Electronic thermostatic valve and water heater having the same

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application provides an electronic thermostatic valve and a water heater having the same, wherein the electronic thermostatic valve comprises: a valve body, the interior of the valve body defines a valve core cavity, the valve core cavity has a cold water inlet, a hot water inlet and a mixed water outlet; a valve core, the valve core is rotatably connected to the valve body, the valve core has an adjustment portion located in the valve core cavity, the adjustment portion is constructed as a hollow structure to define a premixing cavity therein, the premixing cavity has an adjustment opening and a premixing water outlet, the premixing cavity can be connected to at least one of the cold water inlet and the hot water inlet through the adjustment opening, and the premixing water outlet is connected to the mixed water outlet. The electronic thermostatic valve of the embodiment of the present application can adjust the mixing ratio of cold water and hot water by adjusting the rotation angle of the valve core, the valve core has a simple structure, is easy to adjust, and can accurately control the mixing ratio of cold water and hot water.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of water heaters, and in particular to an electronic thermostatic valve and a water heater having the same. Background Art

[0002] There are various design schemes for electronic thermostatic valves on the market, usually using motors and regulating valve cores to automatically adjust the ratio of hot and cold water. A ceramic regulating valve core is proposed in the related art, which adjusts the hot and cold water opening of the ceramic valve core by adjusting the steering angle. However, the structure is complex and the requirements for valve core coordination are high. When the water quality is poor, it is easy to get blocked or hot and cold water mix, resulting in low adjustment accuracy. Summary of the invention

[0003] The embodiments of the present application provide an electronic thermostatic valve and a water heater having the same to solve or alleviate one or more technical problems in the prior art.

[0004] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic thermostatic valve, comprising:

[0005] A valve body, wherein a valve core cavity is defined inside the valve body, and the valve core cavity has a cold water inlet, a hot water inlet and a mixed water outlet;

[0006] The valve core is rotatably connected to the valve body, the valve core has an adjusting portion located in the valve core cavity, the adjusting portion is constructed as a hollow structure to define a premixing chamber inside it, the premixing chamber has an adjusting opening and a premixing water outlet, the premixing chamber can be connected to at least one of the cold water inlet and the hot water inlet through the adjusting opening, and the premixing water outlet is connected to the mixed water outlet.

[0007] In one embodiment, the regulating opening is provided on the peripheral wall of the regulating part, the premixed water outlet is provided at the end of the regulating part, and the opening directions of any two of the premixed water outlet, the cold water inlet and the hot water inlet are perpendicular to each other.

[0008] In one embodiment, the outer surface of the adjustment portion is configured as a spherical surface.

[0009] In one embodiment, an opening angle of the adjustment opening in the circumferential direction of the adjustment portion is 60-90 degrees.

[0010] In one embodiment, a secondary mixing chamber is further defined inside the valve body, and the secondary mixing chamber is communicated with the valve core chamber through a mixed water outlet.

[0011] In one embodiment, the central axis of the secondary mixing chamber is parallel to the central axis of the pre-mixing chamber, and the central axis of the secondary mixing chamber is located below the central axis of the pre-mixing chamber.

[0012] In one embodiment, the inner wall of the secondary mixing chamber is provided with a spoiler strip, and a plurality of spoiler strips are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the secondary mixing chamber, and each spoiler strip extends along the axial direction of the secondary mixing chamber.

[0013] In one embodiment, a sealing gasket is provided between the cold water inlet and the outer surface of the adjusting portion and / or between the hot water inlet and the outer surface of the adjusting portion.

[0014] In one embodiment, the electronic thermostatic valve further includes a drive assembly, which is in driving connection with the valve core to drive the valve core to rotate around its central axis, and the drive assembly includes:

[0015] Motor, the motor is installed on the valve body;

[0016] A driving gear, which is coaxially arranged with the output shaft of the motor;

[0017] The driven gear is meshed with the driving gear and is coaxially arranged with the valve core.

[0018] In one embodiment, the electronic thermostatic valve further comprises:

[0019] The control device is electrically connected to the motor and is used to control the rotation direction and rotation angle of the motor.

[0020] In one embodiment, the valve body is provided with a water flow sensor, a first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor electrically connected to the control device, the water flow sensor is used to detect the flow rate of cold water entering the cold water inlet, the first temperature sensor is used to detect the temperature of the cold water entering the cold water inlet, and the second temperature sensor is used to detect the temperature of the mixed water flowing out of the mixed water outlet.

[0021] In one embodiment, the valve body is provided with a cold water input connector, a hot water input connector, a cold water output connector and a mixed water output connector; the hot water input connector is connected to the hot water inlet, and the mixed water output connector is connected to the mixed water outlet; a first cold water flow path and a second cold water flow path are provided inside the valve body, the cold water input connector is connected to the cold water inlet through the first cold water flow path, and the cold water output connector is connected to the cold water input connector through the second cold water flow path.

[0022] In one embodiment, the valve core is provided with a limiting rib extending radially outward, and the outer surface of the valve body is provided with a limiting protrusion, and the limiting rib cooperates with the limiting protrusion stopper to limit the maximum rotation angle of the valve core.

[0023] In one embodiment, the valve core is made of copper.

[0024] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a water heater, comprising an electronic thermostatic valve according to the above-mentioned embodiment of the present application.

[0025] The embodiment of the present application adopts the above-mentioned technical solution to adjust the rotation angle of the valve core to control the flow area between the adjustment opening and the hot water inlet and the cold water inlet, thereby adjusting the ratio of cold water and hot water entering the pre-mixing chamber, and then forming constant temperature water of a certain temperature. The valve core has a simple structure and is easy to adjust, and can accurately control the mixing ratio of cold water and hot water.

[0026] The above summary is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments and features described above, further aspects, embodiments and features of the present application will be readily apparent by reference to the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] In the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise specified, the same reference numerals throughout the multiple drawings represent the same or similar parts or elements. These drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. It should be understood that these drawings only depict some embodiments disclosed in the present application and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of the present application.

[0028] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the structure of an electronic thermostatic valve according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0029] Figure 2 An exploded view of an electronic thermostatic valve according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0030] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of an electronic thermostatic valve according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0031] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of an electronic thermostatic valve according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0032] Figure 5 A partial cross-sectional view of an electronic thermostatic valve according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0033] Figure 6 A diagram showing the positional relationship between the valve core and the cold water inlet and the hot water inlet of the electronic thermostatic valve according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 7 A schematic diagram showing the structure of a valve core of an electronic thermostatic valve according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0035] Figure 8 A partial structural schematic diagram of an electronic thermostatic valve according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0036] Description of reference numerals:

[0037] Electronic thermostatic valve 100;

[0038] Valve body 10; valve core mounting portion 10a; valve core chamber 11; cold water inlet 111; hot water inlet 112; mixed water outlet 113; secondary mixing chamber 12; spoiler strip 121; cold water input connector 13; hot water input connector 14; connector positioning plug 141; connector nut 142; mixed water output connector 15; cold water output connector 16; first cold water flow path 17; second cold water flow path 18; limiting protrusion 19.

[0039] Valve core 20; regulating portion 21; premixing chamber 21a; regulating opening 211; premixing water outlet 212; limiting rib 22; connecting portion 23;

[0040] Driving assembly 30; motor 31; driving gear 32; driven gear 33; mounting plate 34;

[0041] Water flow sensor 41; first temperature sensor 42; second temperature sensor 43. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] In the following, only some exemplary embodiments are briefly described. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the described embodiments may be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit or scope of the present application. Therefore, the drawings and descriptions are considered to be exemplary and non-restrictive in nature.

[0043] Reference below Figure 1-Figure 8 The electronic thermostatic valve 100 according to the embodiment of the present application is described. The electronic thermostatic valve 100 according to the embodiment of the present application can be used in water heating devices such as gas water heaters and electric water heaters.

[0044] like Figure 1-Figure 6 As shown, the electronic thermostatic valve 100 according to the embodiment of the present application includes a valve body 10 and a valve core 20 .

[0045] The valve body 10 defines a valve core chamber 11 inside. The valve core chamber 11 has a cold water inlet 111 , a hot water inlet 112 and a mixed water outlet 113 .

[0046] In one example, the valve body 10 is provided with a cold water input joint 13, a hot water input joint 14 and a mixed water output joint 15. The cold water input joint 13 is in communication with the cold water inlet 111, the hot water input joint 14 is in communication with the hot water inlet 112, and the mixed water output joint 15 is in communication with the mixed water outlet 113. The cold water input joint 13 is used to connect other cold water input pipelines such as a tap water pipe, and is used to input cold water into the cold water inlet 111; the hot water input joint 14 is used to connect the hot water output pipeline of the water heater, and is used to input hot water into the hot water inlet 112; the mixed water output joint 15 is used to connect the mixed water output pipeline, and is used to output the mixed constant temperature water from the valve body 10. Among them, the hot water input joint 14 includes a joint positioning plug 141 and a joint nut 142, the joint positioning plug 141 is provided on the valve body 10, and the joint nut 142 is fixed to the joint positioning plug 141, and the cold water input joint 13 and the mixed water output joint 15 can adopt the same structure as the hot water input joint 14.

[0047] The valve core 20 is rotatably connected to the valve body 10, and the valve core 20 has an adjusting portion 21 located in the valve core cavity 11. The adjusting portion 21 is constructed as a hollow structure to define a premixing chamber 21a therein. The premixing chamber 21a has an adjusting opening 211 and a premixing water outlet 212. The premixing chamber 21a is connected to at least one of the cold water inlet 111 and the hot water inlet 112 through the adjusting opening 211, and the premixing water outlet 212 is connected to the mixed water outlet 113.

[0048] In one example, if Figure 6 As shown, the cold water inlet 111 and the hot water inlet 112 are respectively located at the side of the regulating part 21, and the central axis of the cold water inlet 111 and the central axis of the hot water inlet 112 form a certain angle. It can be understood that the direction of the central axis of the cold water inlet 111 is consistent with the direction in which cold water flows out of the cold water inlet 111; the central axis of the hot water inlet 112 is consistent with the direction in which hot water flows out of the hot water inlet 112. The regulating opening 211 has a certain opening angle in the circumferential direction of the regulating part 21. During the rotation of the valve core 20 around its central axis, the regulating opening 211 can be connected to the cold water inlet 111 alone, or connected to the hot water inlet 112 alone, or connected to the cold water inlet 111 and the hot water inlet 112 at the same time. It can be understood that by adjusting the rotation angle of the valve core 20, the flow area of ​​the regulating opening 211 and the cold water inlet 111 or the hot water inlet 112 can be controlled, so as to adjust the ratio of cold water and hot water entering the premixing chamber 21a, and form mixed water of a certain temperature after mixing.

[0049] It is worth noting that, in the example of the present application, the valve core 20 can be rotated to an angle where the regulating opening 211 is not connected to the cold water inlet 111 and the hot water inlet 112, and within this angle range, the flow area between the regulating opening 211 and the cold water inlet 111 and the hot water inlet 112 is zero. In other words, the outer peripheral wall of the portion other than the regulating opening 211 of the regulating portion 21 can close the cold water inlet 111 and the hot water inlet 112, and at this time, the flow rates of cold water and hot water flowing into the premixing chamber 21a are both zero.

[0050] Preferably, the regulating opening 211 is provided on the peripheral wall of the regulating portion 21, the premixed water outlet 212 is provided at the end of the regulating portion 21, and the opening directions of any two of the premixed water outlet 212, the cold water inlet 111, and the hot water inlet 112 are perpendicular to each other. The opening directions of the premixed water outlet 212, the cold water inlet 111, and the hot water inlet 112 refer to the directions of their central axes.

[0051] In one example, if Figure 3 As shown, the central axis of the hot water inlet 112 is arranged along the up-down direction, and the central axis of the premixed water outlet 212 is arranged along the front-back direction. Figure 4 As shown, the central axis of the cold water inlet 111 is arranged in the left-right direction. In this way, the flow directions of the cold water and the hot water entering the premixing chamber 21a are perpendicular to each other, thereby improving the mixing effect of the cold water and the hot water. In addition, the cold water flow channel, the hot water flow channel and the mixed water flow channel in the valve body 10 are arranged in a three-dimensional coordinate structure, which can save the size of the valve body 10 in the up-down direction, thereby saving the installation space of the electronic thermostatic valve 100.

[0052] Compared with the valve core in the related art that controls the mixing ratio of cold water and hot water by adjusting the stroke, this valve core adjusts the opening size of the cold water port or the hot water port by adjusting the number of valve core thread turns. The valve core shaft of this valve core is longer and the stroke is larger, and there is a problem of large axial offset, which leads to low adjustment accuracy. The electronic thermostatic valve 100 of the embodiment of the present application, by setting a hollow pre-mixing chamber 21a and an adjustment opening 211 connected to the pre-mixing chamber 21a on the valve core 20, can control the flow area of ​​the adjustment opening 211 and the hot water inlet 112 and the cold water inlet 111 by adjusting the rotation angle of the valve core 20, thereby adjusting the ratio of cold water and hot water entering the pre-mixing chamber 21a, and then forming constant temperature water of a certain temperature. Therefore, the electronic thermostatic valve 100 of the embodiment of the present application can accurately control the mixing ratio of cold and hot water by controlling the rotation angle of the adjustment valve core 20, which solves the technical problem of low adjustment accuracy of the valve core in the related art due to large axial offset.

[0053] Furthermore, compared with the regulating valve core with ceramic disc in the related art, the regulating valve core adjusts the mixing ratio of cold water and hot water by controlling the turning angle of the ceramic disc, but due to the complex structure of the ceramic disc, the regulating valve core has high requirements for the matching degree of the ceramic disc, resulting in low adjustment accuracy. The electronic thermostatic valve 100 of the embodiment of the present application, by rotating the regulating part 21 of the valve core 20 with the valve core cavity 11, can control the flow area of ​​the regulating opening 211 on the regulating part 21 and the hot water inlet 112 on the valve core cavity 11 and the cold water inlet 111 by adjusting the rotation angle of the valve core 20, thereby adjusting the ratio of cold water and hot water entering the pre-mixing chamber 21a. Therefore, the valve body 10 and the valve core 20 of the electronic thermostatic valve 100 of the embodiment of the present application are simple in structure and easy to adjust, which is conducive to improving the matching degree of the valve body 10 and the valve core 20, and solves the technical problem that the regulating valve core in the related art has a low matching degree due to the complex structure of the ceramic disc.

[0054] In addition, according to the electronic thermostatic valve 100 of the embodiment of the present application, by arranging the opening directions of any two of the premixed water outlet 212, the cold water inlet 111 and the hot water inlet 112 to be perpendicular to each other, the mixing effect of cold water and hot water in the premixing chamber 21a can be improved, thereby improving the constant temperature effect of the mixed water, and is conducive to reducing the size of the valve body 10 in the up and down directions, thereby reducing the installation space of the electronic thermostatic valve 100.

[0055] Therefore, the electronic thermostatic valve 100 according to the embodiment of the present application has the advantages of simple structure, convenient adjustment, good constant temperature effect, etc.

[0056] In one embodiment, if Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the outer surface of the adjustment portion 21 is configured as a spherical surface.

[0057] In one example, the cross-sectional shapes of the cold water inlet 111 and the hot water inlet 112 can both be circular. By setting the outer surface shape of the adjusting portion 21 to a spherical surface, the fit between the outer surface of the adjusting portion 21 and the cold water inlet 111 and the hot water inlet 112 can be improved, thereby improving the sealing effect between the outer surface of the adjusting portion 21 and the cold water inlet 111 and the hot water inlet 112.

[0058] In one embodiment, if Figure 7As shown, the opening angle α of the regulating opening 211 in the circumferential direction of the regulating portion 21 is 60-90 degrees. The opening angle α of the regulating opening 211 in the circumferential direction of the regulating portion 21 can be understood as the central angle of the arc formed by the projection of the regulating opening 211 on a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the regulating portion 21. Among them, the opening angle α is smaller than the opening angles of the cold water inlet 111 and the hot water inlet 112 in the circumferential direction of the regulating portion 21, thereby ensuring the sealing of the premixing chamber 21a with the cold water inlet 111 and the hot water inlet 112, and preventing the water in the premixing chamber 21a from entering the valve core chamber 11.

[0059] It should be noted that if the opening angle α of the adjustment opening 211 is less than 60 degrees, the size of the adjustment opening 211 in the circumferential direction of the adjustment portion 21 is too small, which may cause the adjustment opening 211 to be unable to communicate with the hot water inlet 112 and the cold water inlet 111 at the same time during the rotation of the valve core 20; if the opening angle α of the adjustment opening 211 is greater than 90 degrees, the size of the adjustment opening 211 in the circumferential direction of the adjustment portion 21 is too large, which may cause the adjustment opening 211 to be always connected with the hot water inlet 112 or the cold water inlet 111 at the same time during the rotation of the valve core 20. Therefore, the opening angle α of the adjustment opening 211 in the circumferential direction of the adjustment portion 21 is suitable for being set within the range of 60-90 degrees.

[0060] In one example, the opening angle α of the regulating opening 211 in the circumferential direction of the regulating portion 21 may be 75 degrees. The relationship between the rotation angle of the valve core 20 and the mixing ratio of the cold water and the hot water entering the premixing chamber 21a is described in detail below. In the process of the valve core 20 rotating in the clockwise direction, when the flow area between the regulating opening 211 and the hot water inlet 112 is just greater than zero, the rotation angle of the valve core 20 is 0 degrees.

[0061] During the process of the valve core 20 rotating from 0 degrees to 12 degrees, the position of the adjustment opening 211 corresponds to the position of the hot water inlet 112, and the outer surface of the adjustment part 21 without the adjustment opening 211 blocks the cold water inlet 111. At this time, the adjustment opening 211 is only connected to the hot water inlet 112, and the hot water enters the premixing chamber 21a and flows out from the premixing water outlet 212 to realize the fully-open hot water function of the electronic thermostatic valve 100. The fully-open hot water function is suitable for the first installation of the water heater and the need to be emptied, or when the water heater is insufficient and the hot water needs to be fully turned on to ensure the mixed water temperature.

[0062] In the process of the valve core 20 rotating from 13 degrees to 92 degrees, the position of the regulating opening 211 rotates from the hot water inlet 112 to the cold water inlet 111, the regulating opening 211 is connected with the hot water inlet 112 and the cold water inlet 111 at the same time, and the flow area between the regulating opening 211 and the hot water inlet 112 gradually decreases, and the flow area between the regulating opening 211 and the cold water inlet 111 gradually increases, and the mixing ratio of hot water and cold water entering the pre-mixing chamber 21a gradually decreases. By controlling the rotation angle of the valve core 20 within this range, different mixing ratios of cold water and hot water can be achieved, thereby forming mixed water of a certain temperature, so as to realize the mixed warm water function of the electronic thermostatic valve 100. Among them, when the rotation angle reaches 92 degrees, the flow area between the regulating opening 211 and the hot water inlet 112 is zero, and the flow area between the regulating opening 211 and the cold water inlet 111 reaches the maximum.

[0063] During the process of the valve core 20 rotating from 93 degrees to 118 degrees, the position of the regulating opening 211 corresponds to the position of the cold water inlet 111, and the outer surface of the regulating part 21 without the regulating opening 211 blocks the hot water inlet 112. During this process, the regulating opening 211 is only connected to the cold water inlet 111 and the flow area is kept at the maximum value. After the cold water enters the premixing chamber 21a, it flows out from the premixing water outlet 212. This realizes the fully open cold water function of the electronic thermostatic valve 100. The fully open cold water function is suitable for the situation where the temperature of cold water is high in summer and there is no need to mix high-temperature hot water. During the process of the valve core 20 rotating from 119 degrees to 183 degrees, the regulating opening 211 is only connected to the cold water inlet 111 and the flow area of ​​the two gradually decreases to zero.

[0064] When the valve core 20 rotates from 184 degrees to 220 degrees, the regulating opening 211 is not connected with the hot water inlet 112 and the cold water inlet 111, and the outer surface of the regulating portion 21 without the regulating opening 211 blocks the cold water inlet 111 and the hot water inlet 112. During this process, the flow rates of cold water and hot water entering the premixing chamber 21a are both zero, so as to realize the hot and cold water full closing function of the electronic thermostatic valve 100.

[0065] In one embodiment, if Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown, the interior of the valve body 10 further defines a secondary mixing chamber 12, which is connected to the valve core chamber 11 through the mixed water outlet 113. Therefore, after the mixed water in the pre-mixing chamber 21a flows out through the pre-mixing water outlet 212, it enters the secondary mixing chamber 12 through the mixed water outlet 113 for secondary mixing, so as to further improve the mixing effect of cold water and hot water, and the constant temperature effect of the mixed water is better.

[0066] Alternatively, if Figure 3As shown, the central axis of the secondary mixing chamber 12 is parallel to the central axis of the pre-mixing chamber 21 a, and the central axis of the secondary mixing chamber 12 is located below the central axis of the pre-mixing chamber 21 a in the up and down direction.

[0067] In one example, the central axis of the secondary mixing chamber 12 and the central axis of the premixing chamber 21a are both arranged horizontally along the front-to-back direction in the figure, wherein the secondary mixing chamber 12 is located below the premixing chamber 21a. Further, the mixed water outlet 113 is located between the valve core chamber 11 and the secondary mixing chamber 12 in the up-down direction, and after the mixed water in the premixing chamber 21a enters the valve core chamber 11 through the premixing water outlet 212, it flows downward into the secondary mixing chamber 12 through the mixed water outlet 113 under the guidance of the inner wall of the valve core chamber 11 in the vertical direction.

[0068] Optionally, the inner wall of the secondary mixing chamber 12 is provided with a spoiler bar 121, and the spoiler bar 121 is arranged at intervals along the circumference of the secondary mixing chamber 12, and each spoiler bar 121 extends along the axial direction of the secondary mixing chamber 12. Specifically, the spoiler bar 121 is formed by the inner wall of the secondary mixing chamber 12 protruding in the direction toward the central axis of the secondary mixing chamber 12, and the mixed water forms a turbulent flow in the process of passing through the plurality of spoiler bars 121, thereby further improving the mixing effect of cold water and hot water, and the constant temperature effect of the mixed water is better.

[0069] In one embodiment, a sealing gasket is provided between the cold water inlet 111 and the outer surface of the regulating part 21 and / or between the hot water inlet 112 and the outer surface of the regulating part 21. That is to say, a sealing gasket may be provided between the cold water inlet 111 and the outer surface of the regulating part 21, or a sealing gasket may be provided between the hot water inlet 112 and the outer surface of the regulating part 21, or a sealing gasket is provided between the cold water inlet 111 and the outer surface of the regulating part 21 and between the hot water inlet 112 and the outer surface of the regulating part 21, so as to improve the sealing performance of the premixing chamber 21a and prevent the mixed water from flowing out of the gap between the outer surface of the regulating part 21 and the cold water inlet 111 and / or the hot water inlet 112. Among them, the sealing gasket can be fixed to the end face of the cold water inlet 111 or the hot water inlet 112. Preferably, the material of the sealing gasket can be polytetrafluoroethylene, which has the characteristics of acid and alkali resistance and resistance to various organic solvents, thereby improving the service life of the sealing gasket.

[0070] In one embodiment, if Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the electronic thermostatic valve 100 also includes a driving assembly 30, which is in transmission connection with the valve core 20 to drive the valve core 20 to rotate around its central axis. The driving assembly 30 includes a motor 31, a driving gear 32 and a driven gear 33. The motor 31 is mounted on the valve body 10, the driving gear 32 is coaxially arranged with the output shaft of the motor 31, the driven gear 33 is meshed with the driving gear 32, and the driven gear 33 is coaxially arranged with the valve core 20. The end of the valve core 20 extending from the valve core cavity 11 is provided with a connecting portion 23, and the connecting portion 23 is interference fit with the center hole of the driven gear 33.

[0071] In one example, if Figure 2 and Figure 8 As shown, the drive assembly 30 further includes a mounting plate 34. The valve body 10 includes a valve core mounting portion 10a, and the valve core cavity 11 is defined by the interior of the valve core mounting portion 10a. The mounting plate 34 is fixed to the end surface of the valve core mounting portion 10a, and the mounting plate 34 is provided with a through hole, and the portion of the valve core 20 extending from the valve core cavity 11 is penetrated in the through hole, and the motor 31 is mounted on the mounting plate 34.

[0072] In one example, if Figure 8 As shown, the valve core 20 is provided with a limiting rib 22 extending radially outward, and the end face of the valve core mounting portion 10a is provided with a limiting protrusion 19, and the limiting rib 22 cooperates with the limiting protrusion 19 to limit the maximum angle of the valve core 20 to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise.

[0073] In one embodiment, if Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the electronic thermostatic valve 100 further includes a control device, which is electrically connected to the motor 31 and is used to control the rotation direction and rotation angle of the motor 31 .

[0074] In one example, the valve body 10 is provided with a water flow sensor 41, a first temperature sensor 42, and a second temperature sensor 43 electrically connected to the control device, the water flow sensor 41 is used to detect the flow rate of cold water entering the cold water inlet 111, the first temperature sensor 42 is used to detect the temperature of cold water entering the cold water inlet 111, and the second temperature sensor 43 is used to detect the temperature of mixed water flowing out of the mixed water outlet 113. The water flow sensor 41 can be provided at the cold water input connector 13, the first temperature sensor 42 is provided at the cold water flow channel between the water flow sensor 41 and the cold water inlet 111, and the second temperature sensor 43 is provided at the secondary mixing chamber 12.

[0075] The following describes a control method for the electronic thermostatic valve 100 according to an embodiment of the present application. When the cold water input interface is connected to cold water, the water flow sensor 41 sends the detected flow data of the cold water to the control device, and the first temperature sensor 42 sends the detected temperature data of the cold water to the control device. The control device controls the motor 31 to rotate to the initial angle according to the temperature of the cold water, the temperature of the hot water and the pre-adjusted temperature of the mixed water to adjust the initial mixing ratio of the cold water and the hot water. The second temperature sensor 43 sends the temperature data of the mixed water in the secondary mixing chamber 12 to the control device. When the temperature of the mixed water deviates from the pre-adjusted temperature, the control device adjusts the rotation angle of the motor 31 again (positive adjustment or negative adjustment) to adjust the temperature of the mixed water to the pre-adjusted temperature.

[0076] In one embodiment, if Figure 4 As shown, the valve body 10 is further provided with a cold water output connector 16, a first cold water flow path 17 and a second cold water flow path 18 are provided inside the valve body 10, the cold water input connector 13 is communicated with the cold water inlet 111 through the first cold water flow path 17, and the cold water output connector 16 is communicated with the cold water input connector 13 through the second cold water flow path 18. The cold water output connector 16 can be connected to the cold water input end of the water heater to deliver cold water to be heated to the water heater.

[0077] In one embodiment, the valve core 20 is made of copper.

[0078] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a water heater, which includes an electronic thermostatic valve 100 according to an embodiment of the present application. The water heater may be a gas water heater or an electric water heater.

[0079] The other components of the water heater in the above embodiment may adopt various technical solutions known to ordinary technicians in this field now and in the future, and will not be described in detail here.

[0080] According to the electronic thermostatic valve 100 of the embodiment of the present application, by setting a hollow pre-mixing chamber 21a and an adjusting opening 211 connected to the pre-mixing chamber 21a on the valve core 20, by adjusting the rotation angle of the valve core 20, the flow area between the adjusting opening 211 and the hot water inlet 112 and the cold water inlet 111 can be controlled, so as to adjust the ratio of cold water and hot water entering the pre-mixing chamber 21a, and then form constant temperature water of a certain temperature, thereby, the valve core 20 has a simple structure, convenient adjustment, and can accurately control the mixing ratio of cold water and hot water. Furthermore, by setting the opening directions of any two of the pre-mixing water outlet 212, the cold water inlet 111 and the hot water inlet 112 perpendicular to each other, the mixing effect of cold water and hot water in the pre-mixing chamber 21a can be improved, thereby improving the constant temperature effect of the mixed water, and it is beneficial to reduce the size of the valve body 10 in the up and down directions, and reduce the installation space of the electronic thermostatic valve 100.

[0081] In the description of this specification, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0082] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0083] In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a communication; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0084] In the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or may include that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" and "above" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" and "below" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0085] The disclosure above provides many different embodiments or examples to realize the different structures of the present application. In order to simplify the disclosure of the present application, the parts and settings of specific examples are described above. Of course, they are only examples, and the purpose is not to limit the present application. In addition, the present application can repeat reference numerals and / or reference letters in different examples, and this repetition is for the purpose of simplification and clarity, which itself does not indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed.

[0086] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of various changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An electronic thermostatic valve, characterized in that: include: A valve body, wherein a valve core cavity is defined inside the valve body, and the valve core cavity has a cold water inlet, a hot water inlet and a mixed water outlet; a valve core, the valve core being rotatably connected to the valve body, the valve core having an adjustment portion located in the valve core cavity, the adjustment portion being configured as a hollow structure to define a premixing cavity therein, the premixing cavity having an adjustment opening and a premixing water outlet, the premixing cavity being communicable with at least one of the cold water inlet and the hot water inlet through the adjustment opening, and the premixing water outlet being communicated with the mixed water outlet; The interior of the valve body also defines a secondary mixing chamber, which is connected to the valve core chamber through a mixed water outlet; the central axis of the secondary mixing chamber is parallel to the central axis of the pre-mixing chamber, and the central axis of the secondary mixing chamber is located below the central axis of the pre-mixing chamber; the inner wall of the secondary mixing chamber is provided with a spoiler strip, and the spoiler strips are multiple and spaced apart along the circumference of the secondary mixing chamber, and each spoiler strip extends along the axial direction of the secondary mixing chamber.

2. The electronic thermostatic valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The regulating opening is arranged on the peripheral wall of the regulating part, the premixed water outlet is arranged at the end of the regulating part, and the opening directions of any two of the premixed water outlet, the cold water inlet and the hot water inlet are perpendicular to each other.

3. The electronic thermostatic valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer surface of the adjustment portion is configured as a spherical surface.

4. The electronic thermostatic valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The opening angle of the adjustment opening in the circumferential direction of the adjustment portion is 60-90 degrees.

5. The electronic thermostatic valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: A sealing gasket is provided between the cold water inlet and the outer surface of the regulating portion and / or between the hot water inlet and the outer surface of the regulating portion.

6. The electronic thermostatic valve according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: It also includes a driving assembly, which is in driving connection with the valve core to drive the valve core to rotate around its central axis, and the driving assembly includes: A motor, wherein the motor is mounted on the valve body; A driving gear, the driving gear is coaxially arranged with the output shaft of the motor; A driven gear is meshed with the driving gear and is coaxially arranged with the valve core.

7. The electronic thermostatic valve according to claim 6, characterized in that: Also includes: A control device is electrically connected to the motor and is used to control the rotation direction and rotation angle of the motor.

8. The electronic thermostatic valve according to claim 7, characterized in that: The valve body is provided with a water flow sensor, a first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor electrically connected to the control device. The water flow sensor is used to detect the flow rate of cold water entering the cold water inlet, the first temperature sensor is used to detect the temperature of the cold water entering the cold water inlet, and the second temperature sensor is used to detect the temperature of the mixed water flowing out of the mixed water outlet.

9. The electronic thermostatic valve according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The valve body is provided with a cold water input joint, a hot water input joint, a cold water output joint and a mixed water output joint; the hot water input joint is connected to the hot water inlet, and the mixed water output joint is connected to the mixed water outlet; a first cold water flow path and a second cold water flow path are provided inside the valve body, the cold water input joint is connected to the cold water inlet through the first cold water flow path, and the cold water output joint is connected to the cold water input joint through the second cold water flow path.

10. The electronic thermostatic valve according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The valve core is provided with a limiting rib extending radially outward, and the outer surface of the valve body is provided with a limiting protrusion. The limiting rib cooperates with the limiting protrusion stopper to limit the maximum rotation angle of the valve core.

11. The electronic thermostatic valve according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The valve core is made of copper.

12. A water heater, characterized in that: Comprising an electronic thermostatic valve according to any one of claims 1-11.

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