A dry-burning prevention detection device and control method for an electric water heater

Abstract

The present invention discloses a dry - burning prevention detection device and a control method for an electric water heater. The electric water heater has an inner cavity and a heater disposed inside the inner cavity, and includes at least one oxygen sensor and a controller. The oxygen sensor is disposed inside the inner cavity, and the oxygen sensor and the heater are electrically connected to the controller respectively. The oxygen sensor is used to detect the oxygen concentration inside the inner cavity and feed back the detected information to the controller. The controller controls the working state of the heater according to the detected information. Its structure is simple, and it can enable the electric water heater to have the dry - burning prevention function.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of water heaters, and particularly to a dry - burning prevention detection device and a control method for an electric water heater. Background Art

[0002] In related technologies, most of the dry - burning prevention technologies used in dry - burning prevention electric water heaters are provided with an external thermal protector on the inner - tank shell near the heating tube. In essence, it is a temperature sensing system. When the shell is heated to more than 90 degrees, the external thermal protector cuts off the power supply. In the case of intermittent water supply, if there is no water, it is easy to burn out the heating - tube sealing ring, reducing the service life of the heating tube and increasing the risk coefficient during long - term use; if there is water, the heating tube is half - exposed in the water, and the heating tube is prone to cracking, causing safety accidents in severe cases. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention aims to at least solve one of the problems existing in the related prior arts to some extent. For this purpose, the present invention provides a dry - burning prevention detection device for an electric water heater, and its method is effective and feasible, enabling the electric water heater to have the function of preventing dry burning.

[0004] In addition, the present invention also provides a control method for preventing dry burning of an electric water heater, which is reasonably designed and can effectively identify whether there is a dry - burning situation in the electric water heater, thus eliminating potential safety hazards during use.

[0005] The above - mentioned first object is achieved by the following technical solution:

[0006] A dry - burning prevention detection device for an electric water heater, the electric water heater having an inner cavity and a heater disposed inside the inner cavity, includes at least one oxygen sensor and a controller. The oxygen sensor is disposed inside the inner cavity, and the oxygen sensor and the heater are respectively electrically connected to the controller. The oxygen sensor is used to detect the oxygen concentration inside the inner cavity and feedback the detected information to the controller, and the controller controls the working state of the heater according to the detected information.

[0007] In some embodiments, a protective cover is disposed on the inner cavity. The protective cover defines a receiving cavity, and the oxygen sensor is disposed inside the receiving cavity to detect the oxygen concentration inside the inner cavity through the protective cover.

[0008] In some embodiments, the protective cover is made of wire mesh.

[0009] In some embodiments, when the protective cover is made of wire mesh, the surface of the protective cover is dip - coated with a hydrophobic and scale - inhibiting coating.

[0010] In some embodiments, when the protective cover is made of wire mesh, the mesh number of the wire mesh is less than 1000 meshes.

[0011] In some embodiments, when the protective cover is made of wire mesh, the material of the wire mesh is stainless steel.

[0012] In some embodiments, the oxygen sensor is disposed at the top position of the inner cavity.

[0013] The above second object is achieved by the following technical solution:

[0014] A control method for preventing dry burning of an electric water heater, including the dry burning detection device of the electric water heater according to any one of the above embodiments, and the control method for preventing dry burning includes the following steps:

[0015] Start the electric water heater;

[0016] Detect the current oxygen concentration in the inner cavity to obtain an initial oxygen concentration value;

[0017] Obtain the corresponding preset oxygen concentration value, the heating power of the heater, and the heating duration according to the currently set outlet water temperature value;

[0018] Control the heater to perform a heating operation according to the obtained heating power and heating duration;

[0019] Detect the current oxygen concentration in the inner cavity to obtain an actual oxygen concentration value;

[0020] Compare the actual oxygen concentration value with the preset oxygen concentration value, and determine whether there is a dry burning situation in the current inner cavity according to the comparison result.

[0021] In some embodiments, the step of comparing the actual oxygen concentration value with the preset oxygen concentration value and determining whether there is a dry burning situation in the current inner cavity according to the comparison result specifically includes:

[0022] Compare the actual oxygen concentration value with the preset oxygen concentration value;

[0023] If the actual oxygen concentration value is less than or equal to the preset oxygen concentration value, it is determined that there is no dry burning situation in the inner cavity;

[0024] If the actual oxygen concentration value is greater than the preset oxygen concentration value and less than or equal to the initial oxygen concentration value, it is determined that there is a dry burning situation in the inner cavity.

[0025] In some embodiments, the steps after determining whether there is a dry burning situation in the current inner cavity according to the comparison result include:

[0026] After determining whether there is a dry burning situation in the current inner cavity;

[0027] If there is no dry burning situation in the inner cavity, then control the heater to continue working until the heater completes the heating duration;

[0028] If there is a dry burning situation in the inner cavity, then control the heater to stop working and send a fault prompt to the user.

[0029] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0030] 1. The dry burning prevention detection device of the electric water heater of the present invention has a simple structure, which can enable the electric water heater to have the function of preventing dry burning.

[0031] 2. It is stable and reliable, which can further improve the service life of the product.

[0032] 3. The control method for preventing dry burning of the electric water heater of the present invention is effective and feasible, which can effectively identify whether there is a dry burning situation in the electric heater, thereby eliminating potential safety hazards during use. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the dry burning prevention detection device of the electric water heater in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 is a schematic flowchart of the dry burning prevention control method in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0035] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solution of the present invention, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the scope of the technical solutions claimed by the present invention.

[0036] Embodiment 1:

[0037] As Figure 1 shown, this embodiment provides a dry burning prevention detection device for an electric water heater. The electric water heater has an inner cavity 1 and a heater 2 arranged inside the inner cavity 1, and includes at least one oxygen sensor 4 and a controller. The oxygen sensor 4 is arranged inside the inner cavity 1, and the oxygen sensor 4 and the heater 2 are respectively electrically connected to the controller. The oxygen sensor 4 is used to detect the oxygen concentration inside the inner cavity 1 and feedback the detected information to the controller, and the controller controls the working state of the heater 2 according to the detected information.

[0038] In this embodiment, the oxygen sensor 4 disposed in the inner cavity 1 of the electric water heater detects the oxygen concentration in the inner cavity 1 and feeds back the detected information to the controller. The controller determines whether there is a dry burning situation in the inner cavity 1 under the oxygen concentration in the current environment according to the detected information, and thus processes it by adjusting the working state of the heater 2. Its structure is simple, which can enable the electric water heater to have the function of preventing dry burning, and further eliminate the potential safety hazards generated during use.

[0039] In this embodiment, the number of oxygen sensors 4 can be single or multiple. Preferably, the number of oxygen sensors 4 is set to be multiple, and the multiple oxygen sensors 4 are respectively installed at various positions in the inner cavity 1 to detect the oxygen concentration at multiple positions in the inner cavity 1 to obtain multiple oxygen concentration values, and calculate the average value of the multiple oxygen concentration values to obtain the current oxygen concentration value of the inner cavity 1, thereby effectively improving the accuracy of oxygen concentration detection. In this embodiment, the oxygen sensor 4 is preferably made of a limiting current type oxygen sensor 4 or a wide - area type oxygen sensor 4, but is not limited to the above types, and other more suitable types can also be selected according to actual needs.

[0040] In this embodiment, the oxygen sensor 4 can detect the change in humidity by detecting the change in the oxygen concentration in the inner cavity 1 of the electric water heater. When the heater 2 of the electric water heater is heating, there are obvious differences in the oxygen concentration when there is an aqueous solution and when there is no aqueous solution in the inner cavity 1. When the heater 2 heats the aqueous solution, the humidity in the inner cavity 1 increases and the oxygen concentration decreases; when the electric heating tube heats without an aqueous solution, the humidity change in the inner cavity 1 is small, and the oxygen concentration change is also small. Thus, it is judged whether there is a dry burning situation under the oxygen concentration in the environment where the inner cavity 1 is located by whether the oxygen concentration changes significantly.

[0041] Furthermore, a protective cover 3 is provided on the inner cavity 1. The protective cover 3 defines a receiving cavity 31, and the oxygen sensor 4 is disposed inside the receiving cavity 31 to detect the oxygen concentration inside the inner cavity 1 through the protective cover 3. Its structure is simple and the design is reasonable, which can effectively improve the stability and reliability of the oxygen sensor 4 for detection.

[0042] Preferably, the protective cover 3 is made of wire mesh, and its design is reasonable, which is convenient for the oxygen sensor 4 to detect the oxygen concentration in the inner cavity 1 through the protective cover 3.

[0043] Specifically, when the protective cover 3 is made of wire mesh, the surface of the protective cover 3 is dip - coated with a hydrophobic and scale - inhibiting coating. Its structure is simple, which can prevent the gaps of the protective cover 3 from being blocked by water droplets and scale, resulting in the inability to detect the oxygen concentration.

[0044] Preferably, when the protective cover 3 is made of wire mesh, the mesh number of the wire mesh is less than 1000 meshes, and its design is reasonable and ingenious.

[0045] Furthermore, when the protective cover 3 is made of wire mesh, the material of the wire mesh is stainless steel, with a simple structure and reasonable design.

[0046] In this embodiment, a protective cover 3 is provided at the top position of the inner cavity 1 of the electric water heater, that is, the protective cover 3 is installed on the top wall of the inner cavity 1. In this embodiment, the protective cover 3 is preferably made of wire mesh, so that the oxygen sensor 4 can detect the oxygen concentration in the inner cavity 1 through the gaps in the wire mesh. However, it is not limited to wire mesh, and other more suitable materials can also be selected according to actual needs. In this embodiment, the protective cover 3 is described by taking the wire mesh material as an example, and the protective cover 3 made of other types will not be elaborated. When the protective cover 3 is made of wire mesh, the accommodating cavity 31 defined by the protective cover 3 is in communication with the inner cavity 1 through gaps, and the oxygen sensor 4 is arranged inside the accommodating cavity 31 to detect the oxygen concentration in the inner cavity 1 through the protective cover 3. In addition, the protective cover 3 is preferably made of stainless steel wire mesh. In order to prevent the gaps of the protective cover 3 from being blocked by water droplets and scale, resulting in the inability to detect the oxygen concentration, a hydrophobic and scale-inhibiting coating is dip-coated on the surface of the protective cover 3, and the mesh number of the protective cover 3 is preferably less than 1000 meshes. In this way, it can effectively avoid the influence of the accuracy of oxygen concentration detection caused by the blockage of the gaps in the wire mesh by scale or water droplets, thereby further improving the stability and reliability of oxygen concentration detection.

[0047] Particularly, the oxygen sensor 4 is arranged at the top position of the inner cavity 1, with a reasonable and ingenious design, which can effectively improve the service life of the oxygen sensor 4.

[0048] In this embodiment, the oxygen sensor 4 is preferably arranged at the top position of the inner cavity 1. Of course, it can also be installed at other positions of the inner cavity 1 according to actual needs. In this embodiment, the oxygen sensor 4 is described by taking the installation at the top position of the inner cavity 1 as an example, and the installation at other positions will not be elaborated. In addition, since the oxygen sensor 4 is installed at the top position of the inner cavity 1, that is, the oxygen sensor 4 is installed on the top wall of the inner cavity 1, the oxygen sensor 4 will not be soaked in the water stored in the inner cavity 1 for a long time during use, thereby effectively improving the service life of the oxygen sensor 4.

[0049] Embodiment 2:

[0050] As Figure 2As shown in the figure, this embodiment provides a control method for preventing dry burning of an electric water heater, including the dry-burning detection device of the electric water heater described in Embodiment 1. Since the electric water heater in this embodiment applies the dry-burning detection device described in Embodiment 1, the electric water heater in this embodiment detects the oxygen concentration in the inner cavity through an oxygen sensor arranged in the inner cavity, compares the detected oxygen concentration value with the preset oxygen concentration corresponding to the set outlet water temperature, thereby determining whether there is a dry-burning situation under the oxygen concentration in the inner cavity environment, and then performing appropriate processing according to the judgment result. The method is effective and feasible, can effectively identify whether there is a dry-burning situation in the electric water heater, and thus eliminate potential safety hazards during use.

[0051] In this embodiment, the oxygen sensor can detect the change in humidity by detecting the change in the oxygen concentration in the inner cavity of the electric water heater. When the heater in the electric water heater is heating, there are obvious differences in the oxygen concentration when there is an aqueous solution and when there is no aqueous solution in the inner cavity. When the heater heats the aqueous solution, the humidity in the inner cavity increases and the oxygen concentration decreases; when the electric heating tube heats without an aqueous solution, the humidity change in the inner cavity is small, and similarly, the oxygen concentration change is small. Thus, it is judged whether there is a dry-burning situation under the oxygen concentration in the inner cavity environment by whether the oxygen concentration changes significantly.

[0052] In this embodiment, the control method for preventing dry burning of the electric water heater includes the following steps:

[0053] Step S101, start the electric water heater.

[0054] Step S102, detect the current oxygen concentration in the inner cavity to obtain the initial oxygen concentration value.

[0055] In this embodiment, start the oxygen sensor to detect the current oxygen concentration in the inner cavity to obtain the initial oxygen concentration value. Preferably, the number of oxygen sensors is set to multiple, and the multiple oxygen sensors are respectively installed at various positions on the top wall of the inner cavity, so as to detect the oxygen concentration at multiple positions in the inner cavity to obtain multiple oxygen concentration values, and calculate the average value of the multiple oxygen concentration values to obtain the initial oxygen concentration value.

[0056] Step S103, obtain the corresponding preset oxygen concentration value, the heating power of the heater, and the heating duration according to the currently set outlet water temperature value.

[0057] In this embodiment, there is a corresponding preset oxygen concentration value, the heating power of the heater, and the heating duration preset according to the outlet water temperature value set by the user. At the same time, the above preset data is saved on the controller, so that the controller can quickly output the corresponding data information according to the currently set outlet water temperature value.

[0058] Step S104, control the heater to perform heating work according to the obtained heating power and heating duration.

[0059] Step S105: Detect the current oxygen concentration in the inner cavity to obtain the actual oxygen concentration value.

[0060] In this embodiment, start the oxygen sensor to detect the current oxygen concentration in the inner cavity to obtain the actual oxygen concentration value. Preferably, the number of oxygen sensors is set to be multiple, and the multiple oxygen sensors are respectively installed at various positions on the top wall of the inner cavity, so as to detect the oxygen concentration at multiple positions in the inner cavity to obtain multiple oxygen concentration values, and calculate the average value of the multiple oxygen concentration values to obtain the actual oxygen concentration value.

[0061] Step S106: Compare the actual oxygen concentration value with the preset oxygen concentration value;

[0062] If the actual oxygen concentration value is less than or equal to the preset oxygen concentration value, then enter step S107, determine that there is no dry burning situation in the inner cavity, and then enter step S117, control the heater to continue working until the heater completes the heating duration;

[0063] If the actual oxygen concentration value is greater than the preset oxygen concentration value and less than or equal to the initial oxygen concentration value, then enter step S108, determine that there is a dry burning situation in the inner cavity, and then enter step S118, control the heater to stop working and send a fault prompt to the user.

[0064] The above are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the inventive concept of the present invention, several modifications and improvements can still be made, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A dry - burning prevention control method for an electric water heater, the electric water heater having an inner cavity (1) and a heater (2) disposed inside the inner cavity (1), characterized in that, Comprising at least one oxygen sensor (4) and a controller, wherein the oxygen sensor (4) is disposed inside the inner cavity (1), the oxygen sensor (4) and the heater (2) are electrically connected to the controller respectively, the oxygen sensor (4) is used to detect the oxygen concentration inside the inner cavity (1) and feedback the detected information to the controller, and the controller controls the working state of the heater (2) according to the detected information; The anti-dry-burning control method comprises the following steps: Start the electric water heater; Detect the current oxygen concentration in the inner cavity to obtain an initial oxygen concentration value; Obtain the corresponding preset oxygen concentration value, the heating power and the heating duration of the heater according to the currently set outlet water temperature value; Control the heater to perform a heating operation according to the obtained heating power and heating duration; Detect the current oxygen concentration in the inner cavity to obtain an actual oxygen concentration value; Compare the actual oxygen concentration value with the preset oxygen concentration value, and determine whether there is a dry-burning situation in the current inner cavity according to the comparison result; The step of comparing the actual oxygen concentration value with the preset oxygen concentration value and determining whether there is a dry-burning situation in the current inner cavity according to the comparison result specifically comprises: Compare the actual oxygen concentration value with the preset oxygen concentration value; If the actual oxygen concentration value is less than or equal to the preset oxygen concentration value, it is determined that there is no dry-burning situation in the inner cavity; If the actual oxygen concentration value is greater than the preset oxygen concentration value and less than or equal to the initial oxygen concentration value, it is determined that there is a dry-burning situation in the inner cavity.

2. The anti-dry burning control method for an electric water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, A protective cover (3) is provided on the inner cavity (1), the protective cover (3) defines a receiving cavity (31), and the oxygen sensor (4) is disposed inside the receiving cavity (31) to detect the oxygen concentration inside the inner cavity (1) through the protective cover (3).

3. A dry - burning prevention control method for an electric water heater according to claim 2, characterized in that, The protective cover (3) is made of wire mesh.

4. A dry - burning prevention control method for an electric water heater according to claim 3, characterized in that, When the protective cover (3) is made of wire mesh, the surface of the protective cover (3) is dip-coated with a hydrophobic and scale-inhibiting coating.

5. A dry - burning prevention control method for an electric water heater according to claim 3, characterized in that, When the protective cover (3) is made of wire mesh, the mesh number of the wire mesh is less than 1000 meshes.

6. A dry - burning prevention control method for an electric water heater according to claim 3, characterized in that, When the protective cover (3) is made of wire mesh, the material of the wire mesh is stainless steel.

7. A dry - burning prevention control method for an electric water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The oxygen sensor (4) is disposed at the top position of the inner cavity (1).

8. A dry - burning prevention control method for an electric water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The steps after determining whether there is a dry-burning situation in the current inner cavity according to the comparison result include: After determining whether there is a dry-burning situation in the current inner cavity; If there is no dry-burning situation in the inner cavity, control the heater to continue working until the heater completes the heating duration; If there is a dry-burning situation in the inner cavity, control the heater to stop working and send a fault prompt to the user.

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