Patent Application
20250093073
This application claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0125054, filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Sep. 19, 2023 and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0116016, filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Aug. 28, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to an air heating apparatus for heating.
In North American homes, heating may be performed by supplying heated air using a duct connected to each room. For heating of air, an apparatus called a gas furnace is generally used. Heat formed by combusting fuel in the gas furnace may be transferred to the air, and heating may be supplied in a manner in which the heated air is distributed to each room.
This gas furnace generally uses a manner of exchanging heat between air and combustion gas in a heat exchanger by allowing the high-temperature combustion gas generated by a combustion reaction of the burner to flow into a pipe included in the heat exchanger and allowing the air to flow around the pipe.
This gas furnace may cause leakage of the combustion gas and drying of the air in the homes. To compensate for the above-described problems of the gas furnace, application of a new type of furnace called a hydro furnace may be considered.
The hydro furnace generally uses a manner of heating water through the high-temperature combustion gas generated by the combustion reaction of the burner and heating air through heat exchange between the water and the air by allowing the heated water to flow into the pipe of the heat exchanger and allowing the air to flow around the pipe using a fan.
Meanwhile, in the case of the general gas furnace, by regulation, components that circulate the air should stop operating when a front cover or a panel of a case is opened.
However, in the case of the hydro furnace, since a structure for replenishing water in a tank from the outside is introduced, a separate cover for replenishing the water is provided, and thus opening of this water replenishment cover may also be recognized as opening of the front cover or the panel.
The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art while advantages achieved by the prior art are maintained intact.
An aspect of the present disclosure provides an air heating apparatus in which, when a water replenishment cover for replenishing water in a tank is separated, operations of internal components may be stopped.
The technical problems to be solved by the present disclosure are not limited to the aforementioned problems, and any other technical problems not mentioned herein will be clearly understood from the following description by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an air heating apparatus includes an expansion tank that stores water, a water heater that receives heat from a combustion gas generated by a combustion reaction and heats the water, a heating heat exchanger that receives the water heated by the water heater and exchanges heat with air to be discharged for heating, a fan that blows the air to the heating heat exchanger, and a case in which the expansion tank, the water heater, the heating heat exchanger, and the fan are arranged, wherein the case includes an outer case having a first opening in a reference direction that is one direction perpendicular to a vertical direction, and a first opening cover that is coupled to the outer case and covers the first opening when coupled to the outer case, the first opening cover includes a communication part that passes in the reference direction and exposes a water inlet for replenishing the water in the expansion tank in the reference direction, and a water replenishment cover that covers the communication part, and when the water replenishment cover is removed, an operation of at least one of the expansion tank, the water heater, the heating heat exchanger, and the fan is stopped.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an air heating apparatus includes an expansion tank that stores water, a water heater that receives heat from a combustion gas generated by a combustion reaction and heats the water, a heating heat exchanger that receives the water heated by the water heater and exchanges heat with air to be discharged for heating, a fan that blows the air to the heating heat exchanger, a case in which the expansion tank, the water heater, the heating heat exchanger, and the fan are arranged, and a switch part that is electrically connected to an electric circuit for operating at least one of the expansion tank, the water heater, the heating heat exchanger, and the fan and selectively opens or closes the electric circuit, wherein the case includes an outer case having a first opening in a reference direction that is one direction perpendicular to a vertical direction, and a first opening cover that is coupled to the outer case and covers the first opening when coupled to the outer case, the first opening cover includes a communication part that passes in the reference direction and exposes a water inlet for replenishing the water in the expansion tank in the reference direction, and a water replenishment cover that covers the communication part, and at least a portion of the switch part is in contact with the water replenishment cover.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:
Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the exemplary drawings. In adding reference numerals to components of each drawing, it should be noted that identical or equivalent components are designated by an identical numeral even when they are displayed on other drawings. Further, in describing the embodiment of the present disclosure, a detailed description of the related known configuration or function will be omitted when it is determined that it interferes with the understanding of the embodiment of the present disclosure.
Referring to the drawing, a heating system including an air heating apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be installed in a house. The heating system may include an air heating apparatus 1 for heating air. The air heating apparatus 1 may be connected to a duct 3 connected to each room of the house to transfer heated air to each room so as to perform heating. The air may be introduced from the outside of the house to the air heating apparatus 1 or may return to the air heating apparatus 1 via a room of the house. The air may be introduced into the air heating apparatus 1 from the outside of the house, but in the specification of the present disclosure, a description will be made basically on assumption that the air returns.
In the present specification, a front-rear direction, a left-right direction, and an up-down direction are referred to for convenience of description and may be directions perpendicular to each other. However, these directions are determined relative to a direction in which the air heating apparatus 1 is disposed, and the up-down direction may not necessarily mean a vertical direction.
The heating system may further include a separate heater 4 to form hot water, and may have a condenser 2 as an outdoor device that supplies a refrigerant to the air heating apparatus 1 in summer to supply cold air through the air heating apparatus 1.
First, a basic component of the air heating apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.
Referring to the drawings, the air heating apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may include a case 10, an expansion tank 20, a water heater 30, a heating heat exchanger 40, and a fan 50. In briefly describing an overall air heating mechanism, in the air heating apparatus 1, water stored in the expansion tank 20 is heated in the water heater 30 and is then delivered to the heating heat exchanger 40. The heated water delivered to the heating heat exchanger 40 heats the air blown from the fan 50, and the heated air is delivered to each room. Hereinafter, respective components will be described in more detail.
The expansion tank 20, the water heater 30, the heating heat exchanger 40, and the fan 50 may be arranged inside the case 10. The case 10 may include an outer case 11, a first opening cover 13, a first partition wall 14, a second partition wall 15, and a third partition wall 16.
A first opening 12 may be formed in a reference direction “D” that is one direction orthogonal to a vertical direction of the outer case 11. As an example, the reference direction “D” may be a forward direction. The first opening cover 13 may be provided to be coupled to the outer case 11 and may cover the first opening 12 when coupled to the outer case 11. The first opening cover 13 may be separated from the outer case 11 for internal repair of the air heating apparatus 1 later. As an example, the first opening cover 13 may include an upper end cover covering an upper portion of the first opening 12 and a lower end cover covering a lower portion of the first opening 12 with respect to the first partition wall 14, which will be described below. However, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto, and the one first opening cover 13 may have a shape covering the entire first opening 12.
The first partition wall 14 may be coupled to the outer case 11 and extend in the reference direction “D” to divide an interior of the outer case 11 into a first partition space S1 and a second partition space S2.
The second partition wall 15 may be disposed orthogonal to the first partition wall 14 inside the outer case 11 to divide the first partition space S1 into a (1-1)th partition space S1-1 and a (1-2)th partition space S1-2. The second partition wall 15 may be separated from an inside of the outer case 11. This may mean that the second partition wall 15 is detachably coupled to the inside of the outer case 11.
The third partition wall 16 may be disposed orthogonal to the first partition wall 14 inside the outer case 11 to divide the second partition space S2 into a (2-1)th partition space S2-1 and a (2-2)th partition space S2-2. This may mean that an inside of the case 10 is divided into four spaces in a 2×2 shape. The third partition wall 16 may be separated from the inside of the outer case 11. This may mean that the third partition wall 16 is detachably coupled to the inside of the outer case 11.
As an example, a length of the (1-1)th partition space S1-1 in the vertical direction may correspond to a length of the (1-2)th partition space S1-2 in the vertical direction, and a length of the (2-1)th partition space S2-1 in the vertical direction may correspond to a length of the (2-2)th partition space S2-2 in the vertical direction. Here, the correspondence does not necessarily mean that the lengths are the same but will be considered as a concept including a case in which the lengths have a certain proportional relationship. As an example, a ratio of the length of the (1-1)th partition space S1-1 in the vertical direction to the length of the (2-1)th partition space S2-1 in the vertical direction may be the same as a ratio of the length of the (1-2)th partition space S1-2 in the vertical direction and the length of the (2-2)th partition space S2-2 in the vertical direction. However, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto, and the ratio may be variously modified according to needs such as sizes and installation spaces of internal components.
In this way, the length of the (1-1)th partition space S1-1 in the vertical direction may correspond to the length of the (1-2)th partition space S1-2 in the vertical direction, and the length of the (2-1)th partition space S2-1 in the vertical direction may correspond to a length of the (2-2)th partition space S2-2 in the vertical direction. Thus, removal and installation of components may be facilitated, and thus ease of customer services such as after-sales service may be improved.
A length of the (1-1)th partition space S1-1 in the reference direction “D” may be shorter than a length of the (1-2)th partition space S1-2 in the reference direction “D.” A length of the (2-1)th partition space S2-1 in the reference direction “D” may be shorter than a length of the (2-2) th partition space S2-2 in the reference direction “D.” The length of the (1-1)th partition space S1-1 in the reference direction “D” may correspond to the length of the (2-1)th partition space S2-1 in the reference direction “D.” The length of the (1-2)th partition space S1-2 in the reference direction “D” may correspond to the length of the (2-2)th partition space S2-2 in the reference direction “D.”
A length of each space in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction and the reference direction is called a width. A width of the (1-1)th partition space S1-1 may be greater than or equal to a width of the (1-2)th partition space S1-2. A width of the (2-1)th partition space S2-1 may be greater than or equal to a width of the (2-2)th partition space S2-2. The width of the (1-1)th partition space S1-1 may correspond to the width of the (2-1)th partition space S2-1. The width of the (1-2)th partition space S1-2 may correspond to the width of the (2-2)th partition space S2-2.
When the width of the (1-1)th partition space S1-1 is greater than or equal to the width of the (1-2)th partition space S1-2, and the width of the (2-1)th partition space S2-1 is greater than or equal to the width of the (2-2)th partition space S2-2, convenience of removing and installing products for user service may be increased.
As an example, the first partition space S1 may be disposed above the second partition space S2. The water heater 30 may be disposed in the (1-1)th partition space S1-1. The heating heat exchanger 40 may be disposed in the (1-2)th partition space S1-2. The expansion tank 20 may be disposed in the (2-1)th partition space S2-1. The fan 50 may be disposed in the (2-2)th partition space S2-2. To deliver the air blown from the fan 50 to the heating heat exchanger 40, a passage through which the air may pass may be formed at a portion of the first partition wall 14 located between the (1-2)th partition space S1-2 and the (2-2)th partition space S2-2.
The expansion tank 20 may be provided to store the water. The water may flow from an external water source. The expansion tank 20 may be formed to accommodate a volume change due to a change in a temperature of the water. The expansion tank 20 may be connected to a main flow path 60. The main flow path 60 may be a flow path connecting the expansion tank 20, the water heater 30, and the heating heat exchanger 40 to each other. That is, the water may flow from the expansion tank 20 via the water heater 30 into the heating heat exchanger 40. Thus, the main flow path 60 may pass through the first partition wall 14.
The expansion tank 20 may accommodate volume expansion of the water flowing along the main flow path 60. The expansion tank 20 may be configured in an openable manner.
When the temperature changes or the water flows into or out from the expansion tank 20 in a state in which the expansion tank 20 is filled with the water, an internal pressure of the expansion tank 20 may also change. Accordingly, the water accommodated in the expansion tank 20 may be provided to other components along the main flow path 60.
A water level sensor for sensing a water level inside the expansion tank 20 may be disposed inside the expansion tank 20. The water level sensor may be connected to a controller 80.
The water heater 30 is a component provided to heat and discharge the introduced water. To heat the water, the water heater 30 may generate a combustion reaction and transfer heat generated from the combustion reaction to the water.
The water heater 30 may include a burner 31 and a heat exchanger 32. The burner 31 generates the combustion reaction. Thus, the burner 31 may receive fuel and the air and may form a flame using an ignition plug in a mixture of the fuel and the air to generate the combustion reaction. For this reaction, the burner 31 may include to a blower that blows the air, a fuel nozzle that injects the fuel, and a spark plug that generates a spark for ignition.
The burner 31 may further include a mixing chamber, and the fuel and the air are mixed in the mixing chamber. The heat and a combustion gas may be generated by the combustion reaction, and these heat and combustion gas may be transferred to the water. The fuel may be natural gas used for power generation as well as methane, ethane, and the like or oil, but the type of the fuel is not limited thereto. The flame formed by the combustion reaction generated by the burner 31 may be disposed in an internal space of a combustion chamber positioned below the burner 31. The combustion chamber may be a wet-type combustion chamber. As an example, a water pipe through which the water passes may be disposed on a side surface of the combustion chamber to surround a side circumference of the combustion chamber. In a process of dissipating the heat inside the combustion chamber to the outside of the combustion chamber, a portion of the heat may be transferred to the water in the water pipe.
However, the type of combustion chamber is not limited to the wet-type combustion chamber, and the combustion chamber may have various modifications including a dry-type combustion chamber.
The heat exchanger 32 is disposed to transfer the heat generated by the burner 31 to the water. The heat exchanger 32 may be disposed below the burner 31.
Meanwhile, the heat exchanger 32 may have an integrated heat exchanger structure. The integrated heat exchanger structure may refer to a heat exchanger structure through which different types of heat exchange media circulate. As the heat exchanger 32 has the integrated heat exchanger structure, the heat exchanger 32 may have a structure in which an overall height is reduced while performance is maintained as compared to a heat exchanger used in a general condensing boiler. Thus, even though an internal structure of the air heating apparatus 1 is narrow, an overall height of the water heater 30 may be lowered. Accordingly, various components may be easily arranged inside the air heating apparatus 1, and the entire air heating apparatus 1 may be miniaturized.
The heat exchanger 32 may include a sensible heat exchanger and a latent heat exchanger. The sensible heat exchanger and the latent heat exchanger may be a fin-tube type heat exchanger including a fin and a tube through which the water flows or a plate type heat exchanger formed by stacking a plurality of plates, but the type thereof is not limited thereto. The water introduced into the heat exchanger 32 may be heated while sequentially passing through the latent heat exchanger and the sensible heat exchanger.
When the sensible heat exchanger and the latent heat exchanger are configured as the fin-tube type heat exchanger, the fin may be formed in a plate shape and may pass by the tube. A plurality of fins may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other in a direction in which the tube extends. The combustion gas may flow through a space between the fin and the fin and between the tube and the tube, and the water may flow through an inside of the tube to cause heat exchange between the water and the combustion gas.
The tube may have a long hole shape in which an internal space thereof is elongated in the up-down direction in a cross section cut along in a plane orthogonal to the direction in which the tube extends. The internal space of the tube may be formed such that a value obtained by dividing a height in the up-down direction by a width in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the up-down direction on the above-described cross-section is greater than 2.
The sensible heat exchanger is provided to heat the water flowing through an inside thereof by receiving the heat generated by the combustion reaction. Thus, the sensible heat exchanger may be disposed adjacent to the burner 31. The sensible heat exchanger may not be blocked against flames, and the combustion gas may pass through the sensible heat exchanger.
The latent heat exchanger is provided to heat the water flowing through an inside thereof using latent heat of the combustion gas generated by the combustion reaction. Since the latent heat exchanger uses the latent heat of the combustion gas, when moisture contained in the combustion gas is condensed, heat generated therefrom is transferred to the water flowing inside the latent heat exchanger. Thus, the latent heat exchanger may be disposed after the sensible heat exchanger based on a flow direction of the combustion gas so that the combustion gas having a lowered temperature through the transfer of the heat to the water reaches and is condensed in the sensible heat exchanger. The tubes included in the latent heat exchanger may be arranged at different positions in the flow direction of the combustion gas to form a plurality of columns.
The sensible heat exchanger and the latent heat exchanger may be arranged in the main flow path 60 so that the water flows through the latent heat exchanger into the sensible heat exchanger. Thus, the water may be primarily heated in the latent heat exchanger and then secondarily heated in the sensible heat exchanger and delivered to the heating heat exchanger 40, which will be described below.
The water heater 30 may further include a sensible heat insulating pipe outside the sensible heat exchanger. The sensible heat insulating pipe is a pipe in which heating water flows along an inside thereof to be in direct or indirect contact with the sensible heat exchanger to insulate the sensible heat exchanger.
In the water heater 30, the burner 31, the sensible heat exchanger, and the latent heat exchanger may be sequentially arranged from an upper side to a lower side thereof. Thus, in this case, the combustion gas may flow downward. However, the direction is not limited thereto.
The heat exchanger 32 may include a heat exchanging housing and may be configured such that the sensible heat exchanger and the latent heat exchanger are arranged thereinside. While passing through a space positioned inside the heat exchanging housing, the combustion gas may exchange heat with the water passing through the tube of each heat exchanger.
A cross-sectional area of a cross-section in which the internal space of the heat exchanging housing is cut along a plane orthogonal to the flow direction of the combustion gas is called a reference cross-sectional area. The heat exchanging housing may include a tapered area in which the reference cross-sectional area decreases in the flow direction of the combustion gas and a section in which the reference cross-sectional area does not decrease. The reference cross-sectional area at a downstream end of the heat exchanging housing may be smaller than the reference cross-sectional area at an upstream end thereof based on the flow direction of the combustion gas. The reference cross-sectional area at an upstream end of the latent heat exchanger may be smaller than the reference cross-sectional area at a downstream end of the sensible heat exchanger based on the flow direction of the combustion gas. Thus, a degree to which a flow rate decreases when the combustion gas flows from the sensible heat exchanger side to the latent heat exchanger side may be smaller than a degree to which the flow rate decreases when the reference cross-sectional area is maintained, and thus a condensate positioned between the fins or between the tubes may be pushed. Thus, a structure of the heat exchanging housing may prevent the condensate from causing flow stagnation of the combustion gas in the latent heat exchanger to decrease thermal efficiency. The fins of each heat exchanger may be formed according to a shape of the internal space of the heat exchanging housing described above.
An order in which the water flows will be described below from the heat exchanger 32. In the heat exchanger 32, the water may first flow into the latent heat exchanger, and the water may condense water vapor of the combustion gas flowing around the latent heat exchanger and may be heated by receiving latent heat generated in this condensation process. The water heated by the latent heat exchanger may be delivered to the sensible heat exchanger and heated by a manner of receiving the heat generated by the combustion reaction. The water heated by the heat exchanger 32 may be delivered to the heating heat exchanger 40. The water delivered to the heating heat exchanger 40 may be cooled by transferring heat to the air passing through the heating heat exchanger 40.
The heat exchanging housing may include left and right surfaces and a flow path cap plate covering the left and right surfaces. The flow path cap plate is a plate including a flow path cap forming an internal space together with the left and right surfaces as the left and right surfaces of the heat exchanging housing through which the tube passes are covered. The plurality of flow path caps and the tubes may communicate with each other to form a flow path through which the water flows inside the heat exchanger 32. The flow path formed in the heat exchanger 32 by the plurality of flow path caps and the tubes may include a parallel section and a serial section.
An air supply port 33 for supplying external air to the water heater 30 may be formed through an upper wall of the case 10. The air introduced through the air supply port 33 may be provided to the burner 31 of the water heater 30. combustion gas generated by the combustion reaction of the water heater 30 may be delivered to a gas outlet 34 formed through the upper wall of the case 10 through an exhaust duct and discharged to the outside. Since the combustion gas is located only in the water heater 30 and is then discharged through the gas outlet 34, there is no concern that the combustion gas is mixed with the air supplied to each room.
The heating heat exchanger 40 is a component provided for heat exchange between the water and the air. The heating heat exchanger 40 may be provided to receive the water and exchange heat between the water and the air to be discharged for heating.
The heating heat exchanger 40 may be disposed adjacent to the upper wall of the case 10. The heating heat exchanger 40 may include a heat exchanging tube 42 through which the water heated by the water heater 30 may flow. The heat exchanging tube 42 may be formed in a pipe shape so that the water flows through an inside thereof and the air blown by the fan 50 may flow through an outside thereof and may be provided to form a flow path winding in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. The heat exchanging tube 42 may be made of a material including aluminum and copper.
The heat exchanging tube 42 is made of the above-described material and is provided so that the water flows through the inside thereof, and thus the following effects may be expected. In the pipe of the gas furnace according to the related art, the combustion gas and the air flow through the inside and the outside thereof, excessive thermal expansion and contraction is experienced, and thus cracks may occur, leakage of the combustion gas may occur. However, unlike the pipe of the gas furnace according to the related art, a risk of the cracks is reduced, and even when the cracks occur, the combustion gas does not leak into the air, but only the water leaks, and thus safety may be greatly enhanced. Further, in the heating heat exchanger 40 of the present disclosure, since the heat is exchanged between the water and the air through the heat exchanging tube 42, the air is heated while humidity is maintained, and thus a separate humidity adjusting device is not required.
The heat exchanging tube 42 may constitute a plurality of layers arranged at different positions in the up-down direction. In the present disclosure, it is illustrated that the heat exchanging tube 42 forms four layers, but the number of layers is not limited thereto. Further, the heat exchanging tube 42 may form four layers, and all the four layers may be connected in series or formed in a combination of serial and parallel connections.
The heat exchanging tube 42 may include linear members extending in the front-rear direction and connection members connecting ends of adjacent linear members. The connection members may include the same-layer connection members and different-layer connection members. The plurality of linear members may be arranged in the left-right direction, the plurality of same-layer connection members may be arranged at front and rear ends of each of the linear members to connect the ends of the adjacent linear members, and thus a flow path may be formed. The plurality of different-layer connection members may connect ends of linear members located in adjacent layers to each other, and thus a flow path may be formed. Each of the connection members may be formed in a “U” shape.
The heating heat exchanger 40 may further include a distribution pipe 44. The distribution pipe 44 may be provided to receive the water from the water heater 30 and distribute the water to each of layers constituting the heat exchanging tube 42. The distribution pipe 44 may include a distribution delivery 1 and a distribution head. The distribution delivery pipe is connected to the main flow path 60 to receive the water heated through the heat exchanger 32 and allows the water to flow from the distribution head connected to the distribution delivery pipe. The distribution head may extend in the left-right direction and may be connected to the plurality of linear members. Thus, a parallel flow path including a plurality of partial flow paths having a common inlet and a common outlet may be formed by the distribution head. Here, the inlet of the parallel flow path may be the distribution head. The entire flow path formed by the heat exchanging tube 42 may include a section including the above-described parallel flow path.
In this case, the linear members to which the distribution head is connected may be linear members located on an uppermost layer among the layers formed by the heat exchanging tube 42. The water is delivered to the uppermost layer of the heat exchanging tube 42, and the water flows to a lowermost layer thereof along each of the layers formed by the heat exchanging tube 42. In this process, the water may transfer heat to the air passing around a heat exchanging pipe. That is, a direction in which the air blown by the fan 50 flows in the heating heat exchanger 40 is an upward direction, a direction in which the water flows as a whole is a downward direction opposite thereto, and thus a counter-flow structure may be formed.
The heating heat exchanger 40 may further include a collection pipe 45 for returning the water that has completed the heat transfer to the air to the water heater 30. The collection pipe 45 may include a collection delivery pipe and a collection head. The heat exchanging tube 42 is connected to the collection head, and the cooled water is delivered to the collection head. The collection head may be connected to the collection delivery pipe to deliver the cooled water to a recovery flow path 70 connected to the collection delivery pipe. The collection head may extend in the left-right direction and may be connected to the plurality of linear members. Thus, the collection head is the outlet of the parallel flow path, the parallel flow path ends at the collection head, and thus the water may be collected in the collection head. In this case, the linear members to which the collection head is connected may be linear members located on a lowermost layer among the layers formed by the heat exchanging tube 42.
The heating heat exchanger 40 may have a plurality of heat transfer fins 43 passing by the heat exchanging tube 42 while crossing the heat exchanging tube 42. The heat transfer fins 43 may be formed in a plate shape orthogonal to the front-rear direction, may be arranged in the front-rear direction, and thus may better transfer heat of the water flowing inside the heat exchanging tube 42 to surrounding air. The air may pass between the heat exchanging tube 42 and the heat transfer fins 43 along an upper side. The heat transfer fins 43 and the heat exchanging tube 42 may be fixed by a heating heat exchanging housing 41. The heat transfer fins 43 may be arranged inside the heating heat exchanging housing 41. The heating heat exchanging housing 41 may be fixed to the case 10.
The fan 50 is provided to blow the air to the heating heat exchanger 40. The fan 50 may be disposed below the heating heat exchanger 40 so that the air is blown upward to pass through the heating heat exchanger 40, and an outlet through which the air is discharged may be disposed to face the upper side. The fan 50 may include components such as a motor and a blade and may be electrically connected to the controller 80. Thus, as the fan 50 is electrically controlled and operated, the motor may rotate the wing to blow the air. The fan 50 may include an impeller or the like to pump the air.
A length of the fan 50 in the reference direction “D” may be shorter than the length of the (2-1)th partition space S2-1 in the reference direction “D.” Further, a length of the fan 50 in the vertical direction may be shorter than the length of the (2-1)th partition space S2-1 in the vertical direction. An air blowing space, which is an empty space, may be formed between the fan 50 and the heating heat exchanger 40 in an internal space of the case 10.
An air circulation process will be described below on the basis of the fan 50. The air introduced into the fan 50 may be blown to the upper side. The blown air passes through the heating heat exchanger 40. While passing through the heating heat exchanger 40, the air may be heated by receiving the heat from the water passing through the heating heat exchanger 40. The heated air may be discharged to the outside of the case 10 and may be delivered to each room of the house through the duct 3. The air delivered to each room or cold air introduced into the housing from the outside may be introduced back into the case 10 and input to an inlet of the fan 50.
Hereinafter, the main flow path 60 and the recovery flow path 70 that connect respective components to each other will be described in detail. The main flow path 60 may mean a flow path connecting the expansion tank 20, the water heater 30, and the heating heat exchanger 40 to each other. The recovery flow path 70 may mean a flow path for connecting the heating heat exchanger 40 and the main flow path 60 to each other to guide the water introduced into the heating heat exchanger 40 to the main flow path 60. Thus, the recovery flow path 70 may pass through the first partition wall 14. Meanwhile, the flow path may mean a path through which a fluid flows, the path being formed by connecting inner parts of components, through which the fluid may flow, by pipes or hoses in which the fluid may flow through interiors thereof.
The controller 80 is provided to control a temperature of the water passing through the heating heat exchanger 40 and returning to the water heater 30 through the main flow path 60. The controller 80 may include a processor and a memory. The processor serves as a component including an element that may perform a logic operation for performing a control command and may include a central processing unit (CPU) or the like. The processor may be connected to various components, transmit a signal according to the control command to the respective components to perform control, and receive information acquired by connection to various sensors or acquirers in the form of a signal. Thus, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor may be electrically connected to various components included in the air heating apparatus 1. Since the processor may be electrically connected to the respective components, the processor may be connected with wires or further include a communication device capable of wireless communication to perform mutual communication.
The processor is electrically connected to the components of the integrated air heating apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, performs calculation using the received information, and transmits a control signal. Thus, the components may be controlled in an optimal state, and the components may operate in conjunction with each other automatically. Further, information or control data obtained from the circulating water and air, which will be described below, is obtained, integrated, and controlled in real time due to the integrated interworking control of the processor, and thus uniform efficiency may be maintained, and optimal setting suitable for the entire system may be automatically performed.
Control performed by the processor may be stored in the memory and utilized. The memory may be a device such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a server, a volatile medium, and a non-volatile medium, but the types of the memory are not limited thereto. In addition, data or the like required by the processor to perform a task may be further stored in the memory.
The controller 80 may be disposed in the (2-1)th partition space S2-1. A panel assembly 90 having a display, a button, and the like that may be operated by a user to operate the controller 80 may be disposed in the first opening cover 13.
The controller 80 may control a flow rate of the water flowing in the main flow path 60 to control a temperature of the returning water. When the flow rate of the water flowing in the main flow path 60 is controlled to decrease, the water may flow for a longer time in the heating heat exchanger 40 than otherwise and transfer a lot of heat to the air, and the temperature of the returning water may be reduced. In contrast, when the flow rate of the water flowing in the main flow path 60 is controlled to increase, the temperature of the returning water will be higher than otherwise.
The controller 80 may be electrically connected to the burner 31, control the burner 31, and thus adjust the amount of heat transferred to the water. The burner 31 may include a blower that blows the air so that a mixture of the fuel and the air is used in the combustion, and the controller 80 may adjust a speed at which the blower rotates, to adjust a flow rate of the air provided to a portion in which a flame occurs.
As the flow rate of the air is adjusted, the amount of heat generated by the combustion reaction in the water heater 30 may be adjusted. Thus, the air heating apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure has a high turndown ratio of 6:1 to 10:1, so that constant efficiency may be maintained by appropriately adjusting the amount of heat or the flow rate of the water according to driving conditions having different loads, such as a low load operation and a high load operation.
Meanwhile, an external interworking controller may be further disposed in the (2-1)th partition space S2-1. The external interworking controller may be disposed adjacent to the first opening cover 13 of the case 10. The external interworking controller may exchange data with devices located outside the air heating apparatus, such as a thermostat in the house. The external interworking controller may transmit the data obtained from the devices located in the outside to the controller 80. The controller 80 may perform the above-described control based on the data received from the external interworking controller.
The expansion tank 20 may have a water inlet 21 for replenishing the water. The water inlet 21 may extend in the reference direction “D.” The water inlet 21 may be opened or closed by a cap 22. When the water is replenished to the expansion tank 20, the cap 22 may be removed, and the water may be introduced through the water inlet 21.
The first opening cover 13 may include a communication part 17 and a water replenishment cover 18. The communication part 17 may pass in the reference direction “D” to expose the water inlet 21 in the reference direction “D.”
The water replenishment cover 18 may cover the communication part 17. The water replenishment cover 18 may form a surface continuous with areas of the first opening cover 13 located outside the communication part 17. When the water replenishment cover 18 is removed, an operation of at least one of the expansion tank 20, the water heater 30, the heating heat exchanger 40, and the fan 50 may be stopped. Here, a state in which an operation is stopped will be considered to include both a case of stopping operations of the internal components and a concept of blocking the flow of the fluid by closing some valves in the flow path.
Hereinafter, a switch part 100 for stopping the operation of at least one of the expansion tank 20, the water heater 30, the heating heat exchanger 40, and the fan 50 when the water replenishment cover 18 is removed will be described in detail with reference to
The air heating apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may further include the switch part 100. The switch part 100 may be electrically connected to an electric circuit (not illustrated) for operating at least one of the expansion tank 20, the water heater 30, the heating heat exchanger 40, and the fan 50 and may be provided to selectively open or close the electric circuit. As described above, the electric circuit may be electrically connected to the components such as the expansion tank 20, the water heater 30, the heating heat exchanger 40, and the fan 50 or some valves in the flow path. Here, a state in which the electric circuit is selectively opened or closed may mean that the electric circuit is closed in one condition and the electric circuit is opened in the other condition.
Here, a state in which the electric circuit is opened may mean a state in which a portion of the electric circuit is not connected and thus electricity is not conducted, and a state in which the electric circuit is closed may mean a state in which the electric circuit may form a closed circuit to supply power to the components.
As an example, when the water replenishment cover 18 is removed, the electric circuit may be opened by the switch part 100. To this end, at least a portion of the switch part 100 may be in contact with the water replenishment cover 18.
As an example, the switch part 100 may be a micro switch. Since the micro switch is generally inexpensive, the purpose of opening the electrical circuit when the water replenishment cover 18 is removed may be achieved at a low cost.
Hereinafter, an example of the switch part 100 will be described in detail.
The switch part 100 may include a first switch member 101 and a second switch member 102. The first switch member 101 may be electrically connected to the electric circuit. The second switch member 102 may be electrically connected to the electric circuit and may be provided to be selectively in contact with the first switch member 101. A state in which the first switch member 101 and the second switch member 102 are in contact with each other may mean that the electric circuit is closed. When the water replenishment cover 18 covers the communication part 17, the second switch member 102 may be in contact with the water replenishment cover 18.
When the second switch member 102 is in contact with water replenishment cover 18, the second switch member 102 may be elastically deformed by being pressed by the water replenishment cover 18 and thus may come into contact with the first switch member 101. This may mean that, when the water replenishment cover 18 covers the communication part 17, the electric circuit is closed so that the components connected to the electric circuit are operated.
Further, when the contact with the water replenishment cover 18 is released, the second switch member 102 may be elastically restored and spaced apart from the first switch member 101. This may mean that the electric circuit is opened when the water replenishment cover 18 does not cover the communication part 17.
Meanwhile, as illustrated in
The second switch member 102 may have an area protruding in the reference direction “D” as compared to an end of the first switch member 101 in the reference direction “D.” As the second switch member 102 has a protruding area, only the second switch member 102 may be selectively in contact with the water replenishment cover 18.
The second switch member 102 may have a shape inclined in the reference direction “D” with respect to the vertical direction. As the second switch member 102 has a shape inclined in the reference direction “D” with respect to the vertical direction, even when the water is stuck to a portion of the second switch member 102, the water moves along the inclination, and thus the water may be quickly removed. The switch part 100 may further include a switch body 103. The switch body 103 may be connected to the first switch member 101 and the second switch member 102. A first hole 103a and a second hole 103b may be formed in the switch body 103. The first hole 103a and the second hole 103b may be spaced apart from each other and may have a shape passing in the direction orthogonal to the vertical direction and the reference direction “D.” The first hole 103a and the second hole 103b may be holes for fixing a position of the switch body 103 to a position fixing member 106, which will be described below.
The switch part 100 may further include a first fastening member 104 and a second fastening member 105. The first fastening member 104 may be a member passing through the first hole 103a. The second fastening member 105 may be a member passing through the second hole 103b. As an example, the first fastening member 104 and the second fastening member 105 may be bolts. As another example, the first fastening member 104 and the second fastening member 105 may be tab tight screws.
The switch part 100 may further include a position fixing member 106. The position fixing member 106 may be coupled to the first fastening member 104 and the second fastening member 105 and coupled to the case 10 to fix the position of the switch body 103.
As an example, the position fixing member 106 may have an upper end coupled to a lower surface of the first partition wall 14. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and there may be modifications at various positions according to a change in a layout structure of a hydro furnace.
The upper end of the position fixing member 106 may have a shape protruding in the direction orthogonal to the vertical direction and the reference direction “D.” A pair of fastening holes 106a vertically passing and arranged in the reference direction “D” may be formed at the upper end of the position fixing member 106. A fastening component may pass through the pair of fastening holes 106a, and the fastening component may be connected to the first partition wall 14.
As the pair of fastening holes 106a are arranged in the reference direction “D”, bending deformation of the switch part 100 due to a force applied in a direction opposite to the reference direction “D” may be prevented. This is because the second switch member 102 and the water replenishment cover 18 are in contact with each other and a force applied in the direction opposite to the reference direction “D” is continuously applied to the switch part 100.
The position fixing member 106 may include a first fixing hole 106b and a second fixing hole 106c. The first fixing hole 106b may be a hole formed to correspond to a position of the first fastening member 104 and connected to the first fastening member 104. The second fixing hole 106c may be a hole formed to correspond to a position of the second fastening member 105 and connected to the second fastening member 105. This may mean that when the first fastening member 104 is connected to the first fixing hole 106b, the second fastening member 105 may be connected to the second fixing hole 106c.
The position fixing member 106 may further include a third fixing hole 106d. The third fixing hole 106d may be a hole which is spaced apart from the second fixing hole 106c and in which a distance spaced apart from the first fixing hole 106b corresponds to a distance by which the first fixing hole 106b and the second fixing hole 106c are spaced apart from each other. This may mean that the third fixing hole 106d may be disposed on a circumference of a circle having the first fixing hole 106b as a central point and having a distance between the first fixing hole 106b and the second fixing hole 106c as a diameter.
This may mean that when the first fastening member 104 is connected to the first fixing hole 106b, the second fastening member 105 may be coupled to the second fixing hole 106c or the third fixing hole 106d. This may mean that an arrangement angle of the switch body 103 may be changed. Through this structure, the user may change the arrangement angle of the switch body 103 as needed.
For example, when the air heating apparatus 1 has in a form in which the expansion tank 20 and the water heater 30 are vertically arranged as illustrated in
The position fixing member 106 may further include a seating area 106e. The seating area 106e may be an area which is recessed downward to correspond to a shape of a lower portion of the switch body 103 and on which the switch body 103 may be seated. The seating area 106e may be a portion for facilitating assembly when the switch body 103 is coupled to the position fixing member 106.
As an example, the seating area 106e may be formed below the second fixing hole 106c. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the seating area 106e may be formed below the third fixing hole 106d, and the seating area 106e may be formed below both the second fixing hole 106c and the third fixing hole 106d.
When the switch body 103 is seated on the seating area 106e, the first fixing hole 106b and the first hole 103a may communicate with each other. This may mean that the seating area 106e has a shape protruding from an area of the position fixing member 106 in which the first fixing hole 106b is formed.
Meanwhile, the switch part 100 may be spaced apart from the water inlet 21 in the direction orthogonal to the vertical direction and the reference direction “D.” As the switch part 100 is spaced apart from the water inlet 21, when the water is replenished through the water inlet 21, the water may be prevented from being splashed or stuck to the switch part 100.
The air heating apparatus 1 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure may further include a wetting preventing part 110. The wetting preventing part 110 may be disposed between the switch part 100 and the water inlet 21 and provided to prevent wetness of the switch part 100. When viewed in the direction orthogonal to the vertical direction and the reference direction “D,” the wetting preventing part 110 may cover at least a portion of the switch part 100. As an example, the wetting preventing part 110 may cover the first switch member 101.
Further, the wetting preventing part 110 may not protrude in the reference direction “D” as compared to the second switch member 102. This is because when the wetting preventing part 110 further protrudes from the second switch member 102, contact with the second switch member 102 may be hindered. That is, the wetting preventing part 110 and the second switch member 102 are in contact with the water replenishment cover 18 at the same time or the second switch member 102 protrudes further from the wetting preventing part 110, and thus only the second switch member 102 may be in contact with the water replenishment cover 18.
Hereinafter, another example of a switch part 100′ will be described in detail. Another example of the switch part 100′ is different from the switch part 100 in terms of a shape of a first switch member 101′ and a second switch member 102′. The switch part 100′ may include the first switch member 101′ and the second switch member 102′. The first switch member 101′ may be selectively connected to the electric circuit. The second switch member 102′ may be connected to the first switch member 101′, and may be in contact with the water replenishment cover 18 when the water replenishment cover 18 covers the communication part 17.
The second switch member 102′ may be elastically deformed by being pressed by the water replenishment cover 18 when in contact with the water replenishment cover 18. The first switch member 101′ may be connected to the electric circuit as the first switch member 101′ moves toward the electric circuit by the elastic deformation of the second switch member 102′. A state in which the first switch member 101′ is connected to the electric circuit may mean that the electric circuit is closed.
As an example, as the first switch member 101′ moves toward the electrical circuit, the first switch member 101′ may press and move a connection part 107 for connecting two broken parts of the electric circuit to each other, and the connection part 107 may connect the two broken parts of the electric circuit to each other to close the electric circuit. This may correspond to a case of switching from a state of
As another example, the first switch member 101′ may have electrical conductivity, move toward the electric circuit, directly connect the two broken parts of the electric circuit, and thus close the electric circuit.
This may mean that, when the water replenishment cover 18 covers the communication part 17, the electric circuit is closed so that the components connected to the electric circuit are operated.
Further, the second switch member 102′ may be elastically restored when the contact with the water replenishment cover 18 is released. In this case, the first switch member 101′ may be moved by the elastic restoration of the second switch member 102′ and thus the first switch member 101′ and the electric circuit may be disconnected. This may mean that the electric circuit is opened when the water replenishment cover 18 does not cover the communication part 17.
Meanwhile, not only when the water replenishment cover 18 is removed but also when the first opening cover 13 is removed, the second switch member 102′ may be elastically restored to move the first switch member 101′. This is because the water replenishment cover 18 is removed together when the first opening cover 13 is removed.
As an example, end portions of the second switch members 102 and 102′ in the reference direction “D” may have a shape bent downward. As the end portions of the second switch members 102 and 102′ in the reference direction “D” are bent downward, close contact between the water replenishment cover 18 and the end portions of the second switch members 102 and 102′ in the reference direction “D” may be smoothly achieved. As an example, when the end portions of the second
switch members 102 and 102′ in the reference direction “D” have a straight line shape that is not bent, and when it is assumed that a partially deformed portion of the water replenishment cover 18 is present due to defective injection or engraving inside the water replenishment cover 18, the end portions of the second switch members 102 and 102′ in the reference direction “D” may be caught by the corresponding deformed portion of the water replenishment cover 18. In this case, as the end portions of the second switch members 102 and 102′ are not elastically deformed and form a large pressure toward the reference direction “D,” the water replenishment cover 18 may be separated.
When the end portions of the second switch members 102 and 102′ in the reference direction “D” has a shape bent downward, concern that the end portions in the reference direction “D” are caught by the deformed portion may be reduced, and thus a problem that the water replenishment cover 18 is separated may be reduced.
According to the present disclosure, because a device for stopping operations of internal components when a water replenishment cover is removed may be included, a problem that opening of the water replenishment cover may be recognized as opening of a front cover or a panel may be solved.
The above description is merely illustrative of the technical spirit of the present disclosure, and those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs may make various modifications and changes without departing from the essential features of the present disclosure. Thus, the embodiments disclosed in the present disclosure are not intended to limit the technology spirit of the present disclosure, but are intended to describe the present disclosure, and the scope of the technical spirit of the present disclosure is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present disclosure should be interpreted by the appended claims, and all technical spirits within the scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2023-0125054 | Sep 2023 | KR | national |
| 10-2024-0116016 | Aug 2024 | KR | national |
