CN116697434A

CN116697434A - Water treatment apparatus, control method and control device, and readable storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN116697434A
Application number: CN202210180543.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 袁伟龙; 魏中科; 刘建
Original assignee: Wuhu Midea Kitchen and Bath Appliances Manufacturing Co Ltd
Current assignee: Wuhu Midea Kitchen and Bath Appliances Manufacturing Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-02-25
Filing date: 2022-02-25
Publication date: 2023-09-05

Abstract

The invention provides a water treatment device, a control method, a control device and a readable storage medium. A water treatment apparatus comprising: a boiler for producing hot water; at least one heating element arranged in the heating area and connected with the boiler; the water dividing and collecting device is communicated with the boiler and the heating piece and comprises at least one pipeline, the pipelines correspond to the heating piece one by one, and a temperature sensor and a flow sensor are arranged on the pipelines; and the central controller is connected with the water collecting and distributing device and is used for determining the heating efficiency corresponding to the pipeline according to the temperature value of the pipeline and the flow value of the pipeline and adjusting the flow of hot water of the pipeline according to the heating efficiency. The invention can dynamically adjust the flow of hot water in the pipeline between the boiler and each heating part, thereby dynamically balancing the heating of each heating area, ensuring that each room can obtain balanced and equal heating effect and improving the heating efficiency and heating experience.

Description

Water treatment apparatus, control method and control device, and readable storage medium

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of water treatment equipment, in particular to water treatment equipment, a control method, a control device and a readable storage medium.

Background

In the related art, hot water is supplied into a pipe through a boiler by a home floor heating system, so that the hot water flows through each room to realize heating. In the existing floor heating system, the water supply pressure of the boiler is fixed, the hot water flow of each room can be influenced by a pipeline structure, so that the temperature of the room close to the boiler is low, and the temperature of the room far from the boiler is unbalanced, so that the heating effect of each room is poor.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art or related art.

To this end, a first aspect of the invention proposes a water treatment device.

A second aspect of the invention proposes a control method.

A third aspect of the present invention proposes a control device.

A fourth aspect of the present invention proposes a control device.

A fifth aspect of the present invention proposes a readable storage medium.

A sixth aspect of the present invention provides a water treatment apparatus.

In view of this, a first aspect of the present invention provides a water treatment apparatus comprising: a boiler for producing hot water; at least one heating element arranged in the heating area and connected with the boiler; the water dividing and collecting device is communicated with the boiler and the heating piece and comprises at least one pipeline, the pipelines correspond to the heating piece one by one, and a temperature sensor and a flow sensor are arranged on the pipelines; and the central controller is connected with the water collecting and distributing device and is used for determining the heating efficiency corresponding to the pipeline according to the temperature value of the pipeline and the flow value of the pipeline and adjusting the flow of hot water of the pipeline according to the heating efficiency.

In the embodiment of the invention, the water treatment equipment comprises a floor heating system, and particularly, the water treatment system comprises a boiler, wherein the boiler is used for producing hot water and conveying the hot water to heating parts in each heating area through pipelines so as to heat each heating area. Taking a home scenario of a user as an example, one independent room in a home may be regarded as one heating area, and when a plurality of rooms exist in the home, a plurality of heating areas exist.

The boiler can be an electric heating boiler or a gas boiler, and takes the gas boiler as an example, a heating pipeline and a combustion chamber are arranged in the gas boiler, and a gas pipeline and a gas nozzle are arranged in the combustion chamber, so that flame can be formed at the gas nozzle after ignition. The heating pipeline passes through the combustion chamber, and cold water in the heating pipeline is heated to obtain hot water under the action of flame of the gas nozzle.

The heating part can be ground heating or heat radiating equipment such as a radiator, after hot water produced by the boiler enters the heating part through the water-feeding hanging furnace, the heating part radiates heat of the hot water to a heating area, namely, air in a room through heat-cold exchange, so that the air in the heating area is heated, the room temperature is increased, and heating in the heating area is realized.

Because the distances between different rooms and the boilers are different, the lengths of the pipelines between the heating elements of the rooms and the boilers are different, and the pipeline structures such as the bending numbers are also different.

In order to balance the heating effect of each heating area, the water treatment system of the application is also provided with the water dividing and collecting device and the central controller, the water dividing and collecting device is communicated with the boiler and the heating parts of each room, and under the control of the central controller, the water dividing and collecting device can dynamically adjust the flow of hot water between the boiler and the heating parts of each room, so that the flow of hot water between the boiler and each room, namely each heating area, can be ensured to be average and balanced, thereby ensuring that the heating amount of the boiler to each heating area is balanced, and effectively improving the heating effect of the heating parts.

Specifically, the water diversion device comprises pipelines, the quantity of the pipelines is the same as that of the heating parts, the water diversion device further comprises a water diversion part connected with a water supply port of the boiler, the water diversion part can respectively input hot water input by the boiler into each pipeline, and the hot water is conveyed into the heating parts of each room through each pipeline to realize heating.

In this case, one heating element may be provided in one heating region, or a plurality of heating elements may be provided at the same time. Each heating area can be independently set to be opened or closed, and meanwhile, for convenience of user setting, an independent temperature controller can be arranged in each heating area, and whether the current heating area is opened for heating is controlled by the temperature controller.

For example, in the home scenario of the current user, there are a total of 3 heating zones, room a, room B, and room C, respectively. At this time, the user of room A selects to open heating, and the room temperature controller that sets up in room A sends the instruction of opening to the central controller at this moment, and the central controller is according to opening the instruction, and the hot water piping between the heating spare of control minute water collector opening room A and the boiler, boiler and the heating spare intercommunication of room A at this moment, and the boiler carries hot water to the heating spare, realizes the heating to room A.

The heating of the room B is in an on state, at the moment, a user of the room B selects to adjust the heating temperature, particularly to reduce the heating temperature, at the moment, the room temperature controller arranged in the room B sends a control signal to the central controller, and the central controller controls the water distribution and collection assembly to reduce the flow of hot water between a heating piece of the room B and the boiler according to the control signal, so that the heating temperature of the room B is reduced.

The heating of the room C is in an on state, at the moment, a user of the room C selects to close the heating of the current room C, at the moment, a room temperature controller arranged in the room C sends an off instruction to the central controller, and the room temperature controller controls the water distribution and collection assembly to cut off a hot water pipeline between a heating part of the room C and the boiler according to the off instruction, so that hot water is not supplied to the room C any more.

Wherein, all be provided with temperature sensor on each pipeline, can detect the water temperature and the return water temperature of each pipeline. Meanwhile, a flow sensor is further arranged on the pipeline, and the flow sensor can detect the flow of hot water in the pipeline. The heating efficiency of each pipe, that is, the amount of heating provided to each heating area per unit time can be accurately calculated from the temperature of each pipe and the flow rate of hot water.

It can be understood that the higher the heating efficiency, the higher the heating amount supplied to the region, and the lower the heating efficiency, the lower the heating amount supplied to the region, and the difference in heating efficiency can be expressed as a difference in heating effect.

Specifically, according to the law of thermodynamics, the greater the temperature difference, the higher the efficiency of heat transfer from the higher temperature side to the lower temperature side, and therefore, when the hot water flow rate is close, the higher the heating efficiency, the greater the temperature difference between the room temperature and the hot water temperature, the worse the heating effect corresponding to the heating region. And the lower the heating efficiency is, the smaller the temperature difference between the room temperature and the hot water temperature is, and the better the temperature difference effect of the corresponding heating area is.

Therefore, the central controller dynamically adjusts the hot water flow of each pipeline according to the heating efficiency of each pipeline, specifically, when the heating efficiency of a certain pipeline is obviously higher than that of other pipelines, the hot water flow of the pipeline can be adjusted to be higher, and when the heating efficiency of a certain pipeline is obviously lower than that of other pipelines, the hot water flow of the pipeline can be adjusted to be lower, so that each room can obtain balanced and equal heating effects, and the heating efficiency and the heating experience are improved.

According to the embodiment of the invention, the intelligent water diversion device and the central controller are arranged in the water treatment equipment, the heating efficiency provided for the heating elements in each heating area is determined according to the temperature value and the flow value of each water diversion pipeline in the water diversion device, and the hot water flow of the pipeline between the boiler and each heating element is dynamically regulated according to the calculated heating efficiency, so that the heating in each heating area can be dynamically balanced, each room can obtain balanced and equal heating effect, and the heating efficiency and the heating experience are improved.

In addition, the water treatment equipment in the technical scheme provided by the invention can also have the following additional technical characteristics:

in the above technical solution, the water separator includes: and the throttling piece is arranged on the pipeline.

In this solution, the water separator is used to regulate the flow of hot water between the boiler and the heating elements in the respective heating zones. Specifically, the water separator comprises a pipeline and a throttling element, wherein the pipeline is a hot water passage between the boiler and each heating element, and hot water output by the boiler reaches the heating element through the pipeline.

The throttling element is arranged on the pipeline, the opening of the throttling element can be adjusted, and when the throttling element is fully opened, the pipeline is equivalent to full conduction, and the flow of hot water in the pipeline is maximum. When the throttling element is closed, the pipeline is blocked, and the flow of hot water in the pipeline is zero.

The central controller adjusts the opening of the throttling element on the corresponding pipeline according to the heating efficiency of each pipeline, so that the heating efficiency balance of the heating element corresponding to each pipeline is realized, the balanced heating effect of each heating area is ensured, and the heating experience is ensured.

In any of the above technical solutions, the pipeline includes a water inlet pipe and a water return pipe; the throttling element is arranged on the water return pipe.

In this technical scheme, form the hot water return circuit between boiler, water collector and the heating spare, wherein, water collector specifically includes the pipeline, the pipeline includes inlet tube and wet return, the hot water that the boiler produced, in the heating spare in each heating district is carried through the inlet tube, the heating spare distributes heat to the heating district through the mode of carrying out the heat exchange with the air in the heating district, hot water temperature in the heating spare can reduce this moment, the warm hot water after the reduction temperature gets back into the boiler through the wet return, and under the reheat effect of boiler, raise the temperature again, and get into the heating spare through the inlet tube again, realize hot water circulation.

In the process, the temperature of the water inlet pipe is obviously higher than that of the water return pipe, the throttling element is arranged on the water return pipe, the working environment temperature of the throttling element can be effectively reduced, the overheating damage of the throttling element is prevented, the reliability of the electric heating actuator is improved, and the heating system has better reliability.

In any of the above embodiments, the throttle member includes: the valve body is arranged in the pipeline; and the stepping motor is connected with the valve body.

In this technical scheme, the valve body sets up inside the pipeline, and the valve body can rotate relative to the pipeline, and when the valve body rotated first angle, the pipeline was in full open state, and the inside hot water flow of pipeline was the biggest this moment. When the valve body rotates to a second angle, the pipeline is in a cut-off state, and the flow of hot water in the pipeline is zero.

The stepping motor is arranged on the pipeline, the driving part of the stepping motor is connected with the valve body, and the stepping motor drives the valve body to rotate under the control of the central controller, so that the purpose of dynamically adjusting the hot water flow in the pipeline is realized, and the balance of heating effects of each heating part is ensured.

In any of the above embodiments, the temperature sensor includes: the first temperature sensor is arranged at the water inlet of the pipeline; and the second temperature sensor is arranged at the water return port of the pipeline.

In this technical scheme, temperature sensor specifically includes first temperature sensor and second temperature sensor, and wherein, first temperature sensor sets up the water inlet department at the pipeline, and second temperature sensor sets up the return water mouth department at the pipeline.

The water inlets of the pipelines are connected with the water dividing part of the water dividing device, the water inlet temperature of the water dividing device is the same as the water supply temperature of the boiler, the distance between the water inlets of the pipelines and the boiler is very close, and the distances are almost the same, so that a first temperature sensor can be arranged to detect the temperatures of the water inlets of the pipelines simultaneously.

And each pipeline is independently provided with a second temperature sensor for respectively collecting the backwater temperatures of different pipelines.

The water inlet temperature and the water return temperature on the pipeline are collected through the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor, the heating quantity of the corresponding heating area in unit time can be judged by combining the hot water flow of the pipeline according to the temperature difference of the water inlet temperature and the water return temperature, the heating efficiency of the corresponding pipeline is obtained, the hot water flow in the pipeline is dynamically regulated based on the heating efficiency, and the balance of the heating effect of each heating piece is guaranteed.

In any of the above aspects, the flow sensor includes: hall rotor flow sensors and/or ultrasonic flow sensors.

In this solution, the flow sensor may be provided as a hall rotor flow sensor. Specifically, the Hall rotor sensor detects the rotation angle of the rotor through the Hall sensor, so that the rotation speed of the rotor is determined, and the flow of hot water in the pipeline is determined according to the rotation speed of the rotor. The Hall sensor has lower price, which is beneficial to reducing the cost and price of the water treatment system.

The ultrasonic flow sensor detects the flow of hot water in the pipeline through ultrasonic waves, the ultrasonic sensor does not need to be provided with a rotor part, the mechanical structure is fewer, the rotor motion is not smooth because the rotor motion part is blocked by impurities, and the reliability of flow detection can be improved.

A second aspect of the present invention provides a control method for controlling a water treatment apparatus as provided in any one of the above-mentioned aspects, the method comprising: under the condition that the boiler conveys hot water to N heating parts, N return water temperatures of N pipelines corresponding to the heating parts are obtained, wherein N is a positive integer; according to the N backwater temperatures, N heating efficiencies of N pipelines are determined; based on the N heating efficiencies, the hot water flows of the N pipelines are respectively regulated so that the difference value between the N backwater temperatures is smaller than a preset threshold value.

In this aspect, the boiler can supply heating water to a plurality of heating areas simultaneously, thereby heating a plurality of rooms. Specifically, taking a user home scenario as an example, there are three rooms in the user home, that is, three heating areas, in each of which an independent heating element is provided, and the heating element is connected to the boiler through an independent pipe.

That is, in the case where there are heating areas of three rooms, the number of heating elements in the heating apparatus is also three, and the three heating elements are respectively provided in the three rooms and are communicated with the boiler through three independent pipes in the water separator.

It will be appreciated that there is a case where a plurality of radiators, or a plurality of groups of floor heating pipes are provided in one room, that is, one heating area, and for this case, all the radiators or the floor heating pipes in the heating area are collectively referred to as one heating element.

Wherein, in dividing the water collector, all be provided with temperature sensor on the pipeline that corresponds every heating region, can acquire the return water temperature of pipeline, under the condition that there are N pipelines, gather N return water temperature altogether. Specifically, because the water inlets of the pipelines are connected with the water dividing part of the water dividing and collecting device, the water inlet temperature of the pipeline is the same as the water supply temperature of the boiler, and the distance between the water inlet of each pipeline and the boiler is very close and almost the same, the water inlet temperature of each pipeline is the same, and the water return temperature reflects the heat loss value of each pipeline, namely the heating capacity.

It can be understood that the higher the heating amount, the higher the heating amount supplied to the region, and the lower the heating amount, the lower the heating amount supplied to the region, and the difference in heating amounts can be expressed as a difference in heating effect.

Therefore, the heating efficiency on the corresponding pipe can be calculated based on the return water temperature of each pipe. After N heating efficiencies of N pipelines are obtained, the hot water flow of each pipeline is dynamically adjusted according to the heating efficiency of each pipeline, specifically, when the heating efficiency of a certain pipeline is obviously higher than that of other pipelines, the hot water flow of the pipeline can be adjusted to be high, and when the heating efficiency of the certain pipeline is obviously lower than that of the other pipelines, the hot water flow of the pipeline can be adjusted to be low, so that each room can obtain balanced and equal heating effects, and the heating efficiency and the heating experience are improved.

After the backwater temperatures of the pipelines are converged, namely the temperatures of the heating areas are converged, the heating areas obtain similar heating effects, so that the heating effects of the heating areas are balanced under the condition that the difference value of any two backwater temperatures among the N backwater temperatures is smaller than a preset threshold value.

In the above technical scheme, confirm N heating efficiency of N pipelines according to N return water temperatures, include: respectively acquiring the hot water flow, the water inlet temperature and the water return temperature of each pipeline in the N pipelines; determining a temperature difference value corresponding to the pipeline according to the water inlet temperature and the water return temperature; and determining heating efficiency according to the flow rate of the hot water and the temperature difference value.

In the technical scheme, when the backwater temperature of each pipeline is obtained, the water inlet temperature and the hot water flow of the corresponding pipeline are further obtained. The temperature difference value generated on the hot water after heat dissipation in the heating area on the current pipeline can be calculated by subtracting the return water temperature from the inlet water temperature, and the larger the temperature difference value is, the more heat is provided for the corresponding heating area by the unit hot water quantity, and the smaller the temperature difference value is, the less heat is provided for the corresponding heating area by the unit hot water quantity.

Meanwhile, according to the hot water flow of the current pipeline, the hot water quantity provided in the heating area corresponding to the current pipeline in unit time can be obtained. Based on the hot water amount and the temperature difference value, the heating efficiency of each pipeline, that is, the heating amount provided to each heating area in unit time can be accurately calculated.

According to the heating efficiency of each pipeline, the hot water flow of each pipeline is dynamically adjusted, specifically, when the heating efficiency of a certain pipeline is obviously higher than that of other pipelines, the hot water flow of the pipeline can be adjusted to be high, and when the heating efficiency of a certain pipeline is obviously lower than that of other pipelines, the hot water flow of the pipeline can be adjusted to be low, so that each room can obtain balanced and equal heating effects, and the heating efficiency and the heating experience are improved.

In any of the above technical solutions, the heating efficiency is calculated by the following formula:

Q＝C×m×△t；

wherein Q is heating efficiency, m is hot water flow, deltat is temperature difference, and C is constant.

In the technical scheme, the hot water flow can specifically express the hot water quantity flowing in the pipeline in unit time. The temperature difference value can specifically express the heat quantity value emitted by the hot water in the heating area. The product of the hot water flow and the temperature difference value is calculated, so that the heating efficiency of the current pipeline to the heating area in unit time can be accurately expressed. Wherein, C is a preset constant and can be set in the central controller in a pre-storage mode.

In any of the above-mentioned technical solutions, based on N heating efficiencies, respectively adjusting the hot water flows of N pipes, including: determining reference efficiency according to the N heating efficiencies; under the condition that the first heating efficiency is larger than the reference efficiency, the first hot water flow of a first pipeline corresponding to the first heating efficiency is improved, wherein the N heating efficiencies comprise the first heating efficiency; when the first heating efficiency is smaller than the reference efficiency, the first hot water flow rate is reduced.

In this technical scheme, after the heating efficiency corresponding to the pipes is calculated, first, one reference heating efficiency may be determined according to N heating efficiencies corresponding to N pipes. The reference heating efficiency may be an average value of N heating efficiencies or a median value of N heating efficiencies.

Then, the heating efficiencies of the N heating efficiencies are compared with the reference heating efficiency, respectively. Specifically, according to the law of thermodynamics, the greater the temperature difference, the higher the efficiency of heat transfer from the higher temperature side to the lower temperature side, and therefore, when the hot water flow rate is close, the higher the heating efficiency, the greater the temperature difference between the room temperature and the hot water temperature, the worse the heating effect corresponding to the heating region. And the lower the heating efficiency is, the smaller the temperature difference between the room temperature and the hot water temperature is, and the better the temperature difference effect of the corresponding heating area is.

Therefore, if the heating efficiency of one heating area is higher than the reference heating efficiency, the first heating efficiency indicates that the room temperature of the heating area is low, that is, the heating effect of the heating area is not good, at this time, the flow rate of hot water in the pipeline can be increased, and similarly, if the first heating efficiency is lower than the reference heating efficiency, the room temperature of the heating area is high, that is, the heating effect of the heating area is better than that of other heating areas, at this time, the flow rate of hot water in the pipeline can be reduced, so that the heating balance of a plurality of heating areas can be ensured.

In any of the above technical solutions, before acquiring the N return water temperatures of the N pipelines corresponding to the heating element, the method further includes: determining an initial hot water flow rate for each of the N pipes in response to the heating command; determining an average flow according to the N initial hot water flows; based on the average flow, the boiler is controlled to deliver hot water to the heating element.

In the technical scheme, after the water treatment equipment receives a heating start instruction, firstly, the boiler and the central controller are started, at the moment, the boiler starts to generate hot water, the central controller determines one or more heating areas needing heating according to the switch setting of the temperature controllers arranged in the heating areas, and controls the water separator to adjust the on-off state of the pipeline, so that the hot water is fully conveyed to a room needing heating.

The hot water flow of the room with the heating is set to be maximum in a period of time when the boiler is started, namely the throttling element is fully opened, and water is fully supplied to the boiler at the moment, so that cold water remained in the heating elements of each room is quickly returned to the boiler for heating through the water return pipe.

In this process, when the flow is fully opened, the flow sensor provided on each pipe is used to obtain the heating flow of each heating element, it can be understood that the sum of the collected heating flows is the maximum flow of the boiler to each heating area under the current working condition, and the actual flow allocated to each heating area is affected by the length and the arrangement of the pipes, so that the hot water flow of some rooms may be too large and the hot water flow of some rooms may be too small.

At this time, the average flow rate is calculated from the combination of the N heating flows of the N heating areas collected, and for example, if 3 heating areas are on for heating and the heating flows are A, B and C, respectively, the average flow rate q= (a+b+c)/(3).

After the average flow is obtained, hot water is conveyed to each heating element according to the average flow, namely, the water separator is controlled to adjust the hot water flow conveyed to each heating element by the boiler, so that the hot water flow of each heating area is equal to the average flow, and the heating effect between the boiler and each room, namely, each heating area can be ensured to be average and balanced.

A third aspect of the present invention provides a control device for controlling a water treatment device as provided in any one of the above aspects, the control device comprising: the acquisition module is used for acquiring N backwater temperatures of N pipelines corresponding to the heating parts under the condition that the boiler conveys hot water to the N heating parts, wherein N is a positive integer; the determining module is used for determining N heating efficiencies of the N pipelines according to the N backwater temperatures; and the adjusting module is used for respectively adjusting the hot water flow of the N pipelines based on the N heating efficiencies so that the difference value between the N backwater temperatures is smaller than a preset threshold value.

A fourth aspect of the present invention provides a control apparatus for a water treatment device, comprising: a memory for storing programs or instructions; the processor is configured to implement the steps of the control method provided in any one of the above-mentioned technical solutions when executing the program or the instruction, so that the control device also includes all the beneficial effects of the control method provided in any one of the above-mentioned technical solutions, and is not repeated here for avoiding repetition.

A fifth aspect of the present invention provides a readable storage medium having stored thereon a program or instructions which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the control method as provided in any of the above-mentioned aspects, and therefore, the readable storage medium also includes all the advantageous effects of the control method as provided in any of the above-mentioned aspects, and will not be repeated here.

A sixth aspect of the present invention provides a water treatment apparatus comprising a control device as provided in any one of the above aspects; and/or a readable storage medium as provided in any of the above-mentioned technical solutions, so that the water treatment device also includes all the beneficial effects of the control device as provided in any of the above-mentioned technical solutions and/or the readable storage medium as provided in any of the above-mentioned technical solutions, and in order to avoid repetition, the description thereof is omitted.

Drawings

The foregoing and/or additional aspects and advantages of the application will become apparent and may be better understood from the following description of embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows one of schematic structural views of a water treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 shows a second schematic view of a water treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 shows a flow chart of a control method according to an embodiment of the application;

fig. 4 shows a block diagram of a control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

Reference numerals:

100 water treatment equipment, 102 boilers, 104 heating elements, 106 water collector, 108 central controller, 110 throttling element, 1102 valve body, 1104 stepping motor, 112 water inlet pipe, 114 water return pipe, 116 first temperature sensor, 118 second temperature sensor and 120 flow sensor.

Detailed Description

In order that the above-recited objects, features and advantages of the present application will be more clearly understood, a more particular description of the application will be rendered by reference to the appended drawings and appended detailed description. It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments of the present application and features in the embodiments may be combined with each other.

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present application, however, the present application may be practiced in other ways than those described herein, and therefore the scope of the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

A water treatment apparatus, a control method and a control device, a readable storage medium according to some embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to fig. 1 to 4.

Example 1

In some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a water treatment apparatus, fig. 1 shows one of structural schematic diagrams of the water treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, fig. 2 shows the second of structural schematic diagrams of the water treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the water treatment apparatus 100 includes:

a boiler 102 for producing hot water; at least one heating element 104 arranged in the heating zone and connected with the boiler 102; the water dividing and collecting device 106 is communicated with the boiler 102 and the heating piece 104, the water dividing and collecting device 106 comprises at least one pipeline, the pipelines are in one-to-one correspondence with the heating piece 104, and a temperature sensor and a flow sensor 120 are arranged on the pipelines; the central controller 108 is connected to the water collector 106, and is configured to determine a heating efficiency corresponding to the pipeline according to the temperature value of the pipeline and the flow value of the pipeline, and adjust the flow of hot water in the pipeline according to the heating efficiency.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the water treatment apparatus 100 includes a floor heating system, specifically, the water treatment system includes a boiler 102, and the boiler 102 is used for producing hot water and delivering the hot water to heating elements 104 in each heating area through a pipeline, so as to heat each heating area. Taking a home scenario of a user as an example, one independent room in a home may be regarded as one heating area, and when a plurality of rooms exist in the home, a plurality of heating areas exist.

The boiler 102 may be an electric heating boiler 102 or a gas boiler 102, and taking the gas boiler 102 as an example, a heating pipeline and a combustion chamber are arranged in the gas boiler 102, and a gas pipeline and a gas nozzle are arranged in the combustion chamber, so that after ignition, a flame can be formed at the gas nozzle. The heating pipeline passes through the combustion chamber, and cold water in the heating pipeline is heated to obtain hot water under the action of flame of the gas nozzle.

The heating element 104 may be a floor heating device or a radiator, and when hot water produced by the boiler 102 enters the heating element 104 through the water supply hanging furnace, the heating element 104 radiates heat of the hot water to a heating area, namely, air in a room through heat-cold exchange, so that the air in the heating area is heated, the room temperature is increased, and heating in the heating area is realized.

Since the distances between the different rooms and the boiler 102 are different, the lengths of the pipes between the heating elements of the respective rooms and the boiler 102 are different, and the pipe structures, such as the number of bends, are also different, so if the boiler 102 is directly connected to the heating elements 104 of the respective rooms, uneven hot water flows of the different rooms may be caused, and the heating effect of the respective rooms may be unbalanced.

In order to balance the heating effect of each heating area, the water treatment system of the application is also provided with the water dividing and collecting device 106 and the central controller 108, the water dividing and collecting device 106 is communicated with the boiler 102 and the heating elements 104 of each room, and under the control of the central controller 108, the water dividing and collecting device 106 can dynamically adjust the flow of hot water between the boiler 102 and the heating elements 104 of each room, so that the flow of hot water between the boiler 102 and each room, namely each heating area, is balanced, the heating amount of the boiler 102 to each heating area is balanced, and the heating effect of the heating elements 104 can be effectively improved.

Specifically, the water separator 106 includes pipes, the number of the pipes is the same as that of the heating elements 104, the water separator 106 further includes a water diversion portion connected to the water supply port of the boiler 102, and the water diversion portion can respectively input hot water input by the boiler 102 into each pipe, and convey the hot water into the heating elements 104 of each room through each pipe to realize heating.

In one heating area, one heating element 104 may be provided, or a plurality of heating elements 104 may be provided at the same time. Each heating area can be independently set to be opened or closed, and meanwhile, for convenience of user setting, an independent temperature controller can be arranged in each heating area, and whether the current heating area is opened for heating is controlled by the temperature controller.

For example, in the home scenario of the current user, there are a total of 3 heating zones, room a, room B, and room C, respectively. At this time, the user of the room a selects to start heating, at this time, the room temperature controller set in the room a sends an opening instruction to the central controller 108, and the central controller 108 controls the water separator-collector 106 to open a hot water pipeline between the heating element 104 of the room a and the boiler 102 according to the opening instruction, at this time, the boiler 102 is communicated with the heating element 104 of the room a, and the boiler 102 conveys hot water to the heating element 104 to realize heating of the room a.

The heating of the room B is already in an on state, and at this time, the user of the room B selects to adjust the heating temperature, specifically, reduce the heating temperature, and at this time, the room temperature controller set in the room B sends a control signal to the central controller 108, and the central controller 108 controls the water diversion and collection assembly to reduce the flow of hot water between the heating element 104 and the boiler 102 of the room B according to the control signal, so as to reduce the heating temperature of the room B.

The heating of the room C is in an on state, at this time, the user of the room C selects to close the heating of the current room C, at this time, the room temperature controller set in the room C sends a closing instruction to the central controller 108, and the room temperature controller controls the water distribution and collection assembly to stop the hot water pipeline between the heating element 104 of the room C and the boiler 102 according to the closing instruction, so that hot water is not supplied to the room C any more.

Wherein, all be provided with temperature sensor on each pipeline, can detect the water temperature and the return water temperature of each pipeline. Meanwhile, a flow sensor 120 is further arranged on the pipeline, and the flow sensor 120 can detect the flow of hot water in the pipeline. The heating efficiency of each pipe, that is, the amount of heating provided to each heating area per unit time can be accurately calculated from the temperature of each pipe and the flow rate of hot water.

Therefore, the central controller 108 dynamically adjusts the hot water flow of each pipeline according to the heating efficiency of each pipeline, specifically, when the heating efficiency of a certain pipeline is significantly higher than that of other pipelines, the hot water flow of a certain pipeline can be adjusted to be higher, and when the heating efficiency of a certain pipeline is significantly lower than that of other pipelines, the hot water flow of the pipeline can be adjusted to be lower, so that each room can obtain balanced and equal heating effects, and the heating efficiency and the heating experience are improved.

According to the embodiment of the invention, by arranging the intelligent water diversion and collection device 106 and the central controller 108 in the water treatment equipment 100, the heating efficiency provided for the heating elements 104 in each heating area is determined according to the temperature value and the flow value of each water diversion pipeline in the water diversion and collection device 106, and the hot water flow of the pipeline between the boiler 102 and each heating element 104 is dynamically regulated according to the calculated heating efficiency, so that the heating in each heating area can be dynamically balanced, the balanced and equal heating effect can be obtained in each room, and the heating efficiency and the heating experience are improved.

In some embodiments of the invention, the water separator-collector 106 comprises: and the throttling element 110 is arranged in the pipeline.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the water separator-collector 106 is used to regulate the flow of hot water between the boiler 102 and the heating elements 104 in each heating zone. Specifically, the water separator 106 includes piping and a throttle 110, the piping being a hot water path between the boiler 102 and each heating element 104, through which hot water output from the boiler 102 reaches the heating element 104.

The throttling element 110 is arranged on the pipeline, the opening of the throttling element 110 can be adjusted, when the throttling element 110 is fully opened, the pipeline is equivalent to all conduction, and at the moment, the flow of hot water in the pipeline is maximum. When the throttling 110 is closed, the pipeline corresponds to being blocked, and the flow of hot water in the pipeline is zero.

The central controller 108 adjusts the opening of the throttling element 110 on the corresponding pipeline according to the heating efficiency of each pipeline, so that the heating efficiency balance of the heating element 104 corresponding to each pipeline is realized, the balanced heating effect of each heating area is ensured, and the heating experience is ensured.

In some embodiments of the invention, the piping includes a water inlet pipe 112 and a water return pipe 114; the throttle 110 is provided in the return pipe 114.

In the embodiment of the present invention, a hot water loop is formed among the boiler 102, the water collector 106 and the heating element 104, wherein the water collector 106 specifically includes a pipeline, the pipeline includes a water inlet pipe 112 and a water return pipe 114, hot water produced by the boiler 102 is conveyed to the heating element 104 in each heating area through the water inlet pipe 112, the heating element 104 radiates heat to the heating area by performing heat exchange with air in the heating area, at this time, the temperature of hot water in the heating element 104 is reduced, the hot water after the temperature reduction returns to the boiler 102 through the water return pipe 114, and under the reheating action of the boiler 102, the temperature is increased again, and enters the heating element 104 again through the water inlet pipe 112, so as to realize hot water circulation.

In the above process, the temperature of the water inlet pipe 112 will be significantly higher than that of the water return pipe 114, and the throttle member 110 is installed on the water return pipe 114, so as to effectively reduce the working environment temperature of the throttle member 110, and prevent the throttle member 110 from being overheated and damaged, thereby improving the reliability of the electric heating actuator and enabling the heating system to have better reliability.

In some embodiments of the invention, the orifice 110 includes: a valve body 1102 disposed within the pipeline; a stepper motor 1104 is connected to the valve body 1102.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the valve body 1102 is disposed inside the pipeline, the valve body 1102 can rotate relative to the pipeline, and when the valve body 1102 rotates to a first angle, the pipeline is in a fully opened state, and the flow of hot water inside the pipeline is the maximum. When the valve body 1102 is rotated to the second angle, the pipe is in a shut-off state, and the flow of hot water in the pipe is zero.

The stepper motor 1104 is arranged on the pipeline, the driving part of the stepper motor 1104 is connected with the valve body 1102, and the stepper motor 1104 drives the valve body 1102 to rotate under the control of the central controller, so that the purpose of dynamically adjusting the hot water flow in the pipeline is realized, and the heating effect balance of each heating part 104 is ensured.

In some embodiments of the invention, a temperature sensor includes: a first temperature sensor 116, disposed at the water inlet of the pipeline; and the second temperature sensor 118 is arranged at the water return port of the pipeline.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the temperature sensor specifically includes a first temperature sensor 116 and a second temperature sensor 118, where the first temperature sensor 116 is disposed at the water inlet of the pipeline and the second temperature sensor 118 is disposed at the water return port of the pipeline.

Because the water inlets of the pipelines are connected with the water diversion part of the water diversion device 106, the water inlet temperature of the pipeline is the same as the water supply temperature of the boiler 102, and the water inlets of the pipelines are very close to the boiler 102 and have almost the same distance, a first temperature sensor 116 can be arranged to detect the temperatures of the water inlets of the pipelines at the same time.

And each pipeline is independently provided with a second temperature sensor 118 for respectively collecting the backwater temperatures of different pipelines.

The water inlet temperature and the water return temperature on the pipeline are collected through the first temperature sensor 116 and the second temperature sensor 118, the heating quantity of the corresponding heating area in unit time can be judged by combining the hot water flow of the pipeline according to the temperature difference between the water inlet temperature and the water return temperature, the heating efficiency of the corresponding pipeline is obtained, the hot water flow in the pipeline is dynamically regulated based on the heating efficiency, and the balance of the heating effect of each heating piece 104 is guaranteed.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the flow sensor 120 includes: hall rotor flow sensor 120 and/or ultrasonic flow sensor 120.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the flow sensor 120 may be provided as a hall rotor flow sensor 120. Specifically, the Hall rotor sensor detects the rotation angle of the rotor through the Hall sensor, so that the rotation speed of the rotor is determined, and the flow of hot water in the pipeline is determined according to the rotation speed of the rotor. The Hall sensor has lower price, which is beneficial to reducing the cost and price of the water treatment system.

The ultrasonic flow sensor 120 detects the flow of hot water in the pipeline through ultrasonic waves, the ultrasonic sensor does not need to be provided with a rotor component, the mechanical structure is fewer, the rotor motion is not smooth because the rotor motion component is blocked by impurities, and the reliability of flow detection can be improved.

Example two

In some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a control method for controlling the water treatment apparatus provided in any of the embodiments described above, fig. 3 shows a flowchart of a control method according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 3, the method comprising:

step 302, acquiring N backwater temperatures of N pipelines corresponding to heating elements under the condition that the boiler conveys hot water to the N heating elements;

in step 302, N is a positive integer;

step 304, determining N heating efficiencies of N pipelines according to N backwater temperatures;

step 306, based on the N heating efficiencies, the hot water flows of the N pipes are respectively adjusted so that the difference between the N return water temperatures is smaller than a preset threshold.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the boiler is capable of simultaneously supplying heating water to a plurality of heating zones, thereby heating a plurality of rooms. Specifically, taking a user home scenario as an example, there are three rooms in the user home, that is, three heating areas, in each of which an independent heating element is provided, and the heating element is connected to the boiler through an independent pipe.

In some embodiments of the invention, determining N heating efficiencies for N pipes based on N return water temperatures includes: respectively acquiring the hot water flow, the water inlet temperature and the water return temperature of each pipeline in the N pipelines; determining a temperature difference value corresponding to the pipeline according to the water inlet temperature and the water return temperature; and determining heating efficiency according to the flow rate of the hot water and the temperature difference value.

In the embodiment of the invention, when the backwater temperature of each pipeline is obtained, the water inlet temperature and the hot water flow of the corresponding pipeline are further obtained. The temperature difference value generated on the hot water after heat dissipation in the heating area on the current pipeline can be calculated by subtracting the return water temperature from the inlet water temperature, and the larger the temperature difference value is, the more heat is provided for the corresponding heating area by the unit hot water quantity, and the smaller the temperature difference value is, the less heat is provided for the corresponding heating area by the unit hot water quantity.

In some embodiments of the present invention, heating efficiency is calculated by the following formula:

Q＝C×m×△t；

In the embodiment of the invention, the hot water flow can specifically express the hot water quantity flowing in the pipeline in unit time. The temperature difference value can specifically express the heat quantity value emitted by the hot water in the heating area. The product of the hot water flow and the temperature difference value is calculated, so that the heating efficiency of the current pipeline to the heating area in unit time can be accurately expressed. Wherein, C is a preset constant and can be set in the central controller in a pre-storage mode.

In some embodiments of the present invention, adjusting the flow of hot water to the N pipes based on the N heating efficiencies, respectively, includes: determining reference efficiency according to the N heating efficiencies; under the condition that the first heating efficiency is larger than the reference efficiency, the first hot water flow of a first pipeline corresponding to the first heating efficiency is improved, wherein the N heating efficiencies comprise the first heating efficiency; when the first heating efficiency is smaller than the reference efficiency, the first hot water flow rate is reduced.

In the embodiment of the invention, after the heating efficiency corresponding to the pipelines is calculated, first, a reference heating efficiency may be determined according to N heating efficiencies corresponding to N pipelines. The reference heating efficiency may be an average value of N heating efficiencies or a median value of N heating efficiencies.

In some embodiments of the present invention, before acquiring the N return water temperatures of the N pipes corresponding to the heating element, the method further includes: determining an initial hot water flow rate for each of the N pipes in response to the heating command; determining an average flow according to the N initial hot water flows; based on the average flow, the boiler is controlled to deliver hot water to the heating element.

In the embodiment of the invention, after the water treatment equipment receives a heating starting instruction, firstly, the boiler and the central controller are started, at this time, the boiler starts to generate hot water, the central controller determines one or more heating areas needing heating according to the switch setting of the temperature controllers arranged in the heating areas, and controls the water separator to adjust the on-off state of the pipeline, so that the hot water is fully conveyed to a room needing heating.

Example III

In some embodiments of the present invention, a floor heating system includes a boiler, a water separator and a central controller, wherein the boiler is responsible for generating a heat source to provide continuous hot water to a heating system. The intelligent water distributor and collector is responsible for realizing flow control, flow collection and temperature collection of each heating pipeline. The central controller is responsible for realizing the control of the intelligent water separator and collector, and the heating temperature of each room is controllable.

Step one, starting a central controller and selecting a pipeline needing heating;

step two, starting a boiler to start heating;

Step three, the central controller fully opens all the starting heating pipelines through the stepping motor executor;

step four, the controller counts the flow sum of each heating pipeline and calculates the average flow value;

step five, the central controller adjusts the opening of the heating pipeline through the stepping motor actuator so as to adjust the flow, the flow values of all pipelines are collected in real time through the water flow sensor, the flow of all pipelines finally reaches the average flow, an adjusting time limit is set, and after the adjusting time limit is reached, whether the flow reaches the average flow or not enters the next step, so that the system can flow to the next step;

step six, recording the temperature difference Deltat between the water outlet and each pipeline, and recording the flow m of each pipeline;

step seven, calculating the heating power Q of each pipeline through a basic calculation formula Q=C×m× Δt (C is a constant) of hot water heating;

and step eight, distributing the total flow M to each pipeline in proportion according to the ratio of the heating power of each pipeline, so as to realize more accurate hydraulic balance.

Through the calculation of the steps, the flow distributed to each pipeline is the hydraulic distribution mode with the best effect, and through the balance scheme, all heating spaces achieve the same heating effect.

Example IV

In some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a control device for controlling the water treatment device provided in any of the above embodiments, fig. 4 shows a block diagram of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in fig. 4, a control device 400 includes:

the acquiring module 402 is configured to acquire N return water temperatures of N pipelines corresponding to N heating elements when the boiler delivers hot water to the N heating elements, where N is a positive integer;

a determining module 404, configured to determine N heating efficiencies of the N pipelines according to the N backwater temperatures;

the adjusting module 406 is configured to adjust the hot water flows of the N pipes based on the N heating efficiencies, so that a difference between the N return water temperatures is less than a preset threshold.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the root acquisition module is further configured to acquire a hot water flow, a water inlet temperature, and a water return temperature of each of the N pipes, respectively; the determining module is also used for determining a temperature difference value corresponding to the pipeline according to the water inlet temperature and the water return temperature; and determining heating efficiency according to the hot water flow and the temperature difference value.

Q＝C×m×△t；

In some embodiments of the present invention, the determining module is further configured to determine a reference efficiency based on the N heating efficiencies; the adjusting module is further used for improving the first hot water flow of the first pipeline corresponding to the first heating efficiency under the condition that the first heating efficiency is larger than the reference efficiency, wherein the N heating efficiencies comprise the first heating efficiency; when the first heating efficiency is smaller than the reference efficiency, the first hot water flow rate is reduced.

In some embodiments of the invention, the determining module is further configured to determine an initial flow of hot water for each of the N pipes in response to the heating command; determining an average flow according to the N initial hot water flows; the control device further includes: and the control module is used for controlling the boiler to deliver hot water to the heating piece based on the average flow.

Example five

In some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a control apparatus for a water treatment device, comprising: a memory for storing programs or instructions; the processor is configured to implement the steps of the control method provided in any of the foregoing embodiments when executing the program or the instructions, so that the control device also includes all the beneficial effects of the control method provided in any of the foregoing embodiments, and is not repeated herein for avoiding repetition.

Example six

In some embodiments of the present invention, a readable storage medium is provided, on which a program or an instruction is stored, which when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the control method provided in any of the above embodiments, and therefore, the readable storage medium also includes all the advantages of the control method provided in any of the above embodiments, and is not described herein in detail for avoiding repetition.

Example seven

In some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a water treatment apparatus comprising a control device as provided in any one of the embodiments above; and/or a readable storage medium as provided in any of the above embodiments, and thus the water treatment apparatus also includes all the beneficial effects of the control device as provided in any of the above embodiments and/or the readable storage medium as provided in any of the above embodiments, which are not repeated here for avoiding repetition.

In the description of the present invention, the term "plurality" means two or more, unless explicitly defined otherwise, the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "upper", "lower", etc. are orientation or positional relationship based on the drawings, merely for convenience of description of the present invention and to simplify the description, and do not indicate or imply that the apparatus or elements referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as limiting the present invention; the terms "coupled," "mounted," "secured," and the like are to be construed broadly, and may be fixedly coupled, detachably coupled, or integrally connected, for example; can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art according to the specific circumstances.

In the description of the present invention, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "particular embodiments," and the like, mean that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In the present invention, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

The above description is only of the preferred embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention, but various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A water treatment apparatus, comprising:

a boiler for producing hot water;

at least one heating element arranged in the heating area and connected with the boiler;

the water dividing and collecting device is communicated with the boiler and the heating piece and comprises at least one pipeline, the pipeline corresponds to the heating piece one by one, and a temperature sensor and a flow sensor are arranged on the pipeline;

And the central controller is connected with the water collecting and distributing device and is used for determining the heating efficiency corresponding to the pipeline according to the temperature value of the pipeline and the flow value of the pipeline and adjusting the hot water flow of the pipeline according to the heating efficiency.

2. The water treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the water separator comprises:

and the throttling piece is arranged on the pipeline.

3. The water treatment apparatus of claim 2, wherein the piping comprises a water inlet pipe and a water return pipe;

the throttling element is arranged on the water return pipe.

4. A water treatment apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the restriction comprises:

the valve body is arranged in the pipeline;

and the stepping motor is connected with the valve body.

5. The water treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor comprises:

the first temperature sensor is arranged at the water inlet of the pipeline;

and the second temperature sensor is arranged at the water return port of the pipeline.

6. The water treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flow sensor comprises:

hall rotor flow sensors and/or ultrasonic flow sensors.

7. A control method for a water treatment apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, the method comprising:

under the condition that the boiler conveys hot water to N heating parts, N backwater temperatures of N pipelines corresponding to the heating parts are obtained, wherein N is a positive integer;

according to the N backwater temperatures, N heating efficiencies of N pipelines are determined;

based on the N heating efficiencies, the hot water flows of the N pipelines are respectively regulated so that the difference value between the N backwater temperatures is smaller than a preset threshold value.

8. The control method according to claim 7, wherein the determining N heating efficiencies of the N pipes according to the N return water temperatures includes:

respectively acquiring the hot water flow, the water inlet temperature and the water return temperature of each pipeline in N pipelines;

determining a temperature difference value corresponding to the pipeline according to the water inlet temperature and the water return temperature;

and determining the heating efficiency according to the hot water flow and the temperature difference value.

9. The control method according to claim 8, characterized in that the heating efficiency is calculated by the following formula:

Q＝C×m×△t；

wherein Q is the heating efficiency, m is the hot water flow, deltat is the temperature difference value, and C is a constant.

10. The control method according to claim 7, wherein the adjusting the flow rates of the hot water of the N pipes based on the N heating efficiencies, respectively, includes:

determining a reference efficiency according to the N heating efficiencies;

when the first heating efficiency is greater than the reference efficiency, increasing first hot water flow of a first pipeline corresponding to the first heating efficiency, wherein the N heating efficiencies comprise the first heating efficiency;

and reducing the first hot water flow rate when the first heating efficiency is smaller than the reference efficiency.

11. The control method according to claim 7, characterized in that before the obtaining the N return water temperatures of the N pipes corresponding to the heating element, the method further comprises:

determining an initial flow of hot water in each of the N said pipes in response to a heating command;

determining an average flow according to the N initial hot water flows;

and controlling the boiler to deliver hot water to the heating element based on the average flow.

12. A control device for a water treatment apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the control device comprises:

The acquisition module is used for acquiring N backwater temperatures of N pipelines corresponding to the heating parts under the condition that the boiler conveys hot water to the N heating parts, wherein N is a positive integer;

the determining module is used for determining N heating efficiencies of N pipelines according to the N backwater temperatures;

and the adjusting module is used for respectively adjusting the hot water flow of the N pipelines based on the N heating efficiencies so that the difference value between the N backwater temperatures is smaller than a preset threshold value.

13. A control device for a water treatment apparatus, comprising:

a memory for storing programs or instructions;

a processor for implementing the control method according to any one of claims 7 to 11 when executing the program or instructions.

14. A readable storage medium having stored thereon a program or instructions, which when executed by a processor, implement the control method according to any one of claims 7 to 11.

15. A water treatment apparatus, comprising:

the control device according to claim 12 or 13; and/or

The readable storage medium of claim 14.