Description

CIRCULATION TYPE ABOVEGROUND WATER STORAGE

TANK

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a circulation type aboveground water storage tank, and more particularly to a circulation type aboveground water storage tank, capable of circulating and rotating water in the water storage tank to remove foreign materials contained in water, and preventing various worms or germs from propagating, thereby supplying clear water at all times. Background Art

[2] In general, a water storage tank, which is installed on the roof of a building or house in order to store water, has the shape of a cylinder, on an upper portion of which an inflow pipe supplied with water is installed, and on a lower portion of which an outflow pipe is installed. In this water storage tank, when water is introduced through the inflow pipe and then reaches a high water level, the water stays while maintaining the high water level. In this state, the water is supplied to each household through the outflow pipe. In this manner, the water stored in the water storage tank through the inflow pipe is in a stagnant state when the water stays in the water storage tank for a long time before being drained, so that the water is contaminated. Further, foreign materials settle in the water storage tank, so that various germs can live in the water storage tank. As described above, the water, which is stagnated, contaminated and propagated by germs, is supplied to each household for use as potable water without filtering, so that various germs harmful to the human body are ingested, thereby resulting in various diseases. Further, because this water storage tank is installed on the roof of a building or house, namely is directly exposed to the outside, the water stored in the water storage tank is influenced by a change in external weather and temperature, so that the germs are proliferated in a more active way. Therefore, in order to remove various germs in the water storage tank or the foreign materials precipitated on the bottom of the water storage tank, the water storage tank should be cleaned at regular intervals. Further, in order to drink the water supplied to each household, the water should be boiled, or purified by a separate water purifier. Moreover, when the water purifier is separately installed at each household, it costs each household a great deal of money, and its filters should be exchanged at fixed periods. Further, in order to block external sunlight, an outer surface of the water storage tank is painted. However, colors of paints for blocking sunlight are restricted, and thus spoiling the beauty of cities.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical Problem

[3] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it is an objective of the present invention to provide a circulation type aboveground water storage tank, capable of bending a leading end of an inflow pipe through which water is introduced to allow the water to automatically rotate in the water storage tank when the water is introduced, circulating and rotating stored water at regular time intervals using a circulation pump of a circulation unit to effectively separate foreign materials contained in the water according to a centrifugation phenomenon of the rotating water, collecting the foreign materials at the center of the water storage tank, and discharging the collected foreign materials to the outside of the water storage tank through a foreign material discharge unit installed at a lower portion of the water storage tank. It is another objective of the present invention to provide a circulation type aboveground water storage tank, which is provided with a foreign material removal assembly that is capable of removing foreign materials, which are settled and adhered to a bottom of the water storage tank, from the bottom of the water storage tank by means of circulation and rotation of water, and smoothly discharging the foreign materials through a foreign material discharge unit installed at a lower portion of the water storage tank. Technical Solution

[4] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a circulation type aboveground water storage tank, including: a main body of the water storage tank that has a thermal insulator provided between an outer case and an inner case, a slant surface formed at a lower portion of the outer case at a downward slope, a hooking step extending downwardly from the slant surface with an upper portion protruding inwardly, and a discharge port, on an outer circumferential surface of which a thread is formed; a circulation unit that has an inlet pipe vertically provided at the center of a water storage tank cover, a circulation pump connected with the inlet pipe, and an outlet pipe connected to the circulation pump and bent in a circumferential direction of the water storage tank main body; a foreign material discharge unit that has a discharge case screwed onto the discharge port formed at the lower portion of the inner case of the water storage tank main body, and a discharge pipe installed at a lower portion of the discharge case; and a control unit that controls the inflow pipe, the circulation unit, and the discharge unit.

Advantageous Effects

[5] According to the present invention, the circulation type aboveground water storage tank sucks water stored in a main body of the water storage tank from the center of the

water storage tank at regular time intervals using a circulation pump, and then discharges the sucked water at one side of the water storage tank main body to rotate the water in the water storage tank, thereby separating foreign materials contained in the water by centrifugation of the rotating water to collect the separated foreign materials to a discharge case located at a lower portion of the water storage tank, and discharging the collected foreign materials to the outside of the water storage tank through a discharge pipe. As a result, the circulation type aboveground water storage tank can prevent the water in the water storage tank from being stagnated, contaminated and supplied together with the foreign materials, and thus supply the water to a household with the water purified at all time. Further, the water rotates in the circulation type aboveground water storage tank at regular time intervals to prevent foreign materials or impurities from adhering to a wall of the water storage tank, so that it is possible to prevent various worms or germs from propagating. Also, the circulation type aboveground water storage tank is provided with a foreign material removal assembly, which removes foreign materials adhered to a bottom slant surface of an inner case of the water storage tank main body, which rotates in the water storage tank main body at the same speed as that of the circulating water to thereby prevent the foreign materials from adhering to the bottom of the water storage tank, and which is easily produced due to a simple structure, thereby improving productivity. Besides, the circulation type aboveground water storage tank rotates the water stored therein to separate and discharge foreign materials from the water, so that the inside of the water storage tank can be always maintained in a clean state, and expenses caused by cleaning and maintenance can be saved. In addition, the circulation type aboveground water storage tank is provided with a thermal insulator between the outer and inner cases of the water storage tank main body, so that the water stored in the water storage tank is not influenced by a change in external weather and temperature. Further, an outer case of the circulation type aboveground water storage tank can be painted in various colors, so that it is possible to improve urban beauty. Brief Description of the Drawings

[6] The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

[7] FIG. 1 illustrates a circulation type aboveground water storage tank according to the present invention;

[8] FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the inside of a circulation type aboveground water storage tank according to the present invention;

[9] FIG. 3 is a perspective, sectional view illustrating the inside of a circulation type

aboveground water storage tank according to the present invention;

[10] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a foreign material discharge unit according to the present invention;

[11] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a circulation type aboveground water storage tank according to the present invention;

[12] FIG. 6 is a perspective sectional view illustrating a state where water circulates in the circulation type aboveground water storage tank according to the present invention;

[13] FIG. 7 is a sectional view illustrating a state where water circulates in the circulation type aboveground water storage tank according to the present invention; and

[14] FIG. 8 illustrates an operation state of a circulation type aboveground water storage tank according to the present invention. Mode for the Invention

[15] Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 1 illustrates a circulation type aboveground water storage tank according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the inside of a circulation type aboveground water storage tank according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is a perspective, sectional view illustrating the inside of a circulation type aboveground water storage tank according to the present invention, FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a foreign material discharge unit according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a circulation type aboveground water storage tank according to the present invention. The present invention is designed to circulate stored water at regular time intervals using a circulation pump, effectively separate foreign materials contained in water according to a centrifugal phenomenon of water to collect the foreign materials at the center of the water storage tank, and discharge the foreign materials out of the water storage tank through a discharge unit installed at a lower portion of the water storage tank. In the circulation type aboveground water storage tank, an inflow pipe 11, which has a leading end bent in a circumferential direction of a main body 10 of the water storage tank and is opened or closed by an inflow valve 1 Ia, is installed at an upper portion of the water storage tank main body 10, an outflow pipe 12 is installed at a lower portion of the water storage tank main body 10, a door 13 is provided so as to be opened and closed on one side of the lower portion of the water storage tank main body 10, an inspection port 21 is provided at an upper end of the water storage tank main body 10 so as to allow the inside of the water storage tank main body 10 to be inspected, an anti-overflow pipe 22 is installed on an outer circumferential surface of the upper portion of the water storage tank main body 10, and a water storage tank cover 20 is provided to close the upper

end of the water storage tank main body 10. The circulation type aboveground water storage tank comprises: the water storage tank main body 10 that has a thermal insulator 16 provided between an outer case 14 and an inner case 15, a slant surface 17 formed at a lower portion of the outer case 14 at a downward slope, a hooking step 18 extending downwardly from the slant surface 17 with an upper portion protruding inwardly, and a discharge port 19, on an outer circumferential surface of which a thread is formed; the water storage tank cover 20 that has a plurality of air ventilation holes 23 formed along a circumference thereof on one side of the inspection port 21, a drainage hole 24 formed at a lower end of one side thereof, a pump mounting cavity 26, on an upper portion of which a lid 25 is provided; a circulation unit 30 that has an inlet pipe 31 vertically provided at the center of the water storage tank cover 20, a circulation pump 32, one side of which is connected with the inlet pipe 31, and an outlet pipe 33 connected to the other side of the circulation pump 32 and having an outlet port 33a bent in a circumferential direction of the water storage tank main body 10; a foreign material discharge unit 40 that has a discharge case 41 screwed onto the discharge port 19 formed at the lower portion of the inner case 15 of the water storage tank main body 10, and a discharge pipe 42 opened and closed by a discharge valve 42a at the lower portion of the discharge case 41; and a control unit 50 that controls the inflow pipe 11, the circulation unit 30, and the discharge unit 40. Further, as illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the discharge port 19 of the inner case 15 of the water storage tank main body 10 is provided with a water anti-rotation assembly 60. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the control unit 50 is composed of a water level sensor 51 detecting a level of water in the water storage tank main body, a timer 52 operating the circulation pump at regular time intervals, and a controller 53 receiving signals from the water level sensor 51 and the timer 52 and controlling the inflow valve 11a, the circulation unit 30, and the discharge unit 40. Further, in implementing the present invention, the water anti- rotation assembly 60, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, includes: a main body case 61 that has a central portion passed therethrough, a hooked flange 61a hooked on the hooking step 18 of the discharge port 19, and a plurality of fixation recesses 61b upwardly exposed at an inner circumference of the hooked flange 61a; a main body 62 that has the shape of a cylinder and that is provided with a plurality of fixation protrusions 62a on an upper outer circumferential surface thereof so as to correspond to the fixation recesses 61b of the main body case 61, a through-hole 62b formed at the center thereof, and criss-cross partitions 62c extending radially from an outer circumferential surface of the through-hole 62b; and a packing 63 that is fitted between the hooked flange 61a and the hooking step 18 of the discharge port 19 of the inner case 15. Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, the foreign material discharge unit 40 is provided with a foreign material removal assembly 70, which is installed at the center

of the discharge case 41 and removes foreign materials settled to the slant surface 17 of the inner case 15 of the water storage tank main body 10. Here, the foreign material removal assembly 70 includes: a fixation shaft 71 on upper and lower ends of which threads are formed, the lower end of which is fixed to a central lower portion of the discharge case 41, and at an upper portion of which a supporting step 71a protrudes outwardly; a rotation bearing 72 that is formed with a through-hole 72a at the center thereof, coupled to an upper portion of the fixation shaft 71, and rotates with a lower surface supported on the supporting step 71a of the fixation shaft 71; at least one rotation rod 73, one side of which is hinged to an outer circumferential surface of the rotation bearing 72 and which rotates together with the rotation bearing 72; a brush 74 that is fixed to a lower portion of the rotation rod 73; and at least one supporting wheel 75 that is coupled to a leading end of the rotation rod 73 and supports the rotation rod 73 so that the rotation rod 73 can rotate along the slant surface 17 of the inner case 15. Further, in implementing the present invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, a support 80 is installed to support a lower portion of the slant surface 17 of the inner case 15 of the water storage tank main body 10. The support 80 is composed of an upper support 81 supporting an upper portion of the slant surface 17 of the inner case 15, a lower support 82 supporting an lower portion 17, and legs 83 supporting the upper support 81 and the lower support 82 at the same time. FIG. 6 is a perspective sectional view illustrating a state where water circulates in the circulation type aboveground water storage tank according to the present invention, FIG. 7 is a sectional view illustrating a state where water circulates in the circulation type aboveground water storage tank according to the present invention, and FIG. 8 illustrates an operation state of a circulation type aboveground water storage tank according to the present invention. The operation of the present invention constructed in this manner will be described below. First, according to the circulation type aboveground water storage tank of the present invention as described above, as illustrated in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, when water is supplied to each household through the outflow pipe 12 installed at the lower portion of the water storage tank main body 10, the level of the water stored in the inner case 15 of the water storage tank main body 10 drops. When the water level drops to a given level, the water level sensor 51 of the control unit 50 detects it and sends a signal to the controller 53. The controller 53, upon receiving the signal, sends a signal to the inflow valve 1 Ia of the inflow pipe 11. Thereby, the inflow valve 1 Ia is opened to supply water to the water storage tank main body 10. At this time, the controller 53 of the control unit 50 sends a signal to the circulation pump 32 of the circulation unit 30 to simultaneously operate the circulation pump 32 whenever the water is supplied through the inflow pipe 11, thereby circulating the water to rotate the water. Meanwhile, the inflow valve 11a and the

discharge valve 42a, which are installed in the inflow pipe 11 and the discharge pipe 42 respectively, are preferably implemented as valves that can be opened and closed by an electrical signal, such as a solenoid valve. As described above, the water supplied to the inner case 15 of the water storage tank main body 10 rotates the water stored in the inner case 15 of the water storage tank main body 10 at a low speed by means of the leading end of the inflow pipe 11 which is bent in the inner case 15 in a circumferential direction. Further, according to the signal of the controller 53 of the control unit 50, the circulation unit 30 operates to cause the water stored in the inner case 15 of the water storage tank main body 10 to rotate at a rapid speed, wherein the circulation unit 30 sucks the water through the inlet pipe 31, which is connected to one side of the circulation pump 32, which is received in the pump mounting cavity 26 of the water storage tank cover 20 closing the upper end of the water storage tank main body 10, and passes through the center of the water storage tank cover 20 to vertically extend below the level of the water stored in the inner case 15, and discharges the sucked water out through the outlet pipe 33, which is connected to the other side of the circulation pump 32 and has the outlet port 33a bent in the inner case 15 of the water storage tank main body 10 in a circumferential direction. As described above, while the water rotates in the inner case 15 of the water storage tank main body 10 at a rapid speed by the circulation unit 30, foreign materials contained in the water are collected at the discharge port 19 provided at the lower end of the inner case 15 along the slant surface 17 of the inner case 15 on the basis of centrifugation. In other words, due to centrifugal force caused by the water rotating in the inner case 15, the water having relatively great specific gravity is pushed outward from the center of the inner case 15 of the water storage tank main body 10, and components contained in the water, particularly various foreign materials having specific gravity lower than that of water, are collected at the center of the inner case 15 and then settles to the bottom by gravitation, so that they are collected at the discharge port 19. Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, after the packing 63 of the water anti-rotation assembly 60 is coupled in the hooking step 18, which protrudes inwardly from the upper portion of the discharge port 19 extending downwardly from the slant surface 17 of inner case 15 of the water storage tank main body 10, the main body case 61 is coupled into the discharge port 19 so that the hooked flange 61a is located on the packing 63. In this manner, after the main body case 61 is coupled into the discharge port 19, the main body 62 of the water anti-rotation assembly 60 is coupled into the main body case 61, the plurality of fixation protrusions 62a protruding outwardly from the upper outer circumference of the main body case 61 are coupled into the plurality of fixation recesses 61b, which are formed at the upper inner side of the hooked flange 61a so as to correspond to the fixation protrusions 62a. In this manner, the fixation protrusions 62a of the main body

62 are inserted into the fixation recesses 61b of the main body case 61, and thereby the water anti-rotation assembly 60 is coupled to the discharge port 19 of the inner case 15 of the water storage tank main body 10. The foreign materials settles between the crisscross partitions 62c, which are formed on the main body 62 of the water anti-rotation assembly 60, along the slant surface 17 of the inner case 15 by centrifugation of the water rotating in the inner case 15 by the circulation unit 30, and then toward the discharge case 41 of the foreign material discharge unit 40, to which the discharge pipe 42 opened or closed by the discharge valve 42a is installed at the lower portion of the discharge port 19 of the inner case 15. Simultaneously, the water inside of the discharge case 41 of the foreign material discharge unit 40 maintains a stagnant state without rotation so that the foreign materials settled to the inside of the discharge case 41 along the water rotating in the inner case 15 by the circulation unit 30 do not float again. In other words, because the fixation protrusions 62a of the main body 62 are inserted into the plurality of fixation recesses 61b formed at the upper portion of the main body case 61 of the water anti-rotation assembly 60, the criss-cross partitions 62c, which radially extend from the outer circumferential surface of the through-hole 62b formed at the center of the main body 62 of the water anti-rotation assembly 60, is fixed without rotation, and thus the foreign materials settled in the discharge case 41 of the foreign material discharge unit 40 are maintained in a settled state without rotation, thereby not floating again in the inner case 15. In implementing the present invention, although not illustrated in the drawings, the criss-cross partitions 62c, which radially extend from the outer circumferential surface of the through-hole 62b formed at the center of the main body 62 of the water anti-rotation assembly 60, may be divided into many equal parts, such as five, six etc., each of which radially extends from the outer circumferential surface of the through-hole 62b to the inner circumferential surface of the main body 62. Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the discharge case 41 of the foreign material discharge unit 40 is coupled with the fixation shaft 71 of the foreign material removal assembly 70 in such a manner that the lower portion of the fixation shaft 71 of the foreign material removal assembly 70 is fixed at the center of the lower portion of the discharge case 41 of the foreign material discharge unit 40, and that the upper portion of the fixation shaft 71, at the upper portion of which the supporting step 71a is formed, passes through the through-hole 62b formed at the main body 62 of the water anti-rotation assembly 60. As described above, the upper portion of the fixation shaft 71 inserted into the through-hole 62b of the main body 62 of the water anti-rotation assembly 60 is inserted into the through-hole 72a formed at the center of the rotation bearing 72, and then fastened by a fastening means such as a nut. In this manner, the lower surface of the rotation bearing 72 coupled to the fixation shaft 71 is supported by the supporting step 71a protruding at the upper portion of the

fixation shaft 71, and the upper end of the fixation shaft 71 is fastened on the upper surface of the rotation bearing 72 by the nut. Thereby, the rotation bearing 72 does not escape from the fixation shaft 71 while rotating about the fixation shaft 71. Further, the rotation rod 73, at the lower portion of which the brush 74 is fixed, is hinged to the outer circumferential surface of the rotatable rotation bearing 72, and the supporting wheel 75 supporting the rotation rod 73 is coupled to the leading end of the rotation rod 73 so as to allow the rotation rod 73 to rotate along the slant surface 17 of the inner case 15 of the water storage tank main body 10. In this manner, the supporting wheel 75, which is coupled to the leading end of the rotation rod 73 of the foreign material removal assembly 70, rotates with the slant surface 17 of the inner case 15 of the water storage tank main body 10 closely contacted due to its own weight, so that the rotation rod 73 can be prevented from being raised by buoyant force of the water stored in the inner case 15 and thus separating the brush 74 fixed to the lower portion of the rotation rod 73 from the slant surface 17 of the inner case 15. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the foreign material removal assembly 70 is adapted to separate the foreign materials, which adhere on the slant surface 17 of the inner case 15 when the circulation pump 32 of the circulation unit 30 circulating the water stored in the water storage tank main body 10 does not operate at regular time intervals, from the slant surface 17, with the brush 74, which is fixed to the lower portion of the rotation rod 73, contacted with the slant surface 17 of the inner case 15, while rotating at the same speed as that of the water by means of the rotation force of the water generated when the circulation pump 32 of the circulation unit 30 operates to rotate the water, and then to be settled to the discharge case 41 of the foreign material discharge unit 40. Meanwhile, when the water in the water storage tank main body 10 reaches a high water level, the water level sensor 51 of the control unit 50 detects it, and thereby the controller 53 closes the inflow valve 1 Ia of the inflow pipe 11 to stop the inflow of the water. Preferably, the circulation pump 32 of the circulation unit 30 is adapted to operate by the timer 52 at regular time intervals while the water is introduced into the water storage tank main body 10 through the inflow pipe 11. At this time, the water rotating by means of the outlet pipe 33 of the circulation unit 30, the outlet port 33a of which is bent in a circumferential direction of the water storage tank main body 10, rotates along a wall of the inner case 15 of the water storage tank main body 10 without flowing outside. As a result, the centrifugal force is generated, and together with the generated centrifugal force, the centripetal force pulling the water toward the center of the inner case 15 is generated. Among the centrifugal force and the centripetal force which are balanced by suction force generated when the water is sucked at the center of the inner case 15 through the inlet pipe 31 of the circulation unit 30, when the centripetal force is greater than the centrifugal force, the speed of the rotating water increases, and simultaneously

the foreign materials having specific gravity lower than that of water move toward the discharge port 19 located at the center of the inner case 15. Meanwhile, the timer 52 of the control unit 50 causes the discharge valve 42a installed in the discharge pipe 42 of the foreign material discharge unit 40 to operate at regular time intervals, so that the foreign materials collected in the discharge case 41 are periodically discharged to the outside. As described above, the water stored in the inner case 15 of the water storage tank main body 10 is circulated to thereby separate the foreign materials therefrom, and then supplied to each household through the outflow pipe 12 installed at the lower portion of the water storage tank main body 10. Further, the circulation pump 32 of the circulation unit 30, which circulates the stored water in the water storage tank main body 10, generates considerable heat while operating. Because a plurality of air ventilation holes 23 are formed on the circumference of the pump mounting cavity 26 of the water storage tank cover 20, in which the circulation pump 32 is received, external air naturally flows into the pump mounting cavity 26, thereby cooling the heat generated from the circulation pump 32. Further, when raining, rainwater may enter into the pump mounting cavity 26 through the air ventilation holes 23 of the pump mounting cavity 26. In this case, the inflow rainwater is discharged outside through the drainage hole 24 formed on one side of the lower portion of the pump mounting cavity 26. Meanwhile, the support 80 is preferably provided under the slant surface 17 of the inner case 15 of the water storage tank main body 10, so as to sufficiently bear a load of the water stored in the inner case 15. The support 80 has legs 83 supporting the upper support 81 and lower support 82 at the same time. The upper support 81 supports an upper portion of the slant surface 17 of the inner case 15, and the lower support 82 supports a lower portion of the slant surface 17 of the inner case 15, so that the upper and lower portions of the slant surface 17 are stably supported at the same time. At this time, the number of the legs 83 supporting the upper support 81 and lower support 82 of the support 80 can be increased or decreased according to the capacity of the water storage tank main body 10 in which water is stored. Further, although not illustrated in the drawings, the criss-cross partitions 62c, which radially extend from the outer circumferential surface of the through-hole 62b formed at the center of the main body 62 of the water anti-rotation assembly 60 installed to the discharge port 19 of the inner case 15 of the water storage tank main body 10, may be divided into many equal parts, such as five, six etc., each of which radially extends from the outer circumferential surface of the through-hole 62b to the inner circumferential surface of the main body 62. Meanwhile, when the foreign material discharge unit 40 installed to the lower portion of the inner case 15 of the water storage tank main body 10 does not operate due to abnormality, the door 13 provided on one side of the lower portion of the water storage tank main body 10 is opened. Then, the foreign material discharge unit 40 can

be inspected with the naked eye and repaired. When the water introduced into the water storage tank main body is not stopped due to failure of the inflow pipe, the water is discharged through the anti-overflow pipe installed on one side of the water storage tank cover, so that it is possible to prevent water from flowing over the main body of the water storage tank. Industrial Applicability [16] According to the present invention, a thermal insulator is provided between the outer and inner cases of the water storage tank main body, so that the water stored in the water storage tank is not influenced by a change in external temperature, and so on. The water in the water storage tank is allowed to circulate and rotate to separate and discharge foreign materials contained in the water, thereby uncontaminated water can be supplied at all times. Therefore, the conventional water storage tank installed on the roof of a building or house can be replaced by the circulation type aboveground water storage tank. While this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment and the drawings, but, on the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and variations within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.