JP2001221508A - Hot air blower - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hot-air blower which can be used at a distance from a plug socket unlike the conventional hot-air blower that needs electric power for driving a motor-driven fan. SOLUTION: This hot-air blower is constituted in such a way that the motor- driven fan 19 of an air blowing section 4 which sends the heat generated from a combustion chamber 3 is driven by the thermoelectromotive force generated from a thermoelectric element 16 positioned under the combustion chamber 3. Consequently, the blower can be used easily at any location, because the blower only uses a fuel gas as its energy source.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hot air blower for generating hot air by burning fuel gas.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a conventionally used warm air blower. The main body 70 includes the electric fan 7.
1 and a part of a combustion chamber 72 provided in front of an electric fan 71, and is configured to exhaust warm air from an exhaust port 74. The combustion chamber 72 has a fuel supply unit 73
It supplies more fuel gas. The fuel supply unit 73 includes a tank 73a storing fuel gas, an on-off valve 73b connected to the tank 73a, and a nozzle 73c connected to the on-off valve 73b.

With the above configuration, when the user opens the on-off valve 73b and drives the ignition device (not shown), the nozzle 73
The fuel gas ejected from c is ignited and burns in the upper part of the combustion chamber 72 as shown in FIG. When the electric fan 71 is driven in this state, warm air is exhausted from the exhaust port 74 of the main body 70, and the surroundings are heated.

[0004]

The conventional hot air blower requires electric power for driving the electric fan, and has a problem that it can be used only in a place near an outlet.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, an energy source is provided by driving an electric fan of a blower for blowing heat generated in a fuel chamber by a thermoelectromotive force generated by a thermoelectric element disposed below a firing chamber. Is a convenient hot-air blower that can be used anywhere, using only fuel gas.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS According to the first aspect of the present invention, an electric fan of a blower for blowing heat generated in a combustion chamber is driven by a thermoelectromotive force generated by a thermoelectric element disposed below the combustion chamber. The only hot air blower that can be used anywhere is the fuel gas as the only energy source.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the thermoelectric element comprises:
A plurality of heat exchangers are used to cover the entire circumference or almost the entire circumference of the combustion chamber, so that all of the heat generated by the combustion chamber can be transmitted to the thermoelectric element, thereby providing a hot-air blower with high thermal efficiency.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the combustion chamber is arranged substantially at the center of the ventilation passage provided downstream of the electric fan, so that all the heat generated from the combustion chamber can be transmitted to the thermoelectric element. In addition, a wind from a fan flows around the high-temperature combustion chamber to lower the temperature of the outer shell, thereby providing a hot-air blower with improved installation and usability.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the blower, the support member for supporting the combustion chamber is made of a material having a low thermal conductivity, thereby lowering the temperature of the outer shell, and further improving the installation property and the usability. It is a hot air blower.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the electric fan is arranged at a position facing a nozzle for supplying fuel gas to the combustion chamber, so that the air-fuel ratio is increased during catalytic combustion to maintain stable catalytic combustion. A hot air blower that can be used.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the throat accommodating the nozzle has an adjusting valve for adjusting the opening degree at the intake port so that the air flow rate at the time of ignition and the air flow rate at the time of stable combustion are adjusted. Also, it is an easy-to-use hot air blower that can adjust the capacity during operation.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the pipe to the nozzle is configured to pass near the combustion chamber, so that even if the operation is performed for a long time, it is possible to prevent a decrease in temperature due to heat of vaporization of the combustion gas. A hot air blower that provides a stable gas flow rate and stable combustion.

[0013]

(Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the present embodiment. The hot air blower of the present embodiment includes a main body 1 and a blower section 4 arranged below the main body 1. The main body 1 has a combustion chamber 3 for burning fuel gas, and a fuel supply unit 2 for supplying fuel gas to the combustion chamber 3. The fuel supply unit 2 includes a gas tank 7 for storing a fuel gas such as butane,
An on-off valve 8 for opening and closing the gas tank 7;
A throat 10 for mixing air with fuel gas ejected from the nozzle 9, an ignition device 21 and an ignition plug 22 for generating a spark in the combustion chamber 3 in conjunction with the ignition device 21. are doing. The combustion chamber 3 has a substantially central portion divided by a catalyst heating element 11. In the present embodiment, the catalyst heating element 11 uses a noble metal such as platinum. On the upper part partitioned by the catalyst heating element 11,
An exhaust port 13 opened to the outside air is provided. The throat 10 of the fuel supply unit 2 is inserted in a lower part partitioned by the catalyst heating element 11.

The blower 4 has openings 4a, 4a at both ends.
The electric fan 19 is provided inside.

In the present embodiment, a part of the outer wall at the bottom of the combustion chamber 3 is formed of a metal plate, and serves as a heat receiving plate 14 for transmitting heat generated in the combustion chamber 3 to the outside. In the heat receiving plate 14,
A heat radiating plate 15 is provided, which is joined substantially integrally with the heat receiving plate 14. The heat radiating plate 15 is made of a metal material having a high thermal conductivity such as copper or aluminum, and acts to make the temperature of the heat receiving plate 14 uniform. Further, a cooling plate 17 is provided on a wall surface on the upper surface of the blower unit 4. The cooling plate 17
It is made of a metal material having high thermal conductivity such as copper or aluminum. Further, the cooling plate 17 integrally has a plurality of fins 18 protruding into the blower 4. The fin body 18 is made of a metal material having high thermal conductivity such as aluminum. A thermoelectric element 16 is joined between the heat radiating plate 15 and the cooling plate 17. The thermoelectric element 16
When a temperature difference occurs between both surfaces of the element, a thermoelectromotive force corresponding to the temperature difference is generated by the Seebeck effect. That is, in the present embodiment, the thermoelectric element 16 generates a thermoelectromotive force according to the temperature difference between the temperature of the heat radiating plate 15 and the temperature of the cooling plate 17.

This thermoelectromotive force is supplied to a motor of an electric fan 19 provided in the blower 4. That is, in this embodiment, the electric fan 19 is driven by the thermoelectromotive force of the thermoelectric element 16.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below.
When the user opens the opening / closing valve 8 and operates the ignition device 21, the fuel gas stored in the gas tank 7 is burned in the combustion chamber 3. That is, when the fuel gas supplied from the gas tank 7 is ejected from the nozzle 9, the air is entrained by the throat 10 to become a combustible gas, and is supplied to the combustion chamber 3. When a spark is generated from the ignition plug 22 by operating the ignition device 21 in this state, the combustible gas is ignited, and the catalyst heating element 11 is heated. When the temperature of the catalyst heating element 11 rises and reaches the activation temperature, the combustion in the combustion chamber 3 shifts to catalytic combustion, and the flame generated at the time of ignition is extinguished. Exhaust gas generated during combustion is exhausted from the exhaust port 13 to the outside of the device.

At this time, in the present embodiment, a thermoelectric element 16 is provided at the bottom of the combustion chamber 3. The thermoelectric element 16 is in contact with a heat radiating plate 15 that is in contact with a heat receiving plate 14 that forms a part of the bottom surface of the combustion chamber 3 and a cooling plate 17 that is in contact with a wall surface of an upper surface of the blower 4. I have. The cooling plate 17 is in contact with the wall surface of the blowing unit 4 having a large heat capacity, and always maintains almost normal temperature. Therefore, the thermoelectric element 16 generates a thermoelectromotive force according to the temperature difference between the high temperature of the heat receiving plate 14 and the low temperature of the cooling plate 17. This thermoelectromotive force is supplied to the electric fan 19 of the blower 4.

Therefore, the device starts operating and the combustion chamber 3
When the temperature rises due to catalytic combustion, the electric fan 19 starts blowing air. By this blowing, the blowing unit 4
The air sucked in from the opening 4a is heated by the fin body 18 to become warm air and is blown from the opening 4b. The fin body 18 is integrated with the cooling plate 17 as described above, and generates heat from the combustion chamber 3 by the heat receiving plate 1.
4, the heat radiating plate 15 and the thermoelectric element 16. Therefore, the heat generated in the combustion chamber 3 is transmitted to the fin body 18 by heat conduction, and the amount of heat is radiated into the blower 4. Thus, the front surface of the opening 4b is heated.

At this time, in this embodiment, the drive source of the electric fan 19 is the thermoelectromotive force generated by the thermoelectric element 16 as described above. Therefore, the hot air blower of this embodiment uses only the fuel gas held in the gas tank 7 as the energy source. That is, for driving the electric fan 19, for example, a commercial power supply is not used. Therefore, the hot air blower of this embodiment can be used in any place, and can be used freely even in a place where no outlet is present.

At this time, in this embodiment, the thermoelectric element 16
Are disposed below the combustion chamber 3. Therefore, the thermoelectric element 16 is not affected by the high-temperature exhaust gas discharged from the exhaust port 13 of the combustion chamber 3. Generally, the thermoelectric element 16 has low heat resistance, and is broken or malfunctions when the element is exposed to a high temperature. In other words, by arranging the thermoelectric elements 16 of the present embodiment, a hot air blower having a highly reliable operation even after long-term use is realized.

(Embodiment 2) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the main body 23 has the blower 4 described with reference to FIG. That is, the main body 4 is a cylindrical body having both ends serving as an intake port 23a and an exhaust port 23b. An electric fan 39 is provided on the intake port 23a side of the main body 4. On the downstream side of the blown air blown by the electric fan 39, the heat generating section 25 including the combustion chamber 32 is arranged. The heating unit 25 includes a combustion chamber 32 having a catalyst heating element 31, a throat 30 for ejecting fuel gas supplied from the fuel supply unit 24 to the combustion chamber 32, a nozzle 29 inserted in the throat 30, An ignition plug 42 is provided.

The combustion chamber 32 has the structure shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the configuration of the combustion chamber of the present embodiment. The combustion chamber 32 has a catalyst heating element 31 inside, and the heat receiving plate 34, the heat radiating plate 35, the thermoelectric element 36, and the cooling plate 37 described in the first embodiment are arranged on both upper and lower surfaces. ing. In this embodiment, the thermoelectric element 36 is
Although two sheets are used, it does not matter if two or three or more sheets are used to cover the entire circumference or almost the entire circumference of the combustion chamber 32.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below.
When the open / close valve 28 of the fuel supply unit 24 is opened, the fuel gas flows out of the gas tank 27, and the combustible gas blows out to the combustion chamber 32 through the nozzle 29 and the throat 30 arranged in the heating unit 25. At this time, when the ignition device 41 is operated, a spark is generated from the ignition plug 42 and the combustible gas is ignited. The ignited combustible gas heats the catalyst heating element 31, and when the catalyst heating element 31 reaches the activation temperature, the combustion chamber 32
Shifts to catalytic combustion as a whole. Therefore, the flame of the combustible gas is extinguished.

The heat generated in the combustion chamber 32 due to the catalytic combustion is as follows:
Through the heat receiving plate 34 and the heat radiating plate 25, the heat is transmitted to the thermoelectric element 36 covering the entire circumference or almost the entire circumference of the combustion chamber 32.
The low temperature side of the thermoelectric element 36 is cooled by a cooling plate 37 integrally provided with a plurality of fin bodies 38 as in the first embodiment. Therefore, the thermoelectric element 36 generates a thermoelectromotive force as in the first embodiment. At this time, in this embodiment, since the thermoelectric element 36 is configured to cover the entire circumference or almost the entire circumference of the combustion chamber 32, all of the heat generated in the combustion chamber 32 can be used. That is, the first embodiment
Can generate a larger thermoelectromotive force than that of the above configuration. This thermoelectromotive force is transmitted to the electric fan 39 shown in FIG. The electric fan 39 is
The air can be stably operated, and the air taken in from the intake port 23a is sent from the exhaust port 23b as warm air by the heat radiation of the fin body 38.

It should be noted that there is no problem even if the idea of the present embodiment is applied to the configuration having the blower unit 4 described in the first embodiment.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, a plurality of thermoelectric elements 36 are arranged so as to cover the entire circumference or almost the entire circumference of the combustion chamber 32. It can realize a blower.

(Embodiment 3) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the configuration of the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the heat generating portion 45 is disposed substantially at the center of the main body 60. Therefore, all of the heat generated from the combustion chamber 52 can be used for power generation by the thermoelectric element 56, and the blowing of an electric fan (not shown) flows around the combustion chamber 52, which is at a high temperature. Can be uniformly reduced. For this reason,
The temperature of the outer shell of the main body 60 is reduced, so that installation and usability can be improved.

(Embodiment 4) Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the present embodiment. In this embodiment, the heat generating section 45 is supported by the main body 60 using the support member 63. At this time, in this embodiment, the support member 63 is made of a material having a low thermal conductivity such as a plastic resin.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the heat generating portion 45 can be reliably disposed substantially at the center of the main body 60. Therefore, as described in the third embodiment, all of the heat generated from the combustion chamber 52 can be used for power generation by the thermoelectric element 56, and the blowing of the electric fan (not shown) becomes high. By flowing around the chamber 52, the temperature of the outer shell can be reduced uniformly. In addition, since the support member 63 is made of a material having a low thermal conductivity, heat generated in the combustion chamber 52 is not transmitted to the main body 60, and the temperature of the outer shell of the main body 60 can be reliably kept low. It can improve installation and usability.

(Embodiment 5) Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of FIG. In this embodiment, the intake port 6 of the throat 50
Reference numeral 5 is arranged at a position facing the electric fan 59.

For this reason, in the present embodiment, when the apparatus is started, that is, at the time of ignition, the thermoelectric element 56 is not operating, and the air sucked from the throat 50 is caused by the ejector effect of the fuel gas ejected from the nozzle 49. Only things. However, when the device is operating in a steady state, that is, when the combustion chamber 52 generates catalytic combustion and the thermoelectric element 56 generates a thermoelectromotive force, the electric fan 59 rotates and air is taken in from the intake port 60a. The air is blown to the air inlet 65 of the nozzle 49. In other words, a large amount of air is supplied after the combustion chamber 52 shifts to catalytic combustion, so that the air-fuel ratio increases. For this reason, stable catalytic combustion can be continued.

That is, according to the present embodiment, when the process shifts to the catalytic combustion, the amount of air to be supplied can be increased, and the heating device capable of maintaining the efficient catalytic combustion by increasing the air-fuel ratio can be realized. .

(Embodiment 6) Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of FIG. In this embodiment, the intake port 6 of the throat 50
5 is provided with a variable intake valve 66. The intake variable valve 66 is
The opening can be adjusted by adjusting a shaft provided outside the main body 60 (not shown).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, by adjusting the opening degree of the intake variable valve 66, it is possible to adjust the air flow rate during ignition, the air flow rate during stable combustion, and the capacity adjustment during operation. It is possible to realize a warm air blower which is possible and easy to use.

(Embodiment 7) Next, a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the configuration of the present embodiment. 7. The hot-air blower according to claim 6, wherein in the present embodiment, the vaporizing pipe 67 connecting the nozzle 49 and the opening / closing valve 48 passes near or downstream of the heat generating portion 45. It is arranged to pass near.

With the above configuration, the flow rate of the fuel gas supplied from the gas tank 47 can always be stabilized. That is, the fuel gas is in a liquid-gas mixed state in the gas tank 47. If the fuel gas in this state is operated for a long time or with a large output, the fuel gas is cooled by latent heat of vaporization and expansion, so that the gas pressure is reduced and the supply amount is reduced. In this regard, according to the present embodiment, since the vaporizing pipe 67 is heated by the blown hot air, it is possible to prevent a temperature decrease due to the heat of vaporization of the fuel gas even when the operation is performed for a long time. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the flow rate of the fuel gas supplied from the gas tank 47 can always be stabilized. A stable gas flow can be obtained.

[0038]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a combustion chamber for burning a fuel gas, a fuel supply section for supplying the fuel gas to the combustion chamber, a blowing section for blowing heat from the fuel chamber, and the blowing section. A thermoelectric element for driving an electric fan provided in the combustion chamber, wherein the thermoelectric element is disposed below the combustion chamber to realize an easy-to-use hot air blower that can be used anywhere, using only fuel gas as an energy source. Things.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the thermoelectric element comprises:
As a configuration in which multiple sheets are used to cover the entire circumference or almost the entire circumference of the combustion chamber, all of the heat generated by the combustion chamber can be transmitted to the thermoelectric element, realizing a hot air blower with good thermal efficiency. is there.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the combustion chamber is arranged substantially at the center of the ventilation passage provided downstream of the electric fan, so that all the heat generated from the combustion chamber can be transmitted to the thermoelectric element. In addition, a wind from a fan flows around the high-temperature combustion chamber to lower the temperature of the outer shell, thereby realizing a hot-air blower with improved installation and usability.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the blower, the supporting member for supporting the combustion chamber is made of a material having a low thermal conductivity, thereby lowering the temperature of the outer shell, and further improving the installation and the usability. It realizes a hot air blower.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the electric fan is arranged at a position facing a nozzle for supplying fuel gas to the combustion chamber, so that the air-fuel ratio is increased during catalytic combustion to maintain stable catalytic combustion. A hot air blower that can be realized can be realized.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the throat accommodating the nozzle has a configuration in which the intake port has an adjusting valve for adjusting the opening degree, so that the air flow rate during ignition and the air flow rate during stable combustion can be adjusted. It is intended to realize a warm air blower which is capable of adjusting the capacity during operation and which is easier to use.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, since the piping to the nozzle passes through the vicinity of the combustion chamber, it is possible to prevent a decrease in temperature due to heat of vaporization of the combustion gas even when the operation is performed for a long time, The present invention realizes a hot air blower that can obtain a stable gas flow rate and perform stable combustion.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a hot air blower according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a hot air blower according to a second embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the hot air blower.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a hot air blower according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a configuration of a hot air blower according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a configuration of a hot air blower according to a seventh embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the configuration of a conventional hot air blower.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 2 Fuel supply part 3 Combustion chamber 4 Blower part 7 Gas tank 8 Opening / closing valve 9 Nozzle 10 Throat 11 Catalyst heating element 13 Exhaust port 14 Heat receiving plate 15 Heat radiating plate 16 Thermoelectric element 17 Cooling plate 18 Fin body 19 Electric fan 21 Ignition device 22 Spark plug 23 Main body 24 Fuel supply unit 25 Heating unit 27 Gas tank 28 Open / close valve 29 Nozzle 30 Throat 31 Catalyst heating element 32 Combustion chamber 33 Exhaust port 34 Heat receiving plate 35 Heat sink 36 Thermoelectric element 37 Cooling plate 38 Fin body 39 Electric fan 41 Ignition Device 42 Ignition plug 44 Fuel supply unit 45 Heat generation unit 46 Blowing unit 47 Gas tank 48 Open / close valve 49 Nozzle 50 Throat 51 Catalyst heating element 52 Combustion chamber 53 Exhaust port 54 Heat receiving plate 55 Heat radiating plate 56 Thermoelectric element 57 Cooling plate 58 Fin body 59 Electric Fan 60 Body 61 igniter 62 spark plug 63 supporting member 65 intake opening 66 intake variable valve 67 vaporizes the pipe

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A combustion chamber for burning fuel gas, a fuel supply unit for supplying fuel gas to the combustion chamber, a blowing unit for blowing heat from the fuel chamber, and a thermoelectric unit for driving an electric fan provided in the blowing unit. A hot air blower, wherein the thermoelectric element is disposed below the combustion chamber. 2. The hot air blower according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of thermoelectric elements are arranged so as to cover the entire circumference or substantially the entire circumference of the combustion chamber. 3. The hot air blower according to claim 2, wherein the combustion chamber is disposed substantially at the center of a ventilation flow path provided downstream of the electric fan. 4. The hot air blower according to claim 2, wherein the blower includes a support member for supporting the combustion chamber, which is made of a material having a low thermal conductivity. 5. The hot air blower according to claim 1, wherein the electric fan is arranged at a position facing a nozzle for supplying a fuel gas to the combustion chamber. 6. The hot air blower according to claim 1, wherein the throat accommodating the nozzle has an adjustment valve for adjusting an opening degree at an intake port. 7. The hot air blower according to claim 6, wherein the pipe to the nozzle passes near the combustion chamber.