TWI682746B - Safety control method of heat exchange device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention is a safety management and control method of a heat exchange device. The heat exchange device can be connected with a water circulation pad body, and at least one water storage part, a temperature adjustment unit, at least one safety sensing unit and a control are provided therein Unit, in which the water storage unit and the water circulation pad can circulate and transfer liquid, the temperature adjustment unit can heat or cool the liquid, and each of the safety sensing units can detect that the heat exchange device is in danger In case of a corresponding warning message, or an error message when it falls off or malfunctions, when the control unit starts the temperature adjustment unit and does not receive the error message from each safety sensing unit, It will execute a monitoring timing procedure, and after a monitoring period is reached, stop the temperature adjustment unit.

Description

Safety control method of heat exchange device

The present invention relates to a heat exchange device, in particular, it can improve the heat exchange device by controlling the operation time of each component when the heat exchange device does not receive an error message (that is, each component is in a normal operating state) safety.

Press, when the indoor temperature is higher or lower than the comfortable temperature of the human body (for example: 24 degrees Celsius), people are prone to lose their ability and willingness to move due to symptoms such as heavy sweating or cold hands and feet, and even easily cause headaches or Sleep disorders (such as repeated insomnia, light sleep or insomnia), so in order to solve the inconvenience and discomfort caused by indoor high or low temperature, people often choose to use air conditioners or heaters to adjust the indoor Temperature, so that the indoor temperature can be maintained at a predetermined comfortable temperature; however, because the air conditioner or heater will consume very high electrical energy during operation, this will not only make it easy for people to overuse electricity, resulting in the need to pay high electricity bills The dilemma will cause the global greenhouse effect to continue to deteriorate, which is not only not environmentally friendly, but also inconsistent with the trend of energy saving and carbon reduction.

In order to solve the aforementioned inconvenience caused by high and low temperatures to people, and reduce the use of high power consumption devices such as cooling and heating machines, some manufacturers have introduced heating and cooling mat products. The following is a brief description of its structure and principle. As shown in FIG. 1, the heating and cooling mat product includes a heat exchange device 10 and a water circulation mat body 11. The direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1 is the direction of water flow, in which the heat exchange The device 10 is provided with a water storage unit 101 and a temperature increase/decrease unit 102, the liquid storage unit 101 stores liquid, and the temperature increase/decrease unit 102 can increase or decrease the liquid temperature, for example, the industry can Ice or hot water is added to the heating/cooling unit 102 to change the temperature of the liquid in the water storage unit 101 by the heat exchange principle. In addition to the aforementioned method, the heating/cooling unit 102 can also be used for heating Electronic components such as tablets or cooling tablets.

As mentioned above, please refer to FIG. 1 again, the heat exchange device 10 can be connected to the water circulation mat 11 through a water outlet pipe 12 and a water inlet pipe 13, when water enters the heat through the water inlet pipe 13 After the exchange device 10, it is transported to the water storage unit 101, and heat exchange is performed with the temperature increase/decrease unit 102 to reduce or increase the temperature of the water flowing through the water storage unit 101. After that, the heat exchange device 10 Through the water outlet pipe 12, the water after cooling or heating is transferred to the water circulation pad body 11 so that the temperature of the water circulation pad body 11 can be close to the expected temperature, so that the principle of water circulation and heat exchange can be used to circulate the water The temperature of the surface of the cushion body 11 is maintained at a comfortable temperature, so that the user does not need to use high power consumption devices such as cooling and heating machines, and only needs to sit and lie on the water circulation cushion body 11 to pass the water circulation cushion body 11 Increasing or absorbing the heat energy of the body, and obtaining warmth comfortably in the cold season, or feeling cool in the hot weather, therefore, the water circulation mat 11 is quite popular among the public.

Generally speaking, most of the existing heat exchange devices 10 are provided with safety protection elements (such as temperature sensors, water level sensors, etc.). The safety protection elements are mainly used to detect the heat exchange devices 10 Operation conditions, such as liquid temperature or water volume, to avoid overheating or water volume is too low, however, the applicant found that if the safety protection element falls off or fails, but the heat exchange device 10 does not appear any warning message, This will cause the heat exchange device 10 to fail to detect the operation of the heat exchange device 10 normally, for example, when the safety protection element is temperature sensing If the device is damaged or falls off, under normal circumstances, the heat exchange device 10 should be able to determine that the safety protection element is not working properly, and stop operating, but if the heat exchange device 10 fails to obtain the aforementioned judgment result, Then, the heat exchange device 10 may mistakenly believe that the current temperature of the liquid is not up to the standard and continue to heat, causing the temperature of the liquid to be too high, which may cause the user to be scalded by the high-temperature liquid accidentally. Therefore, how to improve the aforementioned deficiencies in order to provide a safer protective measure has become an important subject of the present invention.

In view of the fact that the conventional heat exchange device is still not perfect in terms of safety, the inventor finally developed and designed the safety management method of the heat exchange device of the present invention after a long-term hard research and experiment, with a view to using the present invention Can effectively solve the aforementioned problems.

An object of the present invention is to provide a safety management and control method for a heat exchange device. The heat exchange device can be respectively connected to a water circulation pad body through a water outlet pipe and a water inlet pipe, and at least one water storage part, a Temperature regulation unit, at least one safety sensing unit and a control unit, wherein the water storage part can receive the liquid from the water circulation pad body through the water inlet pipe, or the liquid in it flows out to the water circulation through the water outlet pipe In the cushion body, the temperature adjustment unit can heat or cool the liquid in the heat exchange device, and each of the safety sensing units can detect the operation of the heat exchange device and generate it when a dangerous situation is detected Corresponding to a warning message, the control unit is electrically connected to the temperature regulating unit and each of the safety sensing units, respectively, so that the temperature regulating unit can stop or start operating, and can receive the corresponding warning message when the control unit After the temperature control unit starts to operate, it will monitor the current operating state of each safety sensing unit, and after judging that each safety sensing unit is in an operating state, but has not received an error message, execute a monitoring timing procedure After that, when one monitoring period of the monitoring timing program is reached, the control unit will make The temperature adjustment unit stops operating. Thus, if the safety sensing unit falls off or fails, but the control unit still thinks that the safety sensing unit is in normal operation, the control unit will periodically stop the operation of the temperature adjustment unit, so this can be avoided The temperature adjustment unit heats or cools down uncontrollably, which causes damage to the heat exchange device or injury to the user.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety management and control method for a heat exchange device. In addition to the aforementioned components, the heat exchange device is also provided with a water temperature sensor, wherein the water temperature sensor can detect The temperature of the liquid that is raised or lowered by the temperature control unit. When the control unit starts the temperature control unit to operate, it will monitor the current operating state of each of the safety sensing units and determine that each of the safety sensing units is in operation. , But after not receiving the error message, execute an operation timing procedure. After that, when one of the operation timing procedures is exceeded, the control unit will read the current temperature of the liquid through the water temperature sensor and determine When the current temperature of the liquid is within a range of water temperature, the temperature regulating unit is stopped. If the safety sensing unit falls off or fails, the control unit still thinks that the safety sensing unit is in normal operation. In this case, since the control unit will read the current liquid temperature and automatically stop the operation of the temperature adjustment unit when the liquid temperature fails to increase or decrease normally, it can prevent the temperature adjustment unit from heating or cooling uncontrollably, causing heat The exchange device is damaged or the user is injured.

In order for your reviewing committee to have a better understanding and understanding of the purpose, technical features and efficacy of the present invention, the following examples are used in conjunction with the drawings, which are described in detail as follows:

〔Knowledge〕

10‧‧‧Heat exchange device

101‧‧‧Water Storage Department

102‧‧‧Heating/cooling unit

11‧‧‧Water circulation cushion

12‧‧‧ Outlet

13‧‧‧ water inlet

〔this invention〕

2‧‧‧Heat exchange device

21‧‧‧Water Storage Department

211‧‧‧Pump

22‧‧‧Temperature adjustment unit

221‧‧‧Heat exchange unit

222‧‧‧Flower

23‧‧‧ Security sensing unit

23A‧‧‧Water level sensor

23B‧‧‧Water temperature sensor

23C‧‧‧Component temperature control sensor

23D‧‧‧Tilt sensor

24‧‧‧Control unit

3‧‧‧Water circulation cushion

31‧‧‧ Outlet

32‧‧‧Inlet pipe

401~406‧‧‧Step

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a conventional heating and cooling mat product; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the heat exchange device and water circulation mat of the present invention; Figure 3 is a partial structural diagram of the heat exchange device of the present invention; and Figure 4 is a flowchart of the safety management and control method of the present invention.

The present invention is a safety control method for a heat exchange device. Please refer to FIG. 2. In a first embodiment, the heat exchange device 2 can be connected to a water circulation pad through a water outlet pipe 31 and a water inlet pipe 32, respectively. Body 3, wherein the liquid in the heat exchange device 2 can flow into the water circulation pad body 3 through the water outlet pipe 31, and the liquid in the water circulation pad body 3 can return to the heat exchange device 2 through the water inlet pipe 32 In addition, the present invention is not limited to the aspect shown in FIG. 2, the manufacturer can arbitrarily adjust the appearance of the heat exchange device according to product requirements, as long as it has the safety control method described later.

Please refer to Figures 2 and 3. For ease of explanation, Figure 3 only shows some components of the heat exchange device 2. However, those skilled in the art can master the overall technical features of the present invention after understanding the subsequent content. He Xian Chen Ming. In the first embodiment, the heat exchange device 2 includes at least one water storage part 21, a temperature adjustment unit 22, at least one safety sensing unit 23 and a control unit 24, wherein the water storage part 21 can pass through the The water inlet pipe 32 receives the liquid (such as water) from the water circulation pad body 3, and flows out the liquid into the water circulation cushion body 3 through the water outlet pipe 31, and the temperature adjustment unit 22 can The liquid in the heat exchange device 2 is used for heating or cooling. It is particularly mentioned here that in the first embodiment, the liquid in the water storage section 21 can be drawn by a pump 211 into a heat exchange unit 221 , The heat exchange unit 221 is provided with a flow channel 222 for the liquid to flow, and in the foregoing process, the temperature adjustment unit 22 can heat or cool the liquid in the heat exchange unit 221, after which, the heat The liquid in the exchange unit 221 can flow out to the water outlet pipe 31. However, in other embodiments of the present invention, the manufacturer can adjust the appearance of the temperature adjustment unit 22 according to product requirements. The temperature adjustment unit 22 directly heats or cools the liquid in the water storage unit 21 (as in the conventional structure of FIG. 1). Therefore, as long as the temperature adjustment unit 22 can heat the liquid in the heat exchange device 2 or Refrigeration is the temperature adjustment unit 22 referred to in the present invention.

In the first embodiment, please refer to FIGS. 2 and 3, each of the safety sensing units 23 can detect the internal components of the heat exchange device 2 (such as: the water storage section 21 or the temperature regulating unit 22) Operation status, and a corresponding warning message is generated when a dangerous situation is detected. The types of some safety sensing units 23 to which the present invention is applied are explained (but not limited to this): when one of them When the safety sensing unit 23 is a water level sensor 23A, the water level sensor 23A can detect the water level height of the liquid in the water storage portion 21, and when the water level height is lower than a low water level threshold value, a low Water level warning message, the reason for the aforementioned detection is that under long-term use, the liquid will be reduced due to evaporation (especially the heating process). Therefore, if the liquid level in the reservoir 21 is lower than the pumping height of the pump 211 This will cause the pump 211 to be unable to draw liquid or only a small amount of liquid into the heat exchange unit 221, causing the temperature adjustment unit 22 to continue to heat up, resulting in excessive temperature and damage.

Please also refer to Figures 2 and 3, when one of the safety sensing units 23 is a water temperature sensor 23B, the water temperature sensor 23B can detect the temperature of the liquid heated or cooled by the temperature regulating unit 22 , And it detects that the liquid temperature exceeds a high temperature threshold or below a low temperature threshold, a water temperature warning message is generated. In the first embodiment, since the temperature adjustment unit 22 is a heat exchange unit 221 The liquid in the heating or cooling, therefore, the water temperature sensor 23B will be provided on the heat exchange unit 221, but if the temperature adjustment unit 22 directly heats or cools the liquid in the water storage portion 21, then The water temperature sensor 23B will be relocated on the water storage portion 21.

Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 again, when one of the safety sensing units 23 is a component temperature-controlled sensor 23C, the component temperature-controlled sensor 23C can detect the heating or heating of the temperature regulating unit 22 Cold temperature, and when the heating or cooling temperature exceeds a component temperature threshold, a component temperature warning message is generated. In the first embodiment, the component temperature control sensor 23C can be disposed on the temperature adjustment unit 22 It mainly provides dual protection. By simultaneously detecting the temperature of the liquid and the temperature of the component, the operation of the temperature adjustment unit 22 can be adjusted more effectively, so that the temperature adjustment unit 22 can heat or cool the liquid in a timely manner.

Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 again, when one of the safety sensing units 23 is a tilt sensor 23D, the tilt sensor 23D can detect the tilt angle of the heat exchange device 2, and the tilt angle exceeds A tilt warning message is generated when a tilt threshold is reached. In the first embodiment, the tilt sensor 23D can be located on the water storage portion 21, but not limited to this, it can be provided in the heat exchange device 2 The main reason for this is that the water storage unit 21 is fixed in the heat exchange device 2. Therefore, when the heat exchange device 2 is collided and falls, the water storage unit 21 will also fall, but, The water storage portion 21 is provided with another advantage, that is, when the water storage portion 21 is loosened due to long-term use, it may form a dumping shape inside the heat exchange device 2 so that the internal liquid flows out to the heat exchange device 2 At this time, the tilt sensor 23D can still accurately detect that the water storage portion 21 has fallen over.

As mentioned above, please refer to Figures 2 and 3, the control unit 24 is electrically connected to the temperature regulating unit 22 and each of the safety sensing units 23 (ie, the water level sensor 23A, the water temperature sensor 23B , Component temperature control sensor 23C, tilt sensor 23D), the control unit 24 can control the temperature adjustment unit 22 to stop or start operation, and can receive the warning message from each of the safety sensing units 23, After receiving each warning message, the temperature adjustment unit 22 is stopped. After all, when the safety sensing unit 23 (ie, the water level sensor 23A, the water temperature sensor 23B, the component temperature control sensor) 23C, tilt sensor 23D) After the warning message is issued, if the temperature adjustment unit 22 continues to heat, the heat exchange device 2 may be damaged, or the user may be burned by the overflowing hot water.

As mentioned above, please refer to Figures 2 and 3, when each of the safety sensing units 23 comes off or fails, it will generate an error message and send it to the control unit 24. At this time, the control unit 24 will know that the safety sensing unit 23 has fallen off or failed, and caused the temperature adjustment unit 22 to stop operating, and execute a component error procedure (such as: issuing a warning sound, displaying the defective component on the display screen... etc.) , So that the user can immediately repair the heat exchange device 2. In addition, after the control unit 24 enables the temperature adjustment unit 22 to start operation, if it determines that the safety sensing unit 23 is in an operating state and does not receive any error message, the control unit 24 will execute a monitoring timing procedure, in which The monitoring timing program includes at least one monitoring period. Here, it is stated that the preceding monitoring period means that the operator calculates the time for the temperature adjustment unit 22 to heat or cool the liquid to the expected temperature (for example: 5 minutes), and When the monitoring period is reached, the control unit 24 will stop the temperature adjustment unit 22 from operating. After a waiting period, the control unit 24 will start the temperature adjustment unit 22 again, and repeat the foregoing Process. Generally speaking, when the temperature adjustment unit 22 stops operating, the temperature of the liquid does not change abruptly, but slowly decreases or increases in temperature. Therefore, the water circulation mat 3 can still be maintained at a comfortable temperature.

To clearly disclose the method of the present invention, the following only describes the processing flow of the control unit 24 of the present invention. Please refer to FIGS. 2 to 4, the control unit 24 will perform the following steps: (401) After the control unit 24 enables the temperature adjustment unit 22 to start operating, it will monitor the current operating state of each of the safety sensing units 23 and enter steps (402); (402) the control unit 24 determines whether each of the safety sensing units is received The error message from 23, if not, go to step (403), if yes, go to step (406); (403) The control unit 24 executes a monitoring timing procedure, go to step (404); (404) The control unit 24 determines whether a monitoring period is reached. If yes, go to step (405). If not, return to step (404); (405) The control unit 24 stops the temperature adjustment unit 22 from operating; (406) The control unit 24 stops the temperature adjustment unit 22 and executes a component error procedure.

In summary, according to the safety control method of the present invention, if the safety sensing unit 23 falls off or fails, but no error message is generated, the control unit 24 will be at intervals (that is, the aforementioned monitoring period) The operation of the temperature adjustment unit 22 is stopped, and the temperature adjustment unit 22 is operated again after a period of time, so that the temperature adjustment unit 22 can be prevented from being heated or cooled uncontrollably, which can cause damage to the heat exchange device 2 or make it use In the event of injury, the safety of the heat exchange device 2 is effectively improved.

In addition to the process of stopping the operation of the temperature adjustment unit 22 at intervals in the foregoing first embodiment, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 24 can enable the temperature adjustment unit 22 to start operation and monitor each sense of security The current operating state of the measuring unit 23, and when the control unit 24 determines that each of the safety sensing units 23 is in an operating state and has not received an error message, it will execute a job timing procedure, in which the job timing procedure It includes at least one operation period. In this statement, the aforementioned operation period means that the operator calculates the time (for example, 5 minutes) for the temperature adjustment unit 22 to heat or cool the liquid to the expected temperature. After that, when the operation is exceeded After the period, the current temperature of the liquid is read through the water temperature sensor 23B. If the current temperature of the liquid is within a range of water temperature range (for example: 30 degrees to 50 degrees), the temperature adjustment unit 22 is stopped. The aforementioned method is that after the temperature adjustment unit 22 operates the aforementioned operation period, the temperature of the liquid should have increased or decreased to a predetermined temperature. If the detection result of the water temperature sensor 23B indicates that the temperature of the liquid has not increased or When it is lowered to the predetermined temperature, it means that there is a possibility that the waterway is blocked or components (eg, safety sensor Element 23) is damaged, so the control unit 24 will stop the temperature adjustment unit 22 to prevent the temperature adjustment unit 22 from heating or cooling uncontrollably, resulting in damage to the heat exchange device 2 or injury to the user In fact, the safety of the heat exchange device 2 can also be improved.

According to the above, it is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention. However, the scope of the claimed rights of the present invention is not limited to this. According to the technical content disclosed by the present invention, anyone who is familiar with this skill can Equivalent changes that can be easily considered should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

401~406‧‧‧Step

Claims (12)

A safety management and control method of a heat exchange device is applied to a heat exchange device, which can be connected to a water circulation pad body through a water outlet pipe and a water inlet pipe respectively, and at least one water storage part, a Temperature regulation unit, at least one safety sensing unit and a control unit, wherein the water storage part can receive the liquid from the water circulation pad body through the water inlet pipe, or the liquid in it flows out to the water circulation through the water outlet pipe In the cushion body, the temperature adjustment unit can heat or cool the liquid in the heat exchange device, and each of the safety sensing units can detect the operation of the heat exchange device and generate it when a dangerous situation is detected Corresponding to a warning message, when each of the safety sensing units falls off or malfunctions by itself, an error message is generated, and the control unit is electrically connected to the temperature regulating unit and each of the safety sensing units, respectively, to enable the The temperature control unit stops or starts to operate, and can receive the corresponding warning message or error message. The control method causes the control unit to perform the following steps: start the temperature control unit and monitor the current status of each safety sensing unit Operation state; when it is determined that each of the safety sensing units is in operation state and no error message is received, a monitoring timing procedure is executed; when one monitoring period of the monitoring timing procedure is reached, the temperature adjustment unit is stopped; And after a waiting period, the temperature adjustment unit is started again. The safety management and control method according to claim 1, wherein when the control unit receives an error message, the temperature adjustment unit is stopped. The safety control method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the safety sensing unit is a water level sensor, and the water level sensor can detect the water level height of the liquid in the water storage part When the height exceeds a high water level threshold value, a high water level warning message is generated, and when the water level height is lower than a low water level threshold value, a low water level warning message is generated, and the control unit receives the high water level threshold value Or the low water level warning message will stop the temperature adjustment unit Stop working. The safety management and control method according to claim 3, wherein the other safety sensing unit is a water temperature sensor, which can detect the temperature of the liquid heated or cooled by the temperature regulating unit, and in the liquid When the temperature exceeds a high temperature threshold or falls below a low temperature threshold, a water temperature warning message is generated. After receiving the water temperature warning message, the control unit stops the temperature adjustment unit. The safety management and control method according to claim 4, wherein the further safety sensing unit is a component temperature control sensor, which can detect the heating or cooling temperature of the temperature control unit, and When the heating or cooling temperature exceeds a component temperature threshold, a component temperature warning message is generated. After receiving the component temperature warning message, the control unit stops the temperature adjustment unit. The safety management method according to claim 5, wherein the further safety sensing unit is a tilt sensor, the tilt sensor can detect the tilt angle of the heat exchange device, and when the tilt angle exceeds a tilt threshold In the state of, a tilt warning message is generated. After receiving the tilt warning message, the control unit stops the temperature adjustment unit. A safety management and control method of a heat exchange device is applied to a heat exchange device, which can be connected to a water circulation pad body through a water outlet pipe and a water inlet pipe respectively, and at least one water storage part, a Temperature regulating unit, a water temperature sensor, at least one safety sensing unit and a control unit, wherein the water storage part can receive the liquid from the water circulation pad body through the water inlet pipe, or pass the liquid inside The water outlet pipe flows out into the water circulation pad body, the temperature adjustment unit can heat or cool the liquid in the heat exchange device, and the water temperature sensor can detect the liquid heated or cooled by the temperature adjustment unit Temperature, each of the safety sensing units can detect the operation of the heat exchange device, and generate a corresponding warning message when a dangerous situation is detected, when each of the safety sensing units falls off or malfunctions, it will Generates an error message, the control The control unit is electrically connected to the temperature adjustment unit and each of the safety sensing units, respectively, so that the temperature adjustment unit can stop or start operation, and can receive the corresponding warning message or error message. The control method enables the control unit Perform the following steps: start the temperature control unit and monitor the current operating status of each safety sensing unit; when it is determined that each safety sensing unit is in an operating state and no error message is received, perform a job timing Procedure; after exceeding one of the operation timing procedures, reading the current temperature of the liquid through the water temperature sensor; and, when it is judged that the current temperature of the liquid is within a range of water temperature range, make the The thermostat unit stopped working. The safety management and control method according to claim 7, wherein when the control unit receives an error message, the temperature adjustment unit is stopped. The safety control method according to claim 8, wherein the water temperature sensor detects that the liquid temperature exceeds a high temperature threshold or falls below a low temperature threshold, a water temperature warning message is generated, and the control After the unit receives the water temperature warning message, it will stop the temperature adjustment unit from operating. The safety control method according to any one of claims 8 to 9, wherein the safety sensing unit is a water level sensor, and the water level sensor can detect the water level height of the liquid in the water storage part When the height exceeds a high water level threshold value, a high water level warning message is generated, and when the water level height is lower than a low water level threshold value, a low water level warning message is generated, and the control unit receives the high water level threshold value Or, after the low water level warning message, the thermostat unit will be stopped. The safety control method according to claim 10, wherein the other safety sensing unit is a component temperature control sensor, which can detect the heating or cooling temperature of the temperature control unit, and When the heating or cooling temperature exceeds a component temperature threshold, a component temperature alarm is generated Message, the control unit will stop the temperature adjustment unit after receiving the component temperature warning message. The safety management method according to claim 11, wherein the further safety sensing unit is a tilt sensor, the tilt sensor can detect the tilt angle of the heat exchange device, and the tilt angle exceeds a tilt threshold value In the state of, a tilt warning message is generated. After receiving the tilt warning message, the control unit stops the temperature adjustment unit.

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