Water dispenser and its control method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a water dispenser and a control method thereof. The water dispenser includes a refrigeration inner tank. The refrigeration inner tank is provided with a water inlet and a water outlet. Among them, the water inlet is located at the top of the refrigeration inner tank to be suitable for communicating with a water supply source; the water outlet is located at the bottom of the refrigeration inner tank to be suitable for communicating with a water outlet end. An exhaust hole is further provided at the top of the refrigeration inner tank, and the exhaust hole is suitable for communicating with the atmospheric environment. The water dispenser of the present invention can achieve water outlet from the bottom of the refrigeration inner tank, so as to keep the water outlet temperature relatively low and avoid accumulation of a large amount of air in the refrigeration inner tank.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of drinking water equipment manufacturing, and particularly relates to a water dispenser and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Currently, water dispensers on the market usually are configured with a refrigeration inner tank to prepare cold water through the refrigeration inner tank and supply the prepared cold water to users through a water outlet end. Generally, the refrigeration inner tank of such a water dispenser is provided with a water inlet and a water outlet at its top, so that when the water dispenser is used for the first time, the air at the top of the refrigeration inner tank can be discharged through the water outlet, making the refrigeration inner tank filled with water and avoiding the accumulation of air in the refrigeration inner tank. When the water dispenser is used subsequently, normal temperature water is pressed into the refrigeration inner tank by gravity or a water pump, and then the prepared cold water in the refrigeration inner tank is extruded to the water outlet end by the pumped normal temperature water.

[0003] However, since both the water inlet and the water outlet of the refrigeration inner tank are located at the top of the refrigeration inner tank, the newly replenished normal temperature water in the refrigeration inner tank is likely to be directly output from the water outlet, resulting in an increase in the water outlet temperature and making it difficult to accurately obtain the cold water temperature required by users. If a water outlet is provided at the bottom of the refrigeration inner tank, a part of air is likely to accumulate at the top of the refrigeration inner tank during use, and this part of air is difficult to be discharged from the refrigeration inner tank, resulting in a reduction in the effective volume of the refrigeration inner tank and a corresponding reduction in the water inlet volume. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The main object of the present invention is to propose a water dispenser, aiming to achieve the water outlet from the bottom of the refrigeration inner tank, so as to keep the water outlet temperature low and avoid the accumulation of more air in the refrigeration inner tank.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention proposes a water dispenser, which includes a refrigeration inner tank. The refrigeration inner tank is provided with a water inlet and a water outlet; wherein, the water inlet is located at the top of the refrigeration inner tank to be suitable for communicating with a water supply source; the water outlet is located at the bottom of the refrigeration inner tank to be suitable for communicating with a water outlet end. An exhaust hole is further provided at the top of the refrigeration inner tank, and the exhaust hole is suitable for communicating with the atmospheric environment.

[0006] Optionally, the water dispenser further includes an exhaust assembly, and the exhaust assembly includes an exhaust pipe and an exhaust valve; wherein, the exhaust pipe is suitable for connecting the exhaust hole with the atmospheric environment; the exhaust valve is installed on the exhaust pipe.

[0007] Optionally, the water dispenser further includes a water outlet end communicated with the water outlet of the refrigeration inner tank; the end of the exhaust pipe is connected to the water outlet end to communicate with the atmosphere through the water outlet hole of the water outlet end.

[0008] Optionally, the water dispenser further includes a water outlet assembly, and the water outlet assembly includes a water outlet pipe and a water outlet valve; wherein, the water outlet pipe is adapted to connect the refrigerating inner container and the water outlet end; and the water outlet valve is disposed on the water outlet pipe.

[0009] Optionally, the water dispenser further includes a water replenishing assembly, and the water replenishing assembly includes a water replenishing pipe and a water replenishing driver; wherein, the water replenishing pipe is adapted to connect the refrigerating inner container and a water supply source; and the water replenishing driver is disposed on the water replenishing pipe.

[0010] Optionally, the water dispenser further includes a controller, the controller is connected to the water replenishing driver, and the controller is adapted to control the on / off of the water replenishing driver.

[0011] Optionally, the water dispenser further includes a liquid level detector connected to the controller, the liquid level detector is disposed on the refrigerating inner container to be adapted to detect the liquid level of the refrigerating inner container, so that the controller controls the on / off of the water replenishing driver according to the current liquid level fed back by the liquid level detector.

[0012] Optionally, the water dispenser further includes a reversing valve installed on the water replenishing pipe, the reversing valve has an inlet end communicating with the inlet end of the water replenishing pipe, a normally closed end communicating with the outlet end of the water replenishing pipe, and a normally open end for communicating with the water outlet end; the reversing valve is adapted to switch the on / off of the normally closed end and the normally open end.

[0013] Optionally, the water dispenser further includes a reversing pipe, one end of the reversing pipe is connected to the normally open end of the reversing valve, and the other end of the reversing pipe is connected to the water outlet pipe.

[0014] Optionally, the water dispenser further includes a water supply tank, and the water supply tank is adapted to serve as the water supply source to supply water to the refrigerating inner container and / or the heating module.

[0015] Optionally, the water replenishing driver is a water pump; and / or, the water replenishing driver is a water pump.

[0016] The present invention further provides a control method for a water dispenser, and the control method for the water dispenser includes the following steps:

[0017] Power on the water dispenser;

[0018] Control the water dispenser to operate in a water replenishing mode, so that the refrigerating inner container of the water dispenser is replenished with water from the water inlet at its top and discharges gas through the exhaust hole at the top of the refrigerating inner container;

[0019] After receiving a working instruction, control the water dispenser to operate in a working mode.

[0020] Optionally, the water inlet is communicated with a water supply source through a make-up water pipe, the water outlet is communicated with a water outlet end through a water discharge pipe, and the exhaust port is communicated with the atmospheric environment through an exhaust pipe; wherein, a make-up water driver is installed on the make-up water pipe; a water discharge valve is installed on the water discharge pipe; an exhaust valve is installed on the exhaust pipe; the control of the water dispenser to operate in a make-up water mode specifically includes:

[0021] Control the make-up water driver to open;

[0022] Control the exhaust valve to open and control the water discharge valve to close;

[0023] After the make-up water driver is opened for an operating time, control the make-up water driver and the exhaust valve to close.

[0024] Optionally, a liquid level detector for detecting the liquid level is provided on the refrigeration inner tank;

[0025] Before the step of controlling the make-up water driver to open, it further includes:

[0026] Control the liquid level detector to detect the current liquid level of the refrigeration inner tank and compare the current liquid level with a preset low liquid level;

[0027] In the case where the current liquid level is lower than or equal to the preset low liquid level, execute the step of controlling the make-up water driver to open.

[0028] Optionally, after the make-up water driver is opened for an operating time, controlling the make-up water driver and the exhaust valve to close specifically includes:

[0029] Control the liquid level detector to detect the current liquid level of the refrigeration inner tank and compare the current liquid level with a preset high liquid level;

[0030] In the case where the current liquid level is greater than or equal to the preset high liquid level, control the make-up water driver and the exhaust valve to close.

[0031] Optionally, after the make-up water driver is opened for an operating time, controlling the make-up water driver and the exhaust valve to close specifically includes:

[0032] Record the operating time of the make-up water driver;

[0033] In the case where the operating time is greater than or equal to a preset operating time, control the make-up water driver and the exhaust valve to close.

[0034] Optionally, the control of the water dispenser to operate in a working mode specifically includes:

[0035] Control the exhaust valve to close;

[0036] Control the make-up water driver to open and control the water discharge valve to open.

[0037] Optionally, the water dispenser further includes a reversing valve installed on the make-up water pipe. The reversing valve has an inlet end communicating with the inlet end of the make-up water pipe, a normally closed end communicating with the outlet end of the make-up water pipe, and a normally open end for communicating with the outlet end. The reversing valve has an initial state in which the normally closed end is kept closed and the normally open end is open, and a working state in which the normally closed end is opened and the normally open end is closed. When the working mode is the normal temperature water mode, controlling the water dispenser to operate according to the working mode specifically further includes controlling the reversing valve to switch to the initial state. When the working mode is the cold water mode, controlling the water dispenser to operate according to the working mode specifically further includes controlling the reversing valve to switch to the working state.

[0038] In the technical solution of the present invention, by providing an inlet and an exhaust hole at the top of the refrigeration inner tank of the water dispenser, and a water outlet at the bottom of the refrigeration inner tank, when the water supply mode is operated after power-on, the water from the water supply source is replenished into the refrigeration inner tank through the inlet. The newly replenished water displaces the air in the refrigeration inner tank upward, so that the air in the refrigeration inner tank is discharged out through the exhaust hole, avoiding the accumulation of air in the refrigeration inner tank, enabling the refrigeration inner tank to be filled with water, effectively increasing the effective volume of the refrigeration inner tank, and further maximizing the use of the volume of the refrigeration inner tank to prepare a large amount of cold water. When using the cold water mode of the water dispenser, the newly replenished normal temperature liquid is located in the upper space of the refrigeration inner tank, and the prepared cold water is located in the lower space of the refrigeration inner tank. Therefore, the prepared cold water has not been mixed with the newly replenished normal temperature water and is preferentially discharged from the water outlet at the bottom of the refrigeration inner tank, thus ensuring that the cold water discharged from the water outlet maintains a relatively low outlet temperature. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention 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 following drawings are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings.

[0040] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the principle of an embodiment of the water dispenser of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 2 For Figure 1 the flow path schematic diagram when the water dispenser uses the make-up water mode;

[0042] Figure 3 For Figure 1 the flow path schematic diagram when the water dispenser uses the cold water mode;

[0043] Figure 4 For Figure 1Schematic diagram of the flow path when the water dispenser uses the normal temperature water mode;

[0044] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the principle of another embodiment of the water dispenser of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 6 For Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the refrigeration inner container in;

[0046] Figure 7 Flow chart of an embodiment of the control method of the water dispenser of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 8 For Figure 7 Flow detail diagram of step S200 of the control method in;

[0048] Figure 9 For Figure 8 Flow detail diagram of step S210 of the control method in;

[0049] Figure 10 For Figure 9 Flow detail diagram of one implementation manner of step S230 of the control method in;

[0050] Figure 11 For Figure 9 Flow detail diagram of another implementation manner of step S230 of the control method in;

[0051] Figure 12 For Figure 7 Flow detail diagram of step S300 of the control method in.

[0052] Explanation of the reference numerals in the drawings:

[0053] Label Name Label Name 10 Refrigeration inner tank 50 Water outlet end 11 Water inlet 60 Reversing valve 12 Water outlet 61 Water inlet end 13 Exhaust hole 62 Normally closed end 20 Water replenishing component 63 Normally open end 21 Water replenishing pipe 64 Reversing pipe 22 Water replenishing driver 80 Liquid level detector 30 Water outlet component 90 Exhaust component 31 Water outlet pipe 91 Exhaust pipe 32 Water outlet valve 92 Exhaust valve 40 Water supply source / water supply tank

[0054] The realization of the object, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further described with reference to the embodiments and the accompanying drawings. Detailed implementation manners

[0055] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying 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. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0056] It should be noted that if there are directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back...) involved in the embodiments of the present invention, the directional indications are only used to explain the relative positional relationship, movement conditions, etc. between components in a certain specific posture (as shown in the attached drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indications will also change accordingly.

[0057] In addition, if there are descriptions such as "first", "second", etc. involved in the embodiments of the present invention, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first", "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In addition, the technical solutions between various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the fact that those of ordinary skill in the art can implement it. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the protection scope required by the present invention.

[0058] Conventionally, a water dispenser generally uses gravity or a water pump to press normal temperature water into a refrigeration inner tank, and then the prepared cold water in the refrigeration inner tank is squeezed out to the water outlet by the pumped normal temperature water. That is to say, the water replenishment process of the traditional water dispenser is not carried out separately but synchronously with the water outlet process. In this way, when a user uses the water dispenser to draw water, the cold water delivered from the refrigeration inner tank will be mixed with newly replenished normal temperature water, resulting in a relatively high temperature of the cold water obtained by the user and making it difficult to reach the cold water temperature required by the user. For example, the temperature of the cold water prepared in the refrigeration inner tank is 15°, while the actual temperature of the output water mixed with normal temperature water is 18°, and the water outlet temperature is significantly higher. And if a water outlet is provided at the bottom of the refrigeration inner tank, it is easy to accumulate a part of air at the top of the refrigeration inner tank during use, and this part of air is difficult to be discharged from the refrigeration inner tank, resulting in a smaller effective volume of the refrigeration inner tank and a corresponding reduction in the water inflow.

[0059] Therefore, to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides an embodiment of a water dispenser, and the water dispenser is suitable for preparing normal temperature water into relatively low-temperature cold water to provide cold water for users. The water dispenser can be used alone or configured to be used with other devices having a water supply function (such as a water purifier). The water dispenser can not only realize the water outlet from the bottom of the refrigeration inner tank to keep the water outlet temperature relatively low, but also discharge the air accumulated in the refrigeration inner tank to avoid accumulating more air in the refrigeration inner tank.

[0060] Please refer to Figures 1 to 3, in an embodiment of the water dispenser of the present invention, the water dispenser includes a refrigeration inner tank 10, and the refrigeration inner tank 10 is provided with a water inlet 11 and a water outlet 12; wherein, the water inlet 11 is arranged at the top of the refrigeration inner tank 10 to be suitable for communicating with the water supply source 40; the water outlet 12 is arranged at the bottom of the refrigeration inner tank 10 to be suitable for communicating with the water outlet end 50; an exhaust hole 13 is further provided at the top of the refrigeration inner tank 10, and the exhaust hole 13 is suitable for communicating with the atmospheric environment.

[0061] Specifically, the water supply source 40 can be the water supply tank 40 configured inside the water dispenser, or a water pipe or water storage tank outside the water dispenser. The water supply source 40 can be provided by the user himself, or a component configured inside the water dispenser before leaving the factory. Specifically here, the water supply source 40 is a component configured inside the water dispenser before leaving the factory.

[0062] For the refrigeration inner tank 10, a refrigeration device is configured inside the refrigeration inner tank 10, and the refrigeration device is suitable for exchanging heat with the water inside the refrigeration inner tank 10 to obtain cold water with a lower temperature and store it inside the refrigeration inner tank 10, so that when the user needs it, the cold water prepared in the refrigeration inner tank 10 can be taken at any time. The cold water and the normal temperature water are relative. The temperature of the cold water is lower than that of the normal temperature water after heat exchange.

[0063] The water inlet 11 is arranged at the top of the refrigeration inner tank 10, and the water outlet 12 is arranged at the bottom of the refrigeration inner tank 10, so that the refrigeration inner tank 10 intakes water from its top and discharges water from its bottom. Among them, the newly supplemented normal temperature water is located in the upper layer and will not be immediately mixed with the cold water in the lower layer, so that the cold water in the lower layer can be output to the water outlet end 50. For example, the refrigeration inner tank 10 has a bottom wall, a side wall and a top wall. The water inlet 11 can be located on the top wall of the refrigeration inner tank 10, or at a position on the side wall close to its top edge; the water outlet 12 can be located on the bottom wall of the refrigeration inner tank 10, at a position on the side wall close to its bottom edge. Specifically here, the water inlet 11 is on the top wall of the refrigeration inner tank 10, and the water outlet 12 is located on the bottom wall of the refrigeration inner tank 10. The exhaust hole 13 is arranged on the top wall of the refrigeration inner tank 10 to enable all the air at the top of the refrigeration inner tank 10 to be discharged, avoiding the dead angle of air filling at the top of the exhaust hole 13.

[0064] As Figure 2 shown, Figure 2The straight solid-line arrow indicates the water flow direction; the straight dashed-line arrow indicates the air discharge direction. When using the water replenishment mode of the water dispenser, the water from the water supply source 40 is driven to flow towards the refrigeration inner tank 10, and then is replenished into the refrigeration inner tank 10 from the water inlet 11 of the refrigeration inner tank 10. The newly replenished water in the refrigeration inner tank 10 gradually fills the refrigeration inner tank 10. The water volume stored in the refrigeration inner tank 10 increases, and the liquid level in the refrigeration inner tank 10 rises, thereby squeezing the air in the refrigeration inner tank 10 upwards. The air squeezed to the top of the refrigeration inner tank 10 is discharged outwards from the exhaust hole 13 until the refrigeration inner tank 10 is filled with water, and the air in the refrigeration inner tank 10 is also exhausted. At this time, the water replenishment for the refrigeration inner tank 10 stops. In this way, the volume of the refrigeration inner tank 10 can be used to the maximum extent to prepare a large amount of cold water, effectively increasing the effective volume of the refrigeration inner tank 10, and further increasing the water volume filled in the refrigeration inner tank 10.

[0065] As Figure 3 shown, when using the cold water mode of the water dispenser, the water conveyed by the water supply source 40 enters the refrigeration inner tank 10 from the water inlet 11 of the refrigeration inner tank 10. The newly replenished normal-temperature water squeezes the cold water at the bottom of the refrigeration inner tank 10 downwards, so that the cold water is discharged from the water outlet 12 at the bottom of the refrigeration inner tank 10, and finally conveyed to the water outlet end 50 and supplied to the user by the water outlet end 50. During this process, the newly replenished normal-temperature water is located in the upper space of the refrigeration inner tank 10, while the prepared cold liquid is located in the lower space of the refrigeration inner tank 10. Therefore, the prepared cold water has not been mixed with the newly replenished normal-temperature water and is preferentially discharged from the water outlet 12 at the bottom of the refrigeration inner tank 10, so as to ensure that the cold water output from the refrigeration inner tank 10 is not mixed with normal-temperature water, and the cold water discharged from the water outlet 12 maintains a lower outlet temperature.

[0066] Regarding the position of the ventilation hole 13 on the refrigeration inner tank 10, the ventilation hole 13 is provided at the top of the refrigeration inner tank 10, specifically, it can be the top wall of the refrigeration inner tank 10 or a part of the side wall close to the top. In this embodiment, the ventilation hole 13 is provided on the top wall of the refrigeration inner tank 10. For the exhaust hole 13, the exhaust hole 13 can be directly communicated with the atmospheric environment, or can be communicated with the atmospheric environment through the exhaust pipe 91.

[0067] It is considered here that the existence of the vent hole 13 allows air in the atmospheric environment to enter the inner cavity of the refrigerating inner container 10. The air may carry microorganisms such as dust or bacteria, causing pollution of the refrigerating inner container 10. Therefore, in order to better control the connection between the exhaust hole 13 and the atmospheric environment, an exhaust valve 92 can be provided on the exhaust hole 13 to adjust the opening and closing of the exhaust hole 13 through the exhaust valve 92. Of course, the exhaust valve 92 can also be provided on the exhaust pipe 91. There will be a detailed introduction later.

[0068] The technical solution of the present invention is to provide the water inlet 11 and the exhaust hole 13 at the top of the refrigerating inner container 10 of the water dispenser, and provide the water outlet 12 at the bottom of the refrigerating inner container 10. When the water replenishment mode is operated after being powered on, the water from the water supply source will be replenished into the refrigerating inner container 10 from the water inlet 11. The newly replenished water will push the air in the refrigerating inner container 10 upward, so as to discharge the air in the refrigerating inner container 10 out of the exhaust hole 13, avoiding the accumulation of air in the refrigerating inner container 10, enabling the refrigerating inner container 10 to be filled with water, effectively increasing the effective volume of the refrigerating inner container 10, and further maximizing the use of the volume of the refrigerating inner container 10 to prepare a large amount of cold water. When using the cold water mode of the water dispenser, the newly replenished normal temperature liquid is located in the upper space of the refrigerating inner container 10, and the prepared cold water is located in the lower space of the refrigerating inner container 10. Therefore, the prepared cold water has not been mixed with the newly replenished normal temperature water, and is preferentially discharged from the water outlet 12 at the bottom of the refrigerating inner container 10, so as to ensure that the cold water discharged from the water outlet 12 maintains a relatively low outlet temperature.

[0069] Please refer to Figure 1 , in an embodiment, the water dispenser further includes a water replenishment assembly 20. The water replenishment assembly 20 includes a water replenishment pipe 21 and a water replenishment driver 22. The water replenishment pipe 21 is suitable for connecting the refrigerating inner container 10 and the water supply source 40, and the water replenishment driver 22 is provided on the water replenishment pipe 21. Specifically, one end of the water replenishment pipe 21 is connected to the water supply source 40, and the other end of the water replenishment pipe 21 is connected to the water inlet 11 of the refrigerating inner container 10; the water replenishment driver 22 is installed on the water replenishment pipe 21 to drive the water flow to be input from the water replenishment pipe 21 into the refrigerating inner container 10. The water replenishment driver 22 can be selected as a water pump; of course, the water replenishment driver 22 can also be other driving structures that can drive the water flow.

[0070] Further, the water dispenser further includes a water outlet assembly 30, the water outlet assembly 30 includes a water outlet pipe 31 and a water outlet valve 32, the water outlet pipe 31 is adapted to connect the refrigerating inner container 10 and the water outlet end 50, and the water outlet valve 32 is disposed on the water outlet pipe 31. Specifically, one end of the water outlet pipe 31 is connected to the water outlet 12 of the refrigerating inner container 10, and the other end of the water outlet pipe 31 is connected to the water outlet end 50; the water outlet valve 32 is installed on the water outlet pipe 31 to control the on-off of the water flow through the water outlet pipe 31. The water outlet valve 32 can be an electromagnetic valve. The water outlet valve 32 is usually in a normally closed state and only switches to the open state when the water dispenser is used to draw water.

[0071] Please refer to Figure 1 , in an embodiment, the water dispenser further includes an exhaust assembly 90, the exhaust assembly 90 includes an exhaust pipe 91 and an exhaust valve 92; wherein, the intake end of the exhaust pipe 91 is connected to the exhaust hole 13 of the refrigerating inner container 10, and the exhaust end of the exhaust pipe 91 is in communication with the atmospheric environment; the exhaust valve 92 is installed on the exhaust pipe 91.

[0072] Specifically, the exhaust end of the exhaust pipe 91 can be directly in communication with the atmospheric environment, or the exhaust end of the exhaust pipe 91 can be connected to the water outlet end 50 to communicate with the atmospheric environment through the water outlet hole on the water outlet end 50. Optionally, the exhaust end of the exhaust pipe 91 is connected to the water outlet end 50. The exhaust valve 92 is usually in a normally closed state and only switches to the open state when the water dispenser is refilled with water.

[0073] That is to say, when the water dispenser is not refilled with water, the exhaust valve 92 is in a closed state, so that the passage of the exhaust pipe 91 can be blocked, and the air in the atmospheric environment cannot enter the refrigerating inner container 10 from the ventilation pipe 90, thereby isolating the refrigerating inner container 10 from the external environment, and also blocking dust or bacteria and other microorganisms outside, so that dust or bacteria and other microorganisms are not easily directly dropped into the inner cavity of the refrigerating inner container 10, and further reducing the situation of the refrigerating inner container 10 being contaminated.

[0074] There is no specific limitation on the specific position where the exhaust valve 92 is installed on the exhaust pipe 91. Specifically, the exhaust valve 92 can be installed at one end of the exhaust pipe 91 close to the exhaust hole 13 to reduce the air accumulated in the exhaust pipe 91. Of course, the exhaust valve 92 can also be installed at one end of the exhaust pipe 91 close to the water outlet end 50, or installed in the middle of the exhaust pipe 91. Further, the position of the exhaust valve 92 is lower than the position of the water outlet valve 32. When the water replenishment mode is used, after the refrigerating inner container 10 is filled with water in the later stage of water replenishment, it is convenient for the water flow to be discharged from the exhaust pipe 91, so that only a small amount of water flow can discharge the air in the exhaust pipe 91, ensuring that after the exhaust valve 92 is closed subsequently, both the refrigerating inner container 10 and the exhaust pipe 91 are filled with water without air, and improving the airtightness of the refrigerating inner container 10.

[0075] The exhaust valve 92 can be a solenoid valve to be automatically controlled by a controller. Or, considering that the exhaust valve 92 is usually not often needed to be opened in the later stage after being initially applied for water replenishment, the exhaust valve 92 can also be set as a manual switch valve for the user to manually adjust by himself. Specifically, in this embodiment, the exhaust valve 92 is selected as a solenoid valve.

[0076] In this embodiment, the exhaust valve 92, the aforementioned water replenishment driver 22, and the water outlet valve 32 are all connected to the controller of the water dispenser, so that the controller controls the opening and closing of the water replenishment driver 22, the water outlet valve 32, and the exhaust valve 92. After the water dispenser is powered on, the water dispenser can be made to operate in the water replenishment mode first to replenish water to the refrigerating inner container 10.

[0077] Please refer to Figure 2 , when the water dispenser operates in the water replenishment mode, the water replenishment driver 22 is turned on, and the water outlet valve 32 is closed and the exhaust valve 92 is opened; at this time, the water from the water supply source 40 is driven by the water replenishment driver 22 and conveyed to the refrigerating inner container 10 through the water replenishment pipe 21. The liquid level of the refrigerating inner container 10 gradually rises, and the air in the refrigerating inner container 10 is displaced towards its top. The air displaced to the top of the refrigerating inner container 10 is discharged from the exhaust pipe 91 through the exhaust valve 92 to the water outlet end 50; since no water flows out of the water outlet end 50 at this time, the air in the exhaust pipe 91 will be discharged outwards from the water outlet of the water outlet end 50. Until the refrigerating inner container 10 is filled with water, there is no accumulated air in the refrigerating inner container 10. At this time, the water replenishment driver 22 and the exhaust valve 92 are closed.

[0078] Please refer to Figure 3, after the water replenishment is completed, the water dispenser can operate according to the working mode, and the working mode can be any one of the cold water mode, the hot water mode, and the normal temperature water mode. Taking the water dispenser operating in the cold water mode as an example, in this mode, the water replenishment driver 22 and the water outlet valve 32 are both opened, and at the same time the exhaust valve 92 is closed; the water replenishment driver 22 drives the water from the water supply source 40 to flow into the refrigeration inner tank 10, and the newly replenished normal temperature water squeezes the cold water at the bottom of the refrigeration inner tank 10, so that the cold water is discharged from the water outlet 12 at the bottom of the refrigeration inner tank 10 to the water outlet pipe 31, and then passes through the water outlet valve 32 and flows to the water outlet end 50, and is supplied to the user by the water outlet end 50.

[0079] In the foregoing water replenishment mode, the switch of the water replenishment driver 22 and its operating duration can be adjusted according to the liquid level change of the refrigeration inner tank 10 or the operating duration pre-stored in the controller.

[0080] In one embodiment, the controller pre-stores a preset operating time T y , after being powered on, the water dispenser enters the water replenishment mode, the controller controls the water replenishment driver 22 to start, and when the actual operating duration T of the water replenishment driver 22 is greater than or equal to the preset operating time T y (that is, T≥T y ), then the control will control the water replenishment driver 22 to close (as Figure 11 shown).

[0081] The preset operating time T y can be the time T0 for filling the refrigeration inner tank 10 at the water replenishment rate of the water replenishment driver 22 (that is, T y = T0).; The preset operating time T y can also be 1.1 times to 1.3 times of T0 (that is, T y > T0). For example, if the time T0 for the water replenishment driver 22 to fill the refrigeration inner tank 10 is 20s, then the preset operating time T y can be designed to be 22s to 26s.

[0082] That is to say, when the operating time T of the water replenishment driver 22 is equal to T0, the refrigeration inner tank 10 is filled with water, but the water replenishment driver 22 is not closed temporarily; instead, the water replenishment driver 22 continues to operate for a period of time, so that the refrigeration inner tank 10 overflows, and a small part of the water in the refrigeration inner tank 10 overflows from the exhaust hole 13 at the top of the refrigeration inner tank 10 through the exhaust pipe 91, so that the air in the exhaust pipe 91 can also be discharged until it runs to T≥T yWhen it is time, then close the exhaust valve 92. In this way, it can be effectively ensured that after the exhaust valve 92 is closed subsequently, both the refrigeration inner container 10 and the exhaust pipe 91 are filled with water without air, thereby effectively isolating the refrigeration inner container 10 from the atmospheric environment and improving the tightness of the refrigeration inner container 10.

[0083] Please refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 In another embodiment, the water dispenser further includes a liquid level detector 80 connected to the controller. The liquid level detector 80 is disposed in the refrigeration inner container 10 to be adapted to detect the liquid level of the refrigeration inner container 10; the controller is connected to the liquid level detector 80 and the water replenishing driver 22 to control the on / off of the driver according to the current liquid level fed back by the liquid level detector 80.

[0084] For the liquid level detector 80, the liquid level detector 80 may include either an upper water level detector or a lower water level detector or both. Among them, the lower water level detector can be used to detect the current liquid level of the refrigeration inner container 10 in a water shortage state; the upper water level detector is used to detect the current liquid level of the refrigeration inner container 10 in a full water state.

[0085] Specifically here, the liquid level detector 80 includes a lower water level detector for detecting the current liquid level of the refrigeration inner container 10 in a water shortage state. The lower water level detector can be selected as a liquid level probe. The controller pre-stores a preset low liquid level H min The preset low liquid level H min corresponds to the minimum water storage amount allowed for the refrigeration inner container 10. After the water dispenser is powered on, it enters the water replenishing mode. The upper water level detector detects the current liquid level H of the refrigeration inner container 10. When the current liquid level H fed back by the upper water level detector received by the controller is lower than or equal to the preset low liquid level H min (that is, H ≤ H min ), then control the water replenishing driver 22 to turn on.

[0086] Further, the liquid level detector 80 may further include an upper water level detector for detecting the current liquid level of the refrigeration inner container 10 in a full water state. The upper water level detector can be a liquid level probe or a liquid level float or other structures with liquid level detection functions. Specifically here, the upper water level detector can be selected as a liquid level float. The controller also pre-stores a preset high liquid level H max The preset high liquid level H max corresponds to the maximum water storage amount allowed for the refrigeration inner container 10. During the above water replenishing process, when the current liquid level H fed back by the upper water level detector received by the controller is higher than or equal to the preset low liquid level H max (that is, H ≥ H max ), at this time, it can be judged that the refrigeration inner container 10 is already filled, and then control the water replenishing driver 22 to close.

[0087] Please refer to Figure 1 , based on any of the above embodiments, the water dispenser further includes a reversing valve 60 installed on the make-up water pipe 21. The reversing valve 60 has a water inlet end 61 communicating with the water inlet end 61 of the make-up water pipe 21, a normally closed end 62 communicating with the water outlet end of the make-up water pipe 21, and a normally open end 63 for communicating with the water outlet end 50; the reversing valve 60 is adapted to switch the opening and closing of the normally closed end 62 and the normally open end 63. By installing the reversing valve 60 on the make-up water pipe 21, the water dispenser can have a normal temperature water mode in which the water from the water supply source 40 is directly delivered to the water outlet end 50.

[0088] Specifically, the reversing valve 60 can be selected as a three-way solenoid valve. The reversing valve 60 has an initial state in which the normally closed end 62 is kept closed and the normally open end 63 is open, and a working state in which the normally closed end 62 is open and the normally open end 63 is closed. The reversing valve 60 is connected to the controller to be switched between the initial state and the working state under the control of the controller. By installing the reversing valve 60 on the make-up water pipe 21, the water dispenser can have a normal temperature water mode in which the water from the water supply source 40 is directly delivered to the water outlet end 50.

[0089] For example, as Figure 3 shown, when the make-up water mode or the cold water mode of the water dispenser is enabled, the make-up water driver 22 is controlled to be turned on, and the reversing valve 60 is controlled to switch to the working state. The water in the water supply source 40 is delivered to the refrigeration inner tank 10 through the normally closed end 62 of the reversing valve 60. As Figure 4 shown, when the normal temperature water mode of the water dispenser is enabled, the make-up water driver 22 is controlled to be turned on, and the reversing valve 60 is controlled to switch to the initial state. The water in the water supply source 40 is delivered to the water outlet end 50 through the normally open end 63 of the reversing valve 60.

[0090] Further, to facilitate the connection between the normally open end 63 of the reversing valve 60 and the water outlet end 50, the water dispenser further includes a reversing pipe 64. One end of the reversing pipe 64 is connected to the normally open end 63 of the reversing valve 60, and the other end of the reversing pipe 64 is connected to the pipeline of the water outlet pipe 31 on the water inlet side of the water outlet valve 32. Of course, in other embodiments, the two ends of the reversing pipe 64 can also be respectively connected to the normally open end 63 of the reversing valve 60 and the water outlet end 50.

[0091] Please refer to Figure 5 , based on any of the above embodiments, the water dispenser may further include a heating assembly (not shown). The heating assembly includes a hot water pipe and a heating module; wherein, the hot water pipe is adapted to connect the water supply source 40 and the water outlet end 50, and the heating module is installed on the hot water pipe.

[0092] Specifically, one end of the hot water pipe is connected to the water supply source 40, and the other end of the hot water pipe can be directly connected to the water outlet end 50, or can be connected to the pipeline of the water outlet pipe 31 on the water outlet side of the water outlet driver 32. The heating module is installed on the hot water pipe to heat the water flowing through the hot water pipe. As for the specific structure of the heating module 72, the heating module 72 can be an instant heating module, an electric heating pipe, a heating inner tank or other devices with heating functions. Specifically here, the heating module 72 is an instant heating module.

[0093] By configuring the heating component for the water dispenser, the water dispenser can also have a hot water mode in which the water from the water supply source 40 is heated and then delivered to the water outlet end 50. Thus, the water dispenser has multiple working modes such as a water replenishment mode, a cold water mode, a normal temperature water mode and a hot water mode. When using the heating mode of the water dispenser, the water replenishment driver 22 is closed, and the heating module is started. After the heating module heats the water to form hot water, the heating module outputs the prepared hot water to the water outlet end 50, so that the water outlet end 50 supplies the hot water to the user. It is worth noting that the above heating component and the reversing valve 60 are not necessary, and can be reasonably configured according to the functions required by the water dispenser.

[0094] Please refer to Figure 1 , based on any of the above embodiments, the water supply source 40 can be a water supply tank 40 configured inside the water dispenser, or a tap water pipe or a water storage tank outside the water dispenser. Optionally, in this embodiment, the water dispenser further includes a water supply tank 40, and the water supply tank 40 is suitable for serving as the water supply source 40 to supply water to the refrigeration inner tank 10 and / or the heating module. Optionally, the water replenishment driver 22 is a water pump. Of course, the water replenishment driver 22 is not limited to a water pump, and the water replenishment driver 22 can also be other driving structures that can drive the water to flow.

[0095] The present invention also provides a control method for a water dispenser, and the specific structure of the water dispenser refers to the above embodiments. Since the control method of this water dispenser adopts all the technical solutions of the above all embodiments, it also has all the beneficial effects brought by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, and will not be elaborated here one by one.

[0096] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 7, in an embodiment of the control method of the water dispenser of the present invention, the water dispenser includes a refrigeration inner tank 10, and the refrigeration inner tank 10 is provided with a water inlet 11 and a water outlet 12; wherein, the water inlet 11 is arranged at the top of the refrigeration inner tank 10 to be suitable for communicating with the water supply source 40; the water outlet 12 is arranged at the bottom of the refrigeration inner tank 10 to be suitable for communicating with the water outlet end 50; an exhaust hole 13 is further provided at the top of the refrigeration inner tank 10, and the exhaust hole 13 is suitable for communicating with the atmospheric environment. The control method of the water dispenser includes the following steps:

[0097] S100. The water dispenser is powered on.

[0098] Specifically, the water dispenser can be powered on by the user connecting the power supply through a socket, or by pressing the power switch button on the water dispenser, and there is no specific limitation here.

[0099] S200. Control the water dispenser to operate in a water replenishment mode to replenish water from the water inlet 11 at the top of the refrigeration inner tank 10 and exhaust air through the exhaust hole 13 at the top of the refrigeration inner tank 10.

[0100] Specifically, before the water dispenser operates in the working mode, first control the water dispenser to operate in the water replenishment mode, so as to fill the refrigeration inner tank 10 of the water dispenser with water. As the water replenishment mode operates, the water in the refrigeration inner tank 10 gradually increases and the water level gradually rises, thereby squeezing the air in the refrigeration inner tank 10 upward. The air squeezed to the top of the refrigeration inner tank 10 is discharged out through the exhaust hole 13 until the refrigeration inner tank 10 is filled with water, and the air in the refrigeration inner tank 10 is also exhausted. At this time, the water replenishment for the refrigeration inner tank 10 is stopped. In this way, the volume of the refrigeration inner tank 10 can be used to the maximum extent to prepare a large amount of cold water, effectively increasing the effective volume of the refrigeration inner tank 10.

[0101] S300. After receiving the working instruction, control the water dispenser to operate in the working mode.

[0102] Specifically, the working instruction can be issued by the working mode button on the water dispenser, or by the remote control, or triggered by the user opening the water outlet end 50. The working mode can be at least any one of the cold water mode, the normal temperature water mode and the hot water mode.

[0103] When the water dispenser operates in the cold water mode, the water dispenser outputs the cold water prepared by the refrigeration inner tank 10 to the water outlet end 50. Since the water inlet 11 of the refrigeration inner tank 10 is provided at the top thereof, and the water outlet 12 is provided at the bottom thereof, after the water conveyed by the water supply source 40 enters the refrigeration inner tank 10 from the water inlet 11 of the refrigeration inner tank 10, the newly replenished normal temperature water squeezes the cold water at the bottom of the refrigeration inner tank 10 downward, so that the cold water is discharged through the water outlet 12 at the bottom of the refrigeration inner tank 10, and finally conveyed to the water outlet end 50 and supplied to the user by the water outlet end 50. During this process, the newly replenished normal temperature liquid is located in the upper space of the refrigeration inner tank 10, while the prepared cold liquid is located in the lower space of the refrigeration inner tank 10. Therefore, the prepared cold water has not been mixed with the newly replenished normal temperature water, and is preferentially discharged from the water outlet 12 at the bottom of the refrigeration inner tank 10, so as to ensure that the cold water discharged from the water outlet 12 maintains a lower water outlet temperature.

[0104] According to the technical solution of the present invention, after the water dispenser is powered on, the water dispenser is first controlled to operate in the water replenishing mode to replenish water to the refrigeration inner tank 10 of the water dispenser, and the exhaust hole 13 of the refrigeration inner tank 10 is used for exhausting air, so as to make full use of the volume of the refrigeration inner tank 10 to prepare a large amount of cold water, effectively increasing the effective volume of the refrigeration inner tank 10; then after receiving the working instruction, the water dispenser is controlled to operate in the working mode to discharge water from the water outlet 12 at the bottom of the refrigeration inner tank 10. In this way, not only can the refrigeration inner tank 10 discharge water from its bottom to keep the water outlet temperature relatively low, but also the accumulation of a large amount of air in the refrigeration inner tank 10 can be effectively avoided.

[0105] Please refer to Figure 1 , in an embodiment, the water dispenser further includes a water replenishing component 20, a water outlet component 30 and an exhaust component 90. Among them, the water replenishing component 20 includes a water replenishing pipe 21 and a water replenishing driver 22. The water replenishing pipe 21 is suitable for connecting the refrigeration inner tank 10 and the water supply source 40, and the water replenishing driver 22 is arranged on the water replenishing pipe 21. Specifically, one end of the water replenishing pipe 21 is connected to the water supply source 40, and the other end of the water replenishing pipe 21 is connected to the water inlet 11 of the refrigeration inner tank 10; the water replenishing driver 22 is installed on the water replenishing pipe 21 to drive the water flow to be input from the water replenishing pipe 21 into the refrigeration inner tank 10. The water replenishing driver 22 can be selected as a water pump; of course, the water replenishing driver 22 can also be other driving structures that can drive the water to flow.

[0106] Further, the water outlet assembly 30 includes a water outlet pipe 31 and a water outlet valve 32. The water outlet pipe 31 is adapted to connect the refrigeration inner tank 10 and the water outlet end 50, and the water outlet valve 32 is provided on the water outlet pipe 31. The water outlet valve 32 can be an electromagnetic valve. Specifically, one end of the water outlet pipe 31 is connected to the water outlet 12 of the refrigeration inner tank 10, and the other end of the water outlet pipe 31 is connected to the water outlet end 50; the water outlet valve 32 is installed on the water outlet pipe 31 to regulate the on / off of the water flow through the water outlet pipe 31. The water outlet valve 32 can be an electromagnetic valve. The water outlet valve 32 is usually in a normally closed state and only switches to the open state when the water dispenser is used to draw water.

[0107] Optionally, the exhaust assembly 90 includes an exhaust pipe 91 and an exhaust valve 92; wherein, the intake end of the exhaust pipe 91 is connected to the exhaust hole 13 of the refrigeration inner tank 10, and the exhaust end of the exhaust pipe 91 is in communication with the atmosphere; the exhaust valve 92 is installed on the exhaust pipe 91.

[0108] Please refer to Figure 1 、 Figure 7 and Figure 8 , based on this, the specific operation of controlling the water dispenser to operate in the water replenishment mode includes:

[0109] S210, control the water replenishment driver 22 to start;

[0110] S220, control the exhaust valve 92 to open and control the water outlet valve 32 to close;

[0111] S230, after the water replenishment driver 22 has been started for an operating time, control the water replenishment driver 22 and the exhaust valve 92 to close.

[0112] Specifically, there is no order limit for steps S210 and S220, that is, steps S210 and S220 can be executed simultaneously, or steps S210 and S220 can be executed successively. In step S210, the water replenishment driver 22 can be started immediately after the water dispenser is powered on, or can be started after a delay after the water dispenser is powered on, or can be started after receiving a water replenishment instruction. The water replenishment instruction can be triggered by the user or automatically triggered when it is detected that the refrigeration inner tank 10 is short of water, which will be introduced in detail later.

[0113] After performing steps S210 and S220, the water from the water supply source 40 is driven by the water replenishing driver 22 and conveyed to the refrigerating inner container 10 through the water replenishing pipe 21. The liquid level of the refrigerating inner container 10 gradually rises, and the air in the refrigerating inner container 10 is displaced towards its top. The air displaced to the top of the refrigerating inner container 10 is discharged from the exhaust pipe 91 through the exhaust valve 92 to the water outlet end 50. At this time, no water is discharged from the water outlet end 50, and the air in the exhaust pipe 91 will be discharged outwards through the water outlet holes of the water outlet end 50. After the water replenishing driver 22 operates for a period of time, the refrigerating inner container 10 is filled with water, and the air at the top of the refrigerating inner container 10 is exhausted, so that there is no accumulated air in the refrigerating inner container 10. At this time, the water replenishing driver 22 and the exhaust valve 92 can be closed to block the passage of the exhaust pipe 91. In this way, the refrigerating inner container 10 forms a closed and airtight structure, and the inner cavity of the refrigerating inner container 10 is isolated from the atmospheric environment. Dust, bacteria or microorganisms in the atmospheric environment cannot enter the refrigerating inner container 10 from the exhaust pipe 91, thereby preventing the refrigerating inner container 10 from being contaminated.

[0114] Please refer to Figure 5 、 Figure 8 and Figure 9 , in one embodiment, a liquid level detector 80 for detecting the liquid level of the refrigerating inner container 10 is provided on the refrigerating inner container 10; before the step of controlling the water replenishing driver 22 to be turned on, the following steps are also executed:

[0115] S201. Control the liquid level detector 80 to detect the current liquid level H of the refrigerating inner container 10; and compare the current liquid level H with a preset low liquid level H min for comparison;

[0116] When the current liquid level H is lower than or equal to the preset low liquid level H min , execute the step of controlling the water replenishing driver 22 to be turned on (i.e., step S210).

[0117] Specifically, the liquid level detector 80 is arranged on the refrigerating inner container 10 to be suitable for detecting the liquid level of the refrigerating inner container 10; the controller is connected to both the liquid level detector 80 and the water replenishing driver 22 to control the switch of the driver according to the current liquid level fed back by the liquid level detector 80. Specifically, the liquid level detector 80 includes a lower water level detector, and the lower water level detector is used to detect the current liquid level of the refrigerating inner container 10 in a water shortage state; the controller pre-stores a preset low liquid level H min , and the preset low liquid level corresponds to the minimum water storage capacity allowed for the refrigerating inner container 10. After being powered on, the water dispenser enters the water replenishing mode. The lower water level detector of the liquid level detector 80 detects the current liquid level H of the refrigerating inner container 10. When the current liquid level H fed back by the liquid level detector 80 received by the controller is lower than the preset low liquid level H minWhen (i.e., H ≤ H min ), that is, the amount of water in the refrigeration inner container 10 is small, and at this time, the water replenishment driver 22 is controlled to be turned on.

[0118] Please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 8 and Figure 10 . Based on the previous embodiment, after the water replenishment driver 22 is turned on for an operating time T in step 230, the control of the water replenishment driver 22 and the exhaust valve 92 to be closed specifically includes:

[0119] S231. Control the liquid level detector 80 to detect the current liquid level H of the refrigeration inner container 10, and compare the current liquid level with the preset high liquid level H max ;

[0120] S232. In the case where the current liquid level H is greater than or equal to the preset high liquid level H max , control the water replenishment driver 22 and the exhaust valve 92 to be closed.

[0121] Specifically, the liquid level detector 80 further includes an upper water level detector, and the upper water level detector is used to detect the current liquid level H in the full water state of the refrigeration inner container 10; the controller also pre-stores a preset high liquid level H max . When the current liquid level H fed back by the upper water level detector of the liquid level detector 80 received by the controller is greater than or equal to the preset low liquid level H max (i.e., H ≥ H max ), at this time, it can be determined that the refrigeration inner container 10 is filled, and the water replenishment driver 22 is controlled to be closed.

[0122] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 8 and Figure 11 . In another embodiment, the difference from the above-mentioned embodiment is that after the water replenishment driver 22 is turned on for an operating time T in step 230, the control of the water replenishment driver 22 and the exhaust valve 92 to be closed specifically includes:

[0123] S231'. Record the operating time T of the water replenishment driver 22;

[0124] S232'. In the case where the operating time T is greater than or equal to the preset operating time T y , control the water replenishment driver 22 and the exhaust valve 92 to be closed.

[0125] Specifically, the controller pre-stores a preset operating time T y . The controller controls the water replenishment driver 22 to start and records the operating time T of the water replenishment driver 22. When the operating time T of the water replenishment driver 22 is greater than or equal to the preset operating time T y (i.e., T ≥ Ty When it reaches this time, the control for the water replenishing driver 22 is turned off. Assume that the time required to normally fill the refrigerating inner container 10 at the water replenishing rate of the water replenishing driver 22 is T0. That is to say, when the running time T of the water replenishing driver 22 is equal to T0, the control for the water replenishing driver 22 is turned off, and at this time the refrigerating inner container 10 is filled. However, at this time, there will be a part of air remaining in the exhaust pipe 91. The existence of this part of air will come into contact with the water in the refrigerating inner container 10, and it is easy to breed bacteria and other microorganisms, resulting in the refrigerating inner container 10 may also be contaminated.

[0126] In view of this, optionally, the preset running time can be designed to be 1.1 times to 1.3 times the time T0 for the water replenishing driver 22 to normally fill the refrigerating inner container 10. That is to say, when the running time T of the water replenishing driver 22 is equal to T0, the refrigerating inner container 10 is filled with water, but the water replenishing driver 22 is not turned off temporarily; instead, the water replenishing driver 22 is allowed to continue running for a period of time, so that the refrigerating inner container 10 overflows, and a small part of the water in the refrigerating inner container 10 overflows from the exhaust hole 13 at the top of the refrigerating inner container 10 through the exhaust pipe 91, thereby the air in the exhaust pipe 91 can also be discharged, and then the exhaust valve 92 is closed. In this way, it can be effectively ensured that after the exhaust valve 92 is subsequently closed, both the refrigerating inner container 10 and the exhaust pipe 91 are filled with water and there is no air, thereby effectively isolating the refrigerating inner container 10 from the atmospheric environment and improving the airtightness of the refrigerating inner container 10.

[0127] Please refer to Figure 1 、 Figure 7 and Figure 12 , based on any of the above embodiments, in step S300, after receiving the work instruction, the control for the water dispenser to operate according to the working mode specifically includes:

[0128] S310. Control the exhaust valve 92 to close.

[0129] Specifically, after the exhaust valve 92 is closed, the passage of the exhaust pipe 91 is blocked, and the air in the atmospheric environment cannot pass through the exhaust pipe 91 and thus cannot enter the refrigerating inner container 10. The water flow in the refrigerating inner container 10 will not overflow from the exhaust pipe 91, ensuring the airtightness of the refrigerating inner container 10.

[0130] S320. Control the water replenishing driver 22 and the water outlet valve 32 to open.

[0131] Specifically, the working mode of the water dispenser can be any one of the cold water mode, the normal temperature water mode, and the hot water mode. Among them, the cold water mode, the normal temperature water mode, and the hot water mode of the water dispenser are switched through the reversing valve 60. Taking the cold water mode as an example, when using the cold water mode of the water dispenser, both the water replenishing driver 22 and the water outlet valve 32 are opened, and at the same time the exhaust valve 92 is closed; the water replenishing driver 22 drives the water from the water supply source 40 to flow into the refrigeration inner tank 10, and the newly replenished normal temperature water squeezes the cold water at the bottom of the refrigeration inner tank 10, so that the cold water is discharged from the water outlet 12 at the bottom of the refrigeration inner tank 10 to the water outlet pipe 31, and then passes through the water outlet valve 32 and flows to the water outlet end 50, and is supplied to the user by the water outlet end 50.

[0132] In an embodiment, in order to enable the water dispenser to obtain the normal temperature water mode, the water dispenser further includes a reversing valve 60 installed on the water replenishing pipe 21. The reversing valve 60 has an inlet end 61 communicated with the inlet end of the water replenishing pipe 21, a normally closed end 62 communicated with the outlet end of the water replenishing pipe 21, and a normally open end 63 for communicating with the water outlet end 50; the reversing valve 60 has an initial state of keeping the normally closed end 62 closed and the normally open end 63 open, and a working state of opening the normally closed end 62 and closing the normally open end 63. The existence of the reversing valve 60 enables the water dispenser to have at least two working modes, namely the normal temperature water mode and the cold water mode.

[0133] Specifically, to facilitate the connection between the normally open end 63 of the reversing valve 60 and the water outlet end 50, the water dispenser further includes a reversing pipe 64. One end of the reversing pipe 64 is connected to the normally open end 63 of the reversing valve 60, and the other end of the reversing pipe 64 is connected to the pipeline of the water outlet pipe 31 on the water inlet side of the water outlet valve 32. Of course, in other embodiments, the two ends of the reversing pipe 64 can also be respectively connected to the normally open end 63 of the reversing valve 60 and the water outlet end 50. By switching the state of the reversing valve 60, the water dispenser can have a normal temperature water mode in which the water from the water supply source 40 is directly conveyed to the water outlet end 50.

[0134] The reversing valve 60 can be selected as a three-way solenoid valve. The reversing valve 60 has an initial state of keeping the normally closed end 62 closed and the normally open end 63 open, and a working state of opening the normally closed end 62 and closing the normally open end 63. The reversing valve 60 is connected to the controller to be switched between the initial state and the working state under the control of the controller. By installing the reversing valve 60 on the water replenishing pipe 21, the water dispenser can have a normal temperature water mode in which the water from the water supply source 40 is directly conveyed to the water outlet end 50.

[0135] When the working mode is the normal temperature water mode, the control of the water dispenser to operate according to the working mode specifically further includes controlling the reversing valve 60 to switch to the initial state. In this way, the water from the water supply source 40 will be delivered to the water outlet pipe 31 through the normal opening end 63 of the reversing valve 60, and then delivered to the water outlet end 50 through the water outlet pipe 31.

[0136] When the working mode is the cold water mode, the control of the water dispenser to operate according to the working mode specifically further includes controlling the reversing valve 60 to switch to the working state. The water from the water supply source 40 will be delivered to the refrigeration inner tank 10 through the normally closed end 62 of the reversing valve 60, and then form cold water after being refrigerated in the refrigeration inner tank 10, and be delivered to the water outlet end 50 through the water outlet pipe 31.

[0137] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and do not limit the patent scope of the present invention accordingly. Any equivalent structural transformation made under the inventive concept of the present invention by using the content of the specification and drawings of the present invention, or directly / indirectly applied in other related technical fields, is included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A control method for a water dispenser, applied to a water dispenser, characterized in that The water dispenser includes: A refrigeration inner tank, which is provided with a water inlet and a water outlet; wherein, the water inlet is located at the top of the refrigeration inner tank to be suitable for connecting with a water supply source; the water outlet is located at the bottom of the refrigeration inner tank to be suitable for connecting with a water outlet end; and, An exhaust hole is further provided at the top of the refrigeration inner tank, and the exhaust hole is suitable for connecting with the atmospheric environment; In the refrigeration inner tank, normal temperature water is replenished from the water inlet. The newly replenished normal temperature water is located in the upper layer and will not immediately mix with the cold water in the lower layer, and is used to squeeze the cold water in the lower layer downward, so that the cold water is discharged through the water outlet; The control method of the water dispenser includes the following steps: The water dispenser is powered on; Control the water dispenser to operate in a water replenishing mode, so that the refrigeration inner tank of the water dispenser replenishes water from the water inlet at its top and exhausts air through the exhaust hole at the top of the refrigeration inner tank; After receiving a working instruction, control the water dispenser to operate in a working mode; The water inlet is connected with the water supply source through a water replenishing pipe, the water outlet is connected with the water outlet end through a water outlet pipe, and the exhaust hole is connected with the atmospheric environment through an exhaust pipe; wherein, a water replenishing driver is installed on the water replenishing pipe; a water outlet valve is installed on the water outlet pipe; an exhaust valve is installed on the exhaust pipe; the end of the exhaust pipe is connected with the water outlet end to communicate with the atmosphere through the water outlet hole of the water outlet end; The specific operation of controlling the water dispenser to operate in a water replenishing mode includes: Control the water replenishing driver to open; Control the exhaust valve to open and control the water outlet valve to close; After the water replenishing driver is opened for an operating time, control the water replenishing driver and the exhaust valve to close; After the water replenishing driver is opened for an operating time, controlling the water replenishing driver and the exhaust valve to close specifically includes: Record the operating time of the water replenishing driver; When the operating time is greater than or equal to a preset operating time, control the water replenishing driver and the exhaust valve to close; The preset operating time is 1.1 times to 1.3 times of the time T0 when the water replenishing driver fills the refrigeration inner tank; The specific operation of controlling the water dispenser to operate in a working mode includes: Control the exhaust valve to close; Control the water replenishing driver to open and control the water outlet valve to open.

2. The control method of the water dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that, The water dispenser further includes a controller, and the controller is connected with the water replenishing driver to control the on / off of the water replenishing driver.

3. The control method of the water dispenser according to claim 2, characterized in that, The water dispenser further includes a liquid level detector connected with the controller, and the liquid level detector is arranged on the refrigeration inner tank to be suitable for detecting the liquid level of the refrigeration inner tank.

4. The control method of the water dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that, The water dispenser further includes a reversing valve installed on the water replenishing pipe. The reversing valve has an inlet end communicating with the water inlet end of the water replenishing pipe, a normally closed end communicating with the water outlet end of the water replenishing pipe, and a normally open end for communicating with the water outlet end; The reversing valve is suitable for switching the on / off of the normally closed end and the normally open end.

5. The control method of the water dispenser according to claim 4, characterized in that The water dispenser further includes a reversing pipe, one end of the reversing pipe is connected with the normally open end of the reversing valve, and the other end of the reversing pipe is connected with the water outlet pipe.

6. The control method of the water dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that, The water dispenser further includes a water supply tank, and the water supply tank is suitable for serving as the water supply source to supply water to the refrigeration inner tank and / or the heating module.

7. The control method of the water dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that, The water replenishing driver is a water pump.

8. The control method of the water dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that, A liquid level detector for detecting the liquid level is provided on the refrigeration inner container; Before the step of controlling the water replenishment driver to open, the following steps are further included: Controlling the liquid level detector to detect the current liquid level of the refrigeration inner container, and comparing the current liquid level with a preset low liquid level; When the current liquid level is lower than or equal to the preset low liquid level, the step of controlling the water replenishment driver to open is executed.

9. The control method of the water dispenser according to claim 8, wherein After the water replenishment driver is opened for an operating time, controlling the water replenishment driver and the exhaust valve to close, specifically including: Controlling the liquid level detector to detect the current liquid level of the refrigeration inner container, and comparing the current liquid level with a preset high liquid level; When the current liquid level is greater than or equal to the preset high liquid level, controlling the water replenishment driver and the exhaust valve to close.

10. The control method of the water dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that, The water dispenser further includes a reversing valve installed on the water replenishing pipe. The reversing valve has an inlet end communicating with the water inlet end of the water replenishing pipe, a normally closed end communicating with the water outlet end of the water replenishing pipe, and a normally open end for communicating with the water outlet end; The reversing valve has an initial state in which the normally closed end is closed and the normally open end is open, and a working state in which the normally closed end is open and the normally open end is closed; When the working mode is the normal temperature water mode, controlling the water dispenser to operate according to the working mode specifically further includes controlling the reversing valve to switch to the initial state; When the working mode is the cold water mode, controlling the water dispenser to operate according to the working mode specifically further includes controlling the reversing valve to switch to the working state.

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