Water driven generator for sanitary domestic installation

• US 4,963,780 A
• Filed: 09/25/1989
• Issued: 10/16/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: KWC AG Hauptstrasse 130 5726 Unterkulm/Switzerland
• Original Assignee: KWC AG (Michael Pieper, MBA)
• Inventors: Hochstrasser, Ferdinand F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stephan, Steven L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): REBSCH, DONALD
• Application Number:
  US07/412,096
• Time in Patent Office: 386 Days
• Field of Search: 290/52, 310/88, 310/104, 310/261, 310/266, 310/87, 310/89, 417/410, 417/423.11, 4/623, 4/DIG. 3
• US Class Current: 310/104
• CPC Class Codes: F03B 13/00 Adaptations of machines or engines for special use; Combinations of machines or engines with driving or driven apparatus if the apparatus aspects are predominant, see the relevant subclasses for such apparatus, e.g. H02K7/18; Power stations or aggregates incorporating only machines or engines of positive-displacement type F03C; hydraulic engineering aspects E02B; combinations with wind energy converters F03D9/008
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2220/20 within closed fluid conduits, e.g. pipes
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2220/602 with energy recovery turbines
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 3/02 with forced circulation, e.g. by pumps pump constructions F04
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/128 using air-gap sleeves or air-gap discs
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1823 structurally associated with turbines or similar engines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/50 Hydropower in dwellings

Abstract

The turbine wheel (30) in the flow duct (28) of the water fitting (10) is subjected to water flowing in the flow direction (S). The turbine wheel (30) drives the rotor (64) of the generator (16) via the common shaft (32). The rotor (16) is surrounded by the beaker-shaped sealing element (66) which is fed through the gap between the stator (80) and the rotor (64) and is connected in a leak-tight manner to the casing (12). The rotor (64) therefore rotates within the water-filled sealing element (66).

Claims

1. A water fitting having a flow duct, having a turbine wheel located in this flow duct and subjected to flowing water, having an electrical generator driven by the turbine wheel, the electrical generator including a rotor and a stator, and having a seal arrangement to seal the flow duct, wherein the seal arrangement has a unitary beaker shaped sealing element (66) fixedly located in the gap between the stator (80) and the rotor (64) of the generator (16), enclosing the rotor and sealing the flow duct (28) off from the stator (80), the sealing element (66) being made from a non-magnetic metal and including a bearing element (78) on an end face (66'"'"') thereof, the rotor (64) being rotatably supported by the bearing element and having a permanent magnet arrangement (76) for the excitation of the generator, the stator (80) being seated on the sealing element (66).

2. The water fitting as claimed in claim 1, wherein the generator (16) is connected to an electrical control arrangement (22) which has a storage element (90) including an accumulator, which can be charged by the electricity generated by the generator (16) and wherein a valve arrangement (24) which can be electrically controlled by means of the control arrangement (22) is provided for regulating the water flow.

3. The water fitting as claimed in claim 2, wherein the control arrangement (22) has an evaluation unit in order to determine the water flow from the signal supplied by the generator (16).

4. The water fitting as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotor (64) and the stator (80) are located coaxially with respect to one another.

5. The water fitting as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotor (64) is designed in cylindrical shape and the permanent magnet arrangement (76) has a cylindrical permanent magnet.

6. The water fitting as claimed in claim 1 wherein the turbine wheel (30) and the rotor (64) are seated on a common shaft (32) which is rotatably supported, in the region of the end face (66'"'"') of the sealing element (66) on on the bearing element (78).

7. The water fitting as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a throttle element (58) including a lip-shaped sealing unit surrounding the shaft (32) and in contact with the casing (12, 54) bounding the flow duct (28) between the turbine wheel (30) and the rotor (64).

8. The water fitting as claimed in claim 1, wherein the casing bounding the flow duct in the region of the permanent magnet arrangement is designed to be a hollow cylinder and consists of a non-magnetic metal and wherein the stator surrounds the casing in the region of the permanent magnet arrangement.

9. The water fitting as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stator (80) has a multi-phase armature winding (18).

10. An electrical generator of low power as claimed in claim 1, wherein a sealing element (66) fixedly located in the gap between the rotor (64) and the stator (80) of the generator (16) is provided in order to seal the stator (80) off from the rotor (64) surrounded by a medium.

11. A water fitting for use in domestic sanitary installation comprising:

a flow duct, a turbine wheel located in the flow duct so as to be subjected to water flowing through the duct, an electrical generator driven by the turbine wheel having a stator and a rotor including a permanent magnet arrangement for the excitation of the generator, a gap separating the rotor and stator, and a unitary beaker shaped seal element made from a non-magnetic metal and fixed in the gap between the stator and the rotor, the seal element enclosing the rotor, sealing the flow duct off from the stator, and including a bearing element on an end face thereof rotatably supporting the rotor, the stator being fixed to an outer surface of the beaker shaped seal element to surround the rotor.

12. A water fitting as claimed in claim 11 further comprising a shaft rotatably supported in the bearing element, the rotor and the turbine wheel being fixed to the shaft.

13. A water fitting as claimed in claim 12 further comprising a throttle element surrounding the shaft between the rotor and turbine wheel and in contact with the flow duct for restricting water exchange adjacent to the rotor.

14. A water fitting as claimed in claim 13 wherein the throttle element is rotatably carried by the shaft and includes a radially outwardly projecting lip contacting the flow duct.

15. A water fitting as claimed in claim 14, further comprising an electrical control including a storage element connected to the electric generator and an electrically operated valve connected to the control for regulating the flow of water through the flow duct.

16. A water fitting as claimed in claim 15 wherein the control further comprises an evaluation unit for determining the flow of water through the flow duct from a signal supplied by the generator.

17. A water fitting for sanitary installations having a casing defining a flow duct, a turbine wheel located in this flow duct and subjected to flowing water, an electrical generator located outside the casing comprising a stator and a rotor driven by the turbine wheel, the rotor having a permanent magnet arrangement for the excitation of the generator, a shaft element passing through an opening in the casing connecting the turbine wheel and the rotor, and a seal arrangement for sealing the flow duct, the seal arrangement comprising a beaker-shaped sealing element fixedly located in the gap between the stator and the rotor sealing the flow duct off from the stator, the sealing element being made from non-magnetic metal, and a throttle element seating on the shaft element between the turbine wheel and the rotor, the throttle element having a lip-shaped sealing unit being in contact with the casing around the opening and being pressed in a direction towards the casing by the water in the flow duct.

18. The water fitting of claim 17 wherein the casing defining the flow duct includes a inlet situated transverse to the shaft and outlet coaxially about an end of the shaft opposite the rotor so that water flowing through the duct from the inlet to the outlet causes an axial thrust on the turbine wheel and shaft away from the throttle element.

19. The water fitting of claim 17 wherein the seal element is beaker shaped with one end being fixed to the casing, the seal element enclosing the rotor and including a bearing element rotatably supporting an end of the shaft element.

20. The water fitting of claim 17 further comprising an electrical control including a storage element connected to the electric generator and an electrically operated valve connected to the control for regulating the flow of water through the flow duct.

21. A water fitting as claimed in claim 20 wherein the control further comprises an evaluation unit for determining the flow of water through the flow duct from a signal supplied by the generator.