CN217423616U - Water heater - Google Patents

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of household appliances, in particular to a water heater. The application provides a water heater includes water supply circuit, heat pump circuit and heat exchange tube, and the heat pump circuit is configured to carry out the heat exchange through heat exchange tube and water supply circuit to water in the water supply circuit heats, and the water supply circuit includes the water tank, the circulating pipe, delivery pipe and intercommunication valve, the both ends of circulating pipe respectively with the both ends intercommunication of water tank, the intercommunication valve is connected on the circulating pipe, and the delivery pipe passes through intercommunication valve and circulating pipe intercommunication, be provided with first detecting element on the delivery pipe, first detecting element is used for detecting the flow of delivery pipe. The water heater provided by the application can enable water entering the circulating pipe from the water supply pipe to be heated by the heat pump loop quickly by changing the circulation path in the water supply loop, and the supply quantity of hot water is kept sufficient.

Description

Water heater

Technical Field

The utility model relates to the technical field of household appliances, especially, relate to a water heater.

Background

In a household scene, the water heater can provide domestic water with appropriate temperature for a user, and comprises a gas water heater, an electric water heater, an air energy water heater and other forms, wherein the air energy water heater is more and more widely applied due to the characteristics of energy conservation, environmental protection and high safety.

In the related art, a unit of an air energy water heater needs a long time from startup to stable operation, and a problem of insufficient hot water consumption may occur in a time or season with a large hot water demand, so that the air energy water heater generally needs a water tank with a large volume, for example, a water tank of 150L or more, to meet a hot water supply demand.

However, the existing air energy water heater is difficult to instantly heat, and the water tank occupies a large space.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The utility model provides a water heater to solve the unable instant heating of water heater among the correlation technique, and the big problem of water tank occupation space.

The utility model provides a water heater, this water heater includes the water supply return circuit, heat pump circuit and heat exchange tube, heat pump circuit is configured to carry out the heat exchange through heat exchange tube and water supply return circuit, with water to in the water supply return circuit heats, the water supply return circuit includes the water tank, the circulating pipe, delivery pipe and intercommunication valve, the both ends of circulating pipe communicate with the both ends of water tank respectively, the intercommunication valve is connected on the circulating pipe, and the delivery pipe passes through intercommunication valve and circulating pipe intercommunication, be provided with first detecting element on the delivery pipe, first detecting element is used for detecting the flow of delivery pipe, with the intercommunication state according to the flow control intercommunication valve that first detecting element detected.

The water heater provided by the application can judge whether a user uses water in the water tank according to the flow of the water supply pipe, so that the on-off condition of the communication valve is changed according to the on-off condition, the circulation path of water flow in the water supply loop is changed, water entering the circulation pipe from the water supply pipe can be immediately heated by the heat pump loop, the instant heating effect is achieved, and meanwhile, when the user uses water in the water tank, water supplemented by the water supply pipe can also be heated by the heat pump loop, so that the sufficient hot water supply quantity is kept.

As an alternative embodiment, the heat exchange tube may include a first heat exchange channel connected to the circulation tube and a second heat exchange channel connected to the heat pump circuit, and the first and second heat exchange channels have heat exchange so as to be heated by the heat pump circuit when water passes through the circulation tube.

As an alternative embodiment, a communication valve may be located at an inlet side of the first heat exchange passage, and the communication valve has a first port that may communicate with the water supply pipe, a second port that may communicate with the first heat exchange passage, and a third port that may communicate with the water tank, so that the communication state between the water tank, the circulation pipe, and the water supply pipe may be changed by the control of the communication valve.

As an alternative embodiment, when the water tank is filled, the communication valve communicates the water supply pipe with the water tank and the first heat exchange channel at the same time, so that the water tank is quickly filled to a full water state.

When the water in the water tank is heated circularly, the communicating valve can only communicate the water tank with the first heat exchange channel, so that the water tank and the circulating pipe form a closed-loop water circulation, and the water in the water tank is heated quickly.

When the water in the water tank is used, the communication valve can only communicate the water supply pipe with the first heat exchange channel, so that the water supplemented into the water tank can be heated by the heat pump loop, and the sufficient hot water amount in the water tank is kept.

As an optional implementation manner, the water supply loop may further include a water outlet pipe communicated with the water tank, and two ends of the circulation pipe are respectively a water inlet end and a water outlet end, where the water outlet pipe and the water outlet end may be located at the same side of the water tank, so that when a user uses the water heater, it is ensured that water at a higher temperature position in the water tank flows out first.

As an alternative embodiment, the water supply circuit may further comprise a water pump, which may be connected to any position on the circulation pipe to provide power for the circulation of water in the water tank when heating.

As an alternative embodiment, the water tank may be in a long cylinder shape, and one end of the water tank along the length may be a high temperature end, the high temperature end is correspondingly provided with a first opening, while the other end may be a low temperature end, the low temperature end is correspondingly provided with a second opening, the water outlet pipe and the water outlet end are both communicated with the first opening of the high temperature end, and the water inlet end is communicated with the second opening reservoir of the low temperature end. So set up, can avoid the low water of temperature of intaking to produce the disturbance to the temperature of the higher water of temperature in the water tank.

As an optional embodiment, the water supply circuit may further include a second detection unit, and the second detection unit may be disposed on the water tank to detect the temperature of the water in the water tank, so that whether to start the circulation heating may be determined according to the temperature of the water in the water tank.

As an alternative embodiment, the heat pump circuit may include a compressor, an evaporator and an electronic expansion valve which are sequentially communicated, wherein the second heat exchange channel of the heat exchange pipe may be connected between the electronic expansion valve and the compressor, and the evaporator is disposed in the outdoor space, so that heating of the water in the water supply circuit may be accomplished by heat exchange with the outdoor air.

As an optional implementation manner, the water heater may further include a controller, the compressor may be an inverter compressor, a frequency of the inverter compressor is matched with a flow rate detected by the first detection unit, and the controller controls and adjusts the frequency of the compressor according to the flow rate detected by the first detection unit, so that when a user uses a large amount of water in the water tank, the heating efficiency of the heat pump loop may be improved, and sufficient supply of hot water is ensured.

The application provides a water heater includes the water supply return circuit, heat pump circuit and heat exchange tube, the heat pump circuit is configured to carry out the heat exchange through heat exchange tube and water supply return circuit, in order to heat the water in the water supply return circuit, the water supply return circuit includes the water tank, the circulating pipe, delivery pipe and intercommunication valve, the both ends of circulating pipe communicate with the both ends of water tank respectively, the intercommunication valve is connected on the circulating pipe, and the delivery pipe passes through intercommunication valve and circulating pipe intercommunication, be provided with first detecting element on the delivery pipe, first detecting element is used for detecting the flow of delivery pipe, thereby can be through changing the circulation route in the water supply return circuit, make the water that gets into the circulating pipe from the delivery pipe can be heated by heat pump return circuit immediately, keep the sufficient of hot water supply volume.

In addition to the technical problems, technical features constituting technical solutions, and advantages brought by the technical features of the technical solutions described above, other technical problems, technical features included in technical solutions, and advantages brought by the technical features solved by the water heater provided by the present application will be described in further detail in the detailed description.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present invention, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained according to these drawings without creative efforts.

FIG. 1 is a schematic system diagram of a water heater provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating operation of a water heater in a first state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating operation of a water heater in a second state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 is an operation schematic diagram of a third state of the water heater provided by the embodiment of the application.

Description of reference numerals:

100-a water supply circuit; 110-a water tank; 111-high temperature end; 112-low temperature end; 120-circulation tube; 121-water inlet end; 122-water outlet end; 130-a water supply pipe; 140-a communication valve; 141-a first interface; 142-a second interface; 143-a third interface; 150-a first detection unit; 160-a water outlet pipe; 170-a water pump;

200-a heat pump circuit; 210-a compressor; 220-an evaporator; 230-an electronic expansion valve;

300-heat exchange tube; 310-a first heat exchange channel; 320-second heat exchange channel.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are some, but not all, embodiments of the present invention.

First of all, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that these embodiments are only for explaining the technical principle of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. And can be adjusted as needed by those skilled in the art to suit particular applications.

Next, it should be noted that in the description of the present invention, the terms of direction or positional relationship indicated by the terms "inside", "outside", and the like are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, which are merely for convenience of description, and do not indicate or imply that a device or member must have a specific orientation, be constructed in a specific orientation, and operate, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

Furthermore, it should be noted that, in the description of the present invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified or limited, the terms "connected" and "connected" should be interpreted broadly, and may be, for example, fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected; can be mechanically or electrically connected; the two components can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and the two components can be communicated with each other. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by those skilled in the art according to specific situations.

In addition, 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 one or more of that feature. In the description of the present invention, "a plurality" means at least two, e.g., two, three, etc., unless explicitly defined otherwise.

In the description herein, reference to the description of the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "an illustrative embodiment," "an example," "a specific example," or "some examples" or the like means 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 disclosure. In this specification, the schematic representations of the terms used above 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 water heater can provide domestic water with appropriate temperature for a user, and comprises a gas water heater, an electric water heater, an air energy water heater and the like, wherein the air energy water heater exchanges heat with outdoor air through a heat pump unit, absorbs heat of the outdoor air, heats water in an indoor water tank through heat exchange, and is applied more and more widely due to the characteristics of energy conservation, environmental protection and high safety. The unit of the air energy water heater needs a long time from startup to stable operation, and the problem of insufficient hot water consumption may occur in time or season with large hot water demand, so that the air energy water heater usually needs to adopt a water tank with a large volume, such as 150L, 200L, 250L and more water tanks with the same volume, to meet the hot water supply demand. However, it takes a long time to heat all the water in the large-volume water tank to a proper temperature, so that instant heating is difficult to achieve, and meanwhile, the large-volume water tank occupies a large space, which occupies a large indoor space.

In order to solve the problem, the utility model provides a water heater through the design to the heating circulation loop of the water tank water-logging of water heater, keeps the stability of temperature in the water tank or reduces the falling speed of temperature in the water tank when the water in the water tank is used to keep hydrothermal supply in the water tank, so alright in order to reduce the volume of water tank, utilize little water tank can realize instant heating, can guarantee hot water supply's sufficiency again.

For ease of understanding, an application scenario of the embodiment of the present application is first described below.

The embodiment of the application provides a water heater, which can be an air energy water heater, for example, a direct heating type air energy water heater, and the water heater can be applied to various occasions requiring hot water supply in daily life, for example, the water heater can be installed in a toilet, a kitchen and the like, and the water heater can adopt installation modes including but not limited to wall-mounted type, vertical type and the like, and in addition, the water heater can also be installed and collected in an indoor ceiling or a cabinet in other forms, which is not specifically limited in the application.

Fig. 1 is a system schematic diagram of a water heater provided in an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 1, the water heater provided by the embodiment of the present application includes a water supply circuit 100, a heat pump circuit 200 and a heat exchange pipe 300, wherein the water supply circuit 100 can provide water from an external water source, the water supply circuit 100 can provide heated water for a user, the heat pump circuit 200 is used for providing heat to the water supply circuit 100, i.e., heating the water in the water supply circuit 100, and the heat exchange pipe 300 is used for providing a heat exchange function between the water supply circuit 100 and the heat pump circuit 200.

It is understood that the heat pump circuit 200 is configured to exchange heat with the water supply circuit 100 through the heat exchange pipe 300 to heat water in the water supply circuit 100, the water supply circuit 100 may include a water tank 110, a circulation pipe 120, a water supply pipe 130 and a communication valve 140, the water tank 110 is used to store water, the circulation pipe 120 is used to circulate water in the water tank 110, the water supply pipe 130 is also connected to an external water source to provide water to the water tank 110, and to supplement water to the water tank 110 when water in the water tank 110 is used, and the communication valve 140 is used to change a communication state among the water tank 110, the water supply pipe 130 and the circulation pipe 120 to adjust a flow direction of water flow in the water supply circuit 100 under different usage situations.

Both ends of the circulation pipe 120 may be respectively communicated with both ends of the water tank 110, so that the water tank 110 and the circulation pipe 120 form a circulation loop together, the communication valve 140 is connected to the circulation pipe 120, and the water supply pipe 130 is communicated with the circulation pipe 120 through the communication valve 140, the water supply pipe 130 is provided with a first sensing unit 150, and the first sensing unit 150 is used for sensing the flow rate of the water supply pipe 130.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that, when the water heater is in use, the communication valve 140 may be fully opened, the water supply pipe 130 may quickly fill the water tank 110 with water, thereafter, it is possible to disconnect the water supply pipe 130 from the circulation pipe 120, pass through the circulation circuit formed between the water tank 110 and the circulation pipe 120, and rapidly heat the water in the water tank 110 using the heat pump circuit 200, when the user starts to use the hot water in the water tank 110 and the water supply pipe 130 needs to supply the water into the water tank 110, the water supply pipe 130 may supply the water into the water tank 110 through the circulation pipe 120, therefore, the water supplied from the water supply pipe 130 can be heated by the heat pump circuit 200, so that the temperature of the supplementary water supplied into the water tank 110 is increased, thereby preventing the temperature of the water in the water tank 110 from being lowered due to the supplementary water, or slowing down the lowering speed of the water temperature, thereby ensuring the continuous and stable supply of hot water.

It should be noted that the first detecting unit 150 may be a flow meter, and the water heater provided in the present application may determine whether the user uses the water in the water tank 110 according to the flow rate of the water supply pipe 130, so as to change the on-off state of the communication valve 140 based on the determination result, so as to change the flow path of the water flow in the water supply circuit 100. In addition, the water tank 110 may have a small volume, and after the heat pump circuit 200 is started, the water temperature may be rapidly increased by the circulation of the water flow to achieve an instant heating effect, and at the same time, when a user uses the water in the water tank 110, the water supplemented by the water supply pipe 130 may be heated by the heat pump circuit 200, thereby maintaining a sufficient supply amount of hot water.

For example, the volume of the water tank 110 that can be used in the embodiment of the present application may include, but is not limited to, 30L, 40L, 50L, 60L, 70L, etc., and the higher the heating efficiency of the heat pump circuit 200, the smaller the volume of the water tank 110 that can be used.

The heat pump circuit 200 heats the water flowing through the circulation pipe 120 mainly by means of heat exchange, and this process is completed by the heat exchange pipe 300, that is, when the water flowing through the circulation pipe 120 flows through the heat exchange pipe 300, the heat in the heat pump circuit 200 can be transferred to the water flowing through the circulation pipe 120, the temperature of the water flowing through the circulation pipe 120 is increased when the water flows out of the heat exchange pipe 300, and the heat exchange means in the heat exchange pipe 300 can include, but is not limited to, heat conduction, heat convection, and the like, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

With continued reference to fig. 1, in one possible implementation, the heat exchange tube 300 may include a first heat exchange channel 310 and a second heat exchange channel 320, and the first heat exchange channel 310 and the second heat exchange channel 320 have heat exchange therebetween.

Wherein the first heat exchange passage 310 is connected to the circulation tube 120, and the second heat exchange passage 320 is connected to the heat pump circuit 200 so as to be heated by the heat pump circuit 200 when water passes through the circulation tube 120.

It is understood that the first heat exchange channel 310 and the second heat exchange channel 320 may take the form of a detour or labyrinth type channel to increase the size of the contact area between the first heat exchange channel 310 and the second heat exchange channel 320 or to extend the length of the heat exchange path, thereby allowing the water temperature rising rate of the water flow of the circulation tube 120 to be increased.

It should be noted that, since the heat pump circuit 200 needs to absorb heat from outdoor air, at least a part of the structure of the heat pump circuit 200 is disposed outdoors, while the water supply circuit 100 may be disposed indoors, and the water tank 110 has a small volume and occupies a small space indoors.

The structure and the specific connection of the water supply circuit 100 will be described in detail below.

When both ends of the circulation pipe 120 are connected to both ends of the water tank 110, if the water flow in the water tank 110 is circularly heated, the pipe orifice of one end of the circulation pipe 120 is a circulation inlet from which the water in the water tank 110 enters the circulation pipe 120, and the pipe orifice of the other end of the circulation pipe 120 is a circulation outlet from which the water flow after passing through the circulation pipe 120 flows out and returns to the water tank 110, in the process, since the first heat exchange channel 310 of the heat exchange pipe 300 is connected to the circulation pipe 120, the water temperature of the water flow flowing out of the circulation pipe 120 is increased compared to the water flow flowing in.

In one possible implementation, the communication valve 140 may be located at an inlet side of the first heat exchange passage 310, and the communication valve 140 may be a three-way valve to control the flow direction of the water in the water tank 110, the circulation pipe 120, and the water supply pipe 130.

The communication valve 140 may include a first port 141, a second port 142, and a third port 143, the first port 141 may communicate with the water supply pipe 130, the second port 142 may communicate with the first heat exchanging channel 310, the third port 143 may communicate with the water tank 110, the first port 141, the second port 142, and the third port 143 may communicate with each other to form a three-way port, and each port may be opened and closed relatively independently, so that the communication state between the water tank 110, the circulation pipe 120, and the water supply pipe 130 may be changed by controlling the communication valve 140.

Fig. 2 is an operation schematic diagram of a first state of the water heater according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 2, when the water level in the water tank 110 does not reach the full level, for example, when the water tank 110 is just cleaned, or when the water stored in the water tank 110 is used when the water supply source is turned off, water can be added to the water tank 110, and at this time, the communication valve 140 can communicate the water supply pipe 130 with the water tank 110 and the first heat exchange channel 310 at the same time.

It can be understood that, at this time, the first port 141, the second port 142, and the third port 143 may all be opened, and since the second port 142 and the third port 143 are respectively communicated with both ends of the circulation pipe 120, the water flow supplied from the water supply pipe 130 may enter from the first port 141, and be branched by the communication valve 140, and flow out from the second port 142 and the third port 143, so that the water flow may enter the inside of the water tank 110 from both ends of the circulation pipe 120, thereby rapidly filling the water tank 110 to a full water level state.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the water heater in the second state according to the embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 3, when the water in the water tank 110 is heated in a circulating manner, the communication valve 140 can communicate the water tank 110 with the first heat exchange channel 310, and at this time, the water supply pipe 130 is not needed, and only a closed-loop water circulation is formed by the water tank 110 and the circulation pipe 120, so that the water in the water tank 110 can be heated rapidly.

It can be understood that, at this time, the first connection port 141 may be closed and the second connection port 142 and the third connection port 143 may be opened, and the water in the water tank 110 may flow in from one end of the circulation pipe 120, enter the communication valve 140 through the third connection port 143, and flow out from the second connection port 142, and then flow through the heat exchange pipe 300 to be heated, and then flow out back to the water tank 110 through the other end of the circulation pipe 120, such that the circulation completes the increase of the temperature of the water in the water tank 110.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned cyclic heating process may be automatically performed when the temperature of the water in the water tank 110 is lower than a certain threshold, for example, X ℃ may be set, when the water temperature is lower than or equal to X ℃, the cyclic heating is automatically performed, and when the temperature is raised to Y ℃, the heating is stopped, specific values of X ℃ may include but are not limited to 3 ℃, 4 ℃, 5 ℃, 10 ℃, 20 ℃, etc., specific values of Y ℃ may include but are not limited to 30 ℃, 35 ℃, 40 ℃, 50 ℃, 60 ℃, etc., which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 4 is a schematic operation diagram of a third state of the water heater according to the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 4, when a user uses water in the water tank 110, the water supply pipe 130 needs to supplement water into the water tank 110, and at this time, the first detection unit 150 can detect a flow rate in the water supply pipe 130, and the communication valve 140 can communicate the water supply pipe 130 with the first heat exchange channel 310, so that the water supplemented into the water tank 110 can be heated by the heat pump circuit 200, and a sufficient amount of hot water in the water tank 110 can be maintained.

It will be appreciated that the third port 143 can be closed and the first port 141 and the second port 142 can be opened, and then the supply water can flow out of the communication valve 140 from the second port 142 after entering the communication valve 140 from the first port 141, and flow through the first heat exchange channel 310 along the circulation pipe 120, and then enter the water tank 110 from one end of the circulation pipe 120.

In addition, the water supply circuit 100 may further include a water outlet pipe 160 communicated with the water tank 110, and the two ends of the circulation pipe 120 are the water inlet end 121 and the water outlet end 122, respectively, wherein the water outlet pipe 160 and the water outlet end 122 may be located on the same side of the water tank 110, so that when the water heater is used by a user, it is ensured that water at a higher temperature position in the water tank 110 flows out first.

It should be noted that the water outlet pipe 160 may be communicated with an indoor water supply path in an application scenario, that is, in actual use, a user may obtain hot water in the water tank 110 from different valve openings, and open any valve may cause the hot water in the water tank 110 to flow out of the water outlet pipe 160.

With continued reference to fig. 1-4, in one possible implementation, the water supply circuit 100 may further include a water pump 170, and the water pump 170 may be connected to any position on the circulation pipe 120 to provide power for the circulation of water in the water tank 110 during heating.

Wherein the water pump 170 may drive the water in the water tank 110 to flow out and may cause the water to flow in one determined direction in the circulation pipe 120, and illustratively, the water pump 170 may be disposed in the circulation pipe 120 between the heat exchange pipe 300 and the communication valve 140, i.e., between the inlet of the first heat exchange channel 310 and the second port 142.

In order to avoid disturbance of the temperature of the water with higher temperature in the water tank 110 caused by the water with lower inlet temperature, the water tank 110 may be in a long cylinder shape, one end of the water tank 110 along the length may be a high temperature end 111, the high temperature end 111 may be provided with a first opening, and the other end may be a low temperature end 112, the low temperature end 112 may be provided with a second opening, the water outlet pipe 160 and the water outlet end 122 are both communicated with the first opening of the high temperature end 111, and the water inlet end 121 may be communicated with the second opening of the low temperature end 112.

It should be noted that the high temperature end 111 and the low temperature end 112 refer to that there is a temperature difference or a change in water temperature in different areas of the water tank 110 along the length direction, and the definition of high temperature and low temperature is relative to the water temperature in different areas of the water tank 110, and does not limit the determined water temperature values.

In a possible implementation manner, the water supply circuit 100 may further include a second detection unit (not shown), which may be disposed on the water tank 110 to detect the temperature of the water in the water tank 110, so that whether to start the circulation heating may be determined according to the temperature of the water in the water tank 110.

It is understood that the second detecting unit may be a temperature sensor, and the temperature sensor may be disposed on an inner wall of the water tank 110 or an outer wall of the water tank 110, which is not limited in this application, and in addition, the temperature sensor may be one or more, and may be disposed at different positions in the length direction of the water tank 110, that is, at different positions along the water temperature variation trend of the water tank 110.

The heat pump circuit 200 may form a circulation passage through which a refrigerant flows, absorb heat from outside air depending on a change in temperature and state of the refrigerant, and transfer the heat to water in the water supply circuit 100, and the heat pump circuit 200 will be described below.

With continued reference to fig. 1, in one possible implementation, the heat pump circuit 200 may include a compressor 210, an evaporator 220 and an electronic expansion valve 230, which are sequentially communicated, wherein the second heat exchange channel 320 of the heat exchange pipe 300 may be connected between the electronic expansion valve 230 and the compressor 210, and the evaporator 220 is disposed in an outdoor space, so that heating of water in the water supply circuit 100 may be accomplished through heat exchange with outdoor air.

It can be understood that after the compressor 210 is started, the compressor 210 compresses the refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure gas, the high-temperature and high-pressure gas enters the second heat exchange channel 320 of the heat exchange tube 300 to heat the water flow in the circulation tube 120, the temperature of the refrigerant is reduced and liquefied, the refrigerant is throttled by the electronic expansion valve 230 and becomes a low-temperature and low-pressure liquid refrigerant, the low-temperature and low-pressure liquid refrigerant enters the evaporator 220, the liquid refrigerant absorbs the heat of the outside air in the evaporator 220 to be gasified, and then the low-temperature liquid refrigerant enters the compressor 210 to be compressed to complete a cycle, and the specific working principle of the heat pump circuit 200 is the prior art and will not be further described herein. In addition, the start of the compressor 210 may be determined according to the value of the water temperature detected by the second detection unit.

In the embodiment of the present application, the water heater may further include a controller (not shown), the compressor 210 may be an inverter compressor, a frequency of the inverter compressor matches a flow rate detected by the first detecting unit 150, and the controller may control the frequency of the compressor 210 according to the flow rate detected by the first detecting unit 150.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that when the first sensing unit 150 senses an increase in the flow rate, the frequency of the compressor 210 may be increased, so that when the amount of water in the water tank 110 used by a user is large, the heating efficiency of the heat pump circuit 200 may be increased to ensure sufficient supply of hot water, and when the flow rate sensed by the first sensing unit 150 is small, the frequency of the compressor 210 may be decreased to reduce energy consumption while ensuring sufficient supply of hot water.

The water heater provided by the embodiment of the application comprises a water supply loop, a heat pump loop and a heat exchange tube, wherein the heat pump loop is configured to exchange heat with the water supply loop through the heat exchange tube so as to heat water in the water supply loop, the water supply loop comprises a water tank, a circulating tube, a water supply tube and a communication valve, two ends of the circulating tube are respectively communicated with two ends of the water tank, the communication valve is connected onto the circulating tube, the water supply tube is communicated with the circulating tube through the communication valve, a first detection unit is arranged on the water supply tube and used for detecting the flow of the water supply tube, and therefore the water entering the circulating tube from the water supply tube can be immediately heated by the heat pump loop by changing the flow path in the water supply loop, and the sufficient hot water supply quantity is kept.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, and not to limit the same; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some or all of the technical features may be equivalently replaced; such modifications or substitutions do not depart from the scope of the invention in its corresponding aspects.

Claims (10)

1. A water heater comprising a water supply circuit, a heat pump circuit and a heat exchange tube, the heat pump circuit being configured to exchange heat with the water supply circuit via the heat exchange tube to heat water in the water supply circuit;

the water supply loop comprises a water tank, a circulating pipe, a water supply pipe and a communicating valve, wherein two ends of the circulating pipe are respectively communicated with two ends of the water tank, the communicating valve is connected to the circulating pipe, the water supply pipe is communicated with the circulating pipe through the communicating valve, a first detection unit is arranged on the water supply pipe and used for detecting the flow of the water supply pipe, and the communicating state of the communicating valve is adjusted according to the flow detected by the first detection unit.

2. The water heater according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchange tube includes a first heat exchange channel and a second heat exchange channel, the first heat exchange channel is connected to the circulation tube, the second heat exchange channel is connected in the heat pump circuit, and the first heat exchange channel and the second heat exchange channel have heat exchange.

3. The water heater according to claim 2, wherein said communication valve is located at an inlet side of said first heat exchange passage, said communication valve having a first port, a second port and a third port, said first port being in communication with said water supply pipe, said second port being in communication with said first heat exchange passage, said third port being in communication with said water tank.

4. The water heater according to claim 3, wherein said communication valve communicates said water supply pipe with said water tank and said first heat exchange passage simultaneously when water is added to said water tank;

when the water in the water tank is heated circularly, the communication valve only communicates the water tank with the first heat exchange channel;

when the water in the water tank is used, the communication valve communicates only the water supply pipe with the first heat exchange passage.

5. The water heater according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the water supply loop further comprises a water outlet pipe communicated with the water tank, the two ends of the circulating pipe are respectively a water inlet end and a water outlet end, and the water outlet pipe and the water outlet end are located on the same side of the water tank.

6. The water heater according to claim 5, wherein said water supply circuit further comprises a water pump connected to said circulation pipe.

7. The water heater according to claim 5, wherein the water tank is cylindrical, and a first opening and a second opening are respectively arranged at two ends of the water tank along the length direction of the water tank, the water outlet pipe and the water outlet end are both communicated with the first opening, and the water inlet end is communicated with the second opening.

8. The water heater according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the water supply circuit further comprises a second detection unit disposed on the water tank to detect the temperature of the water in the water tank.

9. The water heater according to any one of claims 2-4, wherein the heat pump circuit comprises a compressor, an evaporator and an electronic expansion valve in serial communication, and the second heat exchange passage is connected between the electronic expansion valve and the compressor.

10. The water heater according to claim 9, further comprising a controller, wherein the compressor is an inverter compressor and is electrically connected to the controller, and the controller controls the frequency of the compressor according to the flow detected by the first detection unit.

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