GB2289208A - A water heater/kettle for a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A water heater suitable for use in a vehicle eg a car comprises: a flask body (10); a lid (20); a ceramic electric heated (17); a temperature control element; and a relay. Power is supplied from the DC power supply of a vehicle's storage batteries and conducted to the ceramic electric heater (17) to boil water in the flask. Using a relay circuit, the temperature control element can be used to regulate heating of the water. The flask lid, which is fixed through a linking ring to a part of the vehicle, has a vapour exit (22). Vapour contacting spacer (21) and the bottom edge of lid (20) is condensed to distilled water and drops down into the liner of the flask body (10), with only a small amount of vapour exhausting from the flask. <IMAGE>

Description

"A Water Heater" This invention relates to a water heater and more particularly to a water heater for use in a vehicle. The water heater is, such as a flask, has an electric heater which can be directly fed with a DC current from the vehicles power supply through a relay circuit to boil liquid in the water heater.

At present, car drivers and passengers have to bring a vacuum flask and drinking vessels with them if they want to drink hot water or drinks made with hot water in a car. However, a vacuum flask has limited volume, so the need of the vehicle occupants for hot or boiling water cannot be satisfied.

This invention, therefore, aims at providing a water heater for car use, which conducts the car's DC current to an electric heater in the water heater to heat and boil water or the like.

One aspect of the present invention provides a water heater for use in a vehicle comprising: a container for holding water; a lid for engagement with the container; a spacer located between the lid and the container having at least one outlet for exhausting water and/or water vapour; an electric heater operable to heat water in the container; and a control means for controlling the supply of heat to the water in the container.

A further aspect of the present invention provides a kind of water heater for car use, comprising a flask body and lid, including a ceramic electric heater, temperature control element, relay and power supply wires.

Preferably, a spacer with a vapour outlet is fixed under the lid, which also has a vapour outlet at the outer edge, the two outlets not being vertically on the same line.

Conveniently, at the bottom centre of the lid is a water outlet seal, the open/close function of which is controlled by a switch fixed at the outer edge of the lid.

Advantageously, in the DC circuit, in which the DC current is transferred to heat energy, the ceramic electric heater is linked with a temperature control element by way of parallel connection, and also linked with an induction coil of a normally open relay. Thus, an electro-magnetic field generated by the induction coil will control the action of the normally open relay switch which is connected to the ceramic electric heater at the other end of the relay.

Conveniently, the ceramic electric heater can be replaced by another type of electric heater, still using the temperature control element to control the transfer of heat energy from DC electric energy.

Preferably, the temperature control element can be linked with a buzzer and/or an alarm light to show the water heating status of the flask.

A flask having the above described features benefits from the following advantages: While travelling in a car, drivers and passengers can use it to boil water very quickly and conveniently to satisfy their needs for hot or boiled water. Under the temperature of 25"C in a car, with the voltage of 12v of the car DC power supply, it will only take 25-35 minutes to boil 500-700cc water. The flask also serves to preserve the heat energy of the water.

With the designed circuit, the temperature control element can be kept within the safety scope. The car water heater can achieve maximum efficiency with the most economic and simplest methods while only adding an electric current converter without changing the car's circuitry.

One aspect of the invention also provides a lid spacer, from which vapour will not overflow in a large quantity, thereby not increasing the heat in the car, and not affecting a driver's field of vision due to misting.

Additionally, a suspender and linking ring of the flask can help fix the water heater to the back of a seat. A tap at the water outlet provides convenience for opening or closing the water outlet of the water heater.

The flask does not take up a lot of space, is convenient to be carried and the power supply wires and the linking ring can be dismantled/mounted very quickly, so that the flask is available for use outside the car.

In order that the present invention may be more readily understood, an embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompany drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 shows an electric circuit for use with the present invention; Figure 3 is a table showing the respective operating conditions of the circuit elements of an embodiment of the invention; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1 when assembled; Figure 5 is an enlarged view of a flask lid for use with the present invention; Figure 6 is a perspective view of the flask of Figure 4 in use; and Figure 7 is a further view of the flask of Figure 4 in use.

Referring to Figure 1, a water heater in the form of a flask 1 comprises a flask body 10, having at a side bottom of the flask body 10, a power supply socket 11, one end of which linked to a ceramic electric heater 17. The other end is linked by an electric wire 30 to a power supply socket 40 (the plug-in socket for a cigarette lighter or dust collector of a general car). After the car engine is started, the storage batteries are recharged constantly, and the electric current is conducted through the power supply socket 40 of the car and electric wire 30 as well as the power supply socket 11 of the flask body to the circuit of the ceramic electric heater 17.

As shown in Figure 2, the DC current has a high volume, and the electric current is likely to destroy the contacts of the temperature control element 50, so a parallel connection is used to link the temperature control element 50 with the ceramic electric heater. Besides, I=I1+I2, yet I=V/R, thus the bigger the resistance R, the lower the passed electric current I1 is, therefore, the resistance of the induction coil is utilised to limit the electric current passed through the temperature control element. With the increase of the resistance value of I1, the electric current of I1 is relatively decreased. In doing so, the electric current passed through the temperature control element 50 is reduced within the safety scope, while the function of temperature control does not fail.As the electric current I1 passes through the temperature control element 50 to the relay 60, an electromagnetic field is generated when the electric current passes through the induction coil 61 of the relay 60, which will make a normally open switch 62 at the other end of the relay 60 respond. Consequently, I2 is conducted through to the ceramic electric heater 17, so that its electric energy is transferred to heat energy to heat and boil the water.

The temperature control element 50 is set at a temperature of 980C, the action status of each element being shown in Figure 3. When the water temperature is lower than 98"C, the induction coil 61 generates an electro-magnetic field, the normally open switch 62 closes thus making the ceramic electric heater generate heat energy. When the water temperature goes beyond 980C, the temperature control element 50 jumps away, the induction coil 61 makes no action, and the normally open switch 62 remains open, so the ceramic electric heater 17 will have no response and does not heat the water. By using this circuit, the electric current of I1 can be lowered to assure the safety utilisation of the temperature control element 50, and control the ceramic electric heater 17 to heat and boil the water. In addition, the temperature control element can also be connected with a buzzer or alarm light to show the water heating status.

As shown in Figures 1, 4 and 5, the outer edge of the flask lid 20 and the inner edge of the flask mouth are sealed by a rubber washer. When adding water, press the slipknot at the front of the lid 20 to lift the lid, pour water of appropriate volume to the inner liner of the flask body 10, and then seal the lid and flask body together.

Under the lid 20 is a spacer 21, on the left of which there is a vapour outlet 22. On the inner right of the lid 20 there is also a vapour outlet 22, which is connected through to the outer edge of the lid 20. When boiling water, press the switch 23 fixed at the outer edge of the lid 20, the water outlet seal 24 is then pushed up by the spring to seal the water outlet 25 of the lid. When power is supplied to heat the water, a large amount of vapour will be generated, which will exhaust from the flask through the vapour outlet 22 at the spacer 21 and the bottom edge of the lid 20. Most of the vapour, while contacting the spacer 21 and the bottom edge of the lid 20, is condensed to distilled water, and drops down into the liner of the flask body 10, with only a very small amount of vapour exhausting from the flask.While drinking water, press forward the switch 23 fixed at the outer edge of the lid 20, then the water outlet seal 24 of the lid is pushed down and fixed, separated from the bottom edge of the lid 20, so boiled water can be poured down through the vapour outlet 22 of the spacer and water outlet of the lid. After that, loosen the fixed switch 23, the water outlet seal 24 is then pushed upwards to seal the water outlet 25, preventing boiled water from overflowing out of the flask.

As shown in Figure 6, a suspender 14 is fixed at the upper area of the flask body to suspend the flask vertically around the head pillow area of a car seat, and the flask body 10 can be found at appropriate positions at the front, back, left or right of the seat for a passenger's convenience. A linking ring 15 is added at the outer side of the flask body 10, and the extension at both ends of the ring has a sticky felt cloth 16, which can be stuck to the cloth-quality seat cover to fix the position of the flask body 10. To take the flask out of the car, the only thing that needs to be done is to dismantle the linking ring 15 and power supply wire 30 from the flask body 10.

As shown in Figure 7, this product can be located in the vacant space beside the driver's seat.

Claims (15)

1. A water heater for use in a vehicle comprising: a container for holding water; a lid for engagement with the container; a spacer located between the lid and the container having at least one outlet for exhausting water and/or water vapour; an electric heater operable to heat water in the container; and a control means for controlling the supply of heat to the water in the container.

2. A water heater according to Claim 1, wherein the spacer has a vapour outlet at an outer edge of the spacer.

3. A water heater according to Claim 1 and 2, wherein a water outlet seal is provided to seal the or each water outlet.

4. A water heater according to any preceding claim, wherein two vapour outlets are provided which are not vertically on the same line.

5. A water heater according to any preceding claim, wherein the opening and closing of the water outlet seal is controllable by a switch fixed on an outer edge of the lid.

6. A water heater according to any preceding claim, wherein the electric heater is linked with the control means by way of a parallel connection and is also linked with an induction coil of a normally open relay, an electro-magnetic field generated by the induction coil being operable to control the action of the normally open relay which is connected to the electric heater at the other end of the relay.

7. A water heater according to Claim 1, wherein the electric heater is a ceramic electric heater using the temperature control element to control the transfer of heat energy from DC electric energy.

8. A water heater according to any preceding claim, wherein the temperature control element is connected to a buzzer.

9. A water heater according to any preceding claim, wherein the temperature control element is connected to an alarm light to indicate the water heating status in the flask.

10. A water heater according to any preceding claim, wherein a linking ring is provided for receiving the flask, the ring being attachable to a structure in the vehicle.

11. A water heater according to Claim 6, wherein the linking ring is attachable by means of sticky felt cloth to a vehicle seat.

12. A water heater in combination with attachment means adapted to receive the water heater, the attachment means being attachable to a structure in the vehicle.

13. A combination according to Claim 12, wherein the attachment means comprises a linking ring attachable by means of sticky felt cloth to a vehicle seat.

14. A water heater substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 to

15. Any novel feature or combination of features disclosed herein.