CN215176071U - Electric water heater - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application relates to an electric water heater. This electric water heater includes: the descaling device is arranged in the water tank and used for providing driving force for accelerating the movement of scale deposited in the water tank of the electric water heater, and the control device is connected with the descaling device and used for starting the descaling device when the electric water heater starts hot water. The electric water heater can remove the scale all the time without the limitation of the amount of the scale removing materials loaded on the electric water heater by using the driving force generated by the scale removing device to accelerate the motion of the scale so as to mix the scale into the water and flow out of the water tank along with the water flow. Moreover, the descaling device is started every time a user uses hot water, the descaling time depends on the using condition of the user, and the more frequent the user uses the descaling device (the more scale is generated), the more the descaling times are, which is helpful for avoiding water resource waste and electric quantity waste caused by the long-term non-use but regular descaling of the electric water heater.

Description

Electric water heater

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of household appliances, in particular to an electric water heater.

Background

The electric water heater is damaged by the deposition of scale, which comprises the following points: (1) after the electric water heater is scaled, the scale deposit can cause the drain outlet or the pressure release valve to be blocked and lose efficacy after accumulating, and finally the possibility of explosion of the water heater is caused. (2) Various chemical salts of the water scale have the function of corroding the surface of the electric heating tube and the inner container wall under different conditions. (3) The scale removal not only increases the maintenance cost, but also wastes manpower and material resources, and the scale surface is easily damaged, thereby affecting the service life of the water heater. In the prior art, the mode of replacing the anode by the magnesium rod is generally applied to soften water to slow down the generation of water scale, once the service life of the magnesium rod is used up, the magnesium rod is not replaced in time or the water scale is generated, and the electric water heater cannot be prevented from being damaged due to the deposited water scale.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The electric water heater is provided aiming at the problem that the existing electric water heater is easy to be damaged due to the deposited water scale, and has the technical effect of being used for removing the deposited water scale of the electric water heater for a long time.

An electric water heater comprising:

a water tank;

the descaling device is arranged in the water tank and is used for providing driving force for accelerating the movement of scale deposited in the water tank;

and the control device is connected with the descaling device and is used for starting the descaling device when the electric water heater starts hot water.

In one embodiment, the water flow detection device is further included and is used for generating a water flow signal when the water tank outputs hot water;

the control device is connected with the water flow detection device and used for starting the descaling device when the water flow detection device generates the water flow signal.

In one embodiment, the water tank has a hot water outlet, and the water flow detection device is disposed on the hot water outlet or a hot water pipeline connected to the hot water outlet.

In one embodiment, the control device comprises a timer for calculating the starting time of the descaling device, and the control device is further used for closing the descaling device when the counting value of the timer reaches a starting threshold value.

In one embodiment, the control device is further configured to turn off the descaling device when the electric water heater is not activated with hot water.

In one embodiment, the descaling device comprises a driving part and a stirring piece which are arranged in the water tank, the control device is connected with the driving part, the driving part is connected with the stirring piece, and the driving part drives the stirring piece to rotate under the control of the control device.

In one embodiment, the stirring member is disposed proximate to a bottom of the tank.

In one embodiment, the driving part comprises a first driving part and a second driving part, the first driving part is connected with the second driving part, the second driving part is connected with the stirring part, and the first driving part is configured to drive the second driving part to move from one horizontal end of the water tank to the other horizontal end of the water tank;

and the second driving piece drives the stirring piece to rotate in the moving process.

In one embodiment, the first driving member comprises a moving rail, a power part and a hanging bracket, one end of the hanging bracket is movably arranged on the moving rail, and the other end of the hanging bracket is connected with the second driving member;

the power part is connected with the hanging frame and drives the hanging frame to move along the moving rail.

In one embodiment, the stirring member includes a mounting shaft and a plurality of propeller blades arranged around an axial direction of the mounting shaft, the mounting shaft is connected to the driving portion, and the mounting shaft drives the plurality of propeller blades to rotate when rotated by the driving portion.

When the electric water heater is actually operated, when the control device detects that the electric water heater starts hot water, the control device indicates that a user uses the hot water, the control device controls the scale removal device to start, the scale removal device can accelerate the driving force of scale movement when starting, the scale in the water tank accelerates to move under the action of the driving force and is mixed into the water, and the scale flows out through a hot water outlet pipe of the electric water heater under the drive of water flow, so that the scale is cleaned. Compared with the prior art, the electric water heater does not need special descaling materials for descaling, the driving force generated by the descaling device is utilized to accelerate the movement of the scale so that the scale is mixed into the water flow and flows out of the water tank along with the water flow, and therefore the electric water heater can descale all the time without being limited by the amount of the descaling materials loaded on the electric water heater. Moreover, the descaling device is started every time a user uses hot water, the descaling time depends on the using condition of the user, and the more frequent the user uses the descaling device (the more scale is generated), the more the descaling times are, which is helpful for avoiding water resource waste and electric quantity waste caused by the long-term non-use but regular descaling of the electric water heater.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electric water heater according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an electric water heater according to another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an electric water heater according to yet another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of an electric water heater according to an embodiment of the present application when hot water is not activated;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the electric water heater shown in FIG. 4 when hot water is activated;

fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a control process of a control device in an electric water heater according to an embodiment of the present application.

Description of reference numerals:

an electric water heater 100; a water tank 110; a hot water line 111; a descaling device 120; a driving section 121; a first driving member 1211; a power unit 1211 a; a moving rail 1211 b; hanger 1211 c; a second driver 1212;

the stirring member 122; a control device 130; a timer 131; a water flow detection device 140.

Detailed Description

In order to make the aforementioned objects, features and advantages of the present application more comprehensible, embodiments accompanying the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present application. This application is capable of embodiments in many different forms than those described herein and that modifications may be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the application and it is therefore not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

In the description of the present application, it is to be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," "circumferential," and the like are used in the orientations and positional relationships indicated in the drawings for convenience in describing the present application and for simplicity in description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the referenced devices or elements must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and are therefore not to be considered limiting of the present application.

Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description of the present application, "plurality" means at least two, e.g., two, three, etc., unless specifically limited otherwise.

In this application, unless expressly stated or limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," "secured," and the like are to be construed broadly and can include, for example, fixed connections, removable connections, or integral parts; can be mechanically or electrically connected; they may be directly connected or indirectly connected through intervening media, or they may be connected internally or in any other suitable relationship, unless expressly stated otherwise. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art as appropriate.

In this application, unless expressly stated or limited otherwise, the first feature "on" or "under" the second feature may be directly contacting the first and second features or indirectly contacting the first and second features through intervening media. Also, a first feature "on," "over," and "above" a second feature may be directly or diagonally above the second feature, or may simply indicate that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. A first feature being "under," "below," and "beneath" a second feature may be directly under or obliquely under the first feature, or may simply mean that the first feature is at a lesser elevation than the second feature.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "secured to" or "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. When an element is referred to as being "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or intervening elements may also be present. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and the like as used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not denote a unique embodiment.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, in an embodiment of the present invention, an electric water heater includes a water tank 110, a descaling device 120 and a control device 130, wherein the descaling device 120 is disposed in the water tank 110 and is used for providing a driving force for accelerating movement of scale deposited in the water tank 110, and the control device 130 is connected to the descaling device 120 and is used for controlling the descaling device 120 to provide the driving force when the electric water heater 100 starts heating water.

During actual operation, when the control device 130 detects that the electric water heater 100 starts hot water, it indicates that a user is using hot water, the control device 130 controls the scale removal device 120 to start, the scale removal device 120 can provide a driving force for accelerating movement of scale during starting, the scale in the water tank 110 accelerates under the driving force and is mixed into water, and the scale flows out through a hot water outlet pipe of the electric water heater 100 under the driving of water flow, so that scale is cleaned.

Compared with the prior art, the electric water heater 100 can remove the scale all the time without the limitation of the amount of the scale removing material loaded in the electric water heater 100, because the driving force generated by the scale removing device 120 accelerates the movement of the scale so that the scale is mixed into the water flow and flows out of the water tank along with the water flow. Moreover, the descaling device 120 is started every time the user uses hot water, the descaling time depends on the use condition of the user, and the more frequent the user uses the electric water heater (the more scale is generated), the more the descaling times are, which helps to avoid the waste of water resources and electricity caused by the long-term non-use but regular descaling of the electric water heater 100.

The control device 130 and the descaling device 120 can be connected by electric signals or wireless signals. The control device 130 controls the descaling device 120 to be turned on or off by sending an electric signal or a wireless signal. Wherein, the signal of telecommunication can pass through the transmission of electric property circuit, and wireless signal can transmit based on WIFi module, 5G module, 4G module, 3G module, 2G module, bluetooth module, radio frequency module etc.. The control device 130 may be a component or a device having a processor such as a CPU, a MCU, or an embedded-type single chip microcomputer.

It should be noted that, activating the electric water heater 100 to heat water means that the electric water heater 100 outputs hot water for the user to use under the operation of the user. The user action may be to turn on a hot water tap, which may be automatic or manual. In order to enable the control device 130 to detect whether the electric water heater 100 activates hot water, it may be determined whether the electric water heater 100 activates hot water by a control signal triggered when the automatic faucet is turned on or off by a user. For example, the faucet is an infrared faucet, a communication module connected to the infrared module is further disposed in the faucet, when the infrared module of the faucet detects that a user approaches the faucet and can generate an infrared signal to control the faucet to be turned on, the infrared signal is sent to the control device 130 through the communication module, and when the control device 130 receives the infrared signal, it indicates that the electric water heater 100 has started heating water.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 2 and 3, the electric water heater 100 further includes a water flow detecting device 140, the water flow detecting device 140 is used for generating a water flow signal when the water tank 110 outputs hot water, and the control device 130 is connected to the water flow detecting device 140 and is used for turning off the descaling device 120 when the water flow detecting device 140 generates the water flow signal.

In actual operation, when the electric water heater 100 starts to supply hot water, hot water is output from the water tank 110, the water flow detection device 140 can detect the water flow flowing out of the water tank 110 and generate a water flow signal, and the water flow signal generated by the water flow detection device 140 is sent to the control device 130 to inform the control device 130 that the electric water heater 100 starts to supply hot water. When the water flow detecting device 140 does not generate the water flow signal, indicating that the electric water heater 100 does not activate hot water, the control device 130 determines that the electric water heater 100 does not activate hot water. At this time, the water flow detection device 140 is provided to directly detect whether the water tank 110 outputs hot water, and compared with other solutions, the water flow detection device is not limited to the type of the faucet, and directly detects the flow condition of the water flow, so that the reliability of the result is better.

The water flow detection device 140 may be a water flow switch, a flow sensor, or the like. The flow sensor can be an ultrasonic flow sensor, an electromagnetic flow sensor and the like, and the water flow signal can be a flow value detected by the flow sensor in use or a feedback signal triggered by the flow sensor when the detected flow value meets a flow threshold value. The control device 130 determines that the electric water heater 100 is activating hot water based on the flow value or the feedback signal.

In an embodiment, the water tank 110 has a hot water outlet, and the water flow detection device 140 is disposed on the hot water outlet or the hot water pipe 111 connected to the hot water outlet. At this time, since the hot water outlet and the hot water pipeline 111 are closer to the water tap, the water flow speed in the hot water outlet and the hot water pipeline 111 is faster than that in the cold water inlet of the water tank 110, and the water flow detection device 140 is disposed at the hot water outlet and the hot water pipeline 111, so that the detection efficiency can be improved.

It should be noted that the control device 130 can detect whether the water flow detection device 140 generates the water flow signal in real time. The control device 130 may also intermittently detect whether the water flow detection device 140 generates the water flow signal, such as every 5 seconds. Preferably, the control device 130 can detect the water flow signal in real time, so as to obtain the hot water activation status of the electric water heater 100 in time, and avoid waste. In some embodiments, referring to fig. 3, the control device 130 comprises a timer 131 for calculating the starting time of the descaling device 120, and the control device 130 is further configured to shut down the descaling device 120 when the counting value of the timer 131 reaches a starting threshold.

Due to the characteristics of the water storage type electric water heater 100, the cold water inlet of the water tank 110 is located below the water tank 110, and the hot water outlet of the water tank 110 is located above the water tank 110, and when the electric heating water starts to heat, the cold water enters the water tank 110 to float the hot water to extrude the hot water from the hot water outlet, so that the water tank 110 outputs the hot water. A buffer structure (e.g., a baffle disposed at the cold water inlet) is typically provided to prevent cold water from directly rushing into the hot water layer, causing the hot water to be at a low temperature, so that the water flow in the tank 110 is in a static flow state.

In practice, after the descaling device 120 is started, the flow speed of the cold water in the lower layer of the water tank 110 in the water tank 110 is increased due to the descaling device 120, so that the cold water and the hot water are mixed, and the heat utilization rate of the electric water heater 100 is reduced. In the embodiment, after the descaling device 120 is started, the starting time of the descaling device 120 is calculated by the timer 131, and when the starting time of the descaling device 120 reaches the starting threshold, the descaling device 120 is controlled to be turned off. Therefore, the time for mixing cold water and hot water can be reduced, the heat utilization rate of the electric water heater 100 is improved, and a certain descaling effect can be achieved.

In some embodiments, the control device 130 is also used to shut down the descaling device 120 when the electric water heater 100 is not hot. In actual operation, the descaling device 120 is controlled by the control device 130 to be turned on and off. When the user turns off the faucet, it indicates that the user does not need hot water, and at this time, the electric water heater 100 does not start hot water, and the scale cannot be discharged with the water flow, so the control device 130 controls the scale removing device 120 to stop, and energy waste is avoided. In an embodiment, when the water flow detection device 140 does not detect the water flow signal, the control device 130 knows that the electric water heater 100 is not activated.

Specifically, it may be determined that the electric water heater 100 does not activate the hot water when the control device 130 does not detect the water flow signal. The water flow signal is generated by the water flow detection device 140 when the electric water heater 100 outputs hot water, and the water flow detection device 140 does not generate the water flow signal when the electric water heater 100 does not output hot water. The specific type and installation position of the water flow detection device 140 can be referred to the above embodiments, and are not described herein in detail. It is understood that after the descaling device 120 is turned on, if the turning-on time of the descaling device 120 is less than the activation threshold and the user turns off the faucet, the control device 130 controls the descaling device 120 to stop.

In the above embodiment, the descaling device 120 is made to provide the driving force for accelerating the movement of the scale deposited on the water tank 110, which can be realized by, but is not limited to, the following scheme. For example, the descaling device 120 includes an ultrasonic generator, which is disposed in the water tank 110 and provides a driving force for accelerating the movement of the scale when the ultrasonic signal is applied to the scale in the water tank 110 when the ultrasonic signal is generated from the ultrasonic generator. For another example, the descaling device 120 includes a vibration generator connected to the water tank 110, and the vibration generator provides a driving force for accelerating the movement of the scale when the vibration generator generates vibration to act on the water tank 110. For another example, the descaling device 120 includes an agitator disposed in the water tank 110, and the agitator can accelerate the water flow speed to provide a driving force for accelerating the movement of the scale when agitating the water in the water tank 110 or directly agitating the scale deposited on the scale, or directly act on the scale to accelerate the movement of the scale.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 4 and 5, the descaling device 120 includes a driving part 121 and a stirring part 122 disposed in the water tank 110, the control device 130 is connected to the driving part 121, the driving part 121 is connected to the stirring part 122, and the driving part 121 drives the stirring part 122 to rotate under the control of the control device 130. In actual operation, when the stirrer 122 is rotated by the driving unit 121, the water flow speed in the water tank 110 can be increased, and the high-speed water flow acts on the scale to accelerate the movement of the scale, so that the scale is mixed into the water flow, and the scale is discharged out of the water tank 110 with the output of hot water.

Further, the stirring member 122 is disposed near the bottom of the water tank 110. Because the scale is generally deposited at the bottom of the water tank 110, the stirring member 122 is disposed near the bottom of the water tank 110, so that the acceleration effect on the scale can be increased to enable the scale to be quickly mixed into the water flow, and the mixing of the lower-layer cold water and the upper-layer hot water can be reduced, thereby improving the heat utilization rate of the electric water heater 100.

Further, referring to fig. 4 and 5, the driving part 121 includes a first driving member 1211 and a second driving member 1212, the first driving member 1211 is connected to the second driving member 1212, the second driving member 1212 is connected to the stirring member 122, and the first driving member 1211 is configured to drive the second driving member 1212 to move from one horizontal end of the water tank 110 to the other horizontal end of the water tank 110. The second driving member 1212 drives the stirring member 122 to rotate during the movement.

At this time, the stirring member 122 moves from one horizontal end of the water tank 110 to the other horizontal end of the water tank 110 while rotating, which helps to accelerate movement of scale around the water tank 110 to accelerate mixing of scale on the water tank 110 into water.

Optionally, the second driver 1212 is a rotary motor. Of course, other driving components are also possible, and are not limited. Further, referring to fig. 4 and 5, the first driving member 1211 includes a moving rail 1211b, a power portion 1211a, and a hanger 1211c, one end of the hanger 1211c is movably disposed on the moving rail 1211b, the other end of the hanger 1211c is connected to the second driving member 1212, and the power portion 1211a is connected to the hanger 1211c and drives the hanger 1211c to move along the moving rail 1211 b.

Preferably, the other end of the hanger 1211c extends toward the bottom of the water tank 110 such that the agitating member 122 connected to the second driving member 1212 is disposed near the bottom of the water tank 110.

Preferably, referring to fig. 4 and 5, moving rail 1211b is a linear rail, and hanger 1211c moves linearly along moving rail 1211 b. In this case, the power unit 1211a and the moving rail 1211b may be replaced with a mature rail cylinder, which can reduce design and manufacturing costs.

In specific embodiments, the stirring element 122 includes a mounting shaft and a plurality of propeller blades arranged in the axial direction of the mounting shaft, the mounting shaft is connected to the driving portion 121, and the mounting shaft drives the plurality of propeller blades to rotate when being driven by the driving portion 121 to rotate. At this time, the propeller is used as the stirring member 122, so that a good stirring effect can be achieved on the water flow, the driving force of the descaling device 120 acting on the scale can be increased, and the movement of the scale can be accelerated.

Preferably, the axial direction of the mounting shaft is arranged horizontally. At this time, the stirring member 122 stirs the water flow up and down, which helps to strip the scale and drives the scale to float up to flow out of the water tank 110 together with the hot water.

Referring to fig. 6, a control process of the control device 130 in the electric water heater 100 provided in an embodiment of the present application is: and detecting whether the water flow detection device 140 generates a water flow signal in real time, if so, controlling the descaling device 120 to start, and if not, not starting the descaling device 120. After the descaling device 120 is started, whether the starting time of the descaling device 120 reaches a starting threshold value is judged, if yes, the descaling device 120 is not started, and if not, the descaling device 120 is continuously controlled to start.

Compared with the prior art, the electric water heater 100 provided in the embodiment of the present application does not need a special descaling material for descaling, and the driving force generated by the descaling device 120 accelerates the movement of the scale in the water tank 110 to make the scale be quickly mixed into the water flow and flow out of the water tank 110 along with the water flow, so that the electric water heater 100 can be descaled all the time without being limited by the amount of the descaling material loaded in the electric water heater 100. Moreover, the descaling device 120 is started every time the user uses hot water, the descaling time depends on the use condition of the user, and the more frequent the user uses the electric water heater (the more scale is generated), the more the descaling times are, which helps to avoid the waste of water resources and electricity caused by the long-term non-use but regular descaling of the electric water heater 100.

The technical features of the embodiments described above may be arbitrarily combined, and for the sake of brevity, all possible combinations of the technical features in the embodiments described above are not described, but should be considered as being within the scope of the present specification as long as there is no contradiction between the combinations of the technical features.

The above-mentioned embodiments only express several embodiments of the present application, and the description thereof is more specific and detailed, but not construed as limiting the claims. It should be noted that, for a person skilled in the art, several variations and modifications can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, which falls within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present patent shall be subject to the appended claims.

Claims (10)

1. An electric water heater, comprising:

a water tank (110);

the descaling device (120) is arranged in the water tank (110) and is used for providing driving force for accelerating the movement of the scale deposited in the water tank (110);

a control device (130) connected with the descaling device (120) and used for starting the descaling device (120) when the electric water heater (100) starts hot water.

2. The electric water heater according to claim 1, further comprising a water flow detection device (140), wherein the water flow detection device (140) is configured to generate a water flow signal when the water tank (110) is detected to output hot water;

the control device (130) is connected with the water flow detection device (140) and is used for starting the descaling device (120) when the water flow detection device (140) generates the water flow signal.

3. The electric water heater according to claim 2, wherein the water tank (110) has a hot water outlet, and the water flow detection device (140) is provided on the hot water outlet or a hot water line (111) connected to the hot water outlet.

4. The electric water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that the control device (130) comprises a timer (131) for calculating a start time of the descaling device (120), the control device (130) further being adapted to turn off the descaling device (120) when a count value of the timer (131) reaches a start threshold.

5. The electric water heater according to claim 1, wherein the control device (130) is further configured to turn off the descaling device (120) when the electric water heater (100) is not activated with hot water.

6. The electric water heater according to claim 1, wherein the descaling device (120) comprises a driving part (121) and a stirring part (122) arranged in the water tank (110), the control device (130) is connected with the driving part (121), the driving part (121) is connected with the stirring part (122), and the driving part (121) drives the stirring part (122) to rotate under the control of the control device (130).

7. The electric water heater according to claim 6, characterized in that the stirring element (122) is arranged close to the bottom of the water tank (110).

8. The electric water heater according to claim 6, wherein the driving portion (121) comprises a first driving member (1211) and a second driving member (1212), the first driving member (1211) being connected to the second driving member (1212), the second driving member (1212) being connected to the stirring member (122), the first driving member (1211) being configured to drive the second driving member (1212) to move from one horizontal end of the water tank (110) to the other horizontal end of the water tank (110);

the second driving piece (1212) drives the stirring piece (122) to rotate in the moving process.

9. The electric water heater according to claim 8, wherein the first driving member (1211) includes a moving rail (1211b), a power portion (1211a) and a hanger (1211c), one end of the hanger (1211c) is movably disposed on the moving rail (1211b), and the other end of the hanger (1211c) is connected to the second driving member (1212);

the power unit 1211a is connected to the hanger 1211c and drives the hanger 1211c to move along the moving rail 1211 b.

10. The electric water heater according to claim 6, wherein the stirring member (122) comprises a mounting shaft and a plurality of propeller blades arranged around the mounting shaft in the axial direction, the mounting shaft is connected with the driving portion (121), and the mounting shaft rotates under the driving of the driving portion (121) to drive the plurality of propeller blades to rotate.

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