Claims:1. A contactless water heater (10), comprising:
a heating unit (12) that facilitates the heating of the water flowing through it without any contact, said heating unit (12) comprising:
a metal pipe (1) with a plurality of fastening threads on both its ends, said metal pipe (1) being configured as an internally grooved pipe to increase the surface area for heat transfer between the metal pipe (1) and the water, with the metal pipe (1) being inserted inside an insulating pipe (2);
an inductive coil (3) that is wound over the insulating pipe (2) throughout the length of the insulating pipe (2);
a casing (4) that protects the heating unit (12);
an at least one sensor that facilitates the monitoring of an at least one parameter, with the sensed value of the at least one parameter being transmitted to a controlling unit (11); and
a connecting port (5) that facilitates the establishing of a connection between the heating unit (12) and the controlling unit (11);
the controlling unit (11) that facilitates the monitoring and controlling of the water heater (10), said controlling unit (11) comprising:
an at least a controller (112) that facilitates the monitoring and controlling of the controlling unit (11) and the water heater (10);
an at least a communication module (113) that facilitates the communicating of the controlling unit (11) with an at least one external device;
an input module (114) through which an at least one input is set;
a display module (115) through which an at least one output is displayed;
a power supply module (111) that supplies power to the controlling unit (11) and the heating unit (12); and
a temperature control that monitors: the temperature of the metal pipe (1) and automatically switches off the inductive coil (3) to avoid over heating of the water and the metal pipe (1); and the time taken to reach a pre-defined temperature and controls the power required to heat the specific flow of water through the metal pipe (1), thereby automatically reducing the current flow through the inductive coil (3) during low water flow, and increasing the current flow through the inductive coil (3) during high water flow rates,
with: said controlling unit (11) and said heating unit (12) being interoperably associated with each other.

2. The contactless water heater (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metal pipe (1) is made up of ferromagnetic metal.

3. The contactless water heater (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inductive coil (3) is made up of copper or aluminium.

4. The contactless water heater (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insulating pipe (2) is made up of heat resisting polymer.

5. The contactless water heater (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the casing (4) is made up of thermosetting plastic.

6. The contactless water heater (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter includes the temperature of the metal pipe (1), and time.

7. The contactless water heater (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one input includes pre-defined temperature and time, and the at least one output includes the pre-defined temperature, current temperature, and time.

8. The contactless water heater (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least a controller (112) is a microcontroller, a System on Chip (SoC), or a Single-Board-Computer.

9. The contactless water heater (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the water heater (10) comprises an application on a computing device, said application on a computing device facilitating an at least a user to interact, monitor, and control the water heater (10) remotely, with said application on a computing device helping the at least one user to provide the at least one input to the water heater (10), and receive the at least one output.

10. The contactless water heater (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one external device includes the heating unit (12), the application on a computing device, the Cloud, and a remote server.
, Description:TITLE OF THE INVENTION: CONTACTLESS WATER HEATER

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure is generally related to a water heater. Particularly, the present disclosure is related to a contactless induction-based water heater, which is: instant; safe; energy-efficient; affordable; and retrofittable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Water heaters are used in homes, businesses, and in just about any establishment having the need for heated water. Most commonly used water heaters are solar-based heaters, flame-based heaters (like LPG stoves), and electric-based heaters.
In the case of electric water heaters, the most common are geysers and immersion rods. Both have their disadvantages that come along with their usability.
Immersion rods are typically used by people living in rented houses, who cannot afford to install and uninstall water heaters whenever they relocate. However, such immersion rods are a threat to children and do not have any inbuilt provisions for secure usage. Further, improper handling can lead to damages, such as meltdown of buckets and electric shocks.
In addition, water doesn’t get heated uniformly as the heating is done through the convection process; thus, it takes more time to heat a certain volume of water. Continuous monitoring is also required due to the lack of auto cut-off systems. Also, since the heating element is openly exposed, immersion rods can be dangerous to handle, even when switched off.
In case of closed immersion systems like instant water heaters and stored water heaters, the power consumed for heating a specific volume of continuous flowing water is very high. Since the heat is produced by passing high current on a resistive material, there is continuous flow of current in the water.
Thus, without proper earthing, electric shocks can be caused. Further, such heaters also require special tools and skills to install and uninstall from a premises. They also require pre-laid plumbing tubes and cannot be retrofitted in old buildings.
Solar water heaters may be efficient, but don’t have temperature control, cannot be effective in cloudy and rainy seasons, and are associated with high installation costs.
In case of flame-based water heating, more energy is wasted as the heat escapes in the form of steam.
There is, therefore a need in the art for a water heater that overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks and shortfalls.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A contactless water heater is disclosed. Said water heater comprises: a heating unit that facilitates the heating of the water flowing through it without any contact; and a controlling unit that facilitates the monitoring and controlling of the water heater. Said controlling unit and said heating unit are interoperably associated with each other.
The heating unit comprises a metal pipe with a plurality of fastening threads on both its ends, said metal pipe being configured as an internally grooved pipe to increase the surface area for heat transfer between the metal pipe and the water, said metal pipe being inserted inside an insulating pipe.
An inductive coil is wound over the insulating pipe throughout the length of the insulating pipe, while a casing protects the heating unit.
An at least one sensor facilitates the monitoring of an at least one parameter, with the sensed value of the at least one parameter being transmitted to the controlling unit.
A connecting port facilitates the establishing of a connection between the heating unit and the controlling unit.
The controlling unit comprises an at least a controller that facilitates the monitoring and controlling of the controlling unit and the water heater.
An at least a communication module facilitates the communicating of the controlling unit with an at least one external device.
An at least one input is set through an input module, while an at least one output is displayed through a display module.
A power supply module supplies power to the controlling unit and the heating unit.
A temperature control monitors the temperature of the metal pipe and automatically switches off the inductive coil to avoid over heating of the water and the metal pipe. It also monitors the time taken to reach the set temperature and controls the power required to heat the specific flow of water through the metal pipe, thereby automatically reducing the current flow through the inductive coil during low water flow, and increasing the current flow through the inductive coil during high water flow rates.
The at least one input includes pre-defined temperature and time, while the at least one output includes pre-defined temperature, current temperature, and time.
The contactless water heater uses induction heating principle to heat the thermally and magnetically conductive pipe, i.e. the metal pipe, thereby heating the water flowing through it.
The water heater may also comprise an application on a computing device, said application on a computing device facilitating an at least a user to interact, monitor, and control the water heater remotely. The application on a computing device also helps the at least one user to provide the at least one input to the water heater, and receive the at least one output.
The method of working of the contactless water heater is also disclosed. The disclosed water heater is: safe; energy-efficient; affordable; retrofittable; and need not require skilled technicians or experts for installation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 illustrates a black diagram of an embodiment of a water heater, in accordance with the present disclosure;
Figure 2 illustrates the components of a heating unit of an embodiment of a water heater, in accordance with the present disclosure;
Figure 3 illustrates a flow chart of the temperature controlling process of an embodiment of a water heater, in accordance with the present disclosure; and
Figure 4 illustrates a real-time example of an embodiment of a water heater installed in a shower head, in accordance with the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Throughout this specification, the use of the words "comprise", “have”, “contain”, and “include”, and variations such as "comprises", "comprising", “having”, “contains”, “containing”, “includes”, and “including” may imply the inclusion of an element or elements not specifically recited. The disclosed embodiments may be embodied in various other forms as well.
Throughout this specification, the phrases “at least a”, “at least an”, and “at least one” are used interchangeably.
Throughout this specification, the phrase ‘application on a computing device’ and its variations are to be construed as being inclusive of: application installable on a computing device, website hosted on a computing device, web application installed on a computing device, website accessible from a computing device, and web application accessible from a computing device.
Throughout this specification, the phrase ‘computing device’ and its variations are to be construed as being inclusive of: the Cloud, remote servers, desktop computers, laptop computers, mobile phones, smart phones, tablets, phablets, and smart watches.
Also, it is to be noted that embodiments may be described as a process depicted as a flow chart, a flow diagram, a dataflow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flow chart describes the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations may be performed in parallel, concurrently, or simultaneously. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. A process may be terminated when its operations are completed, but may also have additional steps not included in the figure(s).
A contactless water heater is disclosed. As illustrated in Figure 1, an embodiment of the contactless water heater (10) comprises: a controlling unit (11) that facilitates the monitoring and controlling of the water heater (10); and a heating unit (12) that facilitates the heating of the water flowing through it without any contact. Said controlling unit (11) and said heating unit (12) are interoperably associated with each other.
In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the controlling unit (11) comprises: an at least a controller (112) that facilitates the monitoring and controlling of the controlling unit (11) and the water heater (10); an at least a communication module (113) that facilitates the communicating of the controlling unit (11) with an at least one external device; an input module (114) through which an at least one input is set, such as pre-defined temperature, time, etc.; a display module (115) through which an at least one output is displayed, such as pre-defined temperature, current temperature, time, etc.; and a power supply module (111) that supplies power to the controlling unit (11) and the heating unit (12).
In another embodiment of the present disclosure, as illustrated in Figure 2, the heating unit (12) comprises: a metal pipe (1) with a plurality of fastening threads on both its ends, said metal pipe (1) being inserted inside an insulating pipe (2); an inductive coil (3) that is wound over the insulating pipe (2) throughout the length of the insulating pipe (2); a casing (4) that protects the heating unit (12); an at least one sensor that facilitates the monitoring of an at least one parameter, with the sensed value of the at least one parameter being transmitted to the controlling unit (11); and a connecting port (5) that facilitates the establishing of a connection between the heating unit (12) and the controlling unit (11).
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one parameter includes, but is not limited to, temperature of the metal pipe (1), time, etc.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the water heater (10) comprises an application on a computing device. The application on a computing device facilitates an at least a user to interact, monitor, and control the water heater (10) remotely. The application on a computing device helps the at least one user to provide the at least one input to the water heater (10), and receive the at least one output.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one input includes, but is not limited to, pre-defined temperature, time, etc.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one output includes, but is not limited to, pre-defined temperature, current temperature, time, etc.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least a controller (112) is a microcontroller.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least a controller (112) is a System on Chip (SoC).
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least a controller (112) is a Single-Board-Computer.
The communication module (113) may establish communication with the at least one external device through either wired or wireless technologies, such as wireless internet, mobile data, Bluetooth Low Energy, LoRa, ZigBee, or the like.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one external device includes, but is not limited to, the heating unit (12), the application on a computing device, the Cloud, and/or a remote server.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the power supply module (111) receives power either from an external power source or from an at least one battery. The at least one battery may be a rechargeable battery.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the metal pipe (1) is configured as an internally grooved pipe to increase the surface area for heat transfer between the metal pipe (1) and the water. The metal pipe (1) is preferably made up of ferromagnetic metal.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the inductive coil (3) is made up of copper, aluminium, or the like.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the insulating pipe (2) is made up of heat resisting polymer.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the casing (4) is made up of thermosetting plastic.
The contactless water heater (10) uses induction heating principle to heat the thermally and magnetically conductive pipe, i.e. the metal pipe (1), thereby heating the water flowing through it. By using induction heating principle, unlike regular electric heaters, there is no contact between the electricity flowing through the coil (3) and the water flowing through the metal pipe (1). This eliminates the major risk of electric shocks due to improper grounding of electricity.
The water heater (10) comprises an electronic oscillator module to induce oscillating magnetic flux from the coil (3) on the metal pipe (1). Due to high frequency alternating current on the metal pipe (1), the rapidly alternating magnetic field penetrates the object, generating electric currents inside the conductor, called eddy currents. The eddy currents heat the metal pipe (1), and, thereby the water flowing through it.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the user sets a required temperature either through the controlling unit (11) or through the application on a computing device.
In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the water heater (10) comprise a temperature control that monitors the temperature of the metal pipe (1) and automatically switches off the inductive coil (3) to avoid over heating of the water and the metal pipe (1).
The temperature control also monitors the time taken to reach the set temperature and controls the power required to heat the specific flow of water through the metal pipe (1). By this way, the water heater (10) automatically reduces the current flow through the inductive coil (3) during low water flow, and increases the current flow through the inductive coil (3) during high water flow rates. This helps to save power during low water flow.
The method of temperature control shall now be explained, with the help of Figure 3.
The user sets the required/pre-defined temperature (T1), either through the controlling unit (11) or through the application on a computing device. The temperature control of the controlling unit (11) compares the temperature (T0) of the metal pipe (1), received from the at least one sensor, with the pre-defined temperature (T1).
If the pre-defined temperature (T1) is lower than the temperature (T0) of the metal pipe (1), the temperature control switches OFF the rotating magnetic field. Likewise, the temperature control switches ON the rotating magnetic field, if the pre-defined temperature (T1) is greater than the temperature (T0) of the metal pipe (1).
The pre-defined time (S0) is the time taken for water heater (10) to attain the predefined temperature (T1) at a nominal flow of water through the metal pipe (1).
When the pre-defined temperature (T1) is greater than the temperature (T0) of the metal pipe (1), the temperature control allows the rotating magnetic field to operate in a standard optimum frequency defined in the controlling unit (11), and measures the time taken (S1) to attain the required set temperature of the metal pipe (1).
If the time taken (S1) by the metal pipe (1) to attain the pre-defined temperature (T1) is less than the pre-defined time (S0), the temperature control reduces the frequency of the rotating magnetic field.
Similarly, when the time taken (S1) by the metal pipe (1) to attain the pre-defined temperature (T1) is greater than pre-defined time (S0), the temperature control increases the frequency and continues the cycle until the time taken (S0) is equal to the pre-defined time (S1), and the pre-defined temperature (T1) equals the temperature (T0) of the metal pipe (1).
The frequency is reduced and increased in steps proportional to the time difference between the pre-defined time (S0) and actual time taken (S1) by the metal pipe (1) to heat up to the pre-defined temperature (T1).
The water heater (10) is configured with standard-sized coupling (fastening threads) on both sides of the heating unit (12) to connect with any water supply pipe, like shower heads, taps, etc. It can also be connected to washing machine water inlets to wash clothes in hot water to disinfect the clothes and quickly remove tough stains. The water heater (10) installed in a shower head is illustrated in Figure 4.
The disclosed water heater (10) is: instant; safe; energy-efficient; affordable; retrofittable; and does not require skilled technicians or experts for installation. The disclosed water heater (10) is suitable for domestic purposes and may also be suitable for commercial purposes with modifications.
It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the above description is for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered as limiting. Various modifications, additions, alterations and improvements without deviating from the spirit and the scope of the disclosure may be made by a person skilled in the art. Such modifications, additions, alterations and improvements should be construed as being within the scope of this disclosure.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
10 – Water Heater
11 – Controlling Unit
111 – Power Supply Module
112 – At least a Controller
113 – At least a Communication Module
114 – Input Module
115 – Display Module
12 – Heating Unit
1 – Metal Pipe
2 – Insulating Pipe
3 – Inductive Coil
4 – Casing
5 - Connecting Port