Control method, device, equipment and computer program product of electric water heater

Abstract

The application provides a control method, device and equipment of an electric water heater and a computer program product, relates to the technical field of household appliances, and is used for overcoming the problem that the melting of a connector tab can cause a fire, resulting in low safety of the electric water heater. The control method of the electric water heater comprises the following steps: acquiring a current temperature of a connector of the electric water heater; acquiring a current operation mode of the electric water heater, wherein the current operation mode is a first operation mode or a second operation mode, and the operation power of the first operation mode is greater than that of the second operation mode; determining a target operation mode of the electric water heater according to the current temperature and the current operation mode, and controlling the electric water heater to switch to the target operation mode, wherein the target operation mode is the first operation mode, the second operation mode or a power-off mode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of household appliance technology, and in particular to a control method, device, equipment and computer program product for an electric water heater. Background Technology

[0002] An electric water heater is a water heater that uses electricity as its energy source for heating. Electric water heaters are widely used due to their advantages, such as being a cleaner energy source.

[0003] An electric water heater comprises: an outer shell, an inner tank, a foaming layer, and an electrical chamber. The inner tank is located inside the outer shell, while the foaming layer and electrical chamber are situated in the space between the outer shell and the inner tank. The foaming layer enhances insulation, and the electrical chamber provides a relatively safe operating environment for the water heater's control system. In related technologies, poor connector mating within the electrical chamber of the water heater can generate significant contact resistance. When current flows through the connector contacts, this resistance generates heat, causing a rapid increase in the contact point temperature. When the temperature reaches a certain threshold, the connector contacts will melt.

[0004] However, since the foam material itself is flammable, the melting of the connector inserts can cause the surrounding foam layer and other plastic parts to catch fire, which in turn can cause the entire electric water heater to catch fire, resulting in low safety of the electric water heater. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a control method, device, equipment, and computer program product for an electric water heater to overcome the problem that melting of connector contacts can cause fires, resulting in low safety of the electric water heater.

[0006] The first aspect of this application is to provide a control method for an electric water heater, including:

[0007] Get the current temperature of the electric water heater's connector;

[0008] The current operating mode of the electric water heater is obtained, wherein the current operating mode is either a first operating mode or a second operating mode, and the operating power of the first operating mode is greater than the operating power of the second operating mode;

[0009] Based on the current temperature and the current operating mode, the target operating mode of the electric water heater is determined, and the electric water heater is controlled to switch to the target operating mode, which is the first operating mode, the second operating mode, or the power-off mode.

[0010] In one possible implementation, determining the target operating mode of the electric water heater based on the current temperature and the current operating mode includes:

[0011] If the current temperature is less than or equal to the first threshold, then the first temperature curve of the electric water heater in the historical period is obtained, and the target operating mode is determined according to the first temperature curve and the current operating mode.

[0012] If the current temperature is greater than the first threshold, then the target operating mode is determined based on the current operating mode.

[0013] In one possible implementation, determining the target operating mode based on the first temperature curve and the current operating mode includes:

[0014] Obtain the slope of the first temperature curve;

[0015] If the slope of the curve is greater than or equal to the second threshold, then the target operating mode is determined based on the current operating mode;

[0016] If the slope of the curve is less than the second threshold, the target operating mode is determined based on the first temperature curve and multiple preset temperature curves.

[0017] In one possible implementation, determining the target operating mode based on the first temperature curve and multiple preset temperature curves includes:

[0018] Obtain the similarity between the first temperature curve and the plurality of preset temperature curves;

[0019] Based on the similarity between the first temperature curve and the plurality of preset temperature curves, it is determined whether there is a target temperature curve among the plurality of preset temperature curves, and the similarity between the target temperature curve and the first temperature curve is greater than or equal to the preset similarity.

[0020] If so, then the target operating mode is determined based on the current operating mode;

[0021] If not, then the target operating mode is determined to be the same as the current operating mode.

[0022] In one possible implementation, determining the target operating mode based on the current operating mode includes:

[0023] If the current operating mode is the first operating mode, then the target operating mode is determined to be the second operating mode;

[0024] If the current operating mode is the second operating mode, then the target operating mode is determined to be the power outage mode.

[0025] In one possible implementation, a thermistor is integrated at the connector; obtaining the current temperature of the water heater's connector includes:

[0026] Obtain the resistance value of the thermistor;

[0027] The current temperature is determined based on the resistance value of the thermistor.

[0028] In one possible implementation, if the target operating mode of the electric water heater is determined to be the power-off mode, the method further includes:

[0029] Generate fault information and send the fault information to the server;

[0030] The fault information includes: the geographical location information of the electric water heater and the abnormal information of the connector.

[0031] A second aspect of this application provides a control device for an electric water heater, comprising:

[0032] The first acquisition module is used to acquire the current temperature of the connector of the electric water heater;

[0033] The second acquisition module is used to acquire the current operating mode of the electric water heater, wherein the current operating mode is either a first operating mode or a second operating mode, and the operating power of the first operating mode is greater than the operating power of the second operating mode;

[0034] The processing module is used to determine the target operating mode of the electric water heater based on the current temperature and the current operating mode, and control the electric water heater to switch to the target operating mode, wherein the target operating mode is the first operating mode, the second operating mode, or the power-off mode.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the processing module is specifically used for:

[0036] When the current temperature is less than or equal to a first threshold, the first temperature curve of the electric water heater in a historical period is obtained, and the target operating mode is determined based on the first temperature curve and the current operating mode.

[0037] When the current temperature is greater than the first threshold, the target operating mode is determined based on the current operating mode.

[0038] In one possible implementation, the processing module is specifically used for:

[0039] Obtain the slope of the first temperature curve;

[0040] When the slope of the curve is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the target operating mode is determined based on the current operating mode;

[0041] When the slope of the curve is less than the second threshold, the target operating mode is determined based on the first temperature curve and multiple preset temperature curves.

[0042] In one possible implementation, the processing module is specifically used for:

[0043] Obtain the similarity between the first temperature curve and the plurality of preset temperature curves;

[0044] Based on the similarity between the first temperature curve and the plurality of preset temperature curves, it is determined whether there is a target temperature curve among the plurality of preset temperature curves, and the similarity between the target temperature curve and the first temperature curve is greater than or equal to the preset similarity.

[0045] When a target temperature curve exists among multiple preset temperature curves, the target operating mode is determined according to the current operating mode.

[0046] If the target temperature curve is not found among multiple preset temperature curves, the target operating mode is determined to be the same as the current operating mode.

[0047] In one possible implementation, the processing module is specifically used for:

[0048] When the current operating mode is the first operating mode, the target operating mode is determined to be the second operating mode;

[0049] When the current operating mode is the second operating mode, the target operating mode is determined to be the power outage mode.

[0050] In one possible implementation, a thermistor is integrated at the connector; the first acquisition module is specifically used for:

[0051] Obtain the resistance value of the thermistor;

[0052] The current temperature is determined based on the resistance value of the thermistor.

[0053] In one possible implementation, the processing module is further configured to:

[0054] Generate fault information and send the fault information to the server;

[0055] The fault information includes: the geographical location information of the electric water heater and the abnormal information of the connector.

[0056] A third aspect of this application provides a control device for an electric water heater, comprising: a processor and a memory;

[0057] The memory is used to store computer programs;

[0058] The processor is used to execute the computer program stored in the memory to implement the control method for the electric water heater as described in any of the preceding claims.

[0059] The fourth aspect of this application provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the control method for an electric water heater as described in any of the preceding claims.

[0060] The control method for an electric water heater provided in this application embodiment obtains the current temperature of the water heater's connector; obtains the current operating mode of the water heater, which is either a first operating mode or a second operating mode, wherein the operating power of the first operating mode is greater than that of the second operating mode; determines the target operating mode of the water heater based on the current temperature and the current operating mode, and controls the water heater to switch to the target operating mode, which is either the first operating mode, the second operating mode, or a power-off mode. In this way, when a poor connection at the connection point between the male and female ends of the connector causes an abnormal current temperature at the connector, the target operating mode of the water heater can be determined promptly based on the current operating mode. If the operating power of the current operating mode is lower than that of the current operating mode or the target operating mode is a power-off mode, this helps alleviate the abnormal temperature problem at the connector, helps avoid accidents such as fires caused by temperature rise due to poor connection at the connector, and thus reliably improves the safety of the electric water heater. Attached Figure Description

[0061] The specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only for illustration and explanation of this application, and this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described below.

[0062] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electric water heater provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0063] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing the connection between the power cord and the power control circuit board provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0064] Figure 3 A schematic flowchart illustrating a control method for an electric water heater provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the connector structure provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a control method for an electric water heater provided in another embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a control device for an electric water heater provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0068] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the control device for an electric water heater provided in one embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0069] The specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only for illustration and explanation of this application, and this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described below.

[0070] When connectors in the electrical compartment are not properly connected, they generate significant contact resistance. As current flows through the connector contacts, this resistance heats up, causing a rapid increase in temperature at the contact point. When the temperature reaches a certain threshold, the connector contacts will melt. This melting can ignite surrounding plastic components, such as the foam layer, leading to a fire in the electrical compartment, which in turn can ignite the entire water heater, resulting in an accident.

[0071] In related technologies, to improve safety, electric water heaters are typically equipped with sensors. Some electric water heaters have gas-sensitive resistor fire detectors. When the gas-sensitive resistor fire detector detects indoor smoke exceeding a certain threshold, it activates the top sprinkler valve to extinguish the fire. Some electric water heaters have infrared smoke sensors. When combustion occurs in the space and produces smoke, the smoke rises. When the smoke in the air enters the infrared smoke sensor, it accumulates to a certain extent, causing infrared light reflection. When the reflected infrared light is received, an alarm signal is issued. Still other electric water heaters have visual smoke sensors. These sensors collect the flame status and send the collected image information to a processor for processing and judgment.

[0072] However, gas-sensitive resistor fire detectors and infrared smoke sensors are both too far from the fire location. They usually need to actually start a fire and generate smoke and temperature before they can be detected. This detection method has a certain time delay, resulting in poor safety and reliability of electric water heaters. On the other hand, visual smoke sensors are easily affected by the environment. When there is a lot of environmental interference, the detection accuracy is low, which also leads to poor safety and reliability of electric water heaters.

[0073] The following is combined Figure 1 and Figure 2 First, the application scenarios of the embodiments of this application will be introduced.

[0074] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electric water heater provided according to an embodiment of this application. Please refer to... Figure 1The electric water heater includes: an outer shell and an inner tank disposed within the outer shell; an insulating partition is disposed between the inner tank and the outer shell, the partition being located at one end of the inner tank, and the side of the partition facing away from the inner tank forming an electrical chamber with the outer shell; a foam layer is filled within the space enclosed by the outer shell, the inner tank, and the partition. An electric heating element may be disposed inside the inner tank, one end of which extends out of the inner tank and passes through the partition to be electrically connected to a power control circuit board in the electrical chamber. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the connection between the power cord and the power control circuit board according to an embodiment of this application. Please refer to... Figure 2 The power control circuit board is connected to the neutral wire N and the live wire L of the power cord via a connector. The power cord is used to connect to the mains power. The connector may include male and female terminals that mate with each other. The male terminal may be located on the power cord, and the female terminal may be located on the power control circuit board. The power cord and the power control circuit board are electrically connected by the mating of the male and female terminals.

[0075] The control method for electric water heaters provided in this embodiment allows the water heater to switch operating modes based on the temperature at the connector and the current operating mode during operation. This facilitates timely control of the water heater to reduce its operating power and lower the actual temperature at the connector, or even timely power cut-off, thereby preventing accidents such as fires caused by poor connection at the connector leading to temperature rise. This reliably improves the safety of the electric water heater.

[0076] The technical solutions shown in this application will be described in detail below through specific embodiments. It should be noted that the following embodiments may exist alone or in combination with each other, and the same or similar content will not be described again in different embodiments.

[0077] Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating a control method for an electric water heater according to an embodiment of this application. Please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 3 The method may include:

[0078] S101. Obtain the current temperature of the electric water heater's connector;

[0079] The executing entity in this application embodiment can be an electric water heater, or it can be a control device for the electric water heater installed in the electric water heater. Optionally, the control device for the electric water heater can be implemented by software, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0080] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a connector provided in one embodiment of this application. Please refer to... Figure 4Optionally, the male or female terminal of the connector can integrate a temperature sensor to detect the current temperature at the connector. The temperature sensor can include a thermistor, such as a negative temperature coefficient thermistor (NTC) or a positive temperature coefficient thermistor (PTC). When the thermistor is an NTC, the lower the resistance, the higher the current temperature of the connector; when the thermistor is a PTC, the higher the resistance, the higher the current temperature of the connector.

[0081] In other examples, the temperature sensor can also be a common sensor that can detect temperature and convert it into a usable output signal, such as an infrared temperature sensor or a microwave sensor.

[0082] Taking a thermistor as the temperature sensor as an example, step S101 may specifically include: obtaining the resistance value of the thermistor; and determining the current temperature of the connector based on the resistance value of the thermistor. In specific implementation, the current temperature of the connector is determined based on the resistance value of the thermistor and a pre-stored functional relationship between resistance and temperature.

[0083] Optionally, during the operation of the electric water heater, the current temperature of the connector can be obtained in real time, or the current temperature of the connector can be obtained at preset time intervals. The specific settings can be configured according to actual needs.

[0084] Poor contact between the male and female terminals of the connector, power overload at the male and female terminals, oxidation at the male and female terminals, or an open circuit can all lead to poor connector connection or poor connector contact. Poor connector connection will cause abnormal temperature at the connector. Therefore, in this embodiment, obtaining the current temperature at the connector facilitates timely determination of whether a poor connection has occurred.

[0085] S102. Obtain the current operating mode of the electric water heater. The current operating mode is either the first operating mode or the second operating mode. The operating power of the first operating mode is greater than the operating power of the second operating mode.

[0086] Optionally, the operating modes of the electric water heater can be pre-defined based on its operating power. In some examples, the electric water heater has a first operating mode and a second operating mode, where the operating power of the first operating mode is greater than that of the second operating mode. For example, in the first operating mode, the operating power of the electric water heater can be 3 kilowatts; in the second operating mode, the operating power of the electric water heater is less than 3 kilowatts, such as less than 2 kilowatts or 2.5 kilowatts.

[0087] In other examples, when the electric water heater has more operating modes, the operating power of each mode gradually decreases.

[0088] During the operation of an electric water heater, switching to a higher power operating mode can increase the heating speed. This also helps reduce energy consumption over the same amount of time.

[0089] S103. Based on the current temperature and current operating mode, determine the target operating mode of the electric water heater and control the electric water heater to switch to the target operating mode. The target operating mode is the first operating mode, the second operating mode, or the power-off mode.

[0090] Optionally, based on the current temperature of the connector and the current operating mode of the electric water heater, when the current temperature meets the preset conditions, the electric water heater can be controlled to switch to another operating mode with a lower operating power than the current operating mode, or the electric water heater can be controlled to disconnect the relay in the electrical room to make the electric water heater enter the power-off mode.

[0091] For example, if the current temperature is higher than the set value, or if the current temperature changes significantly compared to the previous moment, the system determines that the current temperature meets the preset conditions and identifies an abnormal temperature at the connector. If the current operating mode is the first operating mode, the system determines that the target operating mode for the water heater is the second operating mode and controls the water heater to switch to the second operating mode; if the current operating mode is the second operating mode, the system determines that the target operating mode for the water heater is the power-off mode and controls the water heater to switch to the power-off mode.

[0092] The control method for an electric water heater provided in this embodiment obtains the current temperature of the water heater's connector; obtains the current operating mode of the water heater, which is either a first operating mode or a second operating mode, where the operating power of the first operating mode is greater than that of the second operating mode; and determines the target operating mode of the water heater based on the current temperature and the current operating mode, and controls the water heater to switch to the target operating mode, which can be the first operating mode, the second operating mode, or a power-off mode. In this way, when a poor connection at the connection point between the male and female ends of the connector causes an abnormal temperature at the connector, the target operating mode of the water heater can be determined promptly based on the current operating mode. If the operating power of the current operating mode is lower than that of the current operating mode or the target operating mode is a power-off mode, this helps alleviate the abnormal temperature problem at the connector, helps avoid accidents such as fires caused by overheating due to poor connection at the connector, and thus reliably improves the safety of the electric water heater.

[0093] Figure 5This is a flowchart illustrating a control method for an electric water heater according to another embodiment of this application. Please refer to... Figure 5 In one possible implementation, the control method for the electric water heater provided in this embodiment includes:

[0094] S201. Obtain the current temperature of the connector of the electric water heater.

[0095] S202. Obtain the current operating mode of the electric water heater. The current operating mode is either the first operating mode or the second operating mode. The operating power of the first operating mode is greater than that of the second operating mode.

[0096] S203. Determine whether the current temperature is greater than the first threshold.

[0097] If not, proceed to step S204; if yes, proceed to step S210.

[0098] S204. Obtain the first temperature curve of the electric water heater within a historical period.

[0099] S205. Determine the slope of the first temperature curve based on the first temperature curve.

[0100] S206. Determine whether the slope of the curve is less than the second threshold.

[0101] If yes, proceed to step S207; otherwise, proceed to step S210.

[0102] S207. Obtain the similarity between the first temperature curve and multiple preset temperature curves.

[0103] S208. Determine whether a target temperature curve exists among multiple preset temperature curves, and the similarity between the target temperature curve and the first temperature curve is greater than or equal to the preset similarity.

[0104] If a target temperature curve exists, proceed to step S210; if no target temperature curve exists, proceed to step S209.

[0105] S209. Determine that the target operating mode is the same as the current operating mode.

[0106] S210. If the current operating mode is the first operating mode, then the target operating mode is determined to be the second operating mode. If the current operating mode is the second operating mode, then the target operating mode is determined to be the power-off mode.

[0107] S211. When the target operating mode is determined to be power failure mode, generate fault information and send the fault information to the server; the fault information includes: the geographical location information of the electric water heater and the abnormal information of the connector.

[0108] The implementation process of steps S201 and S202 is the same as that in the previous embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0109] In step S203, a first threshold is obtained, wherein the specific value of the first threshold can be set according to actual needs. The obtained current temperature is compared with the first threshold.

[0110] If the current temperature is greater than the first threshold, it can be determined that the temperature at the connector is abnormal and that the connection at the connector is faulty. Then, step S210 is executed. If the current operating mode of the electric water heater is the first operating mode, then its target operating mode is determined to be the second operating mode; if the current operating mode of the electric water heater is the second operating mode, then its target operating mode is determined to be the power-off mode.

[0111] If the current temperature is less than or equal to the first threshold, then step S204 is executed. In implementing step S204, the first temperature curve of the water heater's connector within a historical time period can be determined in real time. Alternatively, the first temperature curve of the connector within a historical time period can be determined at preset time intervals. In this example, when the current temperature is less than or equal to the first threshold, the first temperature curve can be updated promptly to obtain the updated first temperature curve. This facilitates the determination of the target operating mode based on the first temperature curve and the current operating mode.

[0112] In steps S205 and S206, the slope of the first temperature curve is determined based on the first temperature curve, and the obtained slope is compared with the acquired second threshold.

[0113] If the slope of the curve is greater than or equal to the second threshold, then proceed to step S210.

[0114] If the slope of the curve is less than the second threshold, then step S207 is executed. In step S207, optionally, the similarity between the first temperature curve and multiple preset temperature curves can be determined according to conventional similarity analysis methods such as Euclidean distance, Pearson correlation coefficient, cosine similarity, etc.

[0115] In this example, the preset temperature curves are temperature curves under multiple abnormal operating conditions that have been pre-acquired and stored; abnormal operating conditions include, but are not limited to: power overload, line aging, open circuit, short circuit, and poor connection.

[0116] Of course, in other examples, the preset temperature curve can also be the temperature curve in each operating mode of the electric water heater. If the first temperature curve deviates from each preset temperature curve, the target operating mode is determined according to the current operating mode. That is, if the current operating mode of the electric water heater is the first operating mode, the target operating mode is determined to be the second operating mode. If the current operating mode of the electric water heater is the second operating mode, the target operating mode is determined to be the power-off mode.

[0117] In step S208, the obtained multiple similarities are compared with preset similarities. If no similarity is greater than the preset similarity, it is determined that the temperature at the connector is normal and the connection at the connector is good, and step S209 is executed. If a similarity greater than the preset similarity exists, it is determined that the first temperature curve matches one of the preset temperature curves, and this preset temperature curve is the target temperature curve. Then, it is determined that the temperature at the connector is abnormal, and abnormal power consumption is determined, and step S210 is executed.

[0118] In step S209, if the current operating mode of the electric water heater is the first operating mode, then the target operating mode is determined to be the first operating module; if the current operating mode of the electric water heater is the second operating module, then the target operating mode is determined to be the second operating mode.

[0119] In step S210, if the current operating mode of the electric water heater is the first operating mode, then the target operating mode is determined to be the second operating module. If the current operating mode of the electric water heater is the second operating module, then the target operating mode is determined to be the power-off mode.

[0120] When the target operating mode of the electric water heater is determined to be the power-off mode, step S211 is executed. After sending the generated fault information to the server, the server can allocate a nearby repair station based on the geographical location information in the fault information and send the fault information to the repair station to facilitate repair personnel to arrive at the site as soon as possible. Furthermore, the server can push repair information to the terminal devices bound to the electric water heater to promptly notify users of repair information; the repair information may include the estimated repair time and the contact information of the repair personnel; of course, after-sales service personnel or repair personnel can also notify customers by telephone or other means. Users can choose to receive notifications via SMS or telephone on their terminal devices. The server can be a cabinet-type server or a cloud server.

[0121] Optionally, an integrated NTC resistor is installed at the connectors of both the live and neutral wires of the power cord. During normal operation of the electric water heater, if the difference between the current temperatures at the connectors of the neutral and live wires is within the allowable range, and the difference exceeds the allowable range, it is determined that there is a poor connection at the connector of either the neutral or live wire. At this time, a fault message can be generated and sent to the server based on this situation.

[0122] Optionally, when the current temperature at the connectors of both the live wire and the neutral wire shows an upward trend, the corresponding first temperature curves can be obtained separately to determine the current operating power of the electric water heater based on the first temperature curves, so as to help users understand the true power consumption of the electric water heater.

[0123] Optionally, the usage and scaling condition of the water heater heating element can be determined based on the first temperature curve at the connector and the second temperature curve at the inner tank, combined with various parameters during the initial use of the water heater. For example, the usage and scaling condition of the water heater heating element can be calculated by comparing the temperature change curves at the connector and the inner tank, combined with various parameters during the initial use of the water heater. For instance, even if the overall resistance of the heating element does not change significantly, scaling reduces its heating efficiency, and the time it takes for the temperature at the same connector to drop to the set temperature becomes longer. Therefore, the scaling condition, such as the scaling level, of the heating element can be determined based on the current heating time and the initial heating time.

[0124] The following example illustrates the workflow of the improved control method for electric water heaters in this embodiment.

[0125] After power-on, the electric water heater operates in the first operating mode, acquiring the current temperature T1 detected by the NTC at the connector. If T1 is greater than the first threshold T0, the water heater is controlled to enter the second operating mode with lower power; if T1 is less than or equal to the first threshold T0, the first temperature curve is acquired, and the slope d of the first temperature curve is determined. T / d t If d T / d t Greater than T n If d T / d t Less than or equal to T nIf the similarity between the first temperature curve and multiple preset temperature curves is obtained, and if the similarity determines that a target temperature curve exists among the multiple preset temperature curves, and the similarity between the target temperature curve and the first temperature curve is greater than or equal to the preset similarity, then the water heater is controlled to enter a second operating mode with lower operating power; if the similarity determines that a target temperature curve does not exist among the multiple preset temperature curves, then the water heater continues to operate in the first operating mode.

[0126] The electric water heater operates in the second operating mode, continuing to acquire the current temperature T1 detected by the NTC at the connector. If T1 is greater than the first threshold T0, the water heater is controlled to enter a power-off mode; if T1 is less than or equal to the first threshold T0, the first temperature curve is acquired, and the slope d of the first temperature curve is determined. T / d t If d T / d t Greater than T n If d, then the electric water heater will enter the power-off mode; T / d t Less than or equal to T n If the similarity between the first temperature curve and multiple preset temperature curves is obtained, and if the target temperature curve is found among the multiple preset temperature curves based on the similarity, and the similarity between the target temperature curve and the first temperature curve is greater than or equal to the preset similarity, then the electric water heater is controlled to enter the power-off mode; otherwise, the electric water heater continues to work in the second operating mode.

[0127] When the electric water heater enters the power-off mode, fault information is generated and sent to the cloud server based on the water heater's geographical location information and abnormal information. This allows the cloud server to determine the repair information and push it to the user's terminal device, thereby improving the user experience.

[0128] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a control device for an electric water heater according to an embodiment of this application. The control device 10 of this electric water heater can be installed within the water heater. Please refer to... Figure 6 The control device 10 of the electric water heater may include: a first acquisition module 11, a second acquisition module 12, and a processing module 13, wherein:

[0129] The first acquisition module 11 is used to acquire the current temperature of the connector of the electric water heater;

[0130] The second acquisition module 12 is used to acquire the current operating mode of the electric water heater. The current operating mode is either the first operating mode or the second operating mode, and the operating power of the first operating mode is greater than the operating power of the second operating mode.

[0131] The processing module 13 is used to determine the target operating mode of the electric water heater based on the current temperature and the current operating mode, and control the electric water heater to switch to the target operating mode, which is the first operating mode, the second operating mode, or the power-off mode.

[0132] In one possible implementation, the processing module 13 is specifically used for:

[0133] When the current temperature is less than or equal to the first threshold, the first temperature curve of the electric water heater in the historical period is obtained, and the target operating mode is determined based on the first temperature curve and the current operating mode.

[0134] When the current temperature is greater than the first threshold, the target operating mode is determined based on the current operating mode.

[0135] In one possible implementation, the processing module 13 is specifically used for:

[0136] Obtain the slope of the first temperature curve;

[0137] When the slope of the curve is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the target operating mode is determined based on the current operating mode;

[0138] When the slope of the curve is less than the second threshold, the target operating mode is determined based on the first temperature curve and multiple preset temperature curves.

[0139] In one possible implementation, the processing module 13 is specifically used for:

[0140] Obtain the similarity between the first temperature curve and multiple preset temperature curves;

[0141] Based on the similarity between the first temperature curve and multiple preset temperature curves, it is determined whether there is a target temperature curve among the multiple preset temperature curves. The similarity between the target temperature curve and the first temperature curve is greater than or equal to the preset similarity.

[0142] When a target temperature curve exists among multiple preset temperature curves, the target operating mode is determined based on the current operating mode.

[0143] If the target temperature curve is not found among multiple preset temperature curves, the target operating mode is determined to be the same as the current operating mode.

[0144] In one possible implementation, the processing module 13 is specifically used for:

[0145] When the current operating mode is the first operating mode, the target operating mode is determined to be the second operating mode;

[0146] When the current operating mode is the second operating mode, the target operating mode is determined to be the power failure mode.

[0147] In one possible implementation, a thermistor is integrated at the connector; the first acquisition module 11 is specifically used for:

[0148] Obtain the resistance value of the thermistor;

[0149] The current temperature is determined based on the resistance value of the thermistor.

[0150] In one possible implementation, the processing module 30 is further configured to:

[0151] Generate fault information and send it to the server;

[0152] The fault information includes: the geographical location information of the electric water heater and the abnormal information of the connector.

[0153] The control device for an electric water heater provided in this application embodiment can execute the technical solution shown in the above method embodiment. Its principle and beneficial effects are similar, and will not be described again here.

[0154] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the control device for an electric water heater provided in one embodiment of this application. Please refer to... Figure 7 The control device 20 of the electric water heater may include a processor 21 and a memory 22, wherein the processor 21 and the memory 22 can communicate; for example, the processor 21 and the memory 22 communicate through a communication bus 23, the memory 22 is used to store program instructions, and the processor 21 is used to call the program instructions in the memory to execute the control method of the electric water heater shown in any of the above method embodiments.

[0155] Optionally, the control device 20 of the electric water heater may also include a communication interface, which may include a transmitter and / or a receiver.

[0156] Optionally, the aforementioned processor can be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules within the processor.

[0157] This application embodiment provides an electric water heater, the electric water heater including as follows: Figure 7 The control device of the electric water heater shown.

[0158] This application provides a readable storage medium storing a computer program; the computer program is used to implement the control method of an electric water heater as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0159] This application provides a computer program product, which includes instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to perform the above-described control method for an electric water heater.

[0160] All or part of the steps in the above method embodiments can be implemented by hardware related to program instructions. The aforementioned program can be stored in a readable memory. When the program is executed, it performs the steps of the above method embodiments; and the aforementioned memory (storage medium) includes: read-only memory (ROM), RAM, flash memory, hard disk, solid-state drive, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical disk, and any combination thereof.

[0161] This application describes embodiments with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this application. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processing unit of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processing unit of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate instructions for implementing the flowchart illustrations. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0162] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0163] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable equipment to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable equipment for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0164] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the embodiments of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Therefore, if these modifications and variations to the embodiments of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include these modifications and variations.

[0165] In this application, the term "comprising" and its variations can refer to non-limiting inclusion; the term "or" and its variations can refer to "and / or". The terms "first", "second", etc., in this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. In this application, "multiple" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

Claims

1. A control method for an electric water heater, characterized in that, include: Get the current temperature of the electric water heater's connector; The current operating mode of the electric water heater is obtained, wherein the current operating mode is either a first operating mode or a second operating mode, and the operating power of the first operating mode is greater than the operating power of the second operating mode; Based on the current temperature and the current operating mode, the target operating mode of the electric water heater is determined, and the electric water heater is controlled to switch to the target operating mode, wherein the target operating mode is the first operating mode, the second operating mode, or the power-off mode; The step of determining the target operating mode of the electric water heater based on the current temperature and the current operating mode includes: If the current temperature is less than or equal to the first threshold, then the first temperature curve of the connector of the electric water heater in the historical period is obtained, and the slope of the first temperature curve is obtained. The slope of the curve is used to characterize whether the temperature at the connector is abnormal. If the slope of the curve is less than the second threshold, the similarity between the first temperature curve and multiple preset temperature curves is obtained, and it is determined whether there is a target temperature curve among the multiple preset temperature curves. The similarity between the target temperature curve and the first temperature curve is greater than or equal to the preset similarity. If yes, the target operating mode is determined according to the current operating mode. If no, the target operating mode is determined to be the same as the current operating mode. The multiple preset temperature curves are temperature curves under multiple abnormal operating conditions that have been acquired and stored in advance. If the slope of the curve is greater than or equal to the second threshold, then the target operating mode is determined based on the current operating mode; If the current temperature is greater than the first threshold, then the target operating mode is determined based on the current operating mode; Wherein, the target operating mode in determining the target operating mode based on the current operating mode is either an operating power less than the current operating mode or a power outage mode.

2. The control method for an electric water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, Determining the target operating mode based on the current operating mode includes: If the current operating mode is the first operating mode, then the target operating mode is determined to be the second operating mode; If the current operating mode is the second operating mode, then the target operating mode is determined to be the power outage mode.

3. The control method for an electric water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connector integrates a thermistor; obtaining the current temperature of the electric water heater's connector includes: Obtain the resistance value of the thermistor; The current temperature is determined based on the resistance value of the thermistor.

4. The control method for an electric water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, If the target operating mode of the electric water heater is determined to be the power-off mode, the control method further includes: Generate fault information and send the fault information to the server; The fault information includes: the geographical location information of the electric water heater and the abnormal information of the connector.

5. A control device for an electric water heater, characterized in that, include: The first acquisition module is used to acquire the current temperature of the connector of the electric water heater; The second acquisition module is used to acquire the current operating mode of the electric water heater, wherein the current operating mode is either a first operating mode or a second operating mode, and the operating power of the first operating mode is greater than the operating power of the second operating mode; The processing module is used to determine the target operating mode of the electric water heater based on the current temperature and the current operating mode, and control the electric water heater to switch to the target operating mode, wherein the target operating mode is the first operating mode, the second operating mode, or the power-off mode; The processing module is specifically used for: If the current temperature is less than or equal to the first threshold, then the first temperature curve of the electric water heater in the historical period is obtained, and the slope of the first temperature curve is obtained. The slope of the curve is used to characterize whether the temperature at the connector is abnormal. If the slope of the curve is less than the second threshold, the similarity between the first temperature curve and multiple preset temperature curves is obtained, and it is determined whether there is a target temperature curve among the multiple preset temperature curves. The similarity between the target temperature curve and the first temperature curve is greater than or equal to the preset similarity. If yes, then the target operating mode is determined based on the current operating mode; otherwise, the target operating mode is determined to be the same as the current operating mode; the multiple preset temperature curves are multiple temperature curves under abnormal operating conditions that have been acquired and stored in advance. If the slope of the curve is greater than or equal to the second threshold, then the target operating mode is determined based on the current operating mode; If the current temperature is greater than the first threshold, then the target operating mode is determined based on the current operating mode; Wherein, the target operating mode in determining the target operating mode based on the current operating mode is either an operating power less than the current operating mode or a power outage mode.

6. A control device for an electric water heater, characterized in that, include: Processor and memory; The memory is used to store computer programs; The processor is used to execute the computer program stored in the memory to implement the control method for the electric water heater as described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the control method for the electric water heater as described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

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