Water drinking apparatus, control method thereof, and computer-readable storage medium

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a water drinking device and a control method thereof, a computer readable storage medium, the water drinking device comprising a container body, a drinking pump, a heat exchanger, a liquid supply port, a cooling tank and a cooling pump connected in sequence, the control method of the water drinking device comprising: in response to a liquid supply instruction comprising a target temperature, controlling the cooling pump and the drinking pump to run at an algorithm-determined output flow; obtaining a liquid supply temperature at the liquid supply port; controlling the running of the drinking pump and the cooling pump according to the liquid supply temperature and the target temperature; wherein, in the case that the liquid supply temperature is greater than the sum of the target temperature and a first error amount, and the output flow and the duty cycle of the cooling pump both reach the maximum, one of the output flow and the duty cycle of the drinking pump is controlled to decrease, and in the case that the output flow and the duty cycle of the drinking pump both reach the minimum, the other of the output flow and the duty cycle of the drinking pump is controlled to decrease; repeating the second step and the third step until a termination condition is met, and then turning off the drinking pump and the cooling pump. The present disclosure can improve the heat exchange effect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of cooking technology, and in particular to a drinking water device and its control method, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] To meet the drinking habits of Chinese people and provide warm water, some technologies exist that can heat water to boiling, and then use a low-temperature liquid to exchange heat with the boiling water in a heat exchanger to quickly cool the boiling water to a specific temperature and output it.

[0003] However, existing warm water dispensers, when set to a low outlet water temperature, require the cryogenic liquid to absorb a large amount of heat from the boiling water in the heat exchanger. This causes air bubbles to form on the walls of the heat exchange pipes near the cryogenic liquid, reducing heat exchange efficiency. Often, even adjusting the cryogenic liquid output flow rate to maximum and the boiling water supply output flow rate to minimum cannot solve this problem, resulting in poor heat exchange, higher outlet water temperatures, and an unreliable supply of chilled drinking water. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure provides a drinking water device and its control method, as well as a computer-readable storage medium, to at least solve the problem of how to reliably supply low-temperature drinking water from a warm water dispenser in the related art, or it may not solve any of the above-mentioned problems.

[0005] According to a first aspect of this disclosure, a control method for a drinking water device is provided. The drinking water device includes a container, a drinking pump, a heat exchanger, a liquid supply port, a cooling tank, and a cooling pump. The heat exchanger includes a drinking channel and a cooling channel that are not connected to each other but can exchange heat. The container, the drinking channel, and the liquid supply port are connected in sequence. The drinking pump is used to transport drinking liquid from the container to the drinking channel and out from the liquid supply port. The cooling tank is circulatedly connected to the cooling channel. The cooling pump is used to transport cooling liquid from the cooling tank to the cooling channel and back from the cooling channel to the cooling tank. The control method for the drinking water equipment includes: responding to a liquid supply command including a target temperature, determining the output flow rates of a cooling pump and a drinking pump based on the target temperature, the drinking liquid temperature output from the container, and the cooling liquid temperature output from the cooling tank, and controlling the cooling pump and drinking pump to operate at the determined output flow rates; acquiring the liquid supply temperature at the liquid supply port; controlling the operation of the drinking pump and the cooling pump based on the liquid supply temperature and the target temperature; wherein, when the liquid supply temperature is greater than the sum of the target temperature and a first error, and the output flow rate and duty cycle of the cooling pump both reach their maximum, controlling one of the output flow rate and duty cycle of the drinking pump to decrease, and when one of the output flow rate and duty cycle of the drinking pump reaches its minimum, controlling the other of the output flow rate and duty cycle of the drinking pump to decrease; repeating the steps of acquiring the liquid supply temperature at the liquid supply port and controlling the operation of the drinking pump and the cooling pump based on the liquid supply temperature and the target temperature until a termination condition is met, and then shutting down the drinking pump and the cooling pump.

[0006] According to the control method of the drinking water equipment provided in the embodiments of this disclosure, by repeatedly acquiring the actual liquid supply temperature at the liquid supply port before stopping the machine when the termination condition is met, and comparing it with the target temperature, it is possible to understand whether the heat exchange is proceeding smoothly. In turn, the operation of the drinking pump and the cooling pump can be adjusted in a timely and reasonable manner as needed, which helps to ensure that the actual liquid supply temperature meets the requirements of the target temperature and improve the quality of liquid supply.

[0007] Specifically, when the supply liquid temperature is too high, the main factor causing insufficient heat exchange efficiency is that the cooling liquid at the outer wall of the drinking channel absorbs a large amount of heat and vaporizes, generating adhering bubbles. Since the specific heat capacity of gas is lower than that of liquid, this increases thermal resistance and reduces heat exchange efficiency. Therefore, prioritizing increasing the duty cycle and output flow rate of the cooling pump can directly increase the water pressure of the cooling liquid to flush away the adhering bubbles, helping to reduce thermal resistance and improve heat exchange efficiency. On the other hand, insufficient heat exchange efficiency may also be due to the removal rate of adhering bubbles not keeping up with the generation rate, resulting in a large number of adhering bubbles always present, affecting heat exchange efficiency. Based on this, when the duty cycle and output flow rate of the cooling pump are at their maximum, if the supply liquid temperature is still too high, reducing the output flow rate and duty cycle of the drinking pump can reduce the amount of high-temperature drinking liquid participating in heat exchange in the drinking channel, thereby reducing the heat load, decreasing the generation rate of adhering bubbles, or even stopping the generation of adhering bubbles altogether. This gradually reduces the number of adhering bubbles, helping to lower thermal resistance and improve heat exchange efficiency.

[0008] Furthermore, when adjusting the drinking pump to reduce the amount of high-temperature drinking liquid participating in heat exchange, this specifically involves reducing either the output flow rate or the duty cycle. Reducing the output flow rate can be achieved by decreasing the voltage or power of the drinking pump, while reducing the duty cycle involves decreasing the energization time of the drinking pump within a pulse cycle, thus achieving separate adjustments to the output flow rate and duty cycle. The output flow rate emphasizes the transient flow rate, while adjusting the duty cycle changes the average flow rate within a pulse cycle. Therefore, although both can jointly change the average flow rate, the methods of change differ. In related technologies, the voltage or power of variable frequency pumps is typically adjusted directly to adjust the transient output flow rate. For fixed frequency pumps where the voltage or power cannot be adjusted, the average flow rate is adjusted by adjusting the duty cycle. This application, by adjusting the duty cycle in addition to adjusting the output flow rate, breaks with conventional thinking in the field, significantly increasing the adjustment range of the average flow rate, and contributing to further improvement in heat exchange efficiency. Meanwhile, by continuously reducing either the output flow rate or the duty cycle first, and then reducing the other one when it reaches its minimum, the control strategy can be simplified, the continuity of adjustment can be ensured, and the instability caused by switching between different parameters can be reduced.

[0009] In some embodiments, optionally, when the supply temperature is less than the difference between the target temperature and the second error amount, and the output flow rate and duty cycle of the drinking pump are both at their maximum, one of the output flow rate and duty cycle of the cooling pump is controlled to decrease, and when one of the output flow rate and duty cycle of the cooling pump is at its minimum, the other of the output flow rate and duty cycle of the cooling pump is controlled to decrease.

[0010] In these embodiments, when the supply liquid temperature is low, considering that it may be due to insufficient heat load or excessive cooling liquid pressure, a control strategy opposite to that used when the supply liquid temperature is high can be adopted to alleviate the problem and thus increase the supply liquid temperature. Specifically, by prioritizing increasing the duty cycle and output flow rate of the drinking pump, the heat load can be appropriately increased, which can both increase the supply liquid temperature and improve the supply speed, saving users' liquid dispensing time. If the drinking pump is already at its maximum duty cycle and maximum output flow rate, the output flow rate and duty cycle of the cooling pump can be appropriately reduced, thereby weakening heat exchange and achieving the same effect of increasing the supply liquid temperature. At the same time, similar to the adjustment of the drinking pump when the supply liquid temperature is high, the output flow rate and duty cycle are also adjusted separately. This breaks the conventional thinking in the field and fully increases the adjustment range of the average flow rate, which helps to further improve heat exchange efficiency. Furthermore, by continuously reducing one of the output flow rate and duty cycle until it reaches its minimum, and then reducing the other one, the control strategy can be simplified, the continuity of adjustment can be ensured, and the instability caused by switching between different parameters can be reduced.

[0011] In some embodiments, optionally, when the supply liquid temperature is greater than the sum of the target temperature and the first error, control is performed in one of the following ways in order of priority from high to low: increasing the duty cycle of the cooling pump, increasing the output flow rate of the cooling pump, decreasing the output flow rate of the drinking water pump, and decreasing the duty cycle of the drinking water pump.

[0012] In these embodiments, when the supply liquid temperature is too high, the approach prioritizes increasing the amount of cooling liquid participating in heat exchange and secondarily reduces the amount of high-temperature drinking liquid participating in heat exchange. Specifically, for the cooling pump, prioritizing an increased duty cycle over an increased output flow rate ensures a continuous supply of cooling liquid, continuously flushing away air bubbles adhering to the pump walls. This helps remove these bubbles and significantly reduces the frequent power-on / off operations caused by a low duty cycle, thus extending the pump's lifespan. For the drinking pump, prioritizing a decreased output flow rate ensures a continuous and stable supply of drinking liquid and significantly reduces the frequent power-on / off operations caused by a low duty cycle, further extending the pump's lifespan. Finally, when the output flow rate reaches its minimum, reducing the duty cycle effectively lowers the heat load, improves heat exchange efficiency, reduces the supply liquid temperature, and fully guarantees the quality of the supplied liquid.

[0013] In some embodiments, optionally, when the liquid supply temperature is less than the difference between the target temperature and the second error amount, control is performed in one of the following ways in order of priority from high to low: increasing the duty cycle of the drinking pump, increasing the output flow rate of the drinking pump, decreasing the output flow rate of the cooling pump, and decreasing the duty cycle of the cooling pump.

[0014] In these embodiments, when the supply liquid temperature is low, the approach prioritizes increasing the amount of high-temperature drinking liquid participating in heat exchange and secondarily reduces the amount of cooling liquid participating in heat exchange. Specifically, for the drinking pump, prioritizing an increase in the duty cycle over the output flow rate ensures a continuous and stable supply of drinking liquid and significantly reduces frequent power-on / off operations caused by low duty cycles, thus extending the pump's lifespan. For the cooling pump, prioritizing a decrease in the output flow rate can be achieved by directly adjusting the pump's voltage, keeping it energized. This simplifies control and further reduces frequent power-on / off operations caused by low duty cycles, also contributing to a longer lifespan.

[0015] In some embodiments, optionally, the initial duty cycle of both the cooling pump and the drinking pump is 1; and / or the minimum duty cycle of the cooling pump is greater than or equal to 10%; and / or the minimum duty cycle of the drinking pump is greater than or equal to 10%.

[0016] In these embodiments, by setting the initial duty cycle of both pumps to the maximum value of 1, the cooling pump and drinking pump can be kept powered on by default after startup, greatly simplifying control and extending service life. By configuring a minimum duty cycle for the cooling pump and / or drinking pump, it is possible to prevent the cooling pump and / or drinking pump from shutting down when the duty cycle decreases to 0, and to reduce the excessively frequent power-on and power-off operations caused by an excessively low duty cycle, which helps to extend the service life of the cooling pump and drinking pump.

[0017] Optionally, in response to a liquid supply command including a target temperature, determining the output flow rates of the cooling pump and the drinking pump based on the target temperature, the drinking liquid temperature output from the container, and the cooling liquid temperature output from the cooling tank, and controlling the cooling pump and the drinking pump to operate at the determined output flow rates, includes: in response to a liquid supply command including a target temperature, controlling the cooling pump to operate at its maximum output flow rate when the target temperature is lower than a preset temperature; determining the output flow rate of the drinking pump based on the target temperature, the drinking liquid temperature output from the container, and the cooling liquid temperature output from the cooling tank, and controlling the drinking pump to operate at the determined output flow rate.

[0018] In these embodiments, when the target temperature is lower than the preset temperature, meaning a relatively low-temperature liquid needs to be supplied, the cooling pump can be operated at its maximum output flow rate to significantly increase the cold source and cooling efficiency, thus meeting the low-temperature liquid supply requirements. The output flow rate of the drinking pump can be determined according to the heat exchange requirements, ensuring a flexible heat exchange and liquid supply process.

[0019] In some embodiments, optionally, controlling the cooling pump to operate at its maximum output flow rate, determining the output flow rate of the drinking pump based on the target temperature, the drinking liquid temperature of the drinking liquid output from the container, and the cooling liquid temperature of the cooling liquid output from the cooling tank, and controlling the drinking pump to operate at the determined output flow rate, includes: controlling the cooling pump to operate at its maximum output flow rate, determining the output flow rate of the drinking pump based on the target temperature, the drinking liquid temperature of the drinking liquid output from the container, and the cooling liquid temperature of the cooling liquid output from the cooling tank; determining whether the cooling channel is filled with cooling liquid; and, if it is determined that the cooling channel is filled with cooling liquid, starting the drinking pump and controlling the drinking pump to operate at the determined output flow rate.

[0020] In these embodiments, by first rapidly filling the cooling channel with coolant at maximum output flow rate using the cooling pump, and then starting the drinking pump at the determined output flow rate, it can be ensured that the drinking liquid can fully exchange heat with a large amount of coolant after entering the drinking channel. This reduces the generation of a large number of wall-mounted bubbles caused by insufficient initial coolant volume, helps to significantly reduce wall-mounted bubbles, lowers heat exchange resistance, and improves heat exchange efficiency.

[0021] In some embodiments, optionally, determining whether the cooling channel is filled with coolant includes: starting a timer from when the cooling pump starts to obtain a charging time; determining whether the charging time has reached a preset time, wherein the preset time is the time obtained by adding a reserved time to the ratio of the volume of the cooling channel to the maximum output flow rate of the cooling pump.

[0022] In these embodiments, by using the charging time of the cooling pump as a reference, it can be assumed that the cooling channel is full of coolant when the charging time reaches a preset duration. This requires only software design, eliminating the need for additional detection hardware to monitor the cooling channel's filling status. This ensures reliable judgment while effectively controlling product costs and reducing control errors and maintenance burdens caused by hardware failures, thus improving product reliability. Specifically, the ratio of the cooling channel volume to the cooling pump's maximum output flow rate is the theoretical charging time. Considering the piping between the cooling tank and the cooling channel, and the potential for other unpredictable influencing factors during product use, adding a reserve time to the theoretical charging time provides reasonable redundancy, ensuring the cooling channel is full of coolant when the preset charging time is reached, thus contributing to reliable judgment.

[0023] In some embodiments, the control method may optionally further include: starting a timer from the simultaneous operation of the cooling pump and the drinking pump to obtain the liquid supply duration; wherein obtaining the liquid supply temperature at the liquid supply port includes: obtaining the liquid supply temperature at the liquid supply port when the liquid supply duration reaches a set duration.

[0024] In these embodiments, heat exchange begins between the drinking liquid and the cooling liquid once the cooling pump and the drinking pump start running simultaneously. In the initial stage of heat exchange, because the amount of heat exchange is still small, there are often no bubbles adhering to the walls, or the amount is small, having little impact on heat exchange efficiency. By waiting for a set time, the drinking liquid and cooling liquid can be fully exchanged before further adjustments are made based on the supply temperature to improve heat exchange efficiency. This delay reduces computational load. Furthermore, the supply temperature may be unstable in the initial stage of heat exchange. Acquiring and implementing subsequent adjustments after the supply temperature has stabilized reduces unnecessary adjustments and actually helps improve the stability of the supply temperature, thus improving the quality of the supplied liquid.

[0025] In some embodiments, the control method may optionally further include: when the supply liquid temperature is greater than the sum of the target temperature and the first error, and the cooling pump and drinking pump cannot be further adjusted, outputting a prompt message to prompt the user to replace the coolant.

[0026] In these embodiments, during the continuous acquisition of the supply liquid temperature and adjustment of the cooling pump and drinking pump, if the supply liquid temperature remains consistently high, and all possible adjustment measures have been fully implemented, making further adjustments to the cooling pump and drinking pump impossible, then it is considered that the coolant temperature may be too high, resulting in insufficient cooling capacity. To address this, outputting a prompt message to remind the user to replace the coolant effectively ensures heat exchange efficiency, facilitates timely replacement with a cooler coolant, restores the coolant's cooling capacity, and guarantees the quality of the supply liquid.

[0027] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, a drinking water device is provided, comprising a container, a drinking pump, a heat exchanger, a liquid supply port, a cooling tank, and a cooling pump. The heat exchanger includes a drinking channel and a cooling channel that are not interconnected but can exchange heat. The container, the drinking channel, and the liquid supply port are sequentially connected. The drinking pump delivers drinking liquid from the container to the drinking channel and out of the liquid supply port. The cooling tank is circulatedly connected to the cooling channel, and the cooling pump delivers cooling liquid from the cooling tank to the cooling channel and back to the cooling tank. The drinking water device further includes: at least one processor; at least one memory storing computer-executable instructions, wherein when the computer-executable instructions are executed by the at least one processor, they cause the at least one processor to execute the control method of the drinking water device according to any embodiment of the first aspect, thus possessing all the beneficial technical effects of the control method, which will not be elaborated further here.

[0028] In some embodiments, the cooling pump and the drinking pump are optionally variable frequency pumps.

[0029] In these embodiments, by selecting a variable frequency pump, the pump's output flow rate can be easily adjusted by regulating the pump's voltage or power, while the duty cycle can be adjusted by regulating the pump's energizing time within a pulse cycle, thereby achieving separate adjustment of the output flow rate and the duty cycle.

[0030] In some embodiments, the maximum output flow rate of the cooling pump under load is optionally greater than or equal to 1.5 L / min.

[0031] In these embodiments, the maximum output flow rate of a conventional cooling pump is only 1.2 L / min. By using a high-flow-rate cooling pump, the flushing water pressure of the cooling liquid on the air bubbles attached to the wall can be increased, which helps to significantly improve the heat exchange efficiency.

[0032] In some embodiments, the drinking water device may optionally further include: a drinking temperature sensor disposed at the bottom of the container body, the drinking temperature sensor being used to detect the drinking liquid temperature output from the container body; and / or a cooling temperature sensor disposed in a pipe connected to the inlet of a cooling channel, the cooling temperature sensor being used to detect the cooling liquid temperature output from a cooling tank; and / or a supply temperature sensor disposed near the supply port, the supply temperature sensor being used to detect the supply temperature of the liquid flowing out from the supply port; and / or a supply flow meter disposed near the supply port, the supply flow meter being used to detect the flow rate of the liquid flowing out from the supply port.

[0033] In these embodiments, by installing a drinking temperature sensor at the bottom of the container and a cooling temperature sensor in the pipe connected to the inlet of the cooling channel, the drinking liquid temperature and cooling liquid temperature can be reliably detected, providing a reliable data foundation for the control of the drinking water equipment and ensuring control accuracy. By installing a supply temperature sensor near the supply port, the supply temperature can be reliably detected directly without having to infer it from other data, which helps improve data processing efficiency and reliability, and thus improves control accuracy. By installing a supply flow meter near the supply port, the amount of liquid that has flowed out can be accurately measured, thereby achieving precise water dispensing without having to infer the water volume from the average output flow of the drinking pump, which also helps improve control accuracy.

[0034] According to a third aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which, when the instructions in the computer-readable storage medium are executed by at least one processor, causes at least one processor to perform the control method of the drinking water device according to any embodiment of the first aspect described above, and thus possesses all the beneficial technical effects of the control method, which will not be elaborated here.

[0035] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0036] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure, and are not intended to unduly limit this disclosure.

[0037] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the component connections of a drinking water device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0038] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a control method for a drinking water device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0039] Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating a control method for a drinking water device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a drinking water device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0041] Figure 5 This illustrates an embodiment according to the present disclosure. Figure 4 Sectional view at section II;

[0042] Figure 6 This illustrates an embodiment according to the present disclosure. Figure 4 A sectional view of section JJ;

[0043] Figure 7 and Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a drinking water device in the open state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0044] Figure 1 , Figures 4 to 8 Explanation of icon numbers:

[0045] 10: Container body; 11: Container body outlet; 12: Heating device; 13: Drinking temperature sensing element;

[0046] 20: Drinking pump;

[0047] 30: Heat exchanger; 31: Drinking water channel; 311: Inlet of drinking water channel; 312: Outlet of drinking water channel; 32: Cooling channel; 321: Inlet of cooling channel; 322: Outlet of cooling channel;

[0048] 40: Liquid supply port;

[0049] 50: Cooling tank; 51: Coolant outlet pipe; 52: Cooling temperature sensing element; 53: Cooling tee pipe; 54: Handle;

[0050] 60: Cooling pump;

[0051] 70: Shell;

[0052] 80: Liquid supply channel; 81: Liquid supply temperature sensing element; 82: Liquid supply tee pipe;

[0053] 90: Cover assembly; 91: Cover body; 92: Protective shell; 93: Liquid supply pipe. Detailed Implementation

[0054] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of this disclosure, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0055] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this disclosure are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this disclosure described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. The embodiments described in the following examples do not represent all embodiments consistent with this disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0056] It should be noted that the phrase "at least one of several items" in this disclosure refers to three parallel cases: "any one of the several items", "a combination of any number of the several items", and "all of the several items". For example, "including at least one of A and B" includes the following three parallel cases: (1) including A; (2) including B; (3) including A and B. As another example, "performing at least one of step one and step two" indicates the following three parallel cases: (1) performing step one; (2) performing step two; (3) performing both step one and step two.

[0057] The following will combine Figures 1 to 8 This disclosure describes the drinking water equipment and control method thereof, as well as the computer-readable storage medium provided by the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0058] An embodiment of the first aspect of this disclosure provides a method for controlling a drinking water device. For example... Figure 1As shown, the drinking water device includes a container body 10, a drinking pump 20, a heat exchanger 30, a liquid supply port 40, a cooling tank 50, and a cooling pump 60. The heat exchanger 30 includes a drinking channel 31 and a cooling channel 32 that are not interconnected but exchange heat. As an example, the outer shell of the heat exchanger 30 forms a cavity, the drinking channel 31 is embedded in this cavity in the form of a pipe, and the space within the cavity other than the drinking channel 31 serves as the cooling channel 32. The container body 10, the drinking channel 31, and the liquid supply port 40 are connected in sequence. The drinking pump 20 is used to transport the drinking liquid in the container body 10 into the drinking channel 31 and out of the liquid supply port 40. The drinking pump 20 can be located before the inlet 311 or after the outlet 312 of the drinking channel 31, as long as it can effectively pump the drinking liquid. As an example, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the outlet 11 of the container body 10 can be connected to the inlet of the drinking pump 20 via a pipe. The drinking pump 20 and the liquid supply port 40 are respectively connected to the inlet 311 and outlet 312 of the drinking channel 31. A heating device 12 is also provided at the bottom of the container body 10 for heating the drinking liquid inside the container body 10. A drinking temperature sensor 13 is also provided at the bottom of the container body 10 for detecting the drinking liquid temperature output from the container body 10. The cooling tank 50 is circulatedly connected to the cooling channel 32. The cooling pump 60 is used to transport the cooling liquid in the cooling tank 50 to the cooling channel 32 and back from the cooling channel 32 to the cooling tank 50. Similar to the drinking pump 20, the cooling pump 60 can be located before the inlet 321 of the cooling channel 32 or after the outlet 322 of the cooling channel 32, as long as it can effectively circulate and pump the cooling liquid. As an example, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the cooling pump 60 is connected between the outlet of the cooling tank 50 and the inlet 321 of the cooling channel 32. Specifically, the cooling tank 50 may be equipped with a cooling outlet pipe 51, which is connected to the inlet of the cooling pump 60, so that the port on the cooling outlet pipe 51 used to connect to the cooling pump 60 serves as the outlet of the cooling tank 50. A cooling temperature sensor 52 may also be installed in the cooling outlet pipe 51 to detect the temperature of the cooling liquid output from the cooling tank 50. Specifically, a cooling tee pipe 53 can be connected between the cooling outlet pipe 51 and the inlet of the cooling pump 60, and the cooling temperature sensor 52 can be inserted through the third pipe of the cooling tee pipe 53.

[0059] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a control method for a drinking water device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0060] like Figure 2As shown, in step S201, in response to a liquid supply command including a target temperature, the output flow rates of the cooling pump and the drinking pump are determined based on the target temperature, the drinking liquid temperature output from the container, and the cooling liquid temperature output from the cooling tank, and the cooling pump and the drinking pump are controlled to operate at the determined output flow rates. As an example, the liquid supply command can be input by the user, and the target temperature can be a user-defined temperature or multiple temperature settings configured on the water dispenser for the user to select from, with the temperature corresponding to the user-selected setting being used as the target temperature. This disclosure does not impose any limitations on this.

[0061] Optionally, step S201 includes: responding to a liquid supply command including a target temperature, controlling the cooling pump to operate at maximum output flow rate when the target temperature is lower than a preset temperature; determining the output flow rate of the drinking liquid based on the target temperature, the drinking liquid temperature output from the container, and the cooling liquid temperature output from the cooling tank; and controlling the drinking pump to operate at the determined output flow rate. When the target temperature is lower than the preset temperature, i.e., when a relatively low-temperature liquid needs to be supplied, operating the cooling pump at maximum output flow rate can sufficiently increase the cold source, increase cooling efficiency, and meet the low-temperature liquid supply requirements. The output flow rate of the drinking pump can be determined according to the heat exchange requirements, ensuring a flexible heat exchange liquid supply process. Specifically, the temperature difference between the target temperature and the cooling liquid temperature, combined with the output flow rate of the cooling pump, can characterize the heat absorbed by the cooling liquid per unit time. Theoretically, this heat is equal to the heat released by the drinking liquid per unit time. The heat released by the drinking liquid per unit time can be obtained by combining the temperature difference between the drinking liquid temperature and the target temperature and the output flow rate of the drinking pump. The only unknown quantity at this time is the output flow rate of the drinking pump, so the output flow rate of the drinking pump can be determined. In practice, the output flow rate of the drinking pump can be determined by theoretical calculation, or by obtaining a table of corresponding values ​​for the above variables through experimental measurements, and then determining the output flow rate of the drinking pump by referring to the table. For example, the preset temperature is 60℃. In addition, a higher set temperature can be configured, such as 90℃. When the target temperature is greater than or equal to the preset temperature but less than the set temperature, a medium-temperature liquid needs to be supplied. Neither the cooling pump nor the drinking pump operates at maximum output flow rate. The specific output flow rate can be determined based on the target temperature, drinking liquid temperature, and coolant temperature, and the two are coordinated with each other. The specific determination method can also be achieved by theoretical calculation or by referring to a table of values ​​obtained from experiments. When the target temperature is greater than or equal to the set temperature, a relatively high-temperature liquid needs to be supplied. In this case, the drinking pump is controlled to operate at maximum output flow rate, and the output flow rate of the cooling pump is determined based on the target temperature, drinking liquid temperature, and coolant temperature. The specific determination method is the same as in other cases, achieving a small amount of cooling liquid to slightly cool the high-temperature drinking liquid.

[0062] Furthermore, step S201, when a relatively low-temperature liquid needs to be supplied, includes: controlling the cooling pump to operate at its maximum output flow rate; determining the output flow rate of the drinking pump based on the target temperature, the drinking liquid temperature output from the container, and the cooling liquid temperature output from the cooling tank; determining whether the cooling channel is filled with cooling liquid; and, if the cooling channel is determined to be filled with cooling liquid, starting the drinking pump and controlling it to operate at the determined output flow rate. By first rapidly filling the cooling channel with cooling liquid at its maximum output flow rate, and then starting the drinking pump at the determined output flow rate, it is ensured that the drinking liquid can fully exchange heat with a large amount of cooling liquid upon entering the drinking channel. This reduces the generation of a large number of wall-mounted bubbles caused by insufficient initial cooling liquid volume, helps to significantly reduce wall-mounted bubbles, lowers heat exchange resistance, and improves heat exchange efficiency.

[0063] Furthermore, determining whether the cooling channel is full of coolant includes: timing the charging time from when the cooling pump starts; and determining whether the charging time has reached a preset time, where the preset time is the ratio of the cooling channel volume to the maximum output flow rate of the cooling pump plus a reserved time. By using the charging time of the cooling pump as a reference, the cooling channel can be considered full of coolant when the preset charging time is reached. This requires only software design, without the need for additional detection hardware to detect the cooling channel charging status. This ensures reliable judgment while effectively controlling product costs and reducing control errors and maintenance burdens caused by detection hardware failures, thus contributing to improved product reliability. Specifically, the ratio of the cooling channel volume to the maximum output flow rate of the cooling pump is the theoretical charging time. Considering the piping between the cooling tank and the cooling channel, and the possibility of other unforeseen influencing factors during product use, adding a reserve time to the theoretical charging time allows for reasonable redundancy. This ensures that the cooling channel is fully filled with coolant when the preset charging time is reached, thus helping to guarantee the reliability of the judgment. The value of the reserve time can be obtained through experimentation, and this disclosure does not impose any limitations on it. It should be understood that although there may be a slight judgment lag—that is, it may not be detected when the cooling channel is just full of coolant—the lag is usually very small, and the benefits outweigh the drawbacks; its impact can be ignored.

[0064] In step S202, the liquid supply temperature at the liquid supply port is obtained.

[0065] In step S203, the operation of the drinking pump and the cooling pump is controlled according to the supply liquid temperature and the target temperature. Specifically, when the supply liquid temperature is greater than the sum of the target temperature and the first error value, and both the output flow rate and duty cycle of the cooling pump reach their maximum, one of the output flow rate and duty cycle of the drinking pump is reduced. Conversely, when one of the output flow rate and duty cycle of the drinking pump reaches its minimum, the other of the output flow rate and duty cycle of the drinking pump is reduced. Specifically, the duty cycle refers to the proportion of the electrical equipment's energized time relative to the total time within a pulse cycle. A larger duty cycle indicates a longer energized time, with a maximum duty cycle of 1.

[0066] In step S204, it is determined whether the termination condition is met. If not, proceed to step S202; if yes, proceed to step S205. As an example, the termination condition includes reaching the target liquid volume, which can be obtained by statistically analyzing the running time of the drinking pump and the output flow rate and duty cycle during operation. The termination condition may also include receiving a termination command input by the user.

[0067] In step S205, the drinking pump and cooling pump are turned off.

[0068] According to the control method of the drinking water equipment provided in the embodiments of this disclosure, before stopping the machine when the termination condition is met, by repeatedly executing steps S202 and S203, it is possible to know whether the heat exchange is proceeding smoothly, and then adjust the operation of the drinking pump and the cooling pump in a timely and reasonable manner as needed, which helps to ensure that the actual liquid supply temperature meets the target temperature requirements and improve the liquid supply quality.

[0069] Specifically, in step S203, when the supply liquid temperature is too high, the main factor causing insufficient heat exchange efficiency is that the cooling liquid at the outer wall of the drinking channel absorbs a large amount of heat and vaporizes, generating bubbles that adhere to the wall. Since the specific heat capacity of the gas is less than that of the liquid, this increases the heat exchange resistance and reduces the heat exchange efficiency. Therefore, by preferentially increasing the duty cycle and output flow rate of the cooling pump, the water pressure of the cooling liquid can be directly increased to flush away the bubbles adhering to the wall, which helps to reduce the heat exchange resistance and improve the heat exchange efficiency.

[0070] On the other hand, insufficient heat exchange efficiency may also be due to the removal rate of adhering bubbles not keeping up with the generation rate, resulting in a large number of adhering bubbles always present, affecting heat exchange efficiency. Therefore, when the duty cycle and output flow rate of the cooling pump reach their maximum, if the supply liquid temperature is still too high, reducing the output flow rate and duty cycle of the drinking water pump can reduce the amount of high-temperature drinking liquid participating in heat exchange in the drinking water channel, thereby reducing the heat load, decreasing the generation rate of adhering bubbles, and even stopping the generation of adhering bubbles altogether. This gradually reduces the number of adhering bubbles, helps to lower the heat exchange thermal resistance, and improves heat exchange efficiency.

[0071] Furthermore, when adjusting the drinking pump to reduce the amount of high-temperature drinking liquid participating in heat exchange, this specifically involves reducing either the output flow rate or the duty cycle. It should be noted that both the cooling pump and the drinking pump are variable frequency pumps, allowing for convenient adjustment of the pump's output flow rate by regulating its voltage or power. The duty cycle is adjusted by regulating the pump's energizing time within a pulse cycle, thus achieving separate adjustments to the output flow rate and duty cycle. Reducing the output flow rate can be achieved by decreasing the drinking pump's voltage or power, while reducing the duty cycle reduces the pump's energizing time within a pulse cycle. Output flow rate emphasizes transient flow rate, while adjusting the duty cycle changes the average flow rate within a pulse cycle. Therefore, although both can change the average flow rate, the methods of change differ. In related technologies, variable frequency pumps typically adjust their voltage or power directly to adjust the transient output flow rate; for fixed frequency pumps where voltage or power cannot be adjusted, the average flow rate is adjusted by regulating the duty cycle. This application, by adjusting the duty cycle in addition to the output flow rate, breaks with conventional thinking in the field and significantly increases the adjustment range of the average flow rate, thus helping to further improve heat exchange efficiency. Furthermore, by first continuously reducing one of the output flow rate and duty cycle until it reaches its minimum, and then reducing the other, the control strategy is simplified, the continuity of adjustment is ensured, and the instability caused by switching between different parameters is reduced.

[0072] It should be understood that the judgment of excessively high liquid supply temperature is based on the fact that the target temperature is the user-set target liquid supply temperature, which is often a single value. In actual control, in order to accommodate reasonable control errors, the liquid supply temperature only needs to be within a temperature range near the target temperature. This disclosure expresses the upper limit of the temperature range in the form of the sum of the target temperature and the first error. If the liquid supply temperature is greater than the sum of the target temperature and the first error, it indicates that the liquid supply temperature is higher than the upper limit of the temperature range, and thus the liquid supply temperature is judged to be excessively high.

[0073] Correspondingly, this temperature range also has a lower limit, which can be expressed as the difference between the target temperature and the second error quantity. The second error quantity and the first error quantity can be equal or unequal, and this disclosure does not impose any restrictions on this. If the supply liquid temperature is less than the difference between the target temperature and the second error quantity, it indicates that the supply liquid temperature is lower than the lower limit of the temperature range, and it is thus determined that the supply liquid temperature is too low, possibly due to insufficient heat load or excessive cooling liquid pressure. Optionally, in step S203, when the supply liquid temperature is low, considering that it may be due to insufficient heat load or excessive cooling liquid pressure, a control strategy opposite to that used when the supply liquid temperature is high can be adopted to alleviate the problem, thereby increasing the supply liquid temperature. Specifically, when the supply liquid temperature is less than the difference between the target temperature and the second error quantity, and the output flow rate and duty cycle of the drinking pump are both at their maximum, one of the output flow rate and duty cycle of the cooling pump is controlled to decrease; and when one of the output flow rate and duty cycle of the cooling pump is at its minimum, the other of the output flow rate and duty cycle of the cooling pump is controlled to decrease. By prioritizing increasing the duty cycle and output flow rate of the drinking pump, the heat load can be appropriately increased, which can both raise the liquid supply temperature and increase the liquid supply speed, saving users' liquid dispensing time. If the drinking pump is already at its maximum duty cycle and maximum output flow rate, the output flow rate and duty cycle of the cooling pump can be appropriately reduced, thereby weakening heat exchange and achieving the same effect of raising the liquid supply temperature. Similarly, as with adjusting the drinking pump when the liquid supply temperature is too high, the output flow rate and duty cycle can be adjusted separately. This breaks with conventional thinking in this field, fully increasing the adjustment range of the average flow rate, which helps to further improve heat exchange efficiency. Furthermore, by continuously reducing one of the output flow rate and duty cycle until it reaches its minimum, and then reducing the other one, the control strategy can be simplified, the continuity of adjustment can be ensured, and the instability caused by switching between different parameters can be reduced.

[0074] As an example, regarding output flow rate and duty cycle, a corresponding value table can be constructed between the target temperature, the drinking liquid temperature output from the container, the cooling liquid temperature output from the cooling tank, the output flow rate of the drinking pump, the duty cycle of the drinking pump, the output flow rate of the cooling pump, and the duty cycle of the cooling pump. In step S201, the initial output flow rate and initial duty cycle of the cooling pump and the drinking pump are determined by looking up the table. As an example, the initial duty cycle of both the cooling pump and the drinking pump is 1, which simplifies control. In step S203, the obtained supply liquid temperature can be regarded as the target temperature in the table. The value of the output flow rate or duty cycle of the pump to be adjusted is determined by looking up the table, and the adjustment is performed according to the value found. Alternatively, the output flow rate or duty cycle can be fine-tuned each time according to a predetermined adjustment range, thereby simplifying the control strategy. This disclosure does not limit this.

[0075] Furthermore, regarding step S202, it can be as follows: Figure 1As shown, a liquid supply temperature sensor 81 is installed near the liquid supply port 40 of the drinking water equipment to directly detect the liquid supply temperature; alternatively, the liquid supply temperature sensor 81 may not be installed, but only the container body 10 and the cooling tank 50 are equipped with a drinking temperature sensor 13 and a cooling temperature sensor 52, respectively, and the aforementioned corresponding value table is configured. By looking up the table, the target temperature is taken as the liquid supply temperature. This disclosure does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0076] Regarding step S203, optionally, when the supply liquid temperature is greater than the sum of the target temperature and the first error, control is performed in descending order of priority using one of the following methods: increasing the duty cycle of the cooling pump, increasing the output flow rate of the cooling pump, decreasing the output flow rate of the drinking water pump, and decreasing the duty cycle of the drinking water pump. When the supply liquid temperature is too high, based on prioritizing increasing the amount of cooling liquid participating in heat exchange and secondarily reducing the amount of high-temperature drinking water participating in heat exchange, that is, prioritizing adjusting the cooling pump and secondarily adjusting the drinking water pump, specifically for the cooling pump, between duty cycle and output flow rate, prioritizing increasing the duty cycle can ensure a continuous supply of cooling liquid, thereby continuously flushing away air bubbles adhering to the wall, which helps to remove air bubbles and significantly reduces the frequent power-on and power-off operations caused by a low duty cycle, thus helping to extend the service life of the cooling pump. For drinking pumps, prioritizing the reduction of output flow rate over duty cycle ensures a continuous and stable supply of drinking liquids and significantly reduces the frequent power-on and power-off operations caused by low duty cycle, thus helping to extend the service life of the drinking pump. Finally, when the output flow rate reaches its minimum, reducing the duty cycle can effectively reduce the heat load, improve the heat exchange effect, lower the supply liquid temperature, and fully guarantee the quality of the supply liquid.

[0077] Similarly, alternatively, when the supply liquid temperature is less than the difference between the target temperature and the second error quantity, control can be implemented in descending order of priority as follows: increase the duty cycle of the drinking water pump, increase the output flow rate of the drinking water pump, decrease the output flow rate of the cooling pump, and decrease the duty cycle of the cooling pump. When the supply liquid temperature is low, prioritizing increasing the amount of high-temperature drinking liquid participating in heat exchange, and secondarily decreasing the amount of cooling liquid participating in heat exchange—that is, prioritizing adjustment of the drinking water pump and secondarily adjusting the cooling pump—specifically for the drinking water pump, prioritizing increasing the duty cycle over the output flow rate ensures a continuous and stable supply of drinking liquid and significantly reduces frequent power-on / off operations caused by low duty cycles, thus extending the pump's lifespan. For the cooling pump, prioritizing decreasing the output flow rate can be achieved by directly adjusting the cooling pump's voltage, keeping it energized. This simplifies control and significantly reduces frequent power-on / off operations caused by low duty cycles, further extending the pump's lifespan.

[0078] Optionally, the initial duty cycle of both the cooling pump and the drinking pump is 1, allowing them to remain powered on by default after startup, simplifying control and extending their service life. Furthermore, the minimum duty cycle of the cooling pump and / or drinking pump is greater than or equal to 10%. This prevents power outages when the duty cycle decreases to 0, and also reduces excessively frequent power-on / off operations caused by excessively low duty cycles, further extending the service life of the cooling pump and drinking pump.

[0079] It should be understood that during the initial execution of step S203, the duty cycle of the cooling pump is 1. If the target temperature is lower than the preset temperature, the cooling pump will operate at its maximum output flow rate, thus prioritizing a reduction in the output flow rate of the drinking pump. If the drinking pump operates at its minimum output flow rate, its duty cycle will be reduced first. In subsequent executions, the output flow rate and duty cycle of the cooling pump may decrease. If the supply temperature is again high, the duty cycle and output flow rate of the cooling pump can be increased first. If the target temperature is greater than or equal to the preset temperature, regardless of its relationship to the set temperature, the output flow rate of the cooling pump has not reached its maximum. Therefore, the output flow rate of the cooling pump can be increased first until it reaches its maximum, and then the output flow rate and duty cycle of the drinking pump can be reduced sequentially. However, it should be noted that since the drinking water equipment supplies liquid by cooling the hot drinking liquid, when the target temperature is high, only a small amount of cooling is needed for the hot drinking liquid. Therefore, the heat exchange efficiency is often sufficient, and the supply temperature generally will not be too high. However, theoretically, the control method of the embodiments of this disclosure can still be used.

[0080] Similarly, if the supply temperature is low, and the target temperature is lower than the preset temperature, regardless of its relationship to the set temperature, the drinking pump's output flow rate will not reach its maximum. Therefore, the drinking pump's output flow rate can be increased first until it reaches its maximum, and then the cooling pump's output flow rate and duty cycle can be decreased sequentially. If the target temperature is greater than or equal to the set temperature, the drinking pump will operate at its maximum output flow rate, so the cooling pump's output flow rate will be decreased first. If the cooling pump is operating at its minimum output flow rate at this time, the cooling pump's duty cycle will be decreased first. In subsequent operations, the drinking pump's output flow rate and duty cycle may decrease. If the supply temperature is also low, the drinking pump's duty cycle and output flow rate can be increased first.

[0081] In some embodiments, optionally, the control method of the drinking water device according to the embodiments of the present disclosure further includes: starting the timer from the simultaneous operation of the cooling pump and the drinking pump in step S201 to obtain the liquid supply duration; correspondingly, step S202 includes: obtaining the liquid supply temperature at the liquid supply port when the liquid supply duration reaches the set duration. Heat exchange begins between the drinking liquid and the cooling liquid from the simultaneous operation of the cooling pump and the drinking pump. In the initial stage of heat exchange, since the heat exchange is relatively small, there are often no bubbles adhering to the walls, or the amount generated is small, having little impact on the heat exchange efficiency. By waiting for the set duration, the drinking liquid and the cooling liquid can be fully heat exchanged before further adjustments are made using the liquid supply temperature to improve heat exchange efficiency. This delay reduces the computational load. Furthermore, the liquid supply temperature may be unstable in the initial stage of heat exchange. Obtaining and performing subsequent adjustments after the liquid supply temperature has stabilized reduces unnecessary adjustment operations and helps improve the stability of the liquid supply temperature and the quality of the liquid supply. It should be noted that, for cases where the target temperature is lower than the preset temperature, as mentioned earlier, the cooling pump can operate first until the cooling channel is filled with coolant before the drinking pump is activated. Therefore, theoretically, the drinking liquid and the cooling liquid will only begin to exchange heat after the drinking pump pumps the drinking liquid into the drinking channel. This time difference can be compensated for by appropriately increasing the set time value. The set time value can be obtained through theoretical calculations and experimental adjustments, and this disclosure does not impose any restrictions on it.

[0082] In some embodiments, optionally, after step S203, the control method for the drinking water device according to the embodiments of the present disclosure further includes: when the supply liquid temperature is greater than the sum of the target temperature and the first error amount, and the cooling pump and drinking pump cannot be further adjusted, outputting a prompt message to prompt the user to replace the cooling liquid. In other words, after repeatedly executing steps S202 and S203, an additional backup step is added. If the supply liquid temperature remains high, and all possible adjustment measures have been fully implemented, and further adjustments to the cooling pump and drinking pump cannot be made, then it is considered that the cooling liquid temperature may be too high, resulting in insufficient cooling capacity. In this regard, outputting a prompt message to prompt the user to replace the cooling liquid can effectively ensure the heat exchange effect, help to replace the cooling liquid with a lower temperature in a timely manner, restore the cooling capacity of the cooling liquid, and ensure the quality of the supply liquid. As an example, the prompt message may take at least one form of alarm sound prompt, voice prompt, light prompt, or text prompt, and the present disclosure does not limit it.

[0083] Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating a control method for a drinking water device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0084] Overall, such as Figure 3As shown, the control method of a drinking water device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes the following major steps.

[0085] First step: Receive a liquid supply instruction, collect the drinking liquid temperature and the coolant temperature, and calculate the initial output flow rate Vh of the drinking pump. Among them, the liquid supply instruction includes a target temperature, and the target temperature is less than the preset temperature.

[0086] Second step: Control the cooling pump to operate at an output flow rate Vc = Vcmax (that is, operate at the maximum output flow rate) until the cooling liquid fills the cooling flow channel of the heat exchanger.

[0087] Third step: Control the cooling pump to operate at an output flow rate Vc and a duty cycle m, and control the drinking pump to operate at an output flow rate Vh and a duty cycle n.

[0088] Fourth step: Compare the measured liquid supply temperature Tw with the temperature range corresponding to the target temperature T0. The upper limit of this temperature range is the sum value of the target temperature T0 and the first error amount, and the lower limit of this temperature range is the difference value between the target temperature T0 and the second error amount.

[0089] Fifth step: When the liquid supply temperature Tw is higher than the upper limit of the temperature range, if the duty cycle m of the cooling pump under real-time control < 1, then increase m according to the algorithm until the liquid supply temperature Tw is within the temperature range and the liquid supply volume reaches the set target liquid volume; if the duty cycle m of the cooling pump under real-time control = 1, and the output flow rate Vc of the cooling pump < Vcmax, then control the cooling pump to increase the output flow rate Vc until the liquid supply temperature Tw is within the temperature range and the liquid supply volume reaches the set target liquid volume; if the duty cycle m of the cooling pump under real-time control = 1, and the output flow rate Vc of the cooling pump = Vcmax, and it is monitored that the output flow rate Vh of the drinking pump > Vhmin, then reduce the output flow rate Vh of the drinking pump until the liquid supply temperature Tw is within the temperature range and the liquid supply volume reaches the set target liquid volume; if the duty cycle m of the cooling pump under real-time control = 1, and the output flow rate Vc of the cooling pump = Vcmax, and it is monitored that the output flow rate Vh of the drinking pump = Vhmin, then reduce the duty cycle n of the drinking pump until the liquid supply temperature Tw is within the temperature range and the liquid supply volume reaches the set target liquid volume.

[0090] If the liquid supply temperature Tw is still higher than the upper limit of the temperature range and the liquid supply volume has not reached the set target liquid volume, then return to the third step, and then continue to execute the fourth and fifth steps.

[0091] Step 6: When the supply temperature Tw is lower than the lower limit of the temperature range, if the duty cycle n of the drinking pump under real-time control is less than 1, then increase n according to the algorithm until the supply temperature Tw is within the temperature range and the supply volume reaches the set target volume; if the duty cycle n of the drinking pump under real-time control is 1 and the output flow rate Vh of the drinking pump is less than Vhmax, then control the drinking pump to increase the output flow rate Vh until the supply temperature Tw is within the temperature range and the supply volume reaches the set target volume; if the duty cycle n of the drinking pump under real-time control is 1, the output flow rate Vh of the drinking pump is Vhmax, and it is monitored that the output flow rate Vc of the cooling pump is greater than Vcmin, then reduce the output flow rate Vc of the cooling pump until the supply temperature Tw is within the temperature range and the supply volume reaches the set target volume; if the duty cycle n of the drinking pump under real-time control is 1, the output flow rate Vh of the drinking pump is Vhmax, and it is monitored that the output flow rate Vc of the cooling pump is Vcmin, then reduce the duty cycle m of the cooling pump until the supply temperature Tw is within the temperature range and the supply volume reaches the set target volume.

[0092] If the supply temperature Tw is still lower than the lower limit of the temperature range and the supply volume has not reached the set target volume, then return to Step 3, and then continue to execute Step 4 and Step 6.

[0093] It should be noted here that Step 5 and Step 6 are carried out synchronously.

[0094] The main objective of the above control method is that when the supply temperature Tw is on the high side, first make the output flow rate Vc of the cooling pump reach Vcmax, so that the cooling pump pressurizes the cooling liquid in the heat exchanger at the maximum output flow rate, and the pressurized cooling liquid scrapes off the bubbles on the outer surface of the drinking flow channel, thereby solving the problem of bubble wall hanging, improving the heat transfer efficiency, and enhancing the heat transfer effect. When the output flow rate Vc of the cooling pump reaches Vcmax and the output flow rate Vh of the drinking pump reaches Vhmin, if the supply temperature Tw still cannot be within the temperature range, then control the drinking pump to intermittently suck with a duty cycle n to fully reduce the heat load and lower the supply temperature Tw.

[0095] In addition, the heat transfer duration will directly affect the heat transfer effect. Therefore, it is necessary for the drinking pump and the cooling pump to cooperate to adjust the heat transfer duration by adjusting the output flow rate and duty cycle of the pumps, and then complete the heat transfer. When there is a demand for supplying relatively low-temperature drinking liquid, the cooling pump will first pump cooling liquid for a certain period of time to fill the inner cavity of the heat exchanger, that is, fill the cooling flow channel, and then the drinking pump starts to pump, and determines the output flow rate according to the set algorithm. For the drinking pump and the cooling pump, according to the actual situation, the two can act simultaneously, or the cooling pump can always pump at the highest speed and the drinking pump can pump intermittently.

[0096] The second aspect of this disclosure provides a drinking water device, which incorporates the embodiments of the first aspect described above. Figure 1 The mechanical structure of the container body 10 described may also have the function of combining Figure 1 The drinking temperature sensor 13 and the cooling temperature sensor 52, which have been introduced, will not be described in detail here.

[0097] Optionally, both the cooling pump 60 and the drinking pump 20 are variable frequency pumps. By selecting a variable frequency pump, the pump's output flow rate can be easily adjusted by regulating the pump's voltage or power, while the duty cycle can be adjusted by regulating the pump's energizing time within one pulse cycle, thus achieving separate adjustment of the output flow rate and duty cycle.

[0098] Optionally, the maximum output flow rate of the cooling pump 60 under load is greater than or equal to 1.5 L / min. Conventional cooling pumps can only achieve a maximum output flow rate of 1.2 L / min. By using a high-flow-rate cooling pump 60, the flushing water pressure of the cooling liquid on the wall bubbles can be increased, which helps to significantly improve the heat exchange efficiency.

[0099] Specifically, such as Figures 4 to 8 As shown, the drinking water equipment also includes a housing 70, a liquid supply channel 80, and a cover assembly 90.

[0100] An opening is formed at the top of the housing 70, and the cooling box 50 is located inside the housing 70.

[0101] The liquid supply channel 80 is at least partially located within the housing 70. The liquid supply channel 80 is positioned horizontally, avoiding the cooling tank 50, ensuring smooth liquid supply without affecting coolant replacement. The lower end of the liquid supply channel 80 is configured as a liquid supply port 40. A liquid supply temperature sensor 81 can also be installed on the liquid supply channel 80, positioned close to the liquid supply port 40. This sensor detects the supply temperature of the liquid flowing from the port 40, allowing for reliable direct detection of the supply temperature without relying on other data for estimation. This improves data processing efficiency and reliability, and enhances control accuracy. Specifically, a liquid supply tee pipe 82 can be installed on the liquid supply channel 80, with the liquid supply temperature sensor 81 extending into it through the third pipe of the tee pipe 82. As an example, a liquid supply flow meter (not shown in the figure) can be installed near the liquid supply port 40 to detect the flow rate of liquid flowing out of the liquid supply port 40. This allows for accurate measurement of the amount of liquid that has flowed out, thus achieving precise water dispensing without having to estimate the water volume using the average output flow rate of the drinking pump 20, which helps improve control accuracy. It should be understood that the liquid supply temperature sensor 81 and the liquid supply flow meter can be installed selectively, simultaneously, or neither can be installed; this disclosure does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0102] The cover assembly 90 is adapted to the opening at the top of the housing 70 for opening and closing the housing. The cover assembly 90 includes a cover body 91, a protective shell 92, and a liquid supply pipe 93. The heat exchanger 30 is located inside the protective shell 92. The liquid supply pipe 93 is located on the surface of the protective shell 92. The inlet of the liquid supply pipe 93 is connected to the outlet 312 of the drinking channel 31, and the outlet of the liquid supply pipe 93 is detachably connected to the liquid supply channel 80. The outlet 322 of the cooling channel 32 of the heat exchanger 30 extends downward from the protective shell 92 and can face the cooling box 50. Correspondingly, the cooling box 50 is provided with an opening, and the outlet 322 of the cooling channel 32 is located above the opening of the cooling box 50, so that the cooling liquid flowing out of the cooling channel 32 can fall directly back into the cooling box 50. This opening also provides a point of leverage for the user to remove and place the cooling box 50 from the housing 70. In addition, the cooling box can also be designed as an open-top structure, with an opening throughout the top. This not only avoids restricting the placement of the outlet 322 of the cooling channel 32, but also simplifies the structure. In this case, the cover assembly 90 can be used to simultaneously cover the housing 70 and the cooling box 50. The cooling box 50 can also be equipped with a handle 54 for easy access to the housing 70.

[0103] In addition to the aforementioned mechanical structure, the drinking water device also includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by the at least one processor, they cause the at least one processor to execute the control method of the drinking water device according to any embodiment of the first aspect, thus possessing all the beneficial technical effects of the control method, which will not be elaborated here.

[0104] As an example, a processor may include a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a programmable logic device, a dedicated processor system, a microcontroller, or a microprocessor. By way of example, and not limitation, a processor may also include analog processors, digital processors, microprocessors, multi-core processors, processor arrays, network processors, etc.

[0105] The processor can execute instructions or code stored in memory, which can also store data. Instructions and data can also be sent and received over a network via a network interface device, which can employ any known transport protocol.

[0106] Memory can be integrated with the processor; for example, RAM or flash memory can be housed within an integrated circuit microprocessor. Alternatively, memory can comprise a separate device, such as an external disk drive, storage array, or other storage device that can be used by any database system. Memory and processor can be operatively coupled, or can communicate with each other, for example, via I / O ports, network connections, etc., enabling the processor to read files stored in the memory.

[0107] In addition, the drinking water equipment may include a video display (such as an LCD screen) and a user interface (such as a keyboard, mouse, touch input device, etc.). All components of the drinking water equipment can be interconnected via a bus and / or network.

[0108] Embodiments of a third aspect of this disclosure provide a computer-readable storage medium that, when instructions in the computer-readable storage medium are executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform a control method for a drinking device according to exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. Examples of computer-readable storage media include: read-only memory (ROM), random access programmable read-only memory (PROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), flash memory, non-volatile memory, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD+R, CD-RW, CD+RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, BD-ROM, BD-R, BD-R LTH, BD-RE, Blu-ray or optical disc storage, hard disk drive (HDD), solid-state drive (SSD), card storage (such as multimedia cards, secure digital (SD) cards, or ultra-fast digital (XD) cards), magnetic tape, floppy disk, magneto-optical data storage device, optical data storage device, hard disk, solid-state drive, and any other device configured to store a computer program and any associated data, data files, and data structures in a non-transitory manner and to provide the computer program and any associated data, data files, and data structures to a processor or computer so that the processor or computer can execute the computer program. The computer program in the aforementioned computer-readable storage medium can run in an environment deployed in computer devices such as clients, hosts, agent devices, servers, etc. Furthermore, in one example, the computer program and any associated data, data files, and data structures are distributed across a networked computer system, such that the computer program and any associated data, data files, and data structures are stored, accessed, and executed in a distributed manner through one or more processors or computers.

[0109] An embodiment of the fourth aspect of this disclosure provides a computer program product including computer instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a control method for a drinking device according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure.

[0110] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the following claims.

[0111] It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the precise structures described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A control method for a drinking water device, characterized in that, The drinking water equipment includes a container body (10), a drinking pump (20), a heat exchanger (30), a liquid supply port (40), a cooling tank (50), and a cooling pump (60). The heat exchanger (30) includes a drinking channel (31) and a cooling channel (32) that are not connected to each other but can exchange heat. The container body (10), the drinking channel (31), and the liquid supply port (40) are connected in sequence. The drinking pump (20) is used to transport the drinking liquid in the container body (10) to the drinking channel (31) and out of the liquid supply port (40). The cooling tank (50) is circulatedly connected to the cooling channel (32). The cooling pump (60) is used to transport the cooling liquid in the cooling tank (50) to the cooling channel (32) and back to the cooling tank (50) from the cooling channel (32). The control method of the drinking water equipment includes: In response to a liquid supply command including a target temperature, the output flow rates of the cooling pump (60) and the drinking pump (20) are determined based on the target temperature, the drinking liquid temperature of the drinking liquid output from the container (10), and the cooling liquid temperature of the cooling liquid output from the cooling tank (50), and the cooling pump (60) and the drinking pump (20) are controlled to operate at the determined output flow rates. Obtain the liquid supply temperature at the liquid supply port (40); The operation of the drinking pump (20) and the cooling pump (60) is controlled according to the supply temperature and the target temperature; wherein, when the supply temperature is greater than the sum of the target temperature and the first error, and the output flow rate and duty cycle of the cooling pump (60) are both at their maximum, one of the output flow rate and duty cycle of the drinking pump (20) is controlled to decrease; and when one of the output flow rate and duty cycle of the drinking pump (20) is at its minimum, the other of the output flow rate and duty cycle of the drinking pump (20) is controlled to decrease. Repeat the steps of obtaining the liquid supply temperature at the liquid supply port (40) and controlling the operation of the drinking pump (20) and the cooling pump (60) according to the liquid supply temperature and the target temperature until the termination condition is met, and then shut down the drinking pump (20) and the cooling pump (60).

2. The control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When the liquid supply temperature is less than the difference between the target temperature and the second error, and the output flow rate and duty cycle of the drinking pump (20) are both at their maximum, the output flow rate and duty cycle of the cooling pump (60) are controlled to decrease one of them. When the output flow rate and duty cycle of the cooling pump (60) are at their minimum, the output flow rate and duty cycle of the cooling pump (60) are controlled to decrease the other one.

3. The control method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, When the supply temperature is greater than the sum of the target temperature and the first error, the following methods are used for control in order of priority from high to low: increasing the duty cycle of the cooling pump (60), increasing the output flow rate of the cooling pump (60), decreasing the output flow rate of the drinking pump (20), and decreasing the duty cycle of the drinking pump (20). and / or If the liquid supply temperature is less than the difference between the target temperature and the second error, the following methods shall be used for control in order of priority from high to low: increase the duty cycle of the drinking pump (20), increase the output flow rate of the drinking pump (20), decrease the output flow rate of the cooling pump (60), and decrease the duty cycle of the cooling pump (60).

4. The control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The initial duty cycle of both the cooling pump (60) and the drinking pump (20) is 1; and / or The minimum duty cycle of the cooling pump (60) is greater than or equal to 10%; and / or The minimum duty cycle of the drinking pump (20) is greater than or equal to 10%.

5. The control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The method of responding to a liquid supply command including a target temperature, determining the output flow rates of the cooling pump (60) and the drinking pump (20) based on the target temperature, the drinking liquid temperature output from the container (10), and the cooling liquid temperature output from the cooling tank (50), and controlling the cooling pump (60) and the drinking pump (20) to operate at the determined output flow rates includes: In response to the liquid supply command including the target temperature, if the target temperature is less than the preset temperature, the cooling pump (60) is controlled to operate at the maximum output flow rate. The output flow rate of the drinking pump (20) is determined based on the target temperature, the drinking liquid temperature output by the container (10), and the cooling liquid temperature output by the cooling tank (50), and the drinking pump (20) is controlled to operate at the determined output flow rate.

6. The control method as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The method of controlling the cooling pump (60) to operate at its maximum output flow rate, determining the output flow rate of the drinking pump (20) based on the target temperature, the drinking liquid temperature output from the container (10), and the cooling liquid temperature output from the cooling tank (50), and controlling the drinking pump (20) to operate at the determined output flow rate, includes: The cooling pump (60) is controlled to operate at maximum output flow rate. The output flow rate of the drinking pump (20) is determined based on the target temperature, the drinking liquid temperature of the drinking liquid output from the container (10), and the cooling liquid temperature of the cooling liquid output from the cooling tank (50). Determine whether the cooling channel (32) is filled with cooling liquid; If it is determined that the cooling channel (32) is full of cooling liquid, the drinking pump (20) is started and controlled to operate at the determined output flow rate.

7. The control method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The determination of whether the cooling channel (32) is filled with cooling liquid includes: The charging time is obtained from the start of the cooling pump (60); Determine whether the charging time has reached the preset time, wherein the preset time is the ratio of the volume of the cooling channel (32) to the maximum output flow rate of the cooling pump (60) plus the reserved time.

8. The control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The control method further includes: The liquid supply duration is obtained by starting the timing from the simultaneous operation of the cooling pump (60) and the drinking pump (20); The step of obtaining the liquid supply temperature at the liquid supply port (40) includes: When the liquid supply time reaches the set time, the liquid supply temperature at the liquid supply port (40) is obtained.

9. The control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The control method further includes: If the supply temperature is greater than the sum of the target temperature and the first error, and the cooling pump and the drinking pump (20) cannot be further adjusted, a prompt message is output to remind the user to replace the cooling liquid.

10. A drinking water device, characterized in that, The drinking water equipment includes a container body (10), a drinking pump (20), a heat exchanger (30), a liquid supply port (40), a cooling tank (50), and a cooling pump (60). The heat exchanger (30) includes a drinking channel (31) and a cooling channel (32) that are not interconnected but can exchange heat. The container body (10), the drinking channel (31) and the liquid supply port (40) are connected in sequence. The drinking pump (20) is used to transport the drinking liquid in the container body (10) to the drinking channel (31) and out from the liquid supply port (40). The cooling tank (50) is in cyclic communication with the cooling channel (32), and the cooling pump (60) is used to transport the cooling liquid in the cooling tank (50) to the cooling channel (32) and back from the cooling channel (32) to the cooling tank (50); The drinking water equipment also includes: At least one processor; At least one memory that stores computer-executable instructions. The computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the control method of the drinking water device as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The drinking water equipment as described in claim 10, characterized in that, Both the cooling pump (60) and the drinking pump (20) are variable frequency pumps; and / or The maximum output flow rate of the cooling pump (60) under load is greater than or equal to 1.5 L / min.

12. The drinking water equipment as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The drinking water equipment also includes: A drinking temperature sensor (13) is disposed at the bottom of the container body (10), and the drinking temperature sensor (13) is used to detect the drinking liquid temperature output from the container body (10); and / or A cooling temperature sensing element (52) is disposed in a pipe connected to the inlet (321) of the cooling channel (32), and the cooling temperature sensing element (52) is used to detect the temperature of the cooling liquid output from the cooling tank (50); and / or A liquid supply temperature sensing element (81) is disposed near the liquid supply port (40), and the liquid supply temperature sensing element (81) is used to detect the liquid supply temperature of the liquid flowing out of the liquid supply port (40); and / or A liquid flow meter is provided near the liquid supply port (40) and is used to detect the flow rate of liquid flowing out of the liquid supply port (40).

13. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, When the instructions in the computer-readable storage medium are executed by at least one processor, the at least one processor causes the processor to perform the control method of the drinking water device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images