Control device of water heating apparatus, water heating apparatus and control method thereof

• US 10,641,523 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2017
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yang, Caikun
• Primary Examiner(s): Ortiz Rodriguez, Carlos R
• Application Number:
  US15/562,808
• Publication Number:
  US 20180283732A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 2220/042 Temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 2220/044 Flow sensors
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/215 before heating
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/219 after heating
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/238 Flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/269 Time, e.g. hour or date
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/395 Information to users, e.g. alarms
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/414 using electronic processing, e.g. computer-based
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 9/2007 for water heaters
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/042 in which a parameter or coefficient is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a control device of a water heating apparatus, a water heating apparatus and a control method thereof. The control device comprises a storage, a processor and a heater, the storage stores a usage state value of the water heating apparatus during a first period and provides the usage state value to the processor connected thereto, the usage state value includes a mean value of outlet water temperature T_H, a mean value of outlet water amount L_U and a mean value of inlet water temperature T_L, the processor determines an output value in accordance with the usage state value and provides the output value to the heater connected thereto, the output value includes a water amount L_X to be heated and a water temperature T to be reached, the heater performs heating during a second period in accordance with the output value from the processor.

Claims

1. A control device of a water heating apparatus, comprising a storage, a processor and a heater, wherein, the storage is configured to store a usage state value of the water heating apparatus during a first period and provide the usage state value to the processor connected thereto, the usage state value includes a mean value of outlet water temperature T_H, a mean value of outlet water amount L_U and a mean value of inlet water temperature T_L, the processor is configured to determine an output value in accordance with the usage state value and provide the output value to the heater connected thereto, the output value includes a water amount L_X to be heated and a water temperature T to be reached, the heater is configured to perform heating during a second period in accordance with the output value from the processor.

2. The control device of claim 1, wherein the processor comprises:

a comparing part configured to determine a range of L_U/L, wherein, L represents a water tank capacity of the water heating apparatus; and

a water amount determining part configured to determine water amount L_X to be heated in accordance with the range of L_U/L determined by the comparing part.

3. The control device of claim 2, wherein the water amount determining part is configured to determine a first water amount as the water amount L_X to be heated under the condition that L_U/L is less than a first threshold, determine a second water amount as the water amount L_X be heated under the condition that L_U/L is larger than the first threshold and less than a second threshold, or determine a third water amount as the water amount L_X to be heated under the condition that L_U/L is larger than the second threshold, and wherein, the first threshold is less than the second threshold.

4. The control device of claim 3, wherein the water amount determining part comprises a divider, a first comparator, a second comparator, a first inverter, a second inverter, and a logic AND circuit, and wherein, input terminals of the divider are connected to the storage to receive and L_U and L, and L_U/L is output from the divider, an output terminal of the divider is connected to an inverting input terminal of the first comparator and an non-inverting input terminal of the second comparator, an non-inverting input terminal of the first comparator receives the first threshold as an input value thereof, the first comparator is configured to output a high level under the condition that a value of L_U/L is less than the first threshold, an inverting input terminal of the second comparator receives the second threshold as an input value thereof, the second comparator is configured to output a high level under the condition that the value of L_U/L is larger than the second threshold, output terminals of the first comparator and the second comparator are respectively connected to input terminals of the first inverter and the second inverter, output terminals of the first inverter and the second inverter are connected to two input terminals of the logic AND circuit respectively, and the logic AND circuit is configured to output a high level under the condition that the value of L_U/L is larger than the first threshold and less than the second threshold.

5. The control device of claim 4, wherein the water amount determining part further comprises a first multiplier and a first relay, a second multiplier and a second relay, and a third multiplier and a third relay, wherein, a first input terminal of the first relay is connected to an output terminal of the first multiplier, the first multiplier outputs a value of the first water amount, a second input terminal of the first relay is connected to the output terminal of the first comparator, the water amount determining part is configured to output the value of the first water amount under the condition that the value of L_U/L is less than the first threshold, a first input terminal of the second relay is connected to an output terminal of the second multiplier, the second multiplier outputs a value of the second water amount, a second input terminal of the second relay is connected to an output terminal of the logic AND circuit, the water amount determining part is configured to output the value of the second water amount under the condition that the value of L_U/L is larger than the first threshold and less than the second threshold, a first input terminal of the third relay is connected to an output terminal of the third multiplier, the third multiplier outputs a value of the third water amount, a second input terminal of the third relay is connected to an output terminal of the second comparator, the water amount determining part is configured to output the value of the third water amount under the condition that the value of L_U/L is larger than the second threshold.

6. The control device of claim 1, wherein the processor comprises a water temperature determining part configured to determine the water temperature T=(T_H−

T_L)L_U/L_X+/T_L to be reached.

7. The control device of claim 6, wherein the water temperature determining part comprises a subtractor, a multiplier, a divider and an adder, and wherein, input terminals of the subtractor are connected to the storage to receive T_H and T_L, a value of T_H−

T_L is output from the subtractor, a first input terminal of the multiplier is connected to an output terminal of the subtractor to receive the value of T_H−

T_L, a second input terminal of the multiplier is connected to the storage to receive a value of L_U, the multiplier is configured to output a value of (T_H−

T_L)L_U, a first input terminal of the divider is connected to an output terminal of the multiplier to receive the value of (T_H−

T_L)L_U, a second input terminal of the divider receives L_X, and the divider is configured to output a value of (T_H−

T_L)L_U/L_X, a first input terminal of the adder is connected to an output terminal of the divider to receive the value of (T_H−

T_L)L_U/L_X, a second input terminal of the adder receives T_L, and the adder is configured to output the water temperature T=(T_H−

T_L)L_U/L_X+T_L.

8. The control device of claim 1, wherein, the storage being configured to store the usage state value of the water heating apparatus during the first period includes storing usage state values of the water heating apparatus every day during continuous N days, the heater being configured to perform heating during the second period in accordance with the output value from the processor includes performing heating at (N+1)^th day, or from (N+1)^th day to (N+Z)^th day, and wherein N is a positive integer and Z is an integer larger than 1.

9. The control device of claim 8, wherein, the storage is configured to further store start timings t at which a user starts to use hot water every day during the continuous N days and provide the start timings t to the processor, the processor is configured to determine a mean value t_u of the starting timings t and provide the mean value t_u to the storage, the storage stores the mean value t_u, and the processor is configured to receive t_u transmitted from the storage, determine a heating start timing (t_u−

Δ

_t) at (N+1)^th day and provide it to the heater, and wherein Δ

_t is a time required to perform heating.

10. The control device of claim 8, wherein the heater is configured to perform heating at (N+1)^th day in accordance with the output value from the processor, and the output value from the processor is determined in accordance with the usage state values of the water heating apparatus stored from a first day to N^th day.

11. The control device of claim 1, further comprising:

a detector which includes a first temperature sensor and a water flow sensor provided at a water outlet of the water heating apparatus, and a second temperature sensor provided at a water inlet of the water heating apparatus.

12. The control device of claim 11, wherein the first temperature sensor is configured to detect outlet water temperatures of the water heating apparatus every day during continuous N days and convert the outlet water temperatures into a first set of electric signals, the water flow sensor is configured to detect outlet water amount values of the water heating apparatus every day during the continuous N days and convert the outlet water amount values into a second set of electric signals, the second temperature sensor is configured to detect inlet water temperatures of the water heating apparatus every day during the continuous N days and convert the inlet water temperatures into a third set of electric signals, the detector is configured to provide the first set of electric signals, the second set of electric signals and the third set of electric signals to the storage, the processor is configured to receive the first set of electric signals, the second set of electric signals and the third set of electric signals transmitted from the storage, determine the mean value of outlet water temperature T_H, the mean value of outlet water amount L_U and the mean value of inlet water temperature T_L of the water heating apparatus, and feedback the mean value of outlet water temperature T_H, the mean value of outlet water amount L_U and the mean value of inlet water temperature T_L to the storage so that the storage stores the mean value of outlet water temperature T_H, the mean value of outlet water amount L_U and the mean value of inlet water temperature T_L.

13. A water heating apparatus, comprising the control device of claim 1, and further comprising:

a display connected to the storage, which is configured to receive and display the usage state value of the water heating apparatus stored in the storage, wherein the usage state value of the water heating apparatus includes a current outlet water temperature and an available usage time of remaining hot water of the water heating apparatus.

14. The water heating apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

a wireless transmitter connected to the storage, which is connected to an external terminal and configured to receive a media file transmitted from the external terminal and provide it to the storage;

an audio player connected to the storage, which is configured to receive and play the media file transmitted from the storage,

wherein, the display is configured to further receive and display the media file transmitted from the storage.

15. A control method of a water heating apparatus, comprising steps of:

acquiring a mean value of outlet water temperature T_H, a mean value of outlet water amount L_U and a mean value of inlet water temperature T_L of the water heating apparatus during a first period;

determining a water amount L_X to be heated during a second period in accordance with the mean value of outlet water amount L_U and a water tank capacity L of the water heating apparatus; and

determining a water temperature T to be reached during the second period in accordance with the water amount L_X to be heated, the mean value of outlet water temperature T_H, the mean value of outlet water amount L_U and the mean value of inlet water temperature T_L.

16. The control method of claim 15, wherein, the step of determining the water amount L_X to be heated during the second period in accordance with the mean value of outlet water amount L_U and the water tank capacity L of the water heating apparatus includes:

determining a first water amount as the water amount L_X to be heated under the condition that a value of L_U/L is less than a first threshold;

determining a second water amount as the water amount L_X to be heated under the condition that the value of L_U/L is larger than the first threshold and less than a second threshold;

or

determining a third water amount as the water amount L_X to be heated under the condition that the value of L_U/L is larger than the second threshold,

wherein, the first threshold is less than the second threshold.

17. The control method of claim 15, wherein the step of determining the water temperature T to be reached during the second period in accordance with the water amount L_X to be heated, the mean value of outlet water temperature T_H, the mean value of outlet water amount L_U and the mean value of inlet water temperature T_L includes:

determining the water temperature T=(T_H−

T_L)L_U/L_X+T_L.

18. The control method of claim 15, further comprising steps of:

acquiring start timings t at which a user starts to use hot water every day during the continuous N days and determining a mean value t_u of the starting timings t; and

determining a heating start timing (t_u−

Δ

_t) at (N+1)^th day and performing heating from it at (N+1)^th day, wherein Δ

_t is a time required to perform heating.

19. The control method of claim 16, further comprising steps of:

acquiring start timings t at which a user starts to use hot water every day during the continuous N days and determining a mean value t_u of the starting timings t; and

determining a heating start timing (t_u−

Δ

_t) at (N+1)^th day and performing heating from it at (N+1)^th day, wherein Δ

_t is a time required to perform heating.