Water heater and its display control device

Abstract

The present application relates to a water heater, which includes a housing, a display control component, and a main control component of the water heater. A groove is provided on the housing, the main control component of the water heater is arranged inside the housing, and the display control component is detachably arranged in the groove. The display control component responds to user operations and wirelessly transmits the control instructions corresponding to the user operations to the main control component of the water heater. In the whole water heater, on the one hand, since the display control component is detachably arranged in the groove of the housing, users can remove the display control component and carry it with them to the required position when needed; on the other hand, since the display control component is wirelessly connected to the main control component of the water heater, the display control component can respond to user operations and send the control instructions corresponding to the user operations to the main control component of the water heater. In this way, when users need to perform control operations, they do not need to walk in front of the water heater, and only need to control the water heater through the display control component carried with them, which brings convenience to users.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of water heaters, and particularly to a water heater and its display control device. Background Art

[0002] Water heaters have entered thousands of households and become the first choice for people to use domestic hot water.

[0003] However, during use, there are still many inconveniences with water heaters. Water heaters are often installed in the kitchen and balcony, but the usage location is generally in the bathroom, which causes various inconveniences in temperature adjustment. Moreover, when setting the usage mode separately, it is also necessary to walk in front of the water heater to make adjustments and changes.

[0004] It can be seen that there is an urgent need to provide a brand-new water heater control device that allows users to make adjustments without having to walk in front of the water heater, so as to bring convenience to users. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Based on this, in view of the technical problem of inconvenient user operation of traditional gas water heaters, it is necessary to provide a water heater that is convenient for users to operate.

[0006] This application provides a water heater, which is characterized in that it includes a housing, a display control component, and a main control component of the water heater. A groove is provided on the housing, the main control component of the water heater is arranged inside the housing, and the display control component is detachably arranged in the groove.

[0007] The display control component responds to user operations and wirelessly transmits control instructions corresponding to the user operations to the main control component of the water heater.

[0008] In one embodiment, the display control component is arranged in the groove of the housing by a magnetic attraction method.

[0009] In one embodiment, the above water heater further includes a magnet, the magnet is arranged in the groove of the housing, and the display control component includes a housing made of iron.

[0010] In one embodiment, the above water heater further includes a magnet, the magnet is arranged on the housing of the display control component, and the groove of the housing is a groove made of iron.

[0011] In one embodiment, the number of magnets is multiple.

[0012] In one embodiment, the above water heater further includes a bottom shell magnet and a face shell magnet. The bottom shell magnet is arranged on the display control component, the face shell magnet is arranged in the groove of the housing, and the bottom shell magnet and the face shell magnet are arranged in corresponding positions and attract each other.

[0013] In one embodiment, a first wireless module is built in the display control component, a second wireless module is built in the main control component of the water heater, and the first wireless module is wirelessly connected to the second wireless module.

[0014] In one embodiment, the display control component includes a display controller lower cavity with an opening on one side, a display controller main board, and a display controller upper cover provided with a touch display unit. The display controller main board is built in the display controller lower cavity, the display controller upper cover is covered on the opening side of the display controller lower cavity, and the touch display unit is connected to the display controller main board.

[0015] In one embodiment, the above water heater further includes a wireless charging component, and the wireless charging component is used to wirelessly charge the display control component.

[0016] In one embodiment, when the main control component of the water heater receives a control instruction sent by the display control component, it identifies whether the control instruction is a preset type instruction. If it is a preset type instruction, it identifies whether the water heater is in the zero cold water mode. If it is not in the zero cold water mode, it does not respond to the control instruction; if it is in the zero cold water mode, it responds to the control instruction. Among them, the preset type instructions include a water temperature adjustment instruction, a water pump opening and closing instruction, and a power on / off instruction.

[0017] In one embodiment, when the control instruction is not a preset type instruction, the main control component of the water heater also responds to the control instruction.

[0018] In one embodiment, when the main control component of the water heater receives a control instruction sent by the display control component, it also identifies whether the display control component sending the control instruction is the main control display control component. If so, it responds to the control instruction. If not, it performs the operation of identifying whether the control instruction is a preset type instruction.

[0019] The above water heater includes a housing, a display control component, and a main control component of the water heater. A groove is provided on the housing. The main control component of the water heater is arranged inside the housing. The display control component is detachably arranged in the groove. The display control component responds to user operations and wirelessly transmits control instructions corresponding to the user operations to the main control component of the water heater. In the whole water heater, on the one hand, since the display control component is detachably arranged in the groove of the housing, users can remove the display control component and carry it with them to the required position when needed. On the other hand, since the display control component is wirelessly connected to the main control component of the water heater, the display control component can respond to user operations and send control instructions corresponding to the user operations to the main control component of the water heater. In this way, when users need to perform control operations, they do not need to walk in front of the water heater and only need to control the water heater through the display control component carried with them, which brings convenience to users. Description of the Drawings

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a water heater in an embodiment;

[0021] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the position where a magnet is arranged in an embodiment;

[0022] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of a water heater in another embodiment;

[0023] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of a water heater in yet another embodiment. Detailed Description of the Embodiment

[0024] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not used to limit the present application.

[0025] As Figure 1 shown, the present application provides a water heater, including a housing 100, a display control component 200, and a main control component 300 of the water heater. A groove is provided on the housing 100. The main control component 300 of the water heater is arranged inside the housing 100. The display control component 200 is detachably arranged in the groove. The display control component 200 responds to user operations and wirelessly transmits control instructions corresponding to the user operations to the main control component 300 of the water heater.

[0026] The housing 100 refers to the outer shell of the water heater, which can be an outer shell made of a variety of different materials, such as a metal outer shell, a synthetic material outer shell, etc. The housing 100 is specifically used to protect the internal components therein, preventing the internal components of the water heater from being damaged by external extrusion or impact. Additionally, the housing 100 can also be used to fix the internal components of the water heater in appropriate positions to ensure the normal operation of the water heater. A groove is provided on the housing 100, and the size of this groove matches that of the display control component 200, that is, the size of this groove is not less than the size of the display control component 200, so that the display control component 200 can be placed (embedded) in this groove.

[0027] The display control component 200 is used to respond to user operations, generate control instructions corresponding to the user operations, and wirelessly transmit the control instructions to the main control component 300 of the water heater. Specifically, the display control component 200 can respond to user operations based on a touch control method, that is, the user touches the touch area in the display control component 200 to perform control; the display control component 200 can also respond to user operations based on a button control method, that is, the user presses the button on the display control component 200 to perform control, and the display control component 200 generates corresponding control instructions based on the button pressed by the user; the display control component 200 can also be based on a voice control method to respond to user operations, that is, the user emits a voice, and the display control component 200 responds to the voice emitted by the user to generate corresponding control instructions. The display control component 200 is wirelessly connected to the main control component 300 of the water heater, and the display control component 200 can send the generated control instructions to the main control component 300 of the water heater. The display control component 200 is detachably arranged in the groove of the housing 100. When the user needs to carry the display control component 200 with them, they can take out the display control component 200 from the groove of the housing 100 and carry it to the required room or location, such as carrying it to the bathroom; when the user does not need to carry the display control component 200 with them, they can place the display control component 200 in the groove for the next use or directly operate in front of the water heater. This detachable connection can be achieved in a variety of ways, such as snap, lock, adhesion, magnetic attraction, etc. Preferably, the display control component 200 can be detachably arranged in the groove of the housing 100 by means of magnetic attraction.

[0028] The main control component 300 of the water heater refers to the core control component of the water heater, which specifically controls the normal operation of the water heater, specifically controlling the regulation of the water inlet / outlet volume, the outlet water temperature, the heating power (for electric water heaters) / combustion power (for gas water heaters), the working mode, the heating gear, etc. The main control component 300 of the water heater receives the control instructions sent wirelessly by the display control component 200 and adjusts the operating parameters of the water heater based on this control instruction to meet the user's needs.

[0029] The above water heater includes a housing 100, a display control component 200, and a main control component 300 of the water heater. A groove is provided on the housing 100. The main control component 300 of the water heater is disposed within the housing 100, and the display control component 200 is detachably disposed within the groove. The display control component 200 responds to user operations and wirelessly transmits control instructions corresponding to the user operations to the main control component 300 of the water heater. In the entire water heater, on the one hand, since the display control component 200 is detachably disposed within the groove of the housing 100, users can remove the display control component 200 and carry it to the required position when needed. On the other hand, since the display control component 200 is wirelessly connected to the main control component 300 of the water heater, the display control component 200 can respond to user operations and send control instructions corresponding to the user operations to the main control component 300 of the water heater. In this way, when users need to perform control operations, they do not need to walk in front of the water heater and only need to control the water heater through the display control component 200 carried with them, which brings convenience to users.

[0030] In one embodiment, the display control component 200 is disposed within the groove of the housing 100 by a magnetic attraction method.

[0031] Since the magnetic attraction method will not have wear or fatigue even after multiple disassembly operations and will not cause loosening of the assembly, here, the display control component 200 is disposed within the groove of the housing 100 by the magnetic attraction method. In this way, it can be ensured that even after multiple uses, the display control component 200 can still be stably and conveniently detachably disposed within the groove, bringing convenience to users.

[0032] Furthermore, the magnetic attraction method can specifically be achieved by setting magnets. The magnets can be disposed within the groove of the housing 100, and the display control component 200 includes a housing made of iron. In this way, when the display control device is placed within the groove, the magnets within the groove attract the housing of the display control component 200, thereby realizing the detachable setting of the display control component 200 within the groove. In practical applications, specifically, the housing of the display control component 200 on the side in contact with the groove is made of metallic iron, and the housings of other sides can be made of non-metallic iron, such as resin materials. Here, by setting magnets within the groove and the display control component 200 including a housing made of iron, effective magnetic attraction can be achieved. Correspondingly, the magnets can also be disposed on the display control component 200, and the groove is a groove made of iron, to realize the detachable connection between the display control component 200 and the groove.

[0033] In one embodiment, the above water heater further includes a bottom shell magnet and a face shell magnet. The bottom shell magnet is disposed on the display control component 200, and the face shell magnet is disposed within the groove of the housing 100. The bottom shell magnet and the face shell magnet are disposed at corresponding positions and attract each other.

[0034] In this embodiment, both the display control component 200 and the groove are provided with magnets, wherein the bottom shell magnet is provided on the display control component 200, and is specifically provided on the side of the display control component 200 close to the groove, and the surface shell magnet is provided on the groove. The surface shell magnet and the bottom shell magnet are provided at corresponding positions and are mutually attracted, so that when the display control component 200 is placed in the groove, the bottom shell magnet and the surface shell magnet are firmly attracted, and the detachable connection between the display control component 200 and the groove is stably realized. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the number of magnets can be multiple, specifically, such as Figure 2 As shown, two magnets can be set, with the first magnet set at the upper end of the groove and the second magnet set at the lower end of the groove. The two magnets can specifically be long strip magnets, which can avoid occupying too much space and leave a larger space in the middle of the groove for the safety of other components.

[0035] In one embodiment, the display control component 200 has a built-in first wireless module, the water heater main control component 300 has a built-in second wireless module, and the first wireless module is wirelessly connected to the second wireless module.

[0036] In this embodiment, the display control component 200 and the water heater main control component 300 are both provided with wireless modules, so that the display control component 200 and the water heater main control component 300 can achieve stable wireless communication. Further, the wireless module can be specifically a wifi module, a bluetooth module, a radio frequency module, etc. Further, the wireless module may not be integrated into the water heater main control component 300, and it may be provided as a separate component in the housing 100, which is connected to the water heater main control component 300, and its specific function is similar to that of the first wireless module, which will not be repeated here.

[0037] like Figure 3 As shown, in one embodiment, the display control component 200 includes a display controller lower cavity 220 with an opening on one side, a display controller mainboard 240, and a display controller upper cover 260 provided with a touch display unit. The display controller mainboard 240 is built into the display controller lower cavity 220, the display controller upper cover 260 is covered on one side of the opening of the display controller lower cavity 220, and the touch display unit is connected to the display controller mainboard 240.

[0038] The display control component 200 includes a display controller lower cavity 220, a display controller main board 240, and a display controller upper cover 260. The display controller lower cavity is a cavity with an opening on one side. The display controller upper cover 260 is covered at the opening. In this way, the display controller lower cavity 220 and the display controller upper cover 260 form a closed inner cavity, and the display controller main board 240 is arranged in this inner cavity. When needed, the display controller upper cover 260 can be directly opened to realize the maintenance of the display controller main board 240, bringing convenience to users. The touch display unit is a unit for realizing the touch display function. Specifically, the touch display unit can respond to the user's touch display operation, generate a touch display signal, and send the touch display signal to the display controller main board 240, and then the display controller main board 240 generates a control instruction. In this embodiment, the display controller upper cover 260 is provided with a touch display unit which can accurately respond to the user's operation and can display and feedback some necessary information to the user. For example, it can display information such as the current temperature of the water heater, the mode (energy-saving mode, standard mode, zero cold water mode, etc.), bringing convenience to users.

[0039] As Figure 4 shown, in one of the embodiments, the above water heater further includes a wireless charging component 400 for wirelessly charging the display control component 200.

[0040] The wireless charging component 400 is used to wirelessly charge the display control component 200, and the wireless charging component 400 can be arranged in the groove of the housing 100. Here, the wireless charging method can, on the one hand, facilitate the removal of the display control component 200, and on the other hand, ensure that the display control component 200 can be normally charged when it needs to be charged, thus optimizing the structure of the entire water heater and bringing convenience to users.

[0041] In one of the embodiments, when the water heater main control component 300 receives the control instruction sent by the display control component 200, it identifies whether the control instruction is a preset type instruction. If it is a preset type instruction, it identifies whether the water heater is in the zero cold water mode. If it is not in the zero cold water mode, it does not respond to the control instruction; if it is in the zero cold water mode, it responds to the control instruction, where the preset type instructions include water temperature adjustment instructions, water pump opening and closing instructions, and power on and off instructions.

[0042] The preset type instructions specifically include water temperature adjustment instructions, water pump opening / closing instructions, and power on / off instructions. Among them, the water temperature adjustment instruction refers to the instruction to increase or decrease the water outlet temperature of the water heater; the water pump opening / closing instruction refers to the instruction to start or stop the water pump of the water heater; the power on / off instruction refers to the instruction to control whether to power on and start the water heater. The zero cold water mode refers to the mode in which the water heater has no cold water output. Specifically, it means a mode of circulating hot water by pumping the water in the hot water pipe into the cold water pipe and then putting it into the water heater for heating, and then when it circulates out again, it returns to the hot water pipe. In the zero cold water mode, there is no cold water in the water outlet of the water heater, which can avoid cold water from irritating the user and bring a comfortable experience to the user.

[0043] Here, when the main control component 300 of the water heater receives a control instruction, it will further identify whether the control instruction is a preset type instruction. If it is not a preset type instruction, it will directly respond to the control instruction; if it is in the zero cold water mode, it will respond to the control instruction; if it is a preset type instruction, it will further identify whether the water heater is in the zero cold water mode; if the water heater is not in the zero cold water mode, it will not respond to the control instruction. At this time, the water heater stores the control instruction temporarily, and when it detects that the water flow in the water heater is closed, it will execute the user's instruction. Taking the example that the user needs to adjust the water temperature, the user operates using the display control component 200. The display control component 200 responds to the user operation, generates a water temperature +2°C instruction, and sends the water temperature +2°C instruction to the main control component 300 of the water heater. The main control component 300 of the water heater identifies whether the water temperature +2°C instruction is a preset type instruction. At this time, it is determined to be a preset type instruction, and further determines whether the water heater is in the zero cold water mode. If it is not in the zero cold water mode, it will not respond to the water temperature +2°C instruction; if it is in the zero cold water mode, it will respond to the water temperature +2°C instruction.

[0044] In one embodiment, the main control component 300 of the water heater is further configured to, when receiving a control instruction sent by the display control component 200, identify whether the display control component 200 sending the control instruction is the main control display control component 200. If so, it will respond to the control instruction; if not, it will perform the operation of identifying whether the control instruction is a preset type instruction.

[0045] The main display control component refers to the core display control component 200. Specifically, when multiple display control components 200 are paired and connected with multiple water heater main control components 300, one of the display control components 200 can be set as the main display control component, which has the highest management authority. The control instructions sent by the main display control component will be directly responded to by the water heater main control component 300 without further judging whether they are preset type instructions. The main display control component can be specifically set by the user. After the user completes the setting, when the main display control component sends a control instruction, it will carry the main display control component identifier. In this way, when the water heater main control component 300 receives this control instruction, it will recognize that the display control component 200 sending the control instruction is the main display control component, and the water heater main control component 300 will immediately respond to this control instruction.

[0046] To illustrate the technical solution and working process of the water heater in this application in detail, the following will take a gas water heater as an example to illustrate the entire solution in detail. In a specific example, the display control component is a display controller, and the water heater main control component is a water heater main board.

[0047] This application provides a gas water heater that is convenient to operate. This gas water heater has a display controller that can be independently installed and disassembled, and the display controller is installed on the front shell of the gas water heater. Except for this display controller, there are no other interfaces for external interaction on the gas water heater body. The display controller can be removed from the gas water heater. The front shell of the gas water heater has a groove for placing the display controller, and the groove can be matched and positioned with the outer shape of the display controller. There are several magnets installed on the bottom shell of the display controller. When the display controller is installed in the groove of the gas water heater front shell, there are also several magnets at the position corresponding to the magnets of the display controller under this front shell. The magnets on the two components can attract each other to fix the display controller in the groove. The display controller and the gas water heater are built-in with wifi modules, and the two can be directly wirelessly connected through the wifi module, or can be connected through a device such as a router for relay. The connection method between the two is not limited to wifi connection, and can also be other wireless connection methods such as Bluetooth and radio frequency. The wifi module of the display controller is connected to the control main board of the display controller, which supplies power to it, and the two also interact with control signals. The wifi module built into the gas water heater is connected to the main board inside the gas water heater, which is powered by the gas water heater main board and also interacts with control signals. Both wifi modules can be installed on the corresponding main boards, or can be connected by cables and installed in other parts.

[0048] There is a transparent display area on the front shell of the display controller. Below this display area, a display screen is installed, and the display screen is directly or indirectly connected to the main board. The display screen is a capacitive touch screen, and users can perform touch operations on the screen. Then, the main board of the display controller transmits the user instructions to the Wi-Fi module. The Wi-Fi module emits a signal, and the signal is forwarded by the router or directly received by the Wi-Fi control board on the gas water heater, and then the signal is transmitted to the main board of the gas water heater for corresponding operations. Users can choose different display controllers to match the purchased gas water heater, realizing the function of customizable display. Moreover, users can purchase multiple display controllers and place them in different areas to achieve the co-control of the water heater.

[0049] When user A issues an instruction to the gas water heater using the controller, the gas water heater receives the instruction and starts to judge whether to perform corresponding actions. If the instruction does not involve changes in water temperature, turning on the water pump, or power on / off, it will immediately respond and perform corresponding actions. When user A operates the water heater and issues an instruction related to the above three functions, it first judges whether the water heater is in the heating and water supply state. If it is in the heating and water supply state, it further judges whether it is in the zero-cold water mode. If it is not in the zero-cold water mode, it will not respond to any instructions from other users. At this time, the gas water heater temporarily stores the user instructions. After the water flow is closed and the gas water heater stops burning, it starts to execute the instructions of user A. When user B enables the zero-cold water circulation mode, although the whole machine is in the water supply, heating, and water pump running state, it can still execute the instructions of other users and perform corresponding actions. At the same time, users can set one of all the display controllers as the main display controller. The main display controller has absolute management authority and the highest instruction priority, and can issue control instructions regardless of the operating state of the gas water heater to be responded by the main board of the water heater.

[0050] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brevity of description, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as the combinations of these technical features do not conflict, they should be considered as within the scope described in this specification.

[0051] The above-described embodiments merely represent several implementation manners of the present application. The description is relatively specific and detailed, but it should not be construed as a limitation on the patent scope of the present application. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present application, several modifications and improvements can still be made, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A water heater, characterized in that, It includes a housing, a display control component, and a main control component of the water heater. A groove is provided on the housing. The main control component of the water heater is arranged inside the housing, and the display control component is detachably arranged in the groove. The display control component responds to user operations and wirelessly transmits control instructions corresponding to the user operations to the main control component of the water heater. When receiving the control instructions sent by the display control component, the main control component of the water heater is configured to identify whether the control instructions are preset type instructions. If they are preset type instructions, it is further configured to identify whether the water heater is in the zero - cold - water mode. If it is not in the zero - cold - water mode, it does not respond to the control instructions. If it is in the zero - cold - water mode, it responds to the control instructions. Among them, the preset type instructions include water temperature adjustment instructions, water pump opening and closing instructions, and power - on and power - off instructions.

2. The water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The display control component is arranged in the groove of the housing by a magnetic attraction method.

3. The water heater according to claim 1, wherein It further includes a magnet. The magnet is arranged in the groove of the housing, and the display control component includes a housing made of iron.

4. The water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes a magnet. The magnet is arranged on the housing of the display control component, and the groove of the housing is a groove made of iron.

5. The water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes a bottom - shell magnet and a face - shell magnet. The bottom - shell magnet is arranged on the display control component, and the face - shell magnet is arranged in the groove of the housing. The bottom - shell magnet and the face - shell magnet are arranged in corresponding positions and attract each other.

6. The water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The display control component includes a display controller lower cavity with an opening on one side, a display controller main board, and a display controller upper cover provided with a touch display unit. The display controller main board is built into the display controller lower cavity, the display controller upper cover covers the opening side of the display controller lower cavity, and the touch display unit is connected to the display controller main board.

7. The water heater according to claim 6, characterized in that, It further includes a wireless charging component, which is used to wirelessly charge the display control component.

8. The water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the control instructions are not preset type instructions, the main control component of the water heater is further configured to respond to the control instructions.

9. The water heater according to claim 1 or 8, characterized in that, When receiving the control instructions sent by the display control component, the main control component of the water heater is further configured to identify whether the display control component sending the control instructions is the main - control display control component. If so, it responds to the control instructions; if not, it performs the operation of identifying whether the control instructions are preset type instructions.

10. The water heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing includes a metal shell.

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