valve body and the connecting sleeve.

[0008] Optionally, the connecting sleeve is sleeved on the outer peripheral wall of the valve body, and a limiting ring portion extending in the circumferential direction is provided on the inner peripheral wall of the connecting sleeve, and the end face of the water inlet end abuts against the limiting ring portion.

[0009] Optionally, the first sealing ring is arranged between the end surface of the water inlet end and the limiting ring portion.

[0010] Optionally, a first sealing groove is provided on the end surface of the water inlet end along the circumferential direction, and the first sealing ring is provided in the first sealing groove.

[0011] Optionally, the connecting sleeve is a connecting nut sleeved on the valve body, a first abutment protrusion is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the valve body, and a second abutment protrusion is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the connecting nut, the first abutment protrusion abuts against the second abutment protrusion to limit the connecting nut from detaching from the valve body in the opposite direction of the water inlet direction of the water passage; the thread of the connecting nut constitutes the limiting ring part.

[0012] Optionally, the connecting sleeve is arranged to wrap the outer circumferential surface of the valve body, a second through hole is provided on the connecting sleeve and corresponds to the first through hole, and the valve stem is arranged to pass through the first through hole and the second through hole in sequence.

[0013] Optionally, the water inlet end is folded inwardly to form a flange, the flange is overlapped on the limiting ring part, the inner peripheral wall of the limiting ring part is provided with a slot, and the flange extends toward the slot to form a protrusion adapted to the slot.

[0014] Optionally, the drain valve assembly further comprises a compression ring, which is embedded in the water outlet end of the connecting sleeve and is detachably connected to the connecting sleeve, and the compression ring abuts against the water outlet end of the valve body.

[0015] Optionally, a plurality of mounting protrusions are provided at the water inlet end of the valve body, and the plurality of mounting protrusions are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the valve body, and the intervals between two adjacent mounting protrusions allow water to flow into the water passage, and the ends of the plurality of mounting protrusions away from the valve body are connected to each other, and a magnesium rod mounting position is provided at the interconnection of the plurality of mounting protrusions.

[0016] Optionally, a connecting plate is provided at one end of the mounting protrusion away from the valve body, and the connecting plate is respectively connected to a plurality of the mounting protrusions, and the magnesium rod mounting position is a mounting hole provided on the connecting plate.

[0017] Optionally, the valve body includes a coaxially arranged valve body and a valve cover, the valve cover is detachably connected to the valve body, the inner circumferential wall of the valve cover is provided with a first limiting protrusion, the inner circumferential wall of the valve body is provided with a second limiting protrusion, and the valve ball is located between the first limiting protrusion and the second limiting protrusion.

[0018] Optionally, a fixing cylinder surrounding the first through hole is convexly provided on the outer peripheral wall of the shell, the valve stem is exposed at the outer end of the fixing cylinder, and a second sealing ring is provided between the valve stem and the fixing cylinder.

[0019] Optionally, the drain valve assembly further comprises a bushing embedded in the inner cavity of the fixed cylinder, and the valve stem and the bushing are rotatably matched.

[0020] Optionally, the outer circumferential wall of the valve stem is provided with a second sealing groove extending along the circumferential direction corresponding to the bushing, and a second sealing ring is provided in the second sealing groove; and / or, the outer circumferential wall of the bushing is provided with a third sealing groove extending along the circumferential direction, and the third sealing groove is provided with another second sealing ring.

[0021] Optionally, the ball valve switch further includes a driving member, which includes a shell and an electric driving head disposed in the shell, the shell is fixed to the fixing cylinder, and the electric driving head is connected to the valve stem to drive the valve stem to rotate.

[0022] Optionally, the shell has a avoidance hole for the valve stem to pass through, the fixing tube extends into the avoidance hole, and a third sealing ring is provided between the fixing tube and the hole wall of the avoidance hole.

[0023] The present invention further provides a water heater, comprising an inner tank and a drain valve assembly, wherein the inner tank is provided with a drain outlet, the drain valve assembly is installed at the drain outlet, and a connecting sleeve of the drain valve assembly is connected to the inner tank.

[0024] The present invention further provides a water heater, comprising an inner tank and a drain valve assembly, wherein the inner tank is provided with a drain outlet, the drain valve assembly is installed at the drain outlet, and a connecting sleeve of the drain valve assembly is integrally formed with the inner tank.

[0025] The drain valve assembly of the present invention embeds a valve body in a connecting sleeve, installs a valve ball in the water passage of the valve body, and controls the opening and closing of the water passage by controlling the rotation of the valve ball through a valve stem, so that the drain valve assembly has fewer parts, a simpler structure, and higher stability. At the same time, a first sealing ring is provided between the valve body and the connecting sleeve to prevent water from flowing out of the connection between the valve body and the connecting sleeve to cause water leakage in the drain valve assembly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying creative work.

[0027] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of a water heater of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of a drain valve assembly of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic cross-sectional view of a middle drain valve assembly;

[0030] Figure 4 for Figure 2 A schematic plan view of the middle drain valve assembly;

[0031] Figure 5 for Figure 2 Another plan view of the middle drain valve assembly;

[0032] Figure 6 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the middle drain valve assembly;

[0033] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A schematic cross-sectional view of the middle connecting sleeve;

[0034] Figure 8 for Figure 6 A schematic cross-sectional view of a middle drain valve assembly;

[0035] Fig. 9 for Figure 6 A schematic plan view of the middle drain valve assembly;

[0036] Fig.10 for Figure 6 Another plan view of the drain valve assembly.

[0037] Description of Figure Numbers:

[0038]

[0039]

[0040] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0042] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indications are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the components under a certain specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0043] In addition, if there are descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present invention, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or suggesting their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but they must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in the field to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

[0044] The present invention provides a water heater. Specifically, the water heater can be an electric water heater, a gas water heater, a solar water heater or the like.

[0045] In the embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1 As shown, the water heater includes an inner tank 90, on which various connecting water ports are provided, such as a water inlet, a water outlet and a drain port 90a, and a drain valve assembly is provided at the connecting water ports, for example, a drain valve assembly is installed at the drain port 90a.

[0046] In this embodiment, Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the drain valve assembly includes:

[0047] The housing includes a valve body 10 and a connecting sleeve 20. The valve body 10 has a water inlet end 10a, a water outlet end 10b, and a water passage 10c connecting the water inlet end 10a and the water outlet end 10b. The side wall of the valve body 10 is provided with a first through hole 10d connected to the water passage 10c (please refer to Figure 8 ), the connecting sleeve 20 is sleeved on the water inlet end 10a;

[0048] The ball valve switch includes a valve ball 41 and a valve stem 42. The valve ball 41 is provided with a water passage 41a and is installed in the water passage 10c. The valve stem 42 passes through the first through hole 10d and is connected to the valve ball 41 to control the on-off of the water passage 10c by controlling the rotation of the valve ball 41; and

[0049] The first sealing ring 81 is disposed between the valve body 10 and the connecting sleeve 20 .

[0050] In this embodiment, generally, the valve body 10 is generally arranged in a columnar shape, the water inlet end 10a and the water outlet end 10b are arranged at two opposite ends of the valve body 10, and the water passage 10c is a straight passage; of course, the valve body 10 can also be arranged in a bent shape, for example, a 90° bend, the angle between the water inlet direction of the water inlet end 10a and the water outlet direction of the water outlet end 10b is 90°, and the water passage 10c is a bent passage. The connecting sleeve 20 is connected to the inner tank 90 and communicated with the connecting water port, for example, the connecting sleeve 20 is installed at the drain port 90a.

[0051] The valve ball 41 is installed in the water passage 10c and can be rotatably matched with the valve body 10. The water passage valve channel 41a can be a flow channel with two ends connected, or it can be bent and extended. The valve ball 41 can be rotated to connect the water passage valve channel 41a with the water passage 10c, so that water can flow smoothly from the water inlet end 10a to the water outlet end 10b; it can also be rotated to block the water passage 10c to control the drainage process. One end of the valve stem 42 is exposed to the shell, and the other end passes through the first through hole 10d and is connected to the valve ball 41 to control the rotation of the valve ball 41, thereby controlling the opening and closing of the water passage 10c. The valve body 10 can facilitate the installation of the valve ball 41, and can also make the rotation of the valve ball 41 in the valve body 10 more stable; at the same time, if the valve body 10 is worn to a certain extent by the valve ball 41, the valve body 10 can be directly replaced without replacing the connecting sleeve 20 or scrapping the entire drainage valve assembly, thereby extending the service life of the drainage valve assembly. In the embodiment of the present invention, the connecting sleeve 20 may also be integrally formed with the inner liner 90 .

[0052] The drain valve assembly of the present invention embeds the valve body 10 in the connecting sleeve, installs the valve ball 41 in the water passage 10c of the valve body 10, and controls the opening and closing of the water passage 10c by controlling the rotation of the valve ball 41 through the valve stem 42, so that the drain valve assembly has fewer parts, a simpler structure, and higher stability. At the same time, by arranging the first sealing ring 81 between the valve body 10 and the connecting sleeve 20, it can prevent water from flowing out from the connection between the valve body 10 and the connecting sleeve 20 to cause water leakage of the drain valve assembly.

[0053] Optionally, the connecting sleeve 20 is sleeved on the outer peripheral wall of the valve body 10, and a limiting ring portion 22 extending in the circumferential direction is provided on the inner peripheral wall of the connecting sleeve 20 (see Figure 8 ), the end face of the water inlet end 10a abuts against the limiting ring portion 22. By providing the limiting ring portion 22 on the inner circumferential wall of the connecting sleeve 20 to abut against the valve body 10, the valve body 10 can be axially limited to prevent the valve body 10 from passing through the water inlet end 10a of the connecting sleeve 20; in addition, the provision of the limiting ring portion 22 can also increase the contact area between the connecting sleeve 20 and the valve body 10, thereby improving the sealing performance between the two. Optionally, the first sealing ring 81 is provided between the end face of the water inlet end 10a and the limiting ring portion 22. Of course, in other embodiments, the first sealing ring 81 is also sleeved on the outer circumferential wall of the valve body 10.

[0054] Furthermore, a first sealing groove 13a is provided on the end surface of the water inlet end 10a along the circumferential direction (see Figure 8 ), the first sealing ring 81 is arranged in the first sealing groove 13a, so that the first sealing ring 81 can be limited to move radially. In this embodiment, the number of the first sealing grooves 13a is preferably two and they are arranged radially outwardly at intervals, and the number of the first sealing rings 81 is correspondingly two, so as to enhance the sealing between the valve body 10 and the connecting sleeve 20 and improve the water leakage prevention performance of the drain valve assembly.

[0055] Please refer to Figures 2 to 5 In one embodiment of the present invention, the connecting sleeve 20 is a connecting nut sleeved on the valve body 10, a first abutting protrusion 111 is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the valve body 10, and a second abutting protrusion 21 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the connecting nut, and the first abutting protrusion 111 abuts against the second abutting protrusion 21 to limit the connecting nut from being separated from the valve body 10 in the opposite direction of the water inlet direction of the water passage; the thread of the connecting nut constitutes a limiting ring portion 22. In this embodiment, a drain pipe is provided at the drain port 90a of the inner tank 90, and the connecting nut is screwed to the drain pipe. The connecting nut is sleeved on the valve body 10 and can rotate relative to the valve body 10. Therefore, when the connecting nut is screwed to the drain pipe, the valve body 10 can be rotated to adjust the direction of the driving member 50 on the valve body 10, so as to facilitate user operation.

[0056] Please refer to Figures 6 to 10 In another embodiment of the present invention, the connecting sleeve 20 is provided to wrap the outer circumferential surface of the valve body 10, and a second through hole 20a is provided on the connecting sleeve 20 corresponding to the first through hole 10d, and the valve stem 42 is provided through the first through hole 10d and the second through hole 20a in sequence. In this embodiment, the valve body 10 is entirely accommodated in the connecting sleeve 20, and the connecting sleeve 20 protects the valve body 10. Since the connecting sleeve 20 blocks the valve body 10, it is necessary to provide a second through hole 20a on the connecting sleeve 20 for the valve stem 42 to extend out, and the first through hole 10d overlaps with the second through hole 20a, so that the water passage 10c of the valve body 10 is connected to the outside.

[0057] Furthermore, the water inlet end 10a is folded inward to form a flange 13, and the flange 13 overlaps the limiting ring portion 22. In this embodiment, the limiting ring portion 22 can be continuously extended or intermittently extended, and it only needs to be stably positioned and overlapped with the flange 13. In the process of assembling the drain valve assembly, the valve body 10 can be first embedded into the inner cavity of the connecting sleeve 20 from the water outlet end of the connecting sleeve 20, so that the flange 13 is positioned and overlapped with the limiting ring portion 22, and then the valve ball 41 is installed into the water passage 10c from the water outlet end of the connecting sleeve 20. As a result, the overall installation of the drain valve assembly is simpler and more convenient, and the cooperation between the valve ball 41, the valve body 10 and the connecting sleeve 20 is more stable. In this embodiment, the first sealing groove 13a can be set on the flange 13.

[0058] Furthermore, a clamping groove 22a is formed on the inner circumferential wall of the limiting ring 22, and the flange 13 extends toward the clamping groove 22a to form a clamping protrusion 131 adapted to the clamping groove 22a. In this embodiment, the number of the clamping grooves 22a is preferably two and distributed at two opposite positions in the circumferential direction of the limiting ring 22, and the number of the clamping protrusions 131 is correspondingly two and clamped in the clamping grooves 22a to prevent the valve body 10 from rotating in the connecting sleeve 20, thereby making the cooperation between the valve body 10 and the connecting sleeve 20 more stable, and the overall structure of the drain valve assembly more stable.

[0059] The drain valve assembly also includes a compression ring 60, which is embedded in the water outlet end of the connecting sleeve 20 and is detachably connected to the connecting sleeve 20. The compression ring 60 abuts against the water outlet end 10b of the valve body 10. In this embodiment, the outer wall of the compression ring 60 is threadedly matched with the inner wall of the connecting sleeve 20 to facilitate disassembly and assembly. The end wall of the water outlet end 10b of the valve body 10 abuts against the end wall of the compression ring 60, and the end wall of the water inlet end 10a abuts against the limiting ring portion 22, so that the valve body 10 is firmly embedded in the connecting sleeve 20. The end of the compression ring 60 away from the valve body 10 preferably protrudes from the connecting sleeve 20 to connect with the drain pipe. Specifically, the outer wall of the compression ring 60 and the inner wall of the drain pipe are also preferably threadedly matched, so as to facilitate the connection of the drain valve assembly with the drain pipe.

[0060] Specifically, the valve body 10 includes a coaxially arranged valve body 12 and a valve cover 11, the valve cover 11 and the valve body 12 are detachably connected, the inner peripheral wall of the valve cover 11 is provided with a first limiting protrusion 112, the inner peripheral wall of the valve body 12 is provided with a second limiting protrusion 121, the valve ball 41 is located between the first limiting protrusion 112 and the second limiting protrusion 121, and the first limiting protrusion 112 and the second limiting protrusion 121 play an axial limiting role on the valve ball 41. To prevent water leakage, a fourth sealing ring 84 is provided between the valve ball 41 and the first limiting protrusion 112, and a fifth sealing ring 85 is provided between the valve ball 41 and the second limiting protrusion 121.

[0061] A fixing cylinder 122 surrounding the first through hole 10d is protruded from the outer wall of the shell, and the valve stem 42 is exposed at the outer end of the fixing cylinder 122. A second sealing ring 82 is provided between the valve stem 42 and the fixing cylinder 122 to improve the sealing between the fixing cylinder 122 and the valve stem 42.

[0062] The drain valve assembly also includes a bushing 70 embedded in the inner cavity of the fixed cylinder 122, and the valve stem 42 and the bushing 70 are rotatably matched. In this embodiment, both ends of the bushing 70 pass through and are embedded in the inner cavity of the fixed cylinder 122, and the valve stem 42 is inserted into the bushing 70 and is rotatably matched with the bushing 70, thereby effectively protecting the valve stem 42 and improving the overall stability of the drain valve. The bushing 70 not only makes the installation of the valve stem 42 more convenient and stable, but also makes the maintenance of the drain valve simpler and more convenient. If the bushing 70 is worn to a certain extent, it is only necessary to directly replace the bushing 70 without replacing the outer shell or scrapping the entire drain valve assembly. Therefore, the maintenance cost of the drain valve assembly is reduced and the service life of the drain valve assembly is extended.

[0063] Further, the outer peripheral wall of the valve stem 42 is provided with a second sealing groove 42a extending in the circumferential direction corresponding to the bushing 70, and a second sealing ring 82 is provided in the second sealing groove 42a; and / or, the outer peripheral wall of the bushing 70 is provided with a third sealing groove 70a extending in the circumferential direction, and another second sealing ring 82 is provided in the third sealing groove 70a. In this embodiment, one of the second sealing rings 82 is used to improve the sealing performance of the valve stem 42 and the bushing 70, and the other second sealing ring 82 is used to improve the sealing performance of the bushing 70 and the fixed cylinder 122, thereby improving the sealing performance of the drain valve assembly as a whole. In addition, in other embodiments, the second sealing ring 82 can also directly abut against the fixed cylinder 122 and the valve stem 42.

[0064] The ball valve switch further includes a driving member 50, which includes a housing and an electric driving head disposed in the housing, the housing is fixed to the fixing cylinder 122, and the electric driving head is connected to the valve stem 42 to drive the valve stem 42 to rotate. In other embodiments, the driving member 50 may also be a manual driving member 50, which further includes a knob rotatably connected to the housing, and the valve stem 42 is fixed to the knob.

[0065] Furthermore, the shell has an avoidance hole 50a for the valve stem 42 to pass through, the fixed cylinder 122 extends into the avoidance hole 50a, and a third sealing ring 83 is provided between the fixed cylinder 122 and the hole wall of the avoidance hole 50a. In the present embodiment, since the fixed cylinder 122 is provided to extend into the avoidance hole 50a of the shell, and the third sealing ring 83 is provided between the fixed cylinder 122 and the hole wall of the avoidance hole 50a, the drive member 50 can be sealed, and it can be prevented that external water vapor runs into the drive member 50 from the avoidance hole 50a and causes the electrical components in the drive member 50 to fail. Optionally, a fourth sealing groove is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the portion of the fixed cylinder 122 extending into the shell and in the circumferential direction, and the third sealing ring 83 is provided in the fourth sealing groove. Furthermore, a flange 123 is provided on the fixed cylinder 122, and the shell and the flange 123 are connected by screws. For the structure after the valve body 10 and the drive member 50 are connected, please refer to Figure 5 .

[0066] Please refer to it again Figures 2 to 3 Furthermore, a plurality of mounting protrusions 30 are provided at the water inlet end 10a of the valve body 10. The plurality of mounting protrusions 30 are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the valve body 10. The intervals between two adjacent mounting protrusions 30 constitute a water hole 30a. The water hole 30a supplies water to flow into the water inlet end 10a. The ends of the plurality of mounting protrusions 30 away from the valve body 10 are connected to each other, and a magnesium rod mounting position 31a is provided at the connection. In this embodiment, the mounting protrusion 30 preferably extends along the axial direction of the valve body 10 and is in the shape of a long strip, which is equivalent to being able to extend the length of the water hole 30a, so as to facilitate the rapid discharge of sewage in the inner tank 90; in addition, the mounting protrusion 30 may also be in the shape of a block, etc. In this embodiment, the mounting protrusion 30 may be in the shape of a long strip, a long column, etc. The valve body 10 may be provided with two, three or six mounting protrusions 30. Optionally, the water inlet end 10a of the valve body 10 is provided with two mounting protrusions 30, and the two mounting protrusions 30 are respectively provided on two opposite sides of the valve body 10, which is equivalent to forming two water holes 30a, and the two water holes 30a are of the same size. In addition, a connecting plate 31 is provided at one end of the mounting protrusion 30 away from the valve body 10, and the connecting plate 31 is respectively connected to a plurality of mounting protrusions 30, and the magnesium rod mounting position 31a is a mounting hole provided on the connecting plate 31. In an embodiment in which two mounting protrusions 30 are provided, the connecting plate 31 connects the two mounting protrusions 30, and a door-like structure is formed between the two mounting protrusions 30 and the connecting plate 31, and the symmetrical arrangement of the two mounting protrusions 30 has a better supporting effect on the magnesium rod. In addition, the magnesium rod mounting position 31a is provided at one end of the mounting protrusion 30 away from the valve body 10, so that the obstruction of the clearance hole can be reduced.

[0067] In the present invention, since a connecting sleeve 20 is provided at the water inlet end 10a of the valve body 10, and the connecting sleeve 20 is sleeved on the outer periphery of the drain pipe of the inner tank 90, the water inlet end 10a of the valve body 10 can abut against the end surface of the water outlet end 10b of the drain pipe. In addition, a plurality of mounting protrusions 30 are provided at intervals along the circumferential direction at the water inlet end 10a of the valve body 10, and the intervals between the plurality of mounting protrusions 30 constitute a water-passing hole 30a for water to flow into the water inlet end 10a. Since the water inlet end 10a of the valve body 10 abuts against the drain pipe, the valve body 10 does not extend into the inner tank 90, so the lower end of the water-passing hole 30a can at least be flush with the bottom surface of the inner tank 90, or be provided below the bottom surface of the inner tank 90, thereby ensuring that all the water in the inner tank 90 is discharged.

[0068] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. All equivalent structural changes made using the contents of the present invention's specification and drawings, or directly / indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A drain valve assembly, applied to a water heater, characterized in that: The drain valve assembly comprises: A housing, the housing comprising a valve body and a connecting sleeve, the valve body having a water inlet end, a water outlet end and a water passage connecting the water inlet end and the water outlet end, and a first through hole communicating with the water passage is formed on a side wall of the valve body; A ball valve switch, comprising a valve ball and a valve stem, wherein the valve ball is provided with a water passage and is installed in the water passage, and the valve stem passes through the first through hole and is connected to the valve ball, so as to control the on-off of the water passage by controlling the rotation of the valve ball; and A first sealing ring, provided between the valve body and the connecting sleeve; The connecting sleeve is sleeved on the outer peripheral wall of the valve body, and a limiting ring portion extending in the circumferential direction is provided on the inner peripheral wall of the connecting sleeve, and the end face of the water inlet end abuts against the limiting ring portion; the connecting sleeve is arranged to wrap the outer peripheral surface of the valve body, and a second through hole is provided on the connecting sleeve corresponding to the first through hole, and the valve stem is arranged to pass through the first through hole and the second through hole in sequence; the water inlet end is folded inwardly to form a flange, and the flange is overlapped with the limiting ring portion, and a clamping groove is opened on the inner peripheral wall of the limiting ring portion, and the flange extends toward the clamping groove to form a clamping protrusion adapted to the clamping groove; The first sealing ring is arranged between the end surface of the water inlet end and the limiting ring portion.

2. The drain valve assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first sealing groove is provided on the end surface of the water inlet end along the circumferential direction, and the first sealing ring is arranged in the first sealing groove.

3. The drain valve assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drain valve assembly also includes a compression ring, which is embedded in the water outlet end of the connecting sleeve and is detachably connected to the connecting sleeve. The compression ring abuts against the water outlet end of the valve body.

4. The drain valve assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The water inlet end of the valve body is provided with a plurality of mounting protrusions, and the plurality of mounting protrusions are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the valve body. The intervals between two adjacent mounting protrusions allow water to flow into the water passage. The ends of the plurality of mounting protrusions away from the valve body are connected to each other, and a magnesium rod mounting position is provided at the mutual connection of the plurality of mounting protrusions.

5. The drain valve assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that: A connecting plate is provided at one end of the mounting protrusion away from the valve body, and the connecting plate is respectively connected to a plurality of the mounting protrusions, and the magnesium rod mounting position is a mounting hole arranged on the connecting plate.

6. The drain valve assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The valve body comprises a coaxially arranged valve body and a valve cover, the valve cover is detachably connected to the valve body, the inner circumferential wall of the valve cover is provided with a first limiting protrusion, the inner circumferential wall of the valve body is provided with a second limiting protrusion, and the valve ball is located between the first limiting protrusion and the second limiting protrusion.

7. The drain valve assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: A fixing cylinder surrounding the first through hole is convexly disposed on the outer peripheral wall of the housing, the valve stem is exposed at the outer end of the fixing cylinder, and a second sealing ring is disposed between the valve stem and the fixing cylinder.

8. The drain valve assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that: The drain valve assembly further comprises a bushing embedded in the inner cavity of the fixing cylinder, and the valve stem and the bushing are rotatably matched.

9. The drain valve assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that: The outer circumferential wall of the valve stem is provided with a second sealing groove extending along the circumferential direction corresponding to the bushing, and a second sealing ring is arranged in the second sealing groove; and / or the outer circumferential wall of the bushing is provided with a third sealing groove extending along the circumferential direction, and another second sealing ring is arranged in the third sealing groove.

10. The drain valve assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that: The ball valve switch further comprises a driving member, which comprises a housing and an electric driving head arranged in the housing, the housing is fixed to the fixing cylinder, and the electric driving head is connected to the valve stem to drive the valve stem to rotate.

11. The drain valve assembly according to claim 10, characterized in that The housing has a bypass hole for the valve stem to penetrate, the fixing tube extends into the bypass hole, and a third sealing ring is arranged between the fixing tube and the hole wall of the bypass hole.

12. A water heater, characterized in that: The water heater comprises an inner tank and a drain valve assembly as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, the inner tank is provided with a drain outlet, the drain valve assembly is installed at the drain outlet, and the connecting sleeve of the drain valve assembly is connected to the inner tank.

13. A water heater, characterized in that: The water heater comprises an inner tank and a drain valve assembly as claimed in claim 1 or 3, wherein the inner tank is provided with a drain outlet, the drain valve assembly is mounted on the drain outlet, and the connecting sleeve of the drain valve assembly is integrally formed with the inner tank.

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