A liquid heater

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a liquid heater, comprising: a container having a side surface and a bottom surface; an electric heating film wrapped around the side surface of the container, the lowermost edge of the electric heating film having a spacing from the bottom surface of the container; a temperature controller fixed on the bottom surface of the container and electrically connected to the electric heating film. The present disclosure can achieve the beneficial effects of long service life, high reliability, low noise, ensuring the disconnection of the heating circuit in different altitude areas, and the container can be made of all-glass structure and can be used for health care pots.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of liquid heater technology, and specifically to a liquid heater. Background Technology

[0002] Existing liquid heaters, such as kettles, mostly use a heating element that is welded to the bottom of the container: when the water boils, the steam generated by boiling is guided to the bimetallic strip, and the bimetallic strip deforms due to heat, triggering the heating circuit to disconnect.

[0003] Existing kettles can control the heating circuit to disconnect after boiling, unaffected by differences in water boiling points due to altitude. However, the bimetallic spring is prone to rust and damage from long-term exposure to water vapor, potentially causing it to fail to disconnect after boiling. Furthermore, existing kettles often use heating elements welded to stainless steel sheets, resulting in small heating element areas, high power density, and significant noise during boiling. Additionally, the stainless steel sheet's surface is in direct contact with water, making it impossible to achieve the healthier all-glass contact design when manufacturing kettles for health purposes.

[0004] Another type of liquid heater, such as a kettle, has a heating element similar to that of a regular kettle. The shut-off function after the water boils is controlled by a thermistor placed at the bottom of the kettle. The thermistor used in a kettle does not come into contact with water or steam, and its lifespan is longer than that of the bimetallic strip used in a regular kettle. However, the boiling temperature needs to be set at the factory, such as 100℃. In low-altitude areas, the boiling point of water can reach 100℃, and the shut-off function will activate after the water boils. But in high-altitude areas, the boiling point of water cannot reach 100℃, so the shut-off function may not activate after the water boils.

[0005] In summary, existing liquid heaters have the following problems: (1) After long-term use, the bimetallic strip of the kettle will not automatically disconnect the heating circuit when the water boils due to the decreased reliability of the bimetallic strip, resulting in a short service life; (2) The thermistor temperature control of the kettle cannot adapt to changes in boiling point. Due to the different boiling points of water in different regions, the kettle may not automatically disconnect the heating circuit when the water boils; (3) The heating tubes of the kettle and kettle have a small heating area and a high power density, resulting in excessive noise when boiling water; (4) There is a problem that metal heating elements cannot achieve a fully glass structure for health-preserving kettles. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide a liquid heater that helps to solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0007] The liquid heater disclosed herein includes:

[0008] The container has a side surface and a bottom surface;

[0009] An electric heating film is wrapped around the side surface of the container, and the lowest edge of the electric heating film is spaced from the bottom surface of the container;

[0010] A thermostat is fixed to the bottom surface of the container and electrically connected to the heating film.

[0011] In some alternative implementations, the interval is greater than 5 mm and less than 15 mm.

[0012] In some alternative implementations, the area of ​​the electrothermal film is larger than the area of ​​the bottom surface of the container.

[0013] In some alternative embodiments, the container is a one-piece molded structure, and the side surface and the bottom surface are continuous structures.

[0014] In some alternative embodiments, the liquid heater further includes: a mounting base disposed below the container; and a mounting shell disposed around the side surface of the container.

[0015] In some alternative embodiments, the heating film is located between the side surface of the container and the fixed shell, and the heating film is completely covered by the fixed shell.

[0016] In some alternative implementations, the container is made of stainless steel, glass, or ceramic.

[0017] In some optional embodiments, the heating film includes a heating element and an encapsulation layer encapsulating the heating element. The heating element is a pure metal, alloy, graphite, or a mixture of metallic glass. The encapsulation layer is a polyimide film, a polyethylene naphthalate film, a polyethylene terephthalate film, a silicone film, a glass fiber cloth, a ceramic fiber cloth, or a Teflon cloth.

[0018] In some alternative implementations, the temperature controller is a snap-action temperature controller, a thermistor, or a thermocouple.

[0019] In some alternative implementations, the disconnection temperature range of the thermostat is controlled between 85°C and 95°C.

[0020] As described above, this disclosure proposes a liquid heater that uses a flexible heating film wrapped around the side surface of a container, with the lowest edge of the heating film spaced apart from the bottom surface of the container, and a temperature controller installed at the bottom of the container, achieving the following technical effects:

[0021] (1) By using an electric heating film instead of a heating tube and employing side surface heating, the heating area is increased and the power density is reduced, thereby reducing the noise when boiling water;

[0022] (2) The thermostat does not come into contact with water or steam, which solves the problem that the heating circuit may not be able to disconnect automatically if the reliability of the bimetallic strip decreases.

[0023] (3) By creating a gap between the bottom edge of the heating film and the bottom surface of the container, a low-temperature liquid layer is created at the bottom of the container based on the principle that hot water with low density will float. This can prolong the boiling time of the liquid in the container. Furthermore, it can make the disconnection temperature set by the thermostat and the actual boiling temperature of the liquid have a difference, thereby improving environmental adaptability and ensuring that the liquid is heated to boiling in different regions, and ensuring that the thermostat can disconnect the heating circuit.

[0024] (4) The heating element is replaced by an electric heating film and is placed on the outside of the side surface of the container, thereby supporting the use of healthier materials such as glass in the container and solving the problem that traditional metal heating elements cannot achieve a full glass structure for health pots.

[0025] In summary, this disclosure can simultaneously achieve advantages such as long lifespan, high reliability, low noise, ensuring the heating circuit is disconnected at different altitudes, and the container can be made of all-glass structure so that it can be used in health-preserving kettles. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Other features, objects, and advantages of this disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0027] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of a liquid heater 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of a liquid heater 200 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] Explanation of reference numerals / symbols in the attached diagram:

[0030] 1: Container; 2: Fixing adhesive; 3: Heating film; 4: Fixing shell; 5: Fixing base; 6: Temperature controller; 7: Lid. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The specific embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. Those skilled in the art can easily understand the technical problems solved by this disclosure and the resulting technical effects through the content described herein. It is understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the relevant invention and not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, for ease of description, only the parts relevant to the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0032] It should be readily understood that the meanings of “on,” “above,” and “on top of” in this disclosure should be interpreted in the broadest sense, such that “on” means not only “directly on something,” but also “on something” including intermediate components or layers existing between the two.

[0033] Furthermore, for ease of description, spatial relative terms such as “below,” “under,” “lower,” “above,” and “upper” may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element or component to another element or component shown in the accompanying drawings. In addition to the orientations described in the figures, spatial relative terms are also intended to cover different orientations of the device during use or operation. The device may be oriented in other ways (rotated 90° or otherwise), and the spatial relative descriptive terms used herein may be interpreted accordingly.

[0034] It should be noted that the structures, proportions, sizes, etc., depicted in the accompanying drawings are only for illustrative purposes to aid those skilled in the art in understanding and reading the content described herein, and are not intended to limit the implementation conditions of this disclosure. Therefore, they have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in proportions, or adjustments to size, without affecting the effectiveness and purpose of this disclosure, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed herein. Furthermore, terms such as "above," "first," "second," and "a" used in this specification are merely for clarity of description and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Changes or adjustments to their relative relationships, without substantially altering the technical content, should also be considered within the scope of this disclosure's implementation.

[0035] It should also be noted that the longitudinal section corresponding to the embodiments of this disclosure can be the section corresponding to the front view direction, the transverse section can be the section corresponding to the right view direction, and the horizontal section can be the section corresponding to the top view direction.

[0036] Furthermore, the embodiments and features described herein can be combined with each other, unless otherwise specified. This disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0037] refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of a liquid heater 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 As shown, the liquid heater 100 of this disclosure includes:

[0038] Container 1 has a side surface and a bottom surface;

[0039] The electric heating film 3 is wrapped around the side surface of the container 1, and the lowest edge of the electric heating film 3 is spaced from the bottom surface of the container 1.

[0040] The temperature controller 6 is fixed to the bottom surface of the container 1 and electrically connected to the heating film 3.

[0041] Here, container 1 is used to hold the liquid to be heated, such as water. The material of container 1 includes, but is not limited to, stainless steel, glass, or ceramic, and the shape includes, but is not limited to, cylinder, cuboid, frustum, etc.

[0042] Here, the electrothermal film 3 is a flexible thin-film structure that generates heat when electricity is applied. The electrothermal film 3 may include a heating element and an encapsulation layer that encapsulates the heating element. The heating element may include, but is not limited to, pure metal, alloy, graphite, or a mixture of metal and glass. The encapsulation layer may include, but is not limited to, polyimide film, polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) film, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film, silicone film, fiberglass cloth, ceramic fiber cloth, or Teflon cloth.

[0043] Here, the thermostat 6 is a temperature control device electrically connected to the heating film 3. It disconnects the heating circuit when the set cut-off temperature is detected, thus stopping the heating film 3 from operating. The thermostat 6 can be, but is not limited to, a snap-action thermostat, a thermistor, or a thermocouple. Optionally, the thermostat 6 can be directly connected in series with the heating film 3 to control its on / off state; alternatively, the thermostat 6 can indirectly control the on / off state of the heating film 3 by inputting a signal into the control circuit.

[0044] In some optional embodiments, the height d of the gap between the lowermost edge of the heating film 3 and the bottom surface of the container 1 is not less than 5 mm and not more than 30 mm. Exemplarily, the height d of the gap can be greater than 5 mm and less than 15 mm. Exemplarily, the height d of the gap can be 10 mm.

[0045] In some alternative implementations, the area of ​​the heating film 3 is larger than the area of ​​the bottom surface of the container 1.

[0046] In some alternative embodiments, the side surface of container 1 is divided into a first region, a second region, and a third region from bottom to top, wherein the first region is the region defined by the aforementioned intervals. The second region is the region covered by the heating film 3. The third region is the region exposed without being covered by the heating film 3.

[0047] In some alternative implementations, the area of ​​the second region is larger than the area of ​​the third region, and the area of ​​the third region is larger than the area of ​​the first region.

[0048] In some alternative embodiments, container 1 is a one-piece molded structure with continuous side and bottom surfaces.

[0049] In some alternative embodiments, the liquid heater 100 of this disclosure further includes:

[0050] The fixing seat 5 is located below the container 1 and is used to support the container 1;

[0051] The fixing shell 4 is set on the outer side of the side surface of the container 1 and is used to fix the container 1.

[0052] Here, the materials of the fixing base 5 and the fixing shell 4 include, but are not limited to, phenolic resin, Teflon, paper tube, polycarbonate, and polyimide.

[0053] In some alternative embodiments, the heating film 3 is located between the side surface of the container 1 and the fixing shell 4, and the heating film 3 is completely covered by the fixing shell 4.

[0054] In some alternative embodiments, the liquid heater 100 of this disclosure further includes: a fixative 2 for bonding the housing 4 and the container 1. The fixative 2 includes, but is not limited to, glass glue, such as silicone glass glue.

[0055] The present disclosure presents a liquid heater 100. The liquid heater 100 uses a flexible, large-area electric heating film 3 wrapped around the outer side surface of the container 1, and the heating element material at the lowest edge of the electric heating film 3 is spaced a certain distance from the bottom surface of the container 1, while the thermostat 6 is set at the bottom of the container 1. Thus, when heating liquid, such as boiling water, the heating process is divided into two stages: Stage (1): According to the principle that hot water with low density floats, when boiling water, it first boils from the top of the container 1, and the water temperature at the bottom of the container 1 remains the lowest, forming a low-temperature liquid zone; Stage (2): Heating continues, and the violent flow generated by boiling causes the bottom water temperature to rise until the temperature detected by the thermostat 6 reaches its disconnection temperature, and the heating circuit is disconnected.

[0056] Therefore, by controlling the distance between the heating element material at the lowest edge of the heating element 3 and the bottom surface of the container 1, the time from the start of boiling to the disconnection can be controlled. The larger the distance, the longer the time from boiling to disconnection. Furthermore, the disconnection temperature (the temperature at which the heating circuit is disconnected) set by the thermostat 6 can have a difference from the actual boiling temperature of the liquid. For example, if the boiling temperature of water in a certain region is 97°C, the disconnection temperature of the thermostat 6 can be set to 90°C. This is because when the temperature of the liquid at the top of the container 1 rises to 97°C during heating, the temperature of the liquid at the bottom of the container 1 may not have reached 90°C yet. Heating will continue until the liquid in the container flows violently, causing the temperature of the liquid at the bottom to rise to 90°C, at which point the thermostat 6 will disconnect the heating circuit. Thus, the liquid heater 100 of this disclosure can improve environmental adaptability, ensuring that the liquid is heated to boiling in different regions and that the thermostat can disconnect the heating circuit.

[0057] In some alternative implementations, the thermostat 6, taking a snap-action thermostat as an example, can have its disconnection temperature range controlled between 85°C and 95°C.

[0058] In some alternative implementations, the thermostat 6 can be controlled within a temperature range of 85°C to 88°C. This ensures automatic disconnection when boiling water at an altitude of 4000 meters (water boiling point 88°C).

[0059] In summary, the liquid heater 100 proposed in this disclosure can simultaneously achieve advantages such as long lifespan, high reliability, low noise, ensuring the heating circuit is disconnected in different altitude areas, and the container can be made of all glass so that it can be used in health pots.

[0060] refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of a liquid heater 200 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 The liquid heater 200 shown is Figure 1 The liquid heater 100 shown is similar, except that:

[0061] The liquid heater 200 disclosed herein can be used as a car kettle. In the liquid heater 200, the container 1 is a borosilicate glass bottle with an outer diameter of 65mm and a height of 205mm; the heating element of the graphite / glass fiber electric heating film 3, wrapped around the side surface of the container 1, has its lowest edge spaced 10mm from the bottom surface of the container 1, and the resistance of the electric heating film 3 is 2Ω; the thermostat 6 is a normally closed, automatically reset snap-action KSD301 thermostat, which can be fixed to the center of the bottom surface of the container 1 using silicone sealant, and the cut-off temperature can be set to 87℃; the thermostat 6 and the electric heating film 3 are connected in series in the heating circuit. Furthermore, the mounting shell 4 has a height of 200mm, an inner diameter of 68mm, and a thickness of 3mm; the mounting base 5 has an outer diameter of 68mm, a thickness of 3mm, and a height of 35mm; both the mounting base 5 and the mounting shell 4 are paper tubes, bonded together with paper tube adhesive. Additionally, the upper end of the mounting shell 4 is fixed to the container 1 with silicone sealant.

[0062] In some alternative embodiments, the liquid heater 200 of this disclosure further includes a cover 7 for sealing the upper opening of the container 1.

[0063] In some alternative implementations, the width / diameter of the opening of container 1 is less than the maximum width / diameter of container 1.

[0064] The liquid heater 200 disclosed herein, which can be used as a car kettle, has the following advantages: long lifespan (the thermostat 6 can be switched on and off ≥100,000 times), low noise ≤48 decibels (compared to about 65 decibels for a regular kettle), automatic disconnection at different altitudes, and an all-glass structure, which is more beneficial to health.

[0065] Although this disclosure has been described and illustrated with reference to specific embodiments thereof, such descriptions and illustrations are not limiting of this disclosure. It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that various changes can be made and equivalent elements can be substituted within embodiments without departing from the true spirit and scope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Illustrations may not be drawn to scale. Differences may exist between the technical representation in this disclosure and actual implementation due to variables in the manufacturing process, etc. Other embodiments of this disclosure may exist that are not specifically described. The description and illustrations should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive. Modifications can be made to adapt particular circumstances, materials, composition, methods, or processes to the objectives, spirit, and scope of this disclosure. All such modifications fall within the scope of the appended claims. While the methods disclosed herein have been described with reference to specific operations performed in a particular order, it should be understood that these operations can be combined, subdivided, or reordered to form equivalent methods without departing from the teachings of this disclosure. Therefore, unless specifically indicated herein, the order and grouping of operations do not limit this disclosure.

Claims

1. A liquid heater, comprising: The container has a side surface and a bottom surface; An electric heating film is wrapped around the side surface of the container, and the lowest edge of the electric heating film is spaced from the bottom surface of the container; A thermostat is fixed to the bottom surface of the container and electrically connected to the heating film.

2. The liquid heater according to claim 1, wherein, The interval is greater than 5mm and less than 30mm.

3. The liquid heater according to claim 2, wherein, The area of ​​the heating film is larger than the area of ​​the bottom surface of the container.

4. The liquid heater according to claim 1, wherein, The container is a one-piece molded structure.

5. The liquid heater according to claim 1, wherein, The liquid heater further includes: A mounting base is provided below the container; A fixed shell is disposed on the periphery of the side surface of the container.

6. The liquid heater according to claim 5, wherein, The heating film is located between the side surface of the container and the fixed shell, and the heating film is completely covered by the fixed shell.

7. The liquid heater according to claim 1, wherein, The container is made of stainless steel, glass, or ceramic.

8. The liquid heater according to claim 1, wherein, The electrothermal film includes a heating element and an encapsulation layer that encapsulates the heating element. The heating element is a mixture of pure metal, alloy, graphite, and metallic glass. The encapsulation layer is a polyimide film, a polyethylene naphthalate film, a polyethylene terephthalate film, a silicone film, a glass fiber cloth, a ceramic fiber cloth, or a Teflon cloth.

9. The liquid heater according to claim 1, wherein, The temperature controller is a snap-action temperature controller, a thermistor, or a thermocouple.

10. The liquid heater according to claim 9, wherein, The disconnection temperature range of the thermostat is controlled between 85℃ and 95℃.

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