TWI577948B - Method and device for heater remote control by operating the valve - Google Patents

Description

Method and device for operating water valve remote control heater

The invention is an energy-saving control method and device applicable to gas and electric energy and other water heaters, and the water flow is intermittently operated by operating the hot water valve, so that the control device of the water heater end receives the control command and according to the instruction. Action, such as when applied to a gas water heater, close the hot water valve and immediately open it, that is, it meets the energy-saving operation. The instruction is to make the water heater suspend the heating function, and let the residual water in the water heater and the hot water flowing out in the pipeline be used to save. Energy, in contrast, if the water valve is closed and does not open immediately, the heating function is maintained. When the water valve is opened, the water heater is normally ignited and burned.

As described above, the water heater control device receives the "off-on" command of the hot water valve, which means that the water flow is immediately turned off after about 3 seconds after the hot water valve is turned off, and the water flow is "broken-continued". In order to prevent the micro-switch of the water pan inside the water heater from being "broken-continued", the potential signal is "high-low" and transmitted to the control device, so that the output contact of the control device cuts off the energy supply of the water heater. Suspension of the heating function, if the above-mentioned control device receives the instruction of the water flow "off---continue", it means that the water valve blocks the water flow, and the water flow occurs after more than 10 seconds, so that it is not the instruction to suspend the heating.

When the heating function of the water heater is temporarily stopped, the water valve can be opened to allow the residual hot water to flow out to save energy. Even if the hot water flows out longer than the above-mentioned heating function is suspended, the electronic controller of the water heater can It is not allowed to turn on the water heater when the water is flowing. To allow residual hot water to flow out without heating.

In the case that the water heater is temporarily heated, the internal hot water is completely discharged, which is an energy-saving method, and the control device of the water heater end can transmit the sound and light signal to the user through the wireless transmission system, that is, the user operates the water valve. In order to make the water flow intermittent, the control device at the water heater end receives the command and acts, so that the water heater is suspended for heating, and the residual hot water flows out, which can save considerable energy and significantly reduce carbon emissions. At the same time as the hot water flows out, the cold water is also injected into the water heater, so that the water temperature drops suddenly, and the scale is prevented from being generated inside the water heater and the pipeline.

Whether it is a gas or electric water heater, the hot water valve is used to end the use of hot water, but this leaves a lot of hot water in the water heater and the pipeline, and gradually cools, which is academically called invalid heat. Water, when people use hot water, when the hot water valve is opened, the water temperature has to wait for a short period of time and then gradually increase. It takes a minute or two to make the water temperature reach a high point, and usually ends soon. When hot water is used, the water temperature inside the water heater is also the highest. At this time, the water valve is closed, but the high temperature hot water is left in the pipeline and the water heater. It is a pity, especially in the case of gas water heaters. After the hot water valve is closed, it will be burned for 3 to 5 seconds to turn off the gas. At this time, the hot water inside the water heater has reached a high temperature and there is no flow, but it also accepts this additional heating, and the water temperature will rise higher. Not only wastes energy, but also makes the water heater more easily accumulate scale, thus causing the heat exchange efficiency to be worse and worse, and affecting the service life and safety of the water heater.

In view of the above problems and the habit of catering to the public to use hot water, this issue By operating the hot water valve to open the action, the water heater can be remotely controlled, becoming a new device that can save energy and prevent scale formation. It can be decided by the hot water user, whether the water heater should continue to heat, if it does not continue to heat. When the hot water valve can be operated on the spot and the energy-saving operation is performed, the residual hot water can be discharged and used, and the so-called ineffective hot water becomes effective hot water.

It is understood that there are currently a total of 23.28 million people, a total of 7.36 million, with an average of 3.16 per household, while gas water heater users accounted for 69.8%, a total of 5.137 million, of which 38%, including 1.952 million households using natural gas The calorific value of natural gas per kW is 9000kcal, and the carbon discharge per kWh is 2.09kg. The use of liquefied gas accounts for 62% of the users of gas water heaters, which is 3.185 million, and the calorific value per kilogram of gas is 12062kcal. In addition, the carbon emissions per kilogram of gas is 3.19kg. According to the survey, the habit of using hot water is 83.4%, and almost all showers use the habit of mixing hot water with cold water. Second, there are 86% of the bathers will interrupt the hot water and wipe the soap, shower gel, wash their hair, wash their face or shave, wash the laundry..., and then finish the chores and reopen the hot water valve, during which the hot water is left in the water heater and the pipeline. Slowly cooling and re-opening the water heater to supply hot water, which is wasted in the water heater and the heat energy inside the pipeline and in the wall. It is also much more than one wash at a time. After applying the invention, it can be obviously improved, as long as it is grasped. a principle, even if it is opened multiple times Hot water valve, whenever the water shut, 3 seconds and then open, the heater does not allow the case of heating, so that water discharge, the energy efficiency can be reached.

According to the data, most of the hot water pipes in Taiwan's households are one-half inch, and the average length is 6.5 meters. Together with the environmental conditions of Taiwan's four seasons, and the hot water habits of the Chinese people, In addition, the efficiency of the water heater is 83.5%. According to the calculation, the invention can bring benefits to the gas and electric water heaters by reducing the carbon emissions by 684,000 tons per year, which is equivalent to the carbon absorption of 1771 Da'an Park and saving energy every year. The cost is more than 8.2 billion yuan.

The invention has the effects of energy saving and anti-scaling, and there is still a reduction in gas poisoning. The external role is mainly to significantly reduce the amount of gas, and also to open the cycle of using gas, no longer for the unused hot water, and rush to use the water heater continuously, so it can effectively reduce indoor gas and carbon dioxide. Concentration, some families or student dormitories or staff quarters, in order to use hot water, and then use the water heater one after another in order to save energy consumption, but in fact, it takes a few minutes to change hands In addition, there is no perfect insulation measures inside the water heater and the pipeline. In particular, the heat exchanger has good heat conduction characteristics, and of course it is also a good heat dissipation component. The internal hot water quickly dissipates into warm water, plus The hot water on the pipeline is easy to dissipate heat, so the benefits obtained are hard to anticipate. Moreover, the gas water heater with poor ventilation and no forced exhaust is very dangerous for the user, so that when a poisoning event occurs It is known that the above-mentioned safety concerns can be alleviated by the present invention.

The present invention can operate the hot water valve to make the water flow intermittent, and can also be flexibly applied to various remote control methods of fluid-related equipment, including various control requirements for transporting liquid, gas or other fluid pipelines. The innovative technology of the invention is controlled.

Circuits and components for use in the present invention

1‧‧‧Control device

10‧‧‧Water flow detection circuit

11‧‧‧Control circuit

12‧‧‧Output circuit

13‧‧‧ Relay

14‧‧‧Normally open (a) contact

15‧‧‧Normally closed (b) joint

2‧‧‧Wireless transmitter

21‧‧‧Buck flash circuit

22‧‧‧Lighting diode

23‧‧‧ Current limiting resistor

24‧‧‧Code Circuit

25‧‧‧Transmission circuit

26‧‧‧transmit antenna

3‧‧‧Wireless Receiver

30‧‧‧Receiving antenna

31‧‧‧ receiving circuit

32‧‧‧Decoding circuit

33‧‧‧Amplification circuit

34‧‧‧Output circuit

35‧‧‧Lighting diode

36‧‧‧ Current limiting resistor

37‧‧‧ Horn

Conventional water heater related components:

16‧‧‧DC power supply

27‧‧‧DC power supply

38‧‧‧DC power supply

40‧‧‧ hot water valve

5‧‧‧ gas water heater

51‧‧‧Water tray micro switch

52‧‧‧dry battery

53‧‧‧Electronic controller

54‧‧‧Main fire solenoid valve

55‧‧‧mouth

56‧‧‧ heat exchanger

6‧‧‧Electric water heater

61‧‧‧Water flow switch

Figure 1 is a flow chart of the control of the present invention applied to a gas water heater.

2 is a flow chart of a transmitter unit and a receiver of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a flow chart showing the control of the present invention applied to an electric water heater.

The control method, the flow, the function and the device of the present invention are introduced. Referring to FIG. 1, the present invention mainly comprises a water flow detecting circuit 10, a control circuit 11, and an output circuit 12, and constitutes a control device 1, which is a main unit. Wherein the water flow detecting circuit 10, from the gas heat The water flow switching element inside the water device 5, that is, the water pan micro switch 51, obtains the flow or stop message of the water flow, and transmits it to the control circuit 11, and when the user operates the hot water valve 40, the water valve is closed for 3 seconds. The inside is opened again, that is, the "off-on" operation, that is, in accordance with the above-mentioned energy-saving operation, the water pan micro switch 51 in the water heater 5 can sense that the water flow is switched by the hot water valve. The phenomenon of the break-continuation, the potential of the micro-switch appears as a "high-low" potential change, we can think of the potential change as an operation code, or an electronic instruction (instruction) And the control circuit 11, the internal microcontroller (Microcontroller Unit referred to as MCU) recognizes the electronic instruction, compares the instruction set inside the MCU, finds and makes the action of the instruction, and then notifies the output circuit 12 In order to cooperate with the instruction to complete the appropriate action, in the case of the gas water heater, the relay 13 will be energized and operated, and will remain in place for 8 seconds, more specifically, the relay 13, a contact 14, turned from open to closed, waited for 8 seconds, and then changed back to open circuit, opposite, its b-contact 15, from closed to open, after 8 seconds, it turned back to closed, the b The contact and the electronic controller 53, the DC supply power, that is, the dry battery 52, is connected in series, so the closing and opening of the b contact can determine whether the water heater can be heated or not, in other words, when the b contact is open, the electronic controller When the power supply is interrupted, the main fire solenoid valve 54, that is, no power is maintained and automatically turned off, and the heating function is suspended.

When the user uses the hot water valve to mix the hot water to adjust the water temperature at the beginning of the use of the water heater, it is possible to adjust the water flow rate of the hot water too low, and the water flow switching element mistakenly thinks that the water valve is closed. Or when the water volume is adjusted a little more, it is mistaken to think that the hot water valve is opened, and the judgment of the control device is wrong, that is, during the process of adjusting the water temperature, the control device mistakenly thinks that the user has issued an instruction to turn off the heating function of the water heater. In order to avoid this phenomenon, in the program planning of the above MCU, it is not allowed to stop the heating function by operating the hot water valve for a short time (for example, the first 70 seconds) after the water heater is used. , that is, In the first 70 seconds of the hot water supply of the water heater, energy-saving operation is not allowed. In fact, after the water heater is turned on for more than 70 seconds, the energy-saving operation is stopped to stop the heating and recover the heat value, which is more obvious.

Please refer to Figure 2. As mentioned above, when the hot water valve is closed, it will be reopened within 3 seconds, which is called energy-saving operation. When the a contact 14 of the relay 13 is turned from open to closed, the wireless transmitter of the auxiliary unit is used. 2, that is, the power supply, that is, the DC power supply 27, through the contact 14, is applied to the buck flash circuit 21, and an intermittent flashing action is generated. The buck flash circuit mainly uses a light-emitting diode 22 in series. A step-down resistor 23 is formed, thereby forming an intermittent energization operation, and thus the flash circuit becomes an intermittent power supply of the encoding circuit 24 and the transmitting circuit 25, wherein the output signal of the encoding circuit becomes an input signal of the transmitting circuit. The output signal of the transmitting circuit is converted from the antenna 26 to the air and becomes a high frequency electric wave.

Since the transmitting action of the transmitter is touched by the a contact 14, and the a contact belongs to the component of the control device 1, the transmitter and the control device can synthesize a package and place it inside or around the water heater. In the new water heater, it can also be planned to be incorporated into the electronic controller.

Please continue to refer to FIG. 2, the high frequency electric wave in the air can penetrate several walls, and the receiving antenna 30 of the receiver 3, the high frequency electric wave in the air is received by the wireless receiving circuit 31, and then passed through the decoding circuit 32. The confirmation is the transmission signal from the code, and then the amplification circuit 33 amplifies the decoded circuit and sends it to the output circuit 34, and then passes through the LED 26 of the output circuit and the current limiting resistor 36. It exhibits an intermittent illuminating effect, and at the same time, the horn 37 emits a sound, so that the hot water user can be confirmed.

When the light-emitting diode 35 exhibits a flashing and flashing phenomenon, it indicates that the energy-saving operation of the water heater has an effect, that is, whenever the user uses the hot water valve to perform the energy-saving operation, once the heating function of the water heater is suspended, the light-emitting two can be seen. The polar body 35, which exhibits a flashing phenomenon for 8 seconds, is a notification to the user, and is always kept bright at other times, while the speaker 37 is automatically notified when it is notified a few times, and is also confirmed by the user. use.

If there is more than one place for hot water supply in the water heater, the wireless receiver can be distributed to every place, so that every place that uses hot water has a wireless receiver, so that users in each place can The hot water valve operating there is energy efficient and is confirmed by the sound and light return of the wireless receiver.

The invention can also use the main fire solenoid valve 54 inside the gas water heater to replace the water flow switching component, that is, replace the water tray micro switch 51 as a signal source for water flow detection, mainly when the hot water valve is closed, the gas water heater will The main fire solenoid valve is automatically turned off, so the signal of the solenoid valve will change, as when the hot water valve is closed, the water pan micro switch will also have a signal change.

In addition to being applied to a gas water heater, the present invention is also applied to an electric water heater. Please refer to FIG. 3, in which all circuits, including the control device 1, the wireless transmitter 2 and the receiver 3, and the like, are all ignited. The circuit of the gas water heater is the same, the difference is only that the software part of the control device 1 in the control device 1, the MCU program is slightly different, and the electric water heater does not have the water pan micro switch 51 of the gas water heater, or The main fire solenoid valve 54, but a water flow switch 61 can be installed in the water inlet of the electric water heater, the diameter of which is the same as that of the pipeline, and its purpose can detect whether the water flow is stopped or flowing. Of course, the present invention is applied to a heat storage electric water heater. The control mode applied to the gas electric water heater is not the same, but for different control modes, it can be achieved by changing the software plan, that is, changing the instruction set of the control circuit 11, the inside.

For the average family, the location of the user and the heat storage electric water heater is usually not the same. When switching the water heater, it is not convenient. Some families even keep the water heater in a state of heating for a long time, thus wasting a lot of electric energy. How to improve it? In fact, in the water tank of the water heater, the lower the water temperature, the less the scale will be generated, and the more the electricity cost of the heat preservation will be saved. Therefore, every day the whole family uses hot water to a certain stage, you can roughly measure it and see the hot water surplus. Whether the quantity is enough, then see if the water heater does not need to be heated any more, perhaps in the penultimate position. Perhaps the user who is in the third last place uses the hot water valve to do energy-saving operation when using hot water. Heating The function is suspended, and when all the people use the hot water, the temperature in the hot water tank is closer to that of the cold water, so the user can remotely control the electric heating water heater by switching the hot water valve. Effectively save energy, the way to operate the hot water valve can be referred to as follows: If you intend to stop the heating of the electric water heater, and let the residual hot water flow out, the energy-saving operation is not the same as the energy-saving operation of the gas water heater, you must first turn off The hot water valve is reopened within 3 seconds, and the hot water valve is turned off within 3 seconds, and is turned on again within 3 seconds, that is, the closing operation of two consecutive cycles, and the action of the hot water valve is operated by the water flow detecting circuit 10 After learning, it is transmitted to the control circuit 11, and after the cognitive and control instruction sets are obtained by the MCU inside the control circuit, the water heater 6, the pause mode is issued, and the output circuit 12 is notified, then the output circuit 12, the relay 13, is excited. , normally closed (b) contact 15, thus opening the way, so that the water heater power supply is interrupted, the water heater 6, the heating is suspended, and the residual hot water inside the water heater and the pipeline can be discharged and used. Energy savings, such as not intend to suspend the heating function, just to close the supply of hot water only, that is, the hot water valve can be closed, the original heating function remains unchanged.

If you want to remotely control the heating water heater that has been suspended for heating, you can use the hot water valve to restore the water heater. The operation mode can also refer to the following: You can open the hot water valve first, then close it within 3 seconds, and then open it within 3 seconds. It will be turned off again within 3 seconds, that is, the switching operation of two consecutive cycles will be transmitted by the water flow detecting circuit 10, and then transmitted to the control circuit 11, the internal MCU, after the MCU obtains the cognitive and comparison instruction set, the starting water heater is issued. The heating mode causes the output circuit 12 to know the contents of the command, and stops the relay 13 and the excitation. The normally closed contact of the relay is changed back from open to closed, and the power of the electric water heater is turned on, and the heating function is thus activated.

The above-mentioned continuous operation of the hot water valve, if a certain period of time exceeds the upper limit of 3 seconds, will not meet the command requirements, and will not change the original working mode of the water heater, of course, in the case of a long pipeline, the setting can be The value is extended to 5 seconds or 6 seconds in 3 seconds. How many seconds to use is just soft. The body setting can be changed according to the demand, and the instruction setting formed by the operation of the hot water valve can be as close as possible to the user's customary action, so as to avoid making the instruction too complicated, so that the user can give the operation instruction very effectively.

The present invention can be applied to the case where the same water heater is supplied in more than one place. As long as the wireless receiver 3 is added to have a receiver in each place, the hot water user at each place can borrow the place. The hot water valve performs energy-saving operation and can be returned by the wireless receiver of the place, so that the user of the premises can be confirmed.

The invention can also take the signal of the main fire solenoid valve of the gas water heater to replace the water switch signal, mainly the signal change of the two, which are directly related to the action of the hot water valve. When the water flow stops, the main fire solenoid valve It will be turned off by the opening, and the micro-switch of the water pan will be turned from closed to open. When the water flows, the main fire solenoid valve will be turned from off to on, and the micro-switch of the water pan will be turned from closed to closed, so the signal change between the two is related to the hot water valve. The operation is directly related, only the two signals are opposite to each other, and can be replaced by electronic circuit or conversion in the software part.

The invention applies the method of operating the water valve to the remote control device, and can be applied to various additional functions of the water heater, can simulate the mode of energy-saving operation, and set a set of instructions for adjusting the set temperature to increase and decrease, so that the group of instructions becomes a remote water heater. For adjusting the set temperature, we can apply the opening and closing of the water valve, and the time interval between each opening and closing, which can form different commands and make the control device do different functions.

The invention not only saves the new water heater from generating scale, but also applies to the old water heater, can clean the internal scale, and automatically removes the scale from the pipe wall, and the principle is that whenever the heat exchanger is After heating, the water temperature is raised to nearly 60 degrees Celsius. After the user closes the gas with energy-saving operation, the cold water continues to enter the water tank, and the temperature of the pipe wall drops suddenly until the user feels the water temperature drops and turns off the hot water. The water tank has been filled with cold water. Due to the difference in the expansion coefficient between the scale and the pipe wall, and the sudden drop in the temperature of the pipe wall inside the water tank, the joint between the scale and the pipe wall is natural. The stress is formed, and after that, the water heater is used again and again, the temperature rise and the sudden drop of the pipe wall, so that the stress gradually acts, and the scale gradually cracks and breaks off from the pipe wall, and the hot water flows to the water outlet. After the subsequent use of hot water, the scale will completely disappear, and when the scale falls off, the crack is broken and the size is small, which is not enough to block the water pipe. Therefore, the present invention can clean the scale of the old water heater. Therefore, it can prolong its service life, and both the old and new water heaters can save the regular cleaning fee of scale.

In summary, the utility model can be applied to both a gas water heater and an electric water heater, which can save energy and reduce carbon, and can also take into consideration safety, and can be applied to new water heaters and old products. It can prevent the formation of scale, remove the scale in the old product and extend the service life of the water heater, and save the cost of regularly removing the heat exchanger.

According to the previous data collection, the present invention calculates the carbon emissions and economic benefits in a conservative manner, and has the opportunity to reduce the annual carbon dioxide emissions by 680,000 tons, equivalent to the annual carbon absorption of 1771 Da'an Forest Park. With such good benefits, the greenhouse effect has clearly deteriorated and the temperature of many countries and cities has reached or even exceeded 40 degrees. It is not appropriate to ignore it, and it can save more than 8.2 billion yuan in energy costs per year. The number, and the present invention, is relatively inexpensive in terms of cost planning, and is conducive to the promotion in the future. Therefore, it is hereby hoped that the review committee member will be granted a patent application in accordance with the present invention.

1‧‧‧Control device

10‧‧‧Water flow detection circuit

11‧‧‧Control circuit

12‧‧‧Output circuit

13‧‧‧ Relay

14‧‧‧Normally open (a) contact

15‧‧‧Normally closed (b) joint

16‧‧‧DC power supply

40‧‧‧ hot water valve

5‧‧‧ gas water heater

51‧‧‧Water tray micro switch

52‧‧‧dry battery

53‧‧‧Electronic controller

54‧‧‧Main fire solenoid valve

55‧‧‧mouth

56‧‧‧ heat exchanger

Claims (4)

The method for operating the water valve remote control heater is long or short by the operation of closing and then opening the hot water valve, and the interval between the generated hot water flow and the circulation is long or short, and the water heater is Forming a control command for heating or suspending heating, characterized in that the user uses the water heater for a period of time before the end of the use of the hot water, the water valve can be closed first to stop the water flow, and at this time, the water flow switching element of the water heater, such as the water tray, is slightly moved. The switch can detect the stop of the water flow, and transmit the signal of the water flow stop to the control circuit through the water flow detection circuit, so that the control circuit knows that the water flow stops. If the hot water valve is opened again, the control circuit can also know the water flow. Circulation, when the flow of water stops and recirculates, the interval is very short, for example, within a few seconds, that is, it is energy-saving operation. At this time, the control circuit can make the output circuit suspend the heating function of the water heater, and the residual hot water in the water heater and the hot water pipe can flow out and be used. , that is, the role of energy saving and carbon reduction, until the hot water valve is closed again, that is, the energy saving operation is ended, and then the hot water valve is opened again. The heating function of the water heater has been automatically restored, waiting for the next user. If the water flow is stopped, the interval between recirculation and more than the above, for example, a few seconds, does not meet the energy-saving operation. At this time, the heating work of the water heater is not suspended. It is no different from the general water heater function, and when the water heater is in energy-saving operation, there is sound and light generated to inform the user that the water heater is in the state of energy-saving operation. A device for operating a water valve remote control heater, the device comprising a water flow detecting circuit and a control circuit and an output circuit as a main unit, and a wireless transmitter and receiver as an auxiliary unit, wherein the main unit comprises: The water flow detecting circuit is a water flow switch by a water flow interrupt caused by operating a hot water valve and a control command formed by the interval of the intermittent interval. After the component is detected, it is converted into an electronic signal and then transmitted to the control circuit. A control circuit, after obtaining the control command transmitted from the previous circuit, compares the instruction set inside the control circuit, and then sends it to match the command. The control signal to the output circuit; an output circuit having a relay, wherein one of the contacts is connected with the power supply circuit of the electronic controller equipped with the water heater, so that the opening and closing of the contact can determine the heating function suspension and recovery of the water heater Or the delay recovery device; and the auxiliary unit includes a wireless transmitter and a receiver, wherein the wireless transmitter includes: a buck flash circuit, a light-emitting diode capable of combining both buck and flash, and providing a circuit of the latter stage Power source; an encoding circuit that allows the output signal to be encoded to prevent interference; a transmitting circuit that amplifies and outputs the signal sent from the previous stage; and a transmitting antenna that outputs the signal to the air to become a wave A wireless receiver includes: a receiving antenna for receiving a radio wave signal in the air; and a wireless receiving circuit for converting the electric wave into a circuit No.; a decoding circuit, a decoding circuit through the signal circuit to recognize whether the code; an amplifying circuit, signal amplification circuit; an output circuit, may be audible confirmation in return to the wearer. According to the second part of the patent application scope, the device for operating the water valve remote control heater, if more than one place where the water heater supplies hot water, the wireless receiver can be distributed in each place, so that the users of each place are The hot water valve can be operated as a remote controller, and the user is confirmed by the sound and light return of the wireless receiver. According to the second aspect of the patent application, the device for operating the water valve remote control heater can also replace the signal of the water flow switching element by using the signal of the main fire solenoid valve. By closing the hot water valve, the gas water heater automatically turns off the gas, and the detection circuit obtains the change signal of the main fire solenoid valve from being turned on to off as the input signal of the control device, so that the control device can control The heating function of the water heater makes the function pause and automatically recovers.