Water heater, method for controlling a leakage protector, and storage medium

Abstract

The embodiments of this specification provide an electrical device, a storage medium, a leakage protector control device and a method. The leakage protector control device includes: a controller, configured to output a control signal when the electrical device equipped with a leakage protector is in a specified state; a trigger module, configured to output a trigger signal to the leakage protector when receiving the control signal, so that the detection element of the leakage protector detects the trigger signal, thereby triggering the leakage protector to perform a power-off protection action. The embodiments of this specification can improve the electrical safety of the electrical device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This specification relates to the technical field of electrical equipment, and particularly to a water heater, a control method for a leakage protector, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Currently, leakage protectors are mainly used to perform power-off protection actions when electrical equipment has a leakage fault to achieve the purpose of electrical safety. They can also be used for infrequent conversion and startup of circuits under normal circumstances. However, in the process of implementing this application, the inventors of this application found that in some cases, it may be necessary for the leakage protector to perform a power-off protection action, but due to not meeting the action trigger conditions of the leakage protector, the leakage protector will not perform the power-off protection action, thus it may be difficult to ensure electrical safety. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the embodiments of this specification is to provide a water heater, a control method for a leakage protector, and a storage medium to improve electrical safety.

[0004] To achieve the above purpose, on the one hand, the embodiments of this specification provide a leakage protector control device, including:

[0005] A controller, configured to output a control signal when the electrical equipment equipped with a leakage protector is in a specified state;

[0006] A trigger module, configured to output a trigger signal to the leakage protector when receiving the control signal, so that the detection element of the leakage protector detects the trigger signal, thereby triggering the leakage protector to perform a power-off protection action.

[0007] On the other hand, the embodiments of this specification also provide an electrical equipment, including a power cord, a leakage protector is arranged on the power cord, and the electrical equipment further includes the above-mentioned leakage protector control device, and the leakage protector control device is connected to the leakage protector.

[0008] On the other hand, the embodiments of this specification also provide a control method for a leakage protector, including:

[0009] Detect whether the electrical equipment equipped with a leakage protector is in a specified state;

[0010] When the electrical equipment is in a specified state, output a trigger signal to the leakage protector, so that the detection element of the leakage protector detects the trigger signal, thereby triggering the leakage protector to perform a power-off protection action.

[0011] On the other hand, the embodiments of this specification also provide a storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are implemented:

[0012] Detect whether the electrical equipment configured with a leakage protector is in a specified state;

[0013] When the electrical equipment is in the specified state, output a trigger signal to the leakage protector, so that the detection element of the leakage protector detects the trigger signal, thereby triggering the leakage protector to perform a power-off protection action.

[0014] As can be seen from the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this specification above, the leakage protector control device in the embodiments of this specification can output a trigger signal simulating the state of the electrical equipment being in a leakage state to the leakage protector in any specified state, so that the power-off protection in the specified state can be realized by using the leakage protector, thereby improving the electrical safety of the electrical equipment. Description of the Drawings

[0015] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this specification or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments recorded in this specification. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings. In the drawings:

[0016] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the electrical equipment configured with a leakage protector provided by the embodiment of this specification;

[0017] Figure 2 It is a block diagram of the structure of the leakage protector control device provided by the embodiment of this specification;

[0018] Figure 3 It is a schematic circuit diagram of a trigger module provided by the embodiment of this specification;

[0019] Figure 4 It is a schematic circuit diagram of another trigger module provided by the embodiment of this specification;

[0020] Figure 5 It is a schematic circuit diagram of another trigger module provided by the embodiment of this specification;

[0021] Figure 6 It is a schematic circuit diagram of another trigger module provided by the embodiment of this specification;

[0022] Figure 7 It is a schematic circuit diagram of another trigger module provided by the embodiment of this specification;

[0023] Figure 8 It is a schematic circuit diagram of another trigger module provided by the embodiment of this specification;

[0024] Figure 9a It is a schematic connection diagram of a double - stage protection relay of an electrical equipment in an embodiment of this specification;

[0025] Figure 9b It is a schematic connection diagram of a single - stage protection relay of an electrical equipment in an embodiment of this specification;

[0026] Figure 10 It is a schematic structural diagram of a live - line detection module provided by an embodiment of this specification;

[0027] Figures 11a - 11c It is a schematic structural diagram of a hot - water outlet detection module provided by some embodiments of this specification;

[0028] Figure 12 It is a schematic structural diagram of an inner - tank dry - burning detection module provided by an embodiment of this specification;

[0029] Figure 13 It is a flowchart of a leakage protector control method provided by an embodiment of this specification;

[0030] Figure 14 It is a schematic structural diagram of a storage medium provided by an embodiment of this specification. Specific embodiments

[0031] In order to enable the personnel in the technical field to better understand the technical solutions in this specification, the following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this specification with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of this specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this specification, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this specification, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without making creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of this specification.

[0032] The electrical equipment mentioned in the embodiments of this specification can be production - type electrical equipment or life - type electrical equipment, etc. For example, taking life - type electrical equipment as an example, the electrical equipment may include, but is not limited to, water heaters, heat pumps, refrigerators, air conditioners, etc. The electrical equipment can be configured with a leakage protector to protect electrical safety. For example, in the embodiment shown in Figure 1 , the electrical equipment has a power cord, and a leakage - protection plug can be set on the power cord. The leakage - protection plug can be connected to the controller of the electrical equipment through the power cord. Among them, the leakage - protection plug can include a detection unit and a power - off device, etc., and the power - off device can determine whether to perform a power - off protection action according to the detection result of the detection unit.

[0033] In an embodiment of this specification, when the electrical device is a water heater, the ground wire of the power cord can be connected to the inner wall of the water heater, and the secondary side of the transformer of the water heater can be connected to the inner wall.

[0034] Generally, when the vector sum of the currents between the phase wire and the neutral wire of the leakage protector is not zero, the relay inside the leakage protector will be triggered to disconnect, thereby achieving power-off protection. Specifically, a detection element (current transformer) is provided inside the leakage protector. During normal operation, there is no leakage current passing through the leakage protector except for the working current in the circuit. At this time, the total current flowing through the current transformer is zero, and the induced magnetic flux in the iron core of the current transformer is also zero. The leakage protector is in a normal operating state. When there is a leakage in the electrical device and the circuit or someone gets an electric shock, the sum of the currents flowing through the detection current transformer is not zero, and the iron core of the current transformer induces a magnetic flux. After amplification, the power-off device (tripping device) of the leakage protector is actuated to push the automatic switch to trip to achieve the purpose of leakage protection.

[0035] However, in some cases, when the electrical device has a potential electrical safety hazard due to being in certain abnormal states, since these abnormal states do not meet the operating conditions of the leakage protector, the leakage protector will not perform power-off protection.

[0036] In view of this, to solve the above problems, the electrical device in the embodiment of this specification can be configured with a leakage protector control device. The leakage protector control device can include a controller and a trigger module. Among them, the control end of the trigger module can be connected to the controller. The controller can be used to output a control signal when the electrical device configured with a leakage protector is in a specified state; the trigger module can be used to output a trigger signal simulating the electrical device being in a leakage state to the leakage protector when receiving the control signal, thereby triggering the leakage protector to perform a power-off protection action.

[0037] It can be seen that the leakage protector control device in the embodiment of this specification can output a trigger signal simulating the electrical device being in a leakage state to the leakage protector of the electrical device in any specified state, so that power-off protection in the specified state can be achieved by using the leakage protector, thereby improving the electrical safety of the electrical device.

[0038] In the embodiment of this specification, the above-mentioned specified state can be set by the user according to needs, and this specification does not limit it. For the sake of easy understanding, an example is given below.

[0039] In some embodiments of this specification, an electrical device may be provided with a protection relay. The protection relay may be connected between the load of the electrical device and the power supply circuit, and the controller may be connected to the protection relay to detect whether the protection relay is in an adhesive state. When the protection relay is in an adhesive state, the protection relay will fail, which is likely to cause potential safety hazards. However, when the protection relay is in an adhesive state, it will not disrupt the balance state where the vector sum of the currents between the phase line and the neutral line of the leakage protector is zero. Therefore, the leakage protector configured for the electrical device will not perform a power-off protection action in this case. Thus, the adhesive state of the protection relay of the electrical device can be regarded as a specified state. Correspondingly, when it is detected that the protection relay is in an adhesive state, the controller of the leakage protector control device may output a control signal to trigger the leakage protector of the electrical device to perform a power-off protection action, so that the electrical device can have an additional layer of electrical safety protection on the basis of the original electrical safety protection.

[0040] For example, as Figure 9a shown, in an embodiment of this specification, an electrical device may be provided with two-stage relay protection. Among them, protection relay K11 and protection relay K12 together form the first-stage relay protection, and protection relay K2 is the second-stage relay protection. The controller of the leakage protector control device may be respectively connected to protection relay K11, protection relay K12, and protection relay K2 ( Figure 9a not shown in the figure). When it is detected that any one or more of protection relay K11, protection relay K12, and protection relay K2 are in an adhesive state, the controller may output a control signal to trigger the leakage protector of the electrical device to perform a power-off protection action. Those skilled in the art should understand that in this embodiment, an electrical device with two loads is used as an example for illustration, but this specification does not limit the number of loads. For example, in other embodiments, the number of loads may also be 1, 3, 5, etc.

[0041] Thus, it can be seen that in Figure 9a the shown embodiment, when all of protection relay K11, protection relay K12, and protection relay K2 are in an adhesive state, the leakage protector of the electrical device can also be triggered by the leakage protector control device to perform a power-off protection action, thereby effectively improving the electrical safety of the electrical device. Correspondingly, in view of the fact that the leakage protector control device has this safety protection function, in other embodiments of this specification, when the electrical device is configured with the leakage protector control device, the two-stage or more-stage relay protection originally set for the electrical device can be reduced to one-stage relay protection (for example, the two-stage relay protection shown in Figure 9a can be reduced to the one-stage relay protection shown in Figure 9bThe primary relay protection shown). In this way, under the condition of achieving multiple electrical safety protections, the protection relay can be saved, which is beneficial to reducing the cost of electrical equipment.

[0042] In the above embodiments of this specification, the controller of the leakage protector control device can detect whether the protection relay is stuck through software and / or hardware. Since the detection of the relay stuck state is a common technical means in the relay field, this specification will not elaborate on it.

[0043] In some embodiments of this specification, the electrical equipment can be provided with a live detection module. The controller of the leakage protector control device can be connected to the grounding component of the electrical equipment through the live detection module, so as to detect whether the grounding component of the electrical equipment is in a live state based on the live detection module (here, the live state means that the voltage value of the grounding component is higher than a preset voltage threshold, but there is no leakage current generated). When it is detected that the grounding component of the electrical equipment is in a live state, the electrical equipment is in a non-safe state, that is, once a human body (or other conductor) contacts the grounding component, there may be a leakage risk. However, before the human body (or other conductor) contacts the grounding component, no leakage current will be generated, so the balance state where the current vector sum between the phase line and the neutral line of the leakage protector is zero will not be destroyed. In this case, the leakage protector of the electrical equipment will not perform a power-off protection action. In view of this, in order to prevent the leakage risk that may be caused by the grounding component being in a live state, the grounding component of the electrical equipment being in a live state can be regarded as a specified state. Correspondingly, when it is detected that the grounding component of the electrical equipment is in a live state, the controller can output a control signal to trigger the leakage protector of the electrical equipment to perform a power-off protection action, so that the electrical equipment can have an additional electrical safety protection on the basis of the original electrical safety protection.

[0044] For example, in an embodiment of this specification, the water heater can be provided with a Figure 10 live detection module as shown, which can include a voltage sampling circuit, an isolation circuit, a preamplification circuit, etc. connected in sequence. The voltage sampling circuit can collect the voltage signals of components such as the inner tank and the hanging rack of the water heater. After the voltage signal is subjected to strong-weak electricity isolation processing by the isolation circuit, it can be converted into a weak electricity voltage signal to achieve the isolation of strong and weak electricity. The preamplification circuit can preamplify the weak electricity voltage signal and provide it to the controller of the leakage protector control device. The leakage controller can compare the voltage value of the amplified voltage signal with a preset voltage threshold and judge whether the water heater is in the state of the grounding wire being live according to the comparison result.

[0045] In some embodiments of this specification, the water heater may be provided with a dry-burning detection module for the inner tank (for example Figure 12 as shown), and the dry-burning detection module for the inner tank may be connected to the controller of the leakage protector control device. In Figure 12 , the dry-burning detection module for the inner tank may include a water level sensor and a temperature sensor disposed in the inner tank. The water level sensor may detect the water level in the inner tank and provide it to the controller. The temperature sensor may detect the temperature of the inner tank and provide it to the controller. When the heating rod of the water heater is working, the temperature of the inner tank will rise. Especially when the water level in the inner tank is judged to be lower than the lower limit of the preset water level, due to the lack of water, the inner tank will heat up rapidly. Therefore, based on the data provided by the water level sensor and the temperature sensor, the controller can determine whether the inner tank is in a dry-burning state. For example, when the water level in the inner tank is lower than the lower limit of the preset water level and the temperature of the inner tank reaches the preset temperature (such as 120 °C, 130 °C, etc.), the controller may consider that the inner tank is in a dry-burning state. However, when the heating rod of the water heater is in the heating working state, regardless of whether the water level in its inner tank is lower than the lower limit of the preset water level, it is always the heating rod that works as a load, and at this time, it will not break the balance state where the current vector sum between the phase wire and the neutral wire of the leakage protector is zero. Therefore, even when the water level in the inner tank drops below the lower limit of the preset water level and is in danger of dry-burning of the inner tank, the leakage protector will not perform the break protection action.

[0046] Although, some water heaters can perform dry-burning alarm and / or emergency processing for the inner tank based on the dry-burning detection module for the inner tank. The emergency processing may be, for example, to disconnect the load circuit through the protection relay, high-temperature limit switch, etc. of the water heater. However, when the protection relay fails due to being in an adhesive state and the high-temperature limit also fails, the heating rod of the water heater will keep heating, with extremely high risks. Therefore, in order to further improve the electrical safety of the water heater, the dry-burning state of the inner tank of the water heater can be regarded as a specified state. Correspondingly, when it is detected that the inner tank of the water heater is in a dry-burning state, the controller of the leakage protector control device can output a control signal to trigger the leakage protector of the water heater to perform a power-off protection action, thereby disconnecting the input power supply of the water heater.

[0047] In some embodiments of this specification, some electrical appliances can be in a power-off state when in use by the user. For example, taking a water heater as an example, when the heating rod of the water heater heats the water in the inner tank to a certain temperature, even if the water heater is in a power-off state, the user can still use the hot water in the inner tank. Therefore, in order to improve electrical safety, when the user uses the water heater, the input power supply of the water heater can be actively disconnected. Generally, considering that when the user uses the water heater, hot water will flow out from the outlet end of the hot water outlet. Based on this, in order to facilitate detecting whether the user is using the water heater, the water heater can be provided with a hot water outlet detection module, and the hot water outlet detection module can be connected to the controller of the leakage protector control device. Therefore, the state where the hot water outlet end of the water heater is in a hot water flowing out state can be regarded as a specified state. Correspondingly, when the hot water outlet detection module detects that the hot water outlet end of the water heater is in a hot water flowing out state, the controller can output a control signal to trigger the leakage protector of the water heater to perform a power-off protection action, thereby disconnecting the input power supply of the water heater.

[0048] Preferably, the water heater can detect whether the hot water outlet end of the water heater is in a hot water flowing out state in the water outlet power-off mode. And in the case where the water outlet power-off mode is not turned on, even if the hot water outlet end of the water heater is in a hot water flowing out state, the controller will not output a control signal. Among them, whether the water outlet power-off mode is turned on can be determined according to preset parameter conditions. The preset parameter conditions can be set by the user by operating the control components of the water heater (such as the control panel, etc.). In this way, it is realized that the user can choose whether to turn on the water outlet power-off mode according to their own needs, thereby improving the user experience.

[0049] In an embodiment of this specification, the hot water outlet detection module can, for example, include a temperature sensor arranged on the hot water outlet end, and the temperature sensor is connected to the controller, for example Figure 11a as shown. Correspondingly, when the detected temperature value of the hot water outlet end of the water heater is greater than a preset temperature threshold (such as 35°C, 40°C, etc.), the controller can output a control signal.

[0050] In another embodiment of this specification, the hot water outlet detection module can, for example, include a flow sensor arranged on the hot water outlet end, and the flow sensor is connected to the controller, for example Figure 11b as shown. Correspondingly, when the detected flow value of the hot water outlet end of the water heater is greater than a preset flow threshold (such as 0.01 liters per second, 0.02 liters per second, etc.), the controller can output a control signal.

[0051] In another embodiment of this specification, when the user uses hot water, if water replenishment is not performed, the water level in the water heater inner tank will drop rapidly. To ensure that the user can continuously use water, while the heating rod is working, the water heater generally replenishes water through the water inlet end. Correspondingly, the hot water outlet detection module may include a flow sensor disposed on the water inlet end of the water heater, and the flow sensor is connected to the controller, for example Figure 11c as shown. When the detected flow value at the water inlet end of the water heater is greater than a preset flow threshold value (such as 0.03 liters / second, 0.05 liters / second, etc.), the controller may output a control signal.

[0052] In some other embodiments of this specification, the specified state is also other states. For example, when the compressor of the heat pump overheats, it will cause potential safety hazards, but at this time, it will not destroy the balance state where the current vector sum between the phase line and the neutral line of the leakage protector is zero. Therefore, the heat pump equipped with a leakage protector will not perform a power-off protection action. Therefore, the temperature of the compressor of the heat pump exceeding a predetermined temperature value can also be used as a specified state. Considering that there are many electrical devices equipped with leakage protectors, and the application scenarios of each electrical device are different, it is difficult to list them all. However, as long as the electrical device is equipped with a leakage protector, it can adapt to this application, and this specification will not elaborate on this one by one.

[0053] In some embodiments of this specification, the controller of the above-mentioned leakage protector control device may include, but is not limited to, a single-chip microcomputer, a microcontroller unit (abbreviated as MCU), a digital signal processor (abbreviated as DSP), a programmable logic controller (abbreviated as PLC), and so on. In addition, considering that an electrical device generally has a main control board, and a controller is configured on the main control board to facilitate the control of the electrical device and thus realize the conventional functions of the electrical device. The controller of the leakage protector control device in the embodiments of this specification may be the controller on the main control board of the electrical device. In this way, the existing components of the electrical device can be fully utilized to reduce the implementation cost, for example Figure 1 as shown.

[0054] In addition, the control signal output by the controller in the embodiments of this specification may be a pulse signal, a high-level signal, a low-level signal, etc., and this specification does not limit this. For example, in one embodiment, the control signal may be selected as a pulse width modulation (abbreviated as PWM) signal. In this way, the controller can still output a control signal in case of failure or external interference, etc., which is beneficial to the effective and reliable operation of the leakage protector.

[0055] In some embodiments of the present specification, the controller may output a control signal to the trigger module in a wired or wireless manner. For example, in the wireless manner, the controller and the trigger module may be based on a wireless transmission protocol (such as infrared communication protocol, WIFi protocol, or Bluetooth communication protocol, etc.). To reduce the implementation cost, the wired manner is a better choice.

[0056] In some embodiments of the present specification, the trigger module may also be integrated on the main control board. In an embodiment of the present specification, the trigger module may include a trigger circuit. The trigger circuit may, for example, include a switch circuit controlled by the controller.

[0057] In some embodiments of the present specification, the above controllable switch may be one or more controllable switch devices, such as relays, optocouplers, thyristors and other components, and the present specification does not limit this.

[0058] In some embodiments, the power input end of the switch circuit may be connected to the output end of the power supply circuit of the electrical device. In this way, the current signal may be generated based on the electric energy at the output end of the power supply circuit, so that the leakage disconnection function of the leakage protector itself can be utilized without changing the leakage protector of the electrical device.

[0059] For example, in Figure 3 the illustrated embodiment, the above switch circuit may include a controllable switch K. One end of the controllable switch K may be connected to the secondary side of the power transformer T1 of the electrical device through a rectifying circuit (such as Figure 2 the illustrated rectifying bridge), and the other end of the controllable switch K may be connected to the neutral line of the output end of the leakage protector, so that a trigger signal may be formed by using the output of the secondary side of the power transformer T1. In Figure 3 , L, N, and PE are respectively the input phase line, input neutral line, and input ground wire of the leakage protector, and L1, N1, and PE1 are respectively the input phase line, input neutral line, and input ground wire of the electrical device (that is, L1, N1, and PE1 are respectively the output phase line, output neutral line, and output ground wire of the leakage protector).

[0060] Please refer to Figure 3As shown, under the control of the control signal output by the controller, when the controllable switch K is closed, since the weak current grounding on the main board control panel and the grounding wire PE1 are at the same potential, the current signal output from one end of the secondary side of the power transformer T1 flows through one arm of the rectifier, the controllable switch K, the neutral line N1, the current transformer CT1, the current transformer CT2, the grounding wire PE1, and the other arm of the rectifier in sequence, and then returns to the other end of the secondary side of the power transformer T1, thus forming a leakage circuit. In this way, it is equivalent to applying a current signal between the secondary side of the power transformer T1 and N1 flowing towards the grounding wire PE1. Even if a leakage current is generated in the grounding wire PE1, the vector sum of the currents between the phase line L1 and the neutral line N1 is no longer zero at this time, so that the leakage protector can be triggered to perform the break protection action. This implementation method does not modify the leakage protector and has less modification to the electrical equipment, so the cost is relatively low. Among them, the current transformers CT1 and CT2 are the detection elements inside the leakage protector.

[0061] Again, in Figure 4 In the shown embodiment, the power transformer T1 of the electrical equipment can also be modified so that the power transformer T1 of the electrical equipment has a first secondary side n1 and a second autotransformer secondary side n2. The first secondary side n1 can be connected to the load R2 of the electrical equipment. One end of the controllable switch K can be connected to the neutral line N1 at the output end of the leakage protector through the second autotransformer secondary side n2, and the other end of the controllable switch K can be connected to the grounding wire PE1 at the output end of the leakage protector, so as to form a trigger signal by using the output of the second autotransformer secondary side n1.

[0062] Please refer to Figure 4 As shown, under the control of the control signal output by the controller, when the controllable switch K is closed, since the weak current grounding on the main board control panel and the grounding wire PE1 are at the same potential, the current signal output from one end of the second autotransformer secondary side n2 flows through the controllable switch K, the grounding wire PE1, the current transformer CT2, the current transformer CT1, and the neutral line N1 in sequence, and then returns to the other end of the second autotransformer secondary side n2, thus forming a leakage circuit. In this way, it is equivalent to applying a current signal between the second autotransformer secondary side n2 and the neutral line N1 flowing towards the grounding wire PE1. Even if a leakage current is generated in the grounding wire PE1, the vector sum of the currents between the phase line L1 and the neutral line N1 is no longer zero at this time, so that the leakage protector can be triggered to perform the break protection action. This implementation method does not modify the leakage protector. Although the modification to the electrical equipment is slightly larger than that in Figure 3 the shown method; however, since the applied current signal is obtained from the second autotransformer secondary side n2, rather than sharing the same secondary side of the power transformer T1 with the load of the electrical equipment as in Figure 3 the shown method, it is possible to avoid affecting the normal operation of the load and other functional modules of the electrical equipment.

[0063] In some other embodiments of this specification, the controllable switch K may further include a current-limiting circuit connected in series with the controllable switch, so as to limit the current value of the trigger signal within a preset current range, that is, to make the current value of the trigger signal as low as possible while meeting the operating current requirements of the leakage protector, to ensure electrical safety. For example, the current value of the trigger signal may be greater than the operating current of the leakage protector (such as 6 mA) and not exceed 30 mA. In other embodiments, if the trigger signal is a voltage signal, the voltage value of the trigger signal may be lower than 36 V.

[0064] In some exemplary embodiments of this specification, the current-limiting circuit may be, for example, a current-limiting resistor.

[0065] For example, in Figure 5 the shown embodiment shows the circuit structure of the trigger circuit after connecting the current-limiting resistor R1 in series. It can be seen that Figure 5 the shown embodiment is an improvement based on the Figure 3 shown embodiment. The difference from the Figure 3 shown embodiment is that Figure 5 the trigger circuit in the shown embodiment includes a current-limiting resistor R1 connected in series with the controllable switch K.

[0066] In Figure 5 the shown embodiment, under the control of the control signal output by the controller, when the controllable switch K is closed, since the weak current grounding on the main board control panel and the grounding wire PE1 are at the same potential, the current signal output from one end of the secondary side of the power transformer T1 flows through one arm of the rectifier, the current-limiting resistor R1, the controllable switch K, the neutral line N1, the current transformer CT1, the current transformer CT2, the grounding wire PE1, and the other arm of the rectifier in sequence, and then returns to the other end of the secondary side of the power transformer T1, thus forming a leakage loop. In this way, it is equivalent to applying a current signal flowing from the secondary side of the power transformer T1 to the grounding wire PE1 between the secondary side of the power transformer T1 and N1. Even if a leakage current is generated in the grounding wire PE1, the current vector sum between the phase line L1 and the neutral line N1 is no longer zero at this time, so that the leakage protector can be triggered to perform the break protection action. Similarly, this implementation method does not modify the leakage protector and has a small impact on the electrical equipment, so the cost is relatively low. Moreover, under the current-limiting effect of the current-limiting resistor 1, the output current signal is safer.

[0067] Again, for example, in Figure 6 the shown embodiment shows the circuit structure of the trigger circuit after connecting the current-limiting resistor R1 in series. It can be seen that Figure 6 the shown embodiment is an improvement based on the Figure 4 shown embodiment. The difference from the Figure 4 shown embodiment is that Figure 6The trigger circuit of the illustrated embodiment includes a current limiting resistor R1 connected in series with the controllable switch K.

[0068] exist Figure 6 In the embodiment shown, under the control of the control signal output by the controller, when the controllable switch K is closed, since the weak current grounding on the main control board and the grounding line PE1 are at the same potential, the current signal output from one end of the second autocoupler secondary side n2 flows through the current limiting resistor R1, the controllable switch K, the grounding line PE1, the transformer CT2, the transformer CT1 and the neutral line N1 in sequence, and then returns to the other end of the second autocoupler secondary side n2, thereby forming a leakage loop. In this way, it is equivalent to applying a current signal between the second autocoupler secondary side n2 and the neutral line N1 to flow to the grounding line PE1. Even if the grounding line PE1 generates a leakage current, the current vector sum between the phase line L1 and the neutral line N1 is no longer zero, thereby triggering the leakage protector to perform a breakpoint protection action. This implementation does not change the leakage protector, although it is different from Figure 3 The method shown in the figure has a slightly larger change to the electrical equipment; however, since the applied current signal is obtained from the second autocoupler secondary side n2, it is no longer like Figure 3 As shown in the figure, the load of the electrical equipment shares the same secondary side of the power transformer T1, thereby avoiding affecting the normal operation of the load and other functional modules of the electrical equipment. Moreover, under the current limiting effect of the current limiting resistor 1, the output current signal is safer.

[0069] It should be noted that the above Figures 3 - 6 The embodiment shown can generally be applied to the scenario where the electrical equipment side is equipped with a grounding wire. In other embodiments of the present specification, when the electrical equipment side is not equipped with a grounding wire, one end can be connected to the phase line of the output end of the leakage protector, and the other end of the circuit can be connected to the neutral line of the input end of the leakage protector to form a current loop; or, one end of the circuit is connected to the neutral line of the output end of the leakage protector, and the other end of the circuit is connected to the phase line of the input end of the leakage protector to form a current loop. In this way, when the electrical equipment side is not equipped with a grounding wire, the balanced state in which the sum of the current vectors of the phase line and the neutral line of the input end of the leakage protector is zero can be destroyed directly by applying a current between the phase line of the output end of the leakage protector and the neutral line of the input end, or by applying a current between the phase line of the input end of the leakage protector and the neutral line of the output end, thereby simulating an unbalanced state in which the sum of the current vectors of the phase line and the neutral line of the leakage protector is not zero.

[0070] For example, in Figure 7In the illustrated embodiment, the trigger circuit of the leakage protector control device may include a controllable switch K and a current-limiting resistor R1 connected in series therewith. The other end of the controllable switch K may be electrically connected to the phase line L at the input end of the leakage protector, and the other end of the current-limiting resistor R1 may be electrically connected to the neutral line N1 at the output end of the leakage protector. Under the control of the control signal output by the controller, when the controllable switch K is closed, the current signal output by the phase line L at the input end flows through the controllable switch K and the current-limiting resistor R1 in sequence and then flows to the neutral line N1, so that the current vector sum between the phase line L and the neutral line N1 can be non-zero, and further the leakage protector can be triggered to perform the break protection action.

[0071] For example, in Figure 8 the illustrated embodiment, the trigger circuit of the leakage protector control device may include a controllable switch K and a current-limiting resistor R1 connected in series therewith. One end of the current-limiting resistor R1 may be electrically connected to the phase line L at the output end of the leakage protector, and the other end of the current-limiting resistor R1 may be electrically connected to one end of the controllable switch K. The other end of the controllable switch K may be electrically connected to the neutral line N at the input end of the leakage protector. Under the control of the control signal output by the controller, when the controllable switch K is closed, the current signal output by the phase line L1 at the output end flows through the current-limiting resistor R1 and the controllable switch K in sequence and then flows to the neutral line N, so that the current vector sum between the phase line L1 and the neutral line N can be non-zero, and further the leakage protector can be triggered to perform the break protection action.

[0072] Those skilled in the art should understand that the above is only an example of the trigger circuit in the leakage protector control device in some exemplary embodiments. In other embodiments of this specification, other methods may also be adopted, and this specification does not limit this, and specific selection can be made according to needs.

[0073] For the convenience of description, when describing the above device, various units are described separately according to their functions. Of course, when implementing this specification, the functions of each unit can be realized in the same or multiple software and / or hardware.

[0074] Referring to Figure 13 as shown, corresponding to the above leakage protector control device, the leakage protector control method according to the embodiment of this specification may include the following steps:

[0075] S131. Confirm whether the electrical equipment configured with the leakage protector is in the specified state.

[0076] S132. When the electrical equipment is in the specified state, output a trigger signal to the leakage protector so that the detection element of the leakage protector detects an abnormal current, thereby triggering the leakage protector to perform the power-off protection action.

[0077] Wherein, the specified state may include: the leakage protector is in a contact adhesion state, or the grounding component of the electrical equipment is in a live state. In the scenario where the electrical equipment is a water heater; the specified state may further include that the water heater is in a heating working state and the water level in its inner tank is lower than the lower limit of the preset water level, or the water heater is pre-set with a condition of cutting off power when hot water is discharged, and there is water flowing out from the hot water outlet end of the water heater, and so on.

[0078] Corresponding to the above leakage protector control device, the storage medium of the embodiment of the present specification may be as Figure 14 shown. A computer program may be stored on this storage medium, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are implemented:

[0079] Confirm whether the electrical equipment configured with a leakage protector is in a specified state;

[0080] When the electrical equipment is in the specified state, output a trigger signal to the leakage protector, so that the detection element of the leakage protector detects an abnormal current, thereby triggering the leakage protector to perform a power-off protection action.

[0081] Although the process flow described above includes multiple operations that appear in a specific order, it should be clearly understood that these processes may include more or fewer operations, and these operations may be executed sequentially or in parallel (for example, using a parallel processor or a multi-threaded environment).

[0082] The present invention is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that each process and / or block in the flowchart and / or block diagram, and the combination of processes and / or blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to the processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing devices to generate a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing devices generate means for implementing the functions specified in Figure 1 one process or multiple processes and / or blocks Figure 1 one block or multiple blocks.

[0083] These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to work in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory generate a manufactured product including instruction means, and the instruction means implements the functions specified in Figure 1 one process or multiple processes and / or blocks Figure 1 one block or multiple blocks.

[0084] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device, so that a series of operation steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to generate a computer-implemented process, and thus the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one process Figure 1 one process or multiple processes and / or blocks Figure 1 steps of the functions specified in one block or multiple blocks.

[0085] In a typical configuration, a computing device includes one or more processors (CPUs), an input / output interface, a network interface, and memory.

[0086] The memory may include non-permanent memory in the form of computer-readable media, random access memory (RAM) and / or non-volatile memory such as read-only memory (ROM) or flash memory (flash RAM). The memory is an example of computer-readable media.

[0087] Computer-readable media includes permanent and non-permanent, removable and non-removable media and can store information by any method or technology. The information can be computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, phase change memory (PRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technologies, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassette tapes, tape magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transmission media that can be used to store information accessible by a computing device. As defined herein, computer-readable media does not include transitory media such as modulated data signals and carrier waves.

[0088] It should also be noted that the term "comprising", "including" or any other variation thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, or device. Without further limitation, an element defined by the statement "comprising an..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, or device comprising the element.

[0089] Those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments of this specification can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this specification can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Moreover, this specification can take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk memory, CD-ROM, optical memory, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0090] This specification can be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions executed by a computer, such as program modules. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. This specification can also be practiced in a distributed computing environment where tasks are performed by remote processing devices connected through a communication network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules can be located in local and remote computer storage media including storage devices.

[0091] The embodiments in this specification are all described in a progressive manner. For the same or similar parts among the embodiments, reference can be made to each other. The key point of each embodiment is to illustrate the differences from other embodiments. In particular, for method embodiments, since they are basically similar to device embodiments, they are described relatively simply, and the relevant parts can be referred to the description of the device embodiments.

[0092] The above description is only for the embodiments of this specification and is not intended to limit this specification. For those skilled in the art, various changes and modifications can be made to this specification. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of this specification shall be included within the scope of the claims of this specification.

Claims

1. A water heater, including a power cord, and a leakage protector is provided on the power cord, characterized in that, The water heater further includes a leakage protector control device and a heating rod. A relay is provided between the power supply circuit and the heating rod of the water heater. The leakage protector control device is connected to the leakage protector. The leakage protector control device includes a controller, and the controller is the controller on the main control board of the water heater. The controller is used to detect whether the relay is stuck, and the controller is used to output a control signal when the water heater is in a specified state, and the specified state includes that the relay is in a stuck state; The leakage protector control device further includes a trigger module. The trigger module is used to output a trigger signal to the leakage protector when receiving the control signal, so that the detection element of the leakage protector detects the trigger signal, thereby triggering the leakage protector to perform a power-off protection action. One end of the trigger module is connected to the secondary side of the power transformer of the power supply circuit of the water heater, and the other end of the trigger module is connected to the neutral wire of the output end of the leakage protector for forming a current loop.

2. The water heater according to claim 1, wherein, The trigger signal is used to simulate the state when the water heater is leaking electricity.

3. The water heater according to claim 2, wherein, The trigger signal includes a current signal; the current signal is used to destroy the balanced state where the current vector sum of the phase wire and the neutral wire of the leakage protector is zero, thereby simulating the unbalanced state where the current vector sum of the phase wire and the neutral wire of the leakage protector is not zero.

4. The water heater according to claim 3, characterized in that, The power input end of the trigger module is connected to the output end of the power supply circuit of the water heater to generate the current signal based on the electric energy at the output end of the power supply circuit.

5. The water heater according to claim 3, characterized in that, The power input end of the trigger module is connected to the power output end of the leakage protector to generate the current signal based on the electric energy at the power output end of the leakage protector.

6. The water heater according to claim 3, wherein The power input end of the trigger module is connected to the power input end of the leakage protector to generate the current signal based on the electric energy at the power input end of the leakage protector.

7. The water heater according to claim 4, wherein, The power transformer of the water heater has a first secondary side and a second autotransformer secondary side. The first secondary side is connected to the load of the water heater. One end of the trigger module is connected to the neutral wire of the output end of the leakage protector through the second autotransformer secondary side, and the other end of the trigger module is connected to the ground wire of the output end of the leakage protector for forming a current loop.

8. The water heater according to claim 5, characterized in that, One end of the trigger module is connected to the phase wire of the output end of the leakage protector, and the other end of the trigger module is connected to the neutral wire of the input end of the leakage protector for forming a current loop.

9. The water heater according to claim 6, wherein One end of the trigger module is connected to the neutral wire of the output end of the leakage protector, and the other end of the trigger module is connected to the phase wire of the input end of the leakage protector for forming a current loop.

10. The water heater according to claim 3, characterized in that, The trigger module includes a switch circuit.

11. The water heater according to claim 10, characterized in that, The trigger module further includes: A current limiting circuit connected in series with the switch circuit to limit the current value of the trigger signal within a preset current range.

12. The water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The specified state includes any one of the following: The voltage value of the grounding component of the water heater is greater than a preset voltage threshold; In the water heater, the relay connected between the load and the power supply circuit is in a stuck state.

13. The water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The specified state includes any one of the following: The inner tank of the water heater is in a dry - burning state; The hot - water outlet end of the water heater is in a hot - water flowing - out state.

14. The water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control signal includes a pulse - width modulation control signal, a high - level signal, or a low - level signal.

15. The water heater according to claim 1, wherein, The trigger module receives the control signal in a wired or wireless manner.

16. The water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The detection element includes a current transformer, and the power cord of the leakage protector passes through the current transformer and is connected to the water heater.

17. The water heater according to claim 1, wherein, The leakage protector includes a leakage - protection plug, the leakage - protection plug includes the detection element and a power - off device, the leakage - protection plug is connected to the controller through the power cord, and the trigger module is integrated on the main control board.

18. The water heater according to claim 17, characterized in that, The ground wire of the power cord is connected to the inner - tank wall of the water heater, and the secondary side of the transformer of the water heater is connected to the inner - tank wall.

19. The water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The water heater is provided with a relay, the relay is connected between the load of the water heater and the power - supply circuit, and the controller is connected to the relay; the specified state includes: The controller detects that the relay is in an adhesive state.

20. The water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The water heater is provided with a live - wire detection module, and the controller is connected to the grounding component of the water heater through the live - wire detection module; the specified state includes: The controller detects, according to the live - wire detection module, that the voltage value of the grounding component of the water heater is greater than a preset voltage threshold.

21. The water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The water heater is provided with an inner - tank dry - burning detection module, and the inner - tank dry - burning detection module is connected to the controller; the specified state includes: The controller detects, according to the inner - tank dry - burning detection module, that the inner tank of the water heater is in a dry - burning state.

22. The water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The water heater is provided with a hot - water outflow detection module, and the hot - water outflow detection module is connected to the controller; the specified state includes: The controller detects, according to the hot - water outflow detection module, that the hot - water outlet end of the water heater is in a hot - water flowing - out state.

23. The water heater according to claim 22, wherein, The controller detects, according to the hot - water outflow detection module, that the hot - water outlet end of the water heater is in a hot - water flowing - out state, including: When it is determined that the water heater is in the water - out power - off mode according to the preset parameter conditions, the controller detects, according to the hot - water outflow detection module, that the hot - water outlet end of the water heater is in a hot - water flowing - out state.

24. The water heater according to claim 22, wherein, The hot - water outflow detection module includes a temperature sensor arranged at the hot - water outlet end; the detection that the hot - water outlet end of the water heater is in a hot - water flowing - out state includes: Detecting that the temperature value of the hot - water outlet end of the water heater is greater than a preset temperature threshold.

25. The water heater according to claim 22, wherein The hot - water outflow detection module includes a flow sensor arranged at the hot - water outlet end; the detection that the hot - water outlet end of the water heater is in a hot - water flowing - out state includes: Detecting that the flow value of the hot - water outlet end of the water heater is greater than a preset flow threshold.

26. The water heater according to claim 22, wherein, The hot - water outflow detection module includes a flow sensor arranged at the water - inlet end of the water heater; the detection that the hot - water outlet end of the water heater is in a hot - water flowing - out state includes: Detecting that the flow value of the water - inlet end of the water heater is greater than a preset flow threshold.

27. A method for controlling a leakage protector, characterized in that, Applied to the water heater according to any one of claims 1 - 26, the method includes: Detect whether a water heater equipped with a leakage protector is in a specified state; when the water heater is in the specified state, output a trigger signal to the leakage protector so that the detection element of the leakage protector detects the trigger signal, thereby triggering the leakage protector to perform a power-off protection action.

28. A storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, characterized in that When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the leakage protector control method described in claim 27.

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