Water heater with freely adjustable flow path

Abstract

Conventional water heaters and electric boilers consist of a heater A and a pipe B through which water flows, as shown in Figure 1 (i). Damage to a portion of the pipe, water leaks, or a broken wire in the heater unit necessitates the replacement of the entire unit. Furthermore, power sources such as 100V, 200V, and solar panels, which fluctuate in sunny, cloudy, and rainy weather, cannot be used as a power source. [Solution] By combining multiple flow path switching heating units (basic units) consisting of a heater B that heats water and interlocking cocks that switch the flow of water, valves D and H shown in Figure 1 (b), the required water temperature can be adjusted by the number of units according to the amount per minute. In terms of power supply, various voltages can be accommodated by connecting multiple units as shown in Figure 1 (e). Even when power is supplied directly by solar power generation panels, the number of units used can be increased or decreased according to the voltage using the rotary switches S and W shown in Figure 1, thus accommodating fluctuating voltages.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Ordinary water heaters, instant water heaters, and electric boilers are configured such that a heater and a pipe D through which water passes are arranged as shown in (a) of Fig. 1. Without an emergency power source or a generator during a disaster, it is natural that such water heaters and electric boilers cannot produce hot water. Furthermore, if they are submerged even for a short time during a disaster, the electronic circuits will malfunction and all water heater products will become inoperable. Whether it is the ordinary 100V or 220V, or the 12V or 24V battery of a vehicle, the power generation per solar panel has been increasing from 200W to 500W as solar panels continue to evolve. That is, even one panel has sufficient ability to directly operate a heater. However, on sunny days, cloudy days, rainy days, or snowy days (for vertically installed, sash glass, or transparent solar panels), the power generation and voltage fluctuate, so it is impossible to stably generate hot water directly using solar panels.

Background Art

[0002] (1) Ordinary water heaters and electric boilers are configured as shown in (a) of Fig. 1. If a disconnection of the heater or a breakage of the pipe through which water flows, i.e., a water leak, occurs in the heating section, it is natural that the whole unit needs to be replaced. (2) During a disaster, if the water heater itself is submerged, since it has an electronic circuit built-in, even a slight submersion will cause the circuit function to stop and all water heater products will become inoperable. (3) The internal heater is designed for use with power sources of 100V or 220V. Once a power outage occurs, it is impossible to operate with other power sources such as the power of a vehicle battery (12V) or the fluctuating voltage of a solar power generation panel. Especially during a disaster, when hot water is needed, this is a major problem.

Disclosure of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] Conventional water heaters and electric boilers consist of a heater A and a pipe B through which water flows, as shown in Figure 1 (i). Damage to a portion of the pipe, water leaks, or a broken wire in the heater section necessitates the replacement of the entire unit. Furthermore, the power supply can be 100V or 200V, and like solar panels, the voltage fluctuates depending on the weather (sunny, cloudy, etc.), making it difficult to use as a power source. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] This invention allows for the free achievement of the required hot water temperature by combining multiple flow path switching heating units (b), which consist of a heater B for heating water (A in Figure 1) and a double interlocking cock C for switching the water flow, and by increasing the number of units according to the amount of hot water required per minute. In some cases, even higher temperature hot water can be generated by changing the flow path as shown in Figure 1W. Regarding the power supply, multiple units can be connected as shown in Figure 1(e) to accommodate various voltages. Even when using solar power generation panels directly as the power source, it is possible to produce the required hot water by increasing or decreasing the number of units used according to the voltage. [Effects of the Invention]

[0005] (1) If a conventional water heater malfunctions due to a broken heater wire, damage to a pipe, or water leak, the entire water heater needs to be replaced. However, with this invention, only unit 1 needs to be replaced. Naturally, replacing the entire unit as shown in Figure 1(a) is a waste of resources. This invention makes it possible to address this issue by replacing only the faulty unit. (2) Naturally, water heaters and electric boilers cannot produce hot water during a disaster if there is no emergency power supply or generator. Even with normal 100V, 220V, car batteries (12V, 24V), and recent 300W, 500W solar panels, the generated voltage fluctuates from 20V to 50V depending on whether it is a cloudy or sunny day. Since there is only one water flow path, it is naturally impossible to produce the desired amount of hot water with such voltages. The present invention aims to create a water heater that can operate at any voltage, including compatibility with solar power generation panels. (3) The required hot water temperature can be freely achieved by increasing the number of units according to the amount of hot water needed per minute. In some cases, even higher temperature hot water can be generated by changing the flow path pattern as shown in Figure 1 (Wo). When a large amount of hot water is needed, this can be done by processing in parallel as shown in Figure 1 (To). (4) By replacing the pipes A and B and the heater section in Figure 1(b) with water purification filters that remove debris and impurities from the flowing water, it is possible to improve the quality of purification when used to purify large volumes of dirty water by passing the water through multiple units as shown in Figure 1(wo). It is also possible to easily clean one filter while maintaining the function of the entire filter system. Maintenance can be performed without stopping the overall purification function of the facility. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0006] [Figure 1] This shows the system configuration diagram and an embodiment of the present invention.

[0007] [Explanation of symbols]

[0008] (i) Diagram of the water heating component of a water heater or boiler (b) A heating flow path switching unit, which is the basic component of this invention, and consists of a water heating component and a water flow pipe, with a switching valve. (h) In the wiring diagram of the electrical system of this invention, electricity is supplied according to the number of heating flow path switching units used in the rotary switch. (ii) A wiring diagram of the electrical system of the present invention, in which a switch bypasses (shorts) a heater and a type of resistor that are not used, thereby setting the resistance value to 0 and operating only the other units. (e) By connecting multiple heating flow path switching units (hereinafter referred to as "units") of this invention, it is possible to connect a number of units corresponding to the desired temperature, the required hot water temperature, and the required amount of hot water, as well as the voltage of the input power supply. This accommodates power supplies with different voltages, such as household 100V and 200V, and fluctuations in the voltage of solar panels that vary depending on the intensity of light on sunny or cloudy days. (f) This is an image diagram of a connected embodiment of the present invention in which the tap is not in operation, and the confluence part, which is the inlet of part M, and part N, which is the outlet for the hot water. (T) Operating pattern of this invention: When the cocks of each unit being switched as shown in the diagram are lowered, water flows into each unit, increasing the flow rate of hot water, which is effective when a large amount of hot water is needed (independent operation / parallel operation). (Sen) The operating pattern of this invention: By switching the valve as shown in the diagram, two flow systems are created, and water flows in in pairs of two sets. Compared to (T), the water temperature becomes higher because the distance the water flows through the heating section and heater is longer. Conversely, the amount of hot water is inversely proportional. (Ri) Operating pattern of this invention: In a pattern where the units are connected in series, water passing through more heaters will be heated for a longer time and can reach a higher temperature. The amount of water is inversely proportional. When all the heaters in the units are operating, it operates at the highest pressure among the following combinations of (Nu), (Ru), and (Wo). (Nu) Operating pattern of the present invention: By stopping one unit from the combination of (Ri), the remaining three units operate in the pattern where fewer heaters are operating, and even with a lower operating voltage, the units can function normally and heat water. Since the flow path is shorter than in (Ri), it is easy to produce hot water at the same temperature as in (Nu) by reducing the flow rate. (Ru) The operating pattern of this invention: By stopping two units from the combination of (Ri), the remaining three units are operating in the same way as in (Nu). (Wo) The operating pattern of this invention: By stopping three units from the combination of (Ri), the remaining unit is in operation. What is important here is that if this unit is made up of a heater (resistor) that can operate even with a 12V power source such as a car battery, the unit can operate and produce hot water without relying on electricity such as 100V. (Y) An embodiment of the present invention as a liquid purification device in which a water purification filter is installed instead of the heating sections A and B. A: A pipe through which water passes. B: Heating heater C: Power terminal for heating element D: Three-way circular switching valve; the flow direction changes depending on the position of the valve, as in R. E: Power supply, 100V, 200V, 12V, 24V, solar panels, and all other power sources. F: 3-way switching cock, operation instructions are on R G: Use the on / off valve to switch between stopping and opening the water flow. H: This is an on / off valve that opens in the direction of the flow path (downward) and closes perpendicular to the direction of the flow path. A part that connects the K:D cock and the G cock. M: Water inlet, the part where water from the water supply or tank enters, water diversion component. N: Water outlet, a component into which the hot water produced by the device of this invention joins. P: Voltmeter, voltage monitor for adjusting the number of heaters based on voltage fluctuations. Flow path explanation based on the position of the cock in the R:D 3-way valve S: Rotary switch for selecting the unit to activate. W: This is possible by bypassing (shorting) the heater (resistor) with this switch, thereby reducing its resistance to 0, in order to leave other operating units. Q: Purification filter, a filter for removing impurities from liquids.

Claims

1. As shown in Figure 1(b) of this invention, a heater B for heating water and a directional valve D and an on / off valve G are placed in the middle of the water flow path, and a basic unit that enables instantaneous switching of the flow path is connected by a connecting cock that links each cock with a component K, and by connecting these cocks as shown in Figure 1(e), various flow paths such as (t), (sen), (ri), (nu), (ru), (wo) are possible depending on the combination of the cocks.

2. The system consists of multiple sets of the heating flow path switching units shown in Figure 1(b), and can handle all voltages by increasing or decreasing the number of units according to the voltage. To accommodate voltage fluctuations due to sunny, rainy, or cloudy weather, such as those caused by solar panels, the system can maintain the heat output of the units by increasing or decreasing the number of operating units using switches as shown in Figure 1(c) and (d), allowing it to function as a hot water system.

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