KR20110131867A - Instant hot water supply for refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

A pump that draws drinking water from an external source and raises the drinking water to a heater at a set water pressure; A transport pipe that is connected to the pump and the drinking water from the pump is heated as it passes through the inner wall, a transport pipe that is heated, an insulating film that is an electrical insulating material attached to an outer surface of the transport pipe, an electrode disposed on the insulating film and connected to a power source; A heater disposed on the insulating film and including a heating element that is an electrical resistor that is in contact with the electrode and generates heat when a current flows; A heater temperature controller disposed in contact with the heater and including a heater temperature sensor configured to maintain a set temperature range by sensing a heating element temperature; And it is connected to one end of the transport pipe of the heater, the instantaneous hot water supply device for a refrigerator, characterized in that it comprises a water outlet pipe for extruded drinking water to the outside is exposed to the outside. The instantaneous hot water supply device for a refrigerator of the present invention regulates the temperature of the heating element constantly and constants the flow rate of the pipe through which the drinking water flows so that the drinking water heated to a constant temperature at the same time as the supply request without a preheating container can be immediately supplied.

Description

Instant hot water supplier in refrigerator}

The present invention relates to a hot water supply device, and more particularly to a hot water supply device installed in the refrigerator.

Generally, a device for supplying hot water for drinking water is divided into a device for storing drinking water heated to a required temperature before receiving it and supplying a required amount, or heating and supplying a required temperature at the same time as it is supplied. can see.

The storage hot water supply is not desirable in terms of energy efficiency because it must continuously supply energy to maintain a constant amount of drinking water at the required temperature, and it is difficult to receive a larger amount of drinking water than the stored amount at once, and then heated to a constant temperature. It may take some time to store the drinking water.

On the contrary, the instant hot water supply device which can be heated instantaneously with the supply of drinking water is suitable for supplying a small amount of drinking water, and it is necessary to heat the drinking water instantaneously at the same time as supply, i.e., no waiting time is required. It needs to be able to quickly reach a temperature, keep the temperature constant, and provide the necessary drinking water.

However, the drinking water initially supplied is not passed through the heating element is supplied at a lower temperature, or the waiting time is longer depending on the heating time was inconvenient. In addition, due to overheating of the heating element, the water temperature rises above the required temperature, or conversely, the flow rate of the drinking water flowing through the pipe is too fast to reach the required water temperature or there is a problem such that the water temperature is not kept constant.

An object of the present invention is to maintain a constant temperature of the heating element, to maintain a constant flow rate of the drinking water in contact with the heating element, and to adjust the diameter and length of the pipe through which the drinking water passes and the length of the outlet pipe, the temperature set at the same time as the supply requirements It is to provide an instant hot water supply that can be quickly supplied with drinking water heated by.

Instantaneous hot water supply device for a refrigerator of the present invention for achieving the above object is a pump that draws drinking water from an external source to draw drinking water to the heater at a set water pressure; A transport pipe, which is connected to the pump and the drinking water from the pump is heated while passing through the inner wall, an insulating film which is an electrical insulating material attached to an outer surface of the transport pipe, and disposed on the insulating film and connected to a power source. A heater including an electrode to be formed on the insulating film and an electric resistor that is in contact with the electrode and generates heat when a current flows in contact with the electrode; A heater temperature controller disposed in contact with the heater and including a heater temperature sensor configured to maintain a set temperature range by sensing the heating element temperature; And it is connected to one end of the transport pipe of the heater, and the outlet port is exposed to the outside includes a water outlet pipe for outgoing drinking water.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transport pipe may be stainless steel.

In addition, the transport pipe, the diameter may be in the range of 6mm to 12mm, the length of 100mm to 200mm.

Meanwhile, the insulating film may be formed by ceramic coating.

The ceramic coating may have a thickness of 200 μm to 500 μm.

The electrode, the positive electrode and the negative electrode is printed up and down on the insulating film so as to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval, the heating element is printed in whole or in part between the positive electrode and the negative electrode on the insulating film, the upper and lower ends are the positive and negative electrodes Can be in contact with each other.

In addition, the electrode may be printed with a metal paste including any one selected from silver (Ag), copper (Cu), and aluminum (Al).

The heating element may be printed with a paste including carbon fiber or carbon nanotube (CNT).

The heater may further include an insulating cover made of an insulating material on an outer surface thereof.

The insulation cover may include any one selected from polyurethane, polyamide, epoxy resin, and ceramics.

The heater temperature controller may further include a heater temperature fuse for controlling power when the heating element of the heater is overheated.

The outlet pipe may further include a outlet water temperature sensor for electrically controlling the water pressure of the pump by sensing the temperature of the heated drinking water.

According to the present invention, the instantaneous hot water supply device has the effect of controlling the temperature of the heating element constantly and the constant flow rate of the pipe through which the drinking water flows so that the drinking water heated to a constant temperature at the same time as the supply demand can be immediately supplied without a preheating container. .

1 is a side view showing the structure of the instantaneous hot water supply device for a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the insulation cover of the heater of FIG. 1 is removed.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below may be modified in various forms, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. Embodiments of the present invention are provided to provide a thorough explanation to those skilled in the art.

First, the overall structure of the instantaneous hot water supply device for a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention and the structure of a heating unit constituting the characteristics of the present invention will be described in detail, and then the operation principle thereof will be described.

1 is a side view showing the structure of the instantaneous hot water supply device for a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 1, the structure of the instantaneous hot water supply apparatus for a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention can be divided into a water supply unit 100, a heating unit 200 and a water extraction unit 300. At this time, the water supply unit 100, the heating unit 200 and the water extraction unit 300 is connected to one path through which drinking water flows, the water supply unit 100 and the heating unit 200 is built in the refrigerator, the water extraction unit ( 300 is partially exposed to the outside.

The water supply unit 100 receives water from an external drinking water supply source and discharges the water to the heating unit, and includes a water supply pipe 110, a pump 120, and a connection pipe 130.

In this case, the water supply pipe 110 is connected to an external drinking water supply source, that is, a water pipe or a water purifier and draws the drinking water to the pump 120. The material of the water supply pipe 110 may be made of any one selected from a corrosion resistant metal such as synthetic resin, copper, and a corrosion resistant alloy such as stainless steel.

The pump 120 includes a pump body 122, a pump water supply port 124, and a pump outlet port 126. At this time, the pump water supply port 124 and the pump outlet port 126 is a portion which becomes the inlet and the outlet of the pump body 122, respectively.

Here, the pump water supply port 124 is connected to the water supply pipe 110, the water supply pipe 110 is connected to a water pipe or a water purifier which is an external water supply source may draw drinking water from the water supply source to the pump body 122.

The pump outlet 126 may be connected to the connection pipe 130 and may export the drinking water temporarily stored in the pump body 122 to the heating unit 200 via the connection pipe 130.

The pump body 120 temporarily stores the drinking water drawn into the pump water supply port 124, and may discharge a predetermined amount of drinking water at a constant pressure through the pump outlet 126 as necessary. That is, when the heating unit 200 to be described below is in preheating, the drinking water is not discharged to the pump outlet 126, and when the preheating is completed, the drinking water heated to a predetermined temperature by adjusting the amount and flow rate of the drinking water to be heated. Can be supplied externally.

The amount and water temperature of the drinking water can be determined differently according to the application aspect of the instantaneous hot water supply device for the refrigerator of the present invention. For example, the amount and water temperature can be fixed or set in several steps so that the user can select it. Can be. Alternatively, according to the control method, the supply of drinking water occurs continuously so that the supply amount may be manually adjusted and manufactured to select only the water temperature.

The connection pipe 130 is a pipe connecting the lower end of the pump outlet 126 and the heating unit 200, it may be made of a material similar to the water supply pipe (110).

The heating unit 200 is largely composed of a heater 210 and a heater temperature control unit 220.

At this time, the heater 210 is a portion to which the drinking water flows and is heated, the lower end is connected to the water supply unit 100, the upper end is connected to the water outlet 300 to form a single channel.

In addition, the surface of the heater 210 is protected by an insulating cover 211, which prevents a short circuit of electricity flowing in the heating element 218 of the heater 210 to be described below, the instantaneous hot water supply device of the present invention is built in This is to minimize the problem that the heat is transferred to the inside of the refrigerator to reduce the thermal efficiency.

The insulating cover 211 may be made of a material including any one selected from polyurethane, polyamide, epoxy resin, and ceramics. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and in addition, both electrical and heat insulating materials applicable to the present invention may be applied.

 The structure of the heater 210 surrounded by the insulating cover 211 will be described in detail below.

The heater temperature controller 220 includes a heater temperature sensor 222 and a heater temperature fuse 224. The heater temperature controller 220 may maintain a constant temperature of the heating element 218 in the heater 210 to keep the water temperature of the drinking water constant, and prevent overheating and boiling.

In detail, the heater temperature sensor 222 detects the temperature of the surface of the heating element 218 and lowers the surface temperature by disconnecting the connection between the heating element 218 and the electrode 216 when the temperature rises above the set range. In the same principle, when the temperature of the surface of the heating element 218 is lower than the set range, the surface of the heating element 218 and the electrode 216 are connected again to maintain a constant surface temperature at all times.

In addition, the heater temperature fuse 224 is an abnormality in the temperature control by the heater temperature sensor 222, when the heating element 218 is overheated, to prevent the phenomenon of boiling drinking water that is heated by cutting off the power and to prevent fire, etc. It can be prevented.

The water extraction unit 300 includes a water discharge pipe 310, a water outlet 320, and a water discharge temperature sensor 330.

Here, the outlet pipe 310 is connected to the heater 210, as shown in the U shape. In addition, the outlet 320 is an outlet of drinking water at the end of the outlet pipe 310. The water outlet pipe 310 is a place where the drinking water heated while passing through the heater 210 finally reaches, and the drinking water is supplied to the user through the water outlet 320.

The material of the outlet pipe 310 may be made of stainless steel resistant to corrosion, and may have a ceramic coating on the inner surface or the outer surface to prevent heat loss. In addition, the longer the entire path of the outlet pipe 310, the drinking water heated to a constant temperature just exiting the heater 210 may be lowered by the heat loss when reaching the outlet port 310, so the length of the outlet pipe is It is desirable to make it as short as possible. In addition, by shortening the path of the outlet, it is possible to minimize the output of the low-temperature drinking water supplied when the hot water supply device is used for the first time.

The water extraction temperature sensor 330 detects the temperature of the heated drinking water immediately before water extraction, and adjusts the flow rate of the drinking water passing through the transport pipe 212 of the heater 210 so that the water extraction temperature maintains the set temperature range. have.

In detail, when the outlet temperature is higher than the set temperature by electrically controlling the outlet pressure of the pump 120, the transport pipe 212 by increasing the pressure of the drinking water supplied from the pump 120 to the heater 210 to increase the flow rate. The water temperature can be lowered by increasing the amount of drinking water per unit time passing through the cross section. On the contrary, when the discharge water temperature is lower than the set temperature, by lowering the pressure of the pump 120 to slow the flow rate it is possible to increase the water temperature by reducing the amount of drinking water per unit time passing through the cross section of the transport pipe (212). That is, the temperature of the drinking water can be made by adjusting the heating time by controlling the temperature of the heating element 218 by the heater temperature control unit 220 and the flow rate through the transport pipe 212 of the heater 210. have.

2 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the insulation cover 211 of the heater 210 of FIG. 1 is removed.

Referring to FIG. 2, the heater 210 includes a transport tube 212, an insulating film 214, an electrode 216, and a heating element 218 from the inside.

Transport pipe 212 is a tube that becomes the body of the heater 210, the outside of the pipe is attached to the other structures constituting the heater 210, the inside of the pipe drinking water is discharged from the top, that is, the water supply section 100 side It may be heated while moving to the portion 300 side. The material of the transport pipe is hard to be oxidized, is not only resistant to heat generated during heating, but also preferably made of a stainless steel material having good thermal conductivity.

In addition, the diameter (a) and the length (b) of the transport pipe 212 may vary depending on the function of the refrigerator or the hot water supply method in which the instant hot water supply device of the present invention is installed, but shortens the initial heating time and continuously The diameter (a) of the transport pipe is 6 mm to 12 mm and the length (b) is manufactured in the range of 100 mm to 200 mm to maintain a uniform water temperature and minimize waiting time even when drinking water is extracted or a large amount of drinking water is extracted. It is desirable to.

The insulating film 214 is a film coated on the outer surface of the transport pipe 212 and is made of an electrical insulator. This is to prevent current from flowing in drinking water while electricity flowing in the heating element 218 is transferred to the transport pipe. Here, the insulating film 214 should be able to sufficiently transfer heat from the heating element 218 to the transport pipe 212 while performing an electrical insulation function, so that the insulating film 214 is made somewhat thin, and the film is formed to have a thickness of 200 μm to 500 μm. desirable. In addition, the material of the insulating film 214 may be made of ceramics or the like, and in some cases, a new material having improved thermal conductivity while being an electrical insulator may be applied.

The electrode 216 is composed of an anode 216a and a cathode 216b, and the anode 216a and the cathode 216b are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval on the insulating film 214. In this case, the anode 216a and the cathode 216b may be connected to a lead wire, respectively.

The material of the electrode 216 preferably includes any one selected from copper (Cu), silver (Ag), and aluminum (Al), which are metals having excellent electrical conductivity. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and in some cases, a known conductor such as a metal oxide having electrical conductivity may be applied.

The heating element 218 is a resistor that generates heat, and is disposed between the anode 216a and the cathode 216b on the insulating film 214, and the upper and lower ends thereof contact the anode 216a and the cathode 216b, respectively. When connected, current can flow along the heating element 218.

In addition, the material of the heating element 218 may be applied to carbon fiber (Carbon fiber) or carbon nanotubes (Carbon Nano Tube, CNT), it is possible to form the heating element 218 by printing a paste containing the material described above. have.

Printing of the heating element 218 is preferably printed over the entire outer surface of the insulating film 214 so as to completely surround the coated transport pipe 212. This is because heat is uniformly transmitted to the entire surface of the transport pipe 212 through front printing, and the heating time is shortened by increasing the thermal efficiency. Therefore, when printing on the front side of the tube by one printing is not easy, it is possible to print the entire surface around the conduit by two prints. Specifically, a single print causes the outer surface of the pipe with a central angle θ of 180 ° or less relative to the center of the transport pipe 212 to be printed, and the print again in the same pattern around the unprinted opposite side. It is preferable to implement so that the heating element 218 is formed on the entire circumference of the tube.

Here, as described above, it is necessary to be careful not to overlap both ends of the heating element 218 printed twice each time. This is because, when printing overlaps, the thickness of the heat generating element 218 becomes thicker than other portions, which may cause the amount of heat generated to be uneven.

However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the printing of the heating element 218 may be partially made instead of the entire surface as long as a current flows in the heating element 218 formed according to the printing environment. In addition, the material of the heating element 218 may be applied to any material that can generate heat by acting as an electrical resistor.

The structure of the instantaneous hot water supply device for a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention is as described above. Next, with reference to Figures 1 and 2 look at the process and principle of the supply of drinking water through the hot water supply device.

First, drinking water is introduced into the pump 120 through the water supply pipe 110 from an external drinking water supply source such as a water supply pipe or a water purifier. Drinking water temporarily stored in the pump body 122 exits the pump outlet 126 by a constant water pressure. At this time, the water pressure of the drinking water may be adjusted by the electrical control of the pump associated with the water extraction temperature sensor 330.

Drinking water coming out of the pump outlet 126 rises along the transport pipe 212 of the heater 210 through the connection pipe 130. At this time, the inner wall of the transport pipe heated by the heat generated in the heating element 218 increases the water temperature of the drinking water passing through the contact, and the degree of increase in the water temperature is the temperature of the heating element 218 and the transport pipe 212 as described above. It may vary depending on the flow rate of drinking water passing through. Therefore, the water temperature can be set in an appropriate range depending on the purpose of drinking water. In addition, the temperature control of the heating element 218 is performed by the heater temperature adjusting unit 220, and as described above, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Drinking water heated while passing through the transport pipe 212 of the heater 210 as described above may be supplied to the outside through the outlet pipe 310 and the outlet port 320. In this case, the water extraction temperature sensor 330 may be involved in controlling the drinking water outlet pressure of the pump 120 by sensing the temperature of the drinking water finally supplied to the user.

As mentioned above, although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. It is possible.

For example, the material, the printing pattern, or the printing method of the heating element or the electrode of the heater is not limited to the above-described one, and various materials and methods may be applied within the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, the withdrawal temperature sensor may be omitted and the outlet pressure of the pump may be adjusted manually.

100: water supply unit 110: water supply pipe
120: pump 122: pump body
124: pump inlet 126: pump outlet
130: connector 200: heating
210: heater 211: insulation cover
212: transport pipe 214: insulating film
216: electrode 216a: anode
216b: cathode 218: heating element
220: heater temperature control unit 222: heater temperature sensor
224: heater temperature fuse 300: water outlet
310: water outlet 320: water outlet
330: exit temperature sensor

Claims (12)

A pump that draws drinking water from an external source and raises the drinking water to a heater at a set water pressure;
A transport pipe which is connected to the pump and the drinking water from the pump is heated as it passes through the inner wall, an insulating pipe which is an electrical insulating material attached to an outer surface of the transport pipe, and disposed on the insulating film and connected to a power source. A heater including an electrode and a heating element disposed on the insulating film, the heating element being an electrical resistor that is in contact with the electrode and generates heat when a current flows;
A heater temperature controller disposed in contact with the heater and including a heater temperature sensor configured to maintain a set temperature range by sensing the heating element temperature; And
Connected to one end of the transport pipe of the heater, instantaneous hot water supply device for a refrigerator, characterized in that it comprises a water outlet pipe to the outside water outlet is exposed to the outside. The method of claim 1,
The transport pipe,
Instantaneous hot water supply for refrigerators, characterized in that the stainless steel (stainless steel). The method of claim 1,
The transport pipe,
Instantaneous hot water supply device for a refrigerator, characterized in that the diameter ranges from 6 mm to 12 mm and the length is from 100 mm to 200 mm. The method of claim 1,
The insulating film,
Instantaneous hot water supply for a refrigerator, characterized in that formed by ceramic (ceramics) coating. The method of claim 4, wherein
The ceramic coating is,
Instantaneous hot water supply device for a refrigerator, characterized in that the thickness of 200㎛ to 500㎛. The method of claim 1,
The electrode
Positive and negative electrodes are printed up and down on the insulating film so as to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval,
The heating element,
The instantaneous hot water supply device for a refrigerator, characterized in that the entire surface or partially printed between the anode and the cathode on the insulating film, the upper and lower ends are in contact with the anode and the cathode, respectively. The method according to claim 1 or 6,
The electrode
Instantaneous hot water supply device for a refrigerator, characterized in that printed with a metal paste containing any one selected from silver (Ag), copper (Cu) and aluminum (Al). The method according to claim 1 or 6,
The heating element,
Instantaneous hot water supply device for a refrigerator, characterized in that printed with a paste containing carbon fiber or carbon nanotubes (CNT). The method of claim 1,
The heater,
Instantaneous hot water supply device for a refrigerator further comprising an insulating cover made of an insulating material on the outer surface. 10. The method of claim 9,
The insulation cover,
Instantaneous hot water supply device for a refrigerator comprising any one selected from polyurethane, polyamide, epoxy resin and ceramics. The method of claim 1,
The heater temperature control unit,
The instantaneous hot water supply device for a refrigerator, characterized in that it further comprises a heater temperature fuse to control the power when the heating element of the heater is overheated. The method of claim 1,
The outlet pipe,
The instantaneous hot water supply device for a refrigerator, further comprising: an outlet water temperature sensor for electrically controlling the water pressure of the pump by sensing a temperature of heated drinking water.

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