JP7199689B2 - Water heater - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a water heater that heats water passing through a heat exchanger with combustion exhaust of a burner.

A water heater consists of a housing containing a combustion device such as a burner and a heat exchanger. The housing is assembled by screwing a front cover from the front onto the front of a box body that closes five sides except the front. be done. For example, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-100002, the front cover is assembled by bending engaging portions on the four sides of the opening of the box body, and forming similar engaging portions on the four sides around the front cover. It is formed by bending and screwing the engaging portion of the box body and the engaging portion of the front cover from the front.

JP 2015-155773 A

The housing of the water heater is also a design component that makes up the exterior surface, and its design contributes to the user's willingness to buy. . Therefore, for example, the front cover can be hooked on the box body from above and screwed diagonally from the bottom, or the front cover can be inserted into the front of the box body from below and screwed, or the front cover can be inserted into the front of the box body. In this case, screwing is performed from the upper surface and the lower surface.
However, when the screw is fastened obliquely from the bottom surface, the workability is poor and the screw is conspicuous after all. In addition, with a structure in which the front cover is inserted from below, the front cover will fall when the screws are removed during maintenance. Furthermore, if the front cover is screwed from the upper surface and the lower surface, it will be difficult to remove the front cover after installation, resulting in a significant decrease in maintainability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a water heater capable of improving the design by making the screws for attaching the front cover inconspicuous, and improving the workability when removing the front cover and improving the maintainability. It is intended to

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 has a housing for housing a combustion device, the housing comprising a box body with an open front and a front cover assembled to the front of the box body. A water heater consisting of
An upper bent piece that is bent inward is formed at the front end of the upper plate of the box body, and a slit extending in the left-right direction is formed at the boundary between the upper plate and the upper bent piece ,
The upper side of the front cover is bent rearward to form a bent portion extending in the left-right direction, and the rear end edge of the bent portion is formed with a downward claw that is inserted into the slit from above, while the box main body The front end of the lower plate is formed with a receiving portion for receiving the lower surface of the front cover with the claw inserted into the slit, and the receiving portion and the lower surface of the front cover are screwed from below. .
According to the invention of claim 2, in the structure of claim 1, a pair of slits and claws are provided bilaterally symmetrically. A claw is formed at the rear end of the bent portion of the box, and the bent portion on the lower side is engaged with the front edge of the side plate of the box body with one of the claws inserted into the slit on the left and right opposite side. By inserting one of the claws into the slits on the left and right opposite sides and locking the side plate and the locked portion, the front cover can be secured to the front surface of the box body even when it is shifted in the left and right direction from the box body. It is characterized in that it can be supported by

According to the first aspect of the invention, the upper portion of the front cover is supported by the claws, and the lower surface of the front cover is supported by the receiving portion of the box body and screwed from below. can be made inconspicuous and the design can be improved. In addition, since the front cover does not drop even when the screws are removed, workability when removing the front cover is improved, and maintenance is also improved.
According to the invention of claim 2, in addition to the effect of claim 1, if there is an operation panel or the like on the front cover, maintenance of the combustion device can be performed while viewing the information, and work related to maintenance can be performed. further improved. In addition, since the front cover can be temporarily placed on the front surface of the box body, there is no need to worry about where to place the removed front cover.

1 is a perspective view of a water heater; FIG. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is explanatory drawing of a water heater, (A) shows a front, (B) shows a side, respectively. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is explanatory drawing of a water heater, (A) shows a plane and (B) shows a bottom face, respectively. It is a front view of the state which removed the front cover. It is an explanatory view of only the housing, (A) shows the front, and (B) shows a cross section along the line AA. (A) is an enlarged view of the B section in FIG. 5, and (B) is an enlarged view of the C section. 4 is a perspective view of a cover body of the front cover; FIG. It is explanatory drawing of a cover main body, (A) shows a front, (B) shows a side, (C) shows a back, respectively. It is explanatory drawing of a cover main body, (A) shows a plane and (B) shows a bottom face, respectively. (A) is an enlarged view of part D in FIG. 7, and (B) is a sectional view of a bent portion. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a housing in which a front cover is supported by being shifted left and right from a box body; FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the housing in which the front cover is supported by being shifted left and right from the box body; 12 is an enlarged perspective view of the upper portion of the front cover of FIG. 11; FIG. 13 is an enlarged perspective view of the lower portion of the front cover of FIG. 12; FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a bent portion showing an example in which the radius of curvature is changed between the concave portion and the front portion;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 is a perspective view showing an example of a water heater, FIG. 2(A) is a front view of the water heater, (B) is a side view, FIG. 3(A) is a plan view, and (B) is a bottom view.
This water heater 1 has a housing 2 composed of a box body 3 closing five surfaces except the front surface and a front cover 4 closing the front surface of the box body 3 . As shown in FIG. 4 with the front cover 4 removed, a combustion device 5 having a burner unit 6, a heat exchanger 7, and an exhaust hood 8 is installed in the housing 2 from below. An exhaust pipe 9 provided at the upper end of the box body 3 penetrates the upper plate 30 of the box body 3 and protrudes upward. Mounting brackets 10, 10 for installation on an indoor wall or the like are provided on the upper and lower sides of the back surface of the box body 3, and a plurality of air supply ports 11, 11, . . . ing.
A gas connection port 12 to which an external gas pipe is connected, a water supply connection port 13 to which an external water supply pipe is connected, and an external hot water supply pipe having a plurality of hot water taps are connected to the bottom surface of the box body 3. A hot water supply connection 14 and a return connection 15 are provided.

The burner unit 6 is connected with a gas pipe 16 that is connected to the gas connection port 12, and is provided with a fan 17 for supplying combustion air.
The heat exchanger 7 has a heat transfer tube 18 passing through a plurality of fins (not shown) in a meandering manner, and a water supply pipe 19 connected to the water supply connection port 13 is connected to the inlet end of the heat transfer tube 18, A hot water outlet pipe 20 connected to the hot water supply connection port 14 is connected to the outlet end of the heat transfer pipe 18 . A circulation pipe 21 having a pump 22 is connected between the return connection port 15 and the water supply pipe 19 .
That is, the water heater 1 heats the water supplied from the water supply pipe 19 by the heat exchanger 7 and discharges the hot water from the hot water discharge pipe 20, and operates the pump 22 to circulate the discharged hot water from the external hot water supply pipe. It is a circulation system in which the heat is returned to the water supply pipe 19 through the pipe 21 and reheated by the heat exchanger 7 .

As shown in FIG. 5, the box body 3 of the housing 2 is formed by joining an upper plate 30, a lower plate 31, left and right side plates 32, 32, and a back plate 33, which are all made of metal. As shown in FIG. 4, an upper bent piece 34 that is bent inward (opening side) is formed at the front edge of the upper plate 30 forming the front opening. In addition, the front edges of the left and right side plates 32, 32 are also formed with laterally bent pieces 35, 35 that are bent inward. A pair of slits 36 extending in the left-right direction are symmetrically formed at the boundary between the upper plate 30 and the upper bent piece 34 .
Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the lower plate 31 is longer forward than the upper plate 30, and has a receiving portion 37 at its front end that protrudes forward beyond the front edge of the upper plate 30. A pair of through holes 38, 38 for screwing are formed on the left and right sides of the receiving portion 37. As shown in FIG.

On the other hand, the front cover 4 includes a front plate 41 having a rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and bent portions 42 to 44 formed by bending the upper side, the lower side, and the left and right sides of the front plate 41 rearward. It has a box-shaped metal cover body 40 . A vertically long mirror 45 is fitted and fixed in the center of the front plate 41, and a cover 46 is provided below the mirror 45 to cover an operation panel (not shown) attached from the back side of the cover body 40 so that it can be opened and closed. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the cover body 40 has a recess 47 for fixing the mirror 45 extending in the vertical direction with a predetermined width. A rectangular window 48 is formed for this purpose.
A pair of claws 49, 49 that can be inserted from above into the slits 36, 36 provided in the box body 3 are formed by bending downward at the rear edge of the bent portion 42 on the upper side.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, a projecting portion 50 is formed in the central portion of the bent portion 43 of the lower side, excluding the left and right ends, and projects further rearward than the bent portions 42 and 44 of the upper side and the left and right sides. A pair of screw holes 51 , 51 corresponding to the through holes 38 , 38 formed in the receiving portion 37 of the lower plate 31 of the box body 3 are formed in the projecting portion 50 .

Here, the concave portion 47 of the cover body 40 is drawn over the entire length of the front plate 41 so as to reach from the bent portion 42 on the upper side to the bent portion 43 on the lower side. In this case, since the heights in the front-rear direction are different between the recess 47 and the front surfaces 52, 52 located on the left and right sides of the recess 47, if the bent portions 42, 43 are bent as they are, the surplus sheet metal in the recess 47 is removed from the front surface 52 side. By escaping, wrinkles are generated in the bent portions 42 and 43 from between the concave portion 47 and the front portion 52 .
However, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, when bending the bent portions 42 and 43, the bent portion 47A is formed in an arc shape in the case of bending from the recess 47 which is drawn. In the bending from the left and right front portions 52 that are not drawn, the bent portions 52A are not formed in the same circular arc shape as indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. This difference in bending can be accommodated by the shape of the mold.
By changing the shape of the bent portions 47A and 52A in this way, the end of bending of the bent portion 47A and the bent portion 52A is not greatly deviated. Therefore, the bent portions 42 and 43 can be formed without causing wrinkles between the concave portion 47 and the front portion 52 .

In the water heater 1 configured as described above, when the front cover 4 is attached to the box body 3, the claws 49, 49 provided on the bent portion 42 of the upper side of the front cover 4 are provided on the front surface of the box body 3. It is inserted from above into the slits 36, 36. Then, the claws 49, 49 are engaged with the upper plate 30, and the bent portion 43 of the lower side of the front cover 4 is placed on the receiving portion 37 of the lower plate 31 of the box body 3, and the front face of the box body 3 is supported. It is supported in closed condition. In this state, the screw holes 51, 51 of the bent portion 43 are aligned with the through holes 38, 38 of the lower plate 31, and the screws 53, 53 are inserted into the through holes 38, 38 from below the lower plate 31 to tighten the screw holes 51, 53. Screw in 51. The front cover 4 is thereby fixed to the box body 3 .
In this state, only the heads of the screws 53, 53 appear on the lower surface of the lower plate 31, so that they are not conspicuous from the front and the design is excellent. Further, since the bottom surface of the front cover 4 is hidden from the lower plate 31, even if the bottom surface is wrinkled due to bending of the front cover 4 or the like, it cannot be seen from the outside, and the design is not spoiled.

On the other hand, when removing the front cover 4 for internal maintenance or the like, the screws 53, 53 of the lower plate 31 are loosened and removed, and the connection between the lower plate 31 and the bent portion 43 is released. However, since the claws 49, 49 of the front cover 4 are retained on the upper plate 30 and placed on the lower plate 31, the front cover 4 will not come off or shift unexpectedly. Then, the front cover 4 can be removed from the box body 3 by lifting the front cover 4 upward and extracting the claws 49, 49 from the slits 36, 36. - 特許庁

(Effects of invention related to mounting structure of front cover)
Thus, according to the water heater 1 of the above configuration, the slit 36 is formed in the front end of the top plate 30 of the box body 3 , and the top end of the front cover 4 has downward claws that are inserted into the slits 36 from above. 49 is formed at the front end of the lower plate 31 of the box body 3, and a receiving portion 37 is formed to receive the lower surface of the front cover 4 with the claw 49 inserted into the slit 36. The receiving portion 37 and the front cover are formed. Since the lower surface of the front cover 4 is screwed from below, the screws 53 for attaching the front cover 4 are inconspicuous, and the design can be improved. In addition, workability when removing the front cover 4 is improved, and maintainability is also improved.

The number, position, and shape of the slits provided in the box body are not limited to those described above, and the number of slits may be increased and provided at equal intervals, or one slit may be elongated in the left and right directions. The number and shape of the claws provided on the front cover may be changed according to the slit.
Also, the receiving portions provided on the lower plate can be appropriately changed, for example, by arranging a plurality of receiving portions that are short in the left and right directions at equal intervals.
Furthermore, in the invention relating to the mounting structure of the front cover, the front cover does not have to be in the shape of a shallow box, and an L-shaped claw may be formed on the upper edge of the plate-like front cover.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the lower end of the front edge of the side plate 32 of the box body 3 is inserted into the bent portion 43 on the lower side of the front cover 4 with one claw 49 inserted into the slit 36 on the left and right opposite side. It is also possible to form notches 54, 54 as locked portions for locking (the portion without the laterally bent piece 35) from the rear end. In this case, the front cover 4 is laterally shifted by inserting one claw 49 shown in FIGS. 11 and 13 into the slit 36 and engaging the side plate 32 and the notch 54 shown in FIGS. It can be supported on the front surface of the box main body 3 even at any position. At this time, a gap is formed between the side plate 32 and the front plate 41 of the front cover 4 so that the harness connecting the controller on the box body 3 side and the operation panel does not get caught.
Therefore, according to this modification, it is possible to perform maintenance on the combustion device 5 side while viewing information on the operation panel, thereby further improving workability related to maintenance. In addition, since the front cover 4 can be temporarily placed on the front surface of the box body 3, there is no need to worry about where to place the removed front cover 4.例文帳に追加

(Effects of invention related to bending process of front cover)
As described above, according to the method for processing the water heater 1 and the front cover 4 of the above-described configuration, the bent portions 42 and 43 on the two sides to which the drawn portion (recess 47) reaches are bent from the non-drawn portion (front portion 52). Since the portion 52A is chamfered, even if the front plate 41 of the shallow box-shaped front cover 4 is subjected to a drawing process reaching the bent portions 42 and 43, the recess 47 and the front surface portion 52 will not be bent. The difference in required bending length can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to prevent wrinkles from occurring in the vicinity of the recess 47, and to maintain the design of the front cover 4 without impairing the aesthetic appearance of the bent portions 42 and 43 as well.

In the above embodiment, the bent portion of the side to which the drawn portion reaches is chamfered at the bent portion other than the drawn portion. In addition, as shown in FIG. At the bent portions 42 and 43 on the sides reached by, the curvature radius R1 of the bent portion 52A from the front surface portion 52 may be formed to be larger than the curvature radius R2 of the bent portion 47A from the recess 47. In this case as well, the difference in required bending length between the concave portion 47 and the front portion 52 can be reduced, and wrinkles in the vicinity of the concave portion 47 can be prevented.
Further, in the above embodiment, the narrowed portions reach the upper bent portion and the lower bent portion, but in the case where the narrowed portion reaches the left and right bent portions, the bent portions are similarly chamfered. Or, by changing the radius of curvature of the bent portion, the occurrence of wrinkles can be prevented. The same applies when the constricted portion reaches three or four sides of the front plate instead of two, or when it reaches only one side.

In addition, common to each invention, the water heater itself is not limited to the above form, and a non-circulating water heater, a latent heat recovery type equipped with a sub heat exchanger, and a heating circuit between the hot water supply side and the bath side or heating side. Each invention can be adopted even if it is a composite type or the like having.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 water heater, 2 housing, 3 box body, 4 front cover, 5 combustion device, 6 burner unit, 7 heat exchanger, 30 upper plate, 31 Lower plate 34 Upper bent piece 36 Slit 37 Receiving portion 38 Through hole 40 Cover main body 41 Front plate 42 to 45 Bent portion 47... Recessed part, 47A... Bent part, 49... Claw, 50... Protruding part, 51... Screw hole, 52... Front part, 52A... Bent part, 53... Screw, 54... Notch, R1, R2... radius of curvature.

Claims (2)

Having a housing that houses the combustion device,
A water heater in which the housing comprises a box body with an open front surface and a front cover assembled to the front face of the box body,
An upper bent piece that is bent inward is formed at the front end of the upper plate of the box body, and a slit extending in the left-right direction is formed at the boundary between the upper plate and the upper bent piece ,
A bent portion that is bent rearward and extends in the left-right direction is formed on the upper side of the front cover, and a downward claw that is inserted into the slit from above is formed on the rear edge of the bent portion. ,
A receiving portion is formed at the front end of the lower plate of the box body to receive the lower surface of the front cover while the claw is inserted into the slit, and the receiving portion and the lower surface of the front cover are screwed from below. A water heater characterized by: A pair of the slit and the claw are provided symmetrically,
The front cover has a bent portion that is bent rearward on its peripheral edge, and the claw is formed at the rear end of the bent portion on the upper side, and one of the claws is formed on the bent portion on the lower side. A latched portion is provided for latching the front edge of the side plate of the box body in a state of being inserted into the slit on the left and right opposite sides,
By inserting the one claw into the slit on the left and right opposite side and locking the side plate and the locked portion, the front cover can be attached to the box body even at a position shifted in the left and right direction from the box body. The water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that it can be supported on the front surface.

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