Water heater and control method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides a water heater and a control method thereof. The water heater comprises a refrigerant circulation system and a hot water supply system. The refrigerant circulation system comprises a compressor, a condensation assembly and an evaporator which are communicated in sequence; the hot water supply system comprises a cold water supply port, a first water tank, a second water tank and a hot water outlet which are sequentially communicated; the condensation assembly comprises a first condenser and a second condenser, the first condenser is located in the first water tank, and the second condenser is located in the second water tank; the refrigerant circulation system further comprises a first refrigerant branch pipe and a second refrigerant branch pipe which are arranged in parallel. The two ends of the first refrigerant branch pipe are connected with the compressor and the evaporator correspondingly, and the first condenser is arranged on the first refrigerant branch pipe. The two ends of the second refrigerant branch pipe are connected with the compressor and the evaporator respectively, and the second condenser is arranged on the second refrigerant branch pipe. According to the water heater, the problem of water temperature disturbance is solved, and high-temperature hot water can be efficiently prepared.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of water heaters, and in particular to a water heater and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Currently, most heat pump water heaters on the market use a single water tank static heating method to produce hot water. This type of heating method must be accompanied by the addition of cold water while supplying hot water to users. If too much cold water is added to the lower part of the water tank, the hot water in the upper part of the water tank will drop in temperature due to water disturbance, affecting the stable supply of hot water.

[0003] There is currently a heat pump integrated machine that uses two water tanks in series to synchronously produce hot water. The primary water tank supplies hot water to the secondary water tank, and the secondary water tank supplies hot water to the user end. This can reduce the disturbance of the hot water temperature in the water tank due to water replenishment. However, since the refrigerant temperature begins to drop when the primary water tank is heated, the heating efficiency of the refrigerant entering the secondary water tank is lower than that of the primary water tank, and the temperature difference inside the secondary water tank will still affect the stable supply of hot water.

[0004] In addition, there is now a water heater that produces hot water synchronously by connecting two water tanks in series, and uses a variety of water storage tanks that can be used for different specific water temperatures as the supplier of hot water for users. Although in theory the larger the water tank capacity, the weaker the water temperature disturbance inside the water tank, and the more hot water the user can use, the larger the water tank capacity means a higher manufacturing cost.

[0005] Since residents' daily water consumption fluctuates at different times, the peak water consumption often occurs in the morning and evening, while water consumption is relatively low at other times. The control method of existing water heaters is not intelligent enough and cannot provide heating in time during periods when users' water consumption is high. Summary of the invention

[0006] The first object of the present invention is to provide a water heater that can reduce the problem of water temperature disturbance and can also efficiently produce high-temperature hot water.

[0007] The second object of the present invention is to provide a control method for implementing the above-mentioned water heater.

[0008] The third object of the present invention is to provide another control method for implementing the above-mentioned water heater.

[0009] To achieve the above-mentioned first purpose, the present invention provides a water heater, including a refrigerant circulation system and a hot water supply system; the refrigerant circulation system includes a compressor, a condensing assembly and an evaporator connected in sequence; the hot water supply system includes a cold water supply port, a first water tank, a second water tank and a hot water discharge port connected in sequence; the condensing assembly includes a first condenser and a second condenser, the first condenser is located in the first water tank, and the second condenser is located in the second water tank; the refrigerant circulation system also includes a first refrigerant branch pipe and a second refrigerant branch pipe arranged in parallel; the two ends of the first refrigerant branch pipe are respectively connected to the compressor and the evaporator, and the first condenser is arranged on the first refrigerant branch pipe; the two ends of the second refrigerant branch pipe are respectively connected to the compressor and the evaporator, and the second condenser is arranged on the second refrigerant branch pipe.

[0010] It can be seen from the above scheme that by setting the first water tank and the second water tank in series, after the cold water is supplied to the first water tank, the first water tank supplies hot water to the second water tank, and the second water tank supplies hot water to the user end, which can reduce the disturbance of the hot water temperature in the water tank due to water replenishment. At the same time, the first refrigerant branch pipe where the first condenser is located and the second refrigerant branch pipe where the second condenser is located are connected in parallel, which can avoid the problem that the temperature of the refrigerant decreases after heating the first water tank due to the series connection of the condensers in the existing two water tanks, the heating efficiency of the refrigerant entering the secondary water tank becomes low, and the temperature difference inside the secondary water tank still affects the stable supply of hot water. Therefore, the water heater of the present invention can reduce the problem of water temperature disturbance through the structure of double water tank water circuits in series and condensers in parallel, and can also efficiently produce high-temperature hot water, thereby effectively utilizing energy to quickly produce hot water at different temperature layers.

[0011] A preferred solution is that the refrigerant circulation system further includes a first switch valve, which is located between the second condenser and the compressor and is used to control the on-off of the second refrigerant branch pipe.

[0012] It can be seen that through the setting of the first switch valve, it is possible to choose whether to let the second condenser work according to the user's hot water usage. In this way, it can be ensured that when the user has a high water demand, the first condenser and the second condenser work together to ensure a stable supply of hot water; and when the user does not have a high water demand, only the first condenser works, thereby reducing energy waste.

[0013] A further solution is that the refrigerant circulation system also includes a liquid reservoir and a second switch valve; the liquid reservoir and the second switch valve are both connected to the second refrigerant branch pipe, the liquid reservoir is located between the second condenser and the evaporator, and the second switch valve is located between the liquid reservoir and the evaporator.

[0014] It can be seen that when the second condenser is not working, the refrigerant in the second refrigerant branch pipe will exchange heat with the hot water in the second water tank when passing through the second water tank. The refrigerant gas will expand after being heated. If the refrigerant in the pipeline is not recovered, the pipeline will be easily damaged under the high pressure of the gas inside the pipeline, thereby causing refrigerant leakage. In addition, by setting the second switch valve, it is ensured that the refrigerant in the second refrigerant pipe is recovered to the liquid storage tank, while preventing the refrigerant from entering the evaporator.

[0015] A preferred solution is that the refrigerant circulation system also includes a control valve and a refrigerant recovery pump; the control valve is located between the second condenser and the liquid storage tank, and the refrigerant recovery pump is connected in parallel with the control valve.

[0016] It can be seen that when the refrigerant recovery pump is in a working state, it can continuously extract refrigerant and transport the refrigerant to the liquid storage tank. When it is in a non-working state, it has the function of disconnecting the pipeline.

[0017] A further solution is that the second switch valve is a throttle valve with a switch function.

[0018] It can be seen that the second switch valve is used as a switch valve and a throttle valve at the same time, so there is no need to set up an additional throttle valve, which can reduce costs.

[0019] A preferred solution is that the refrigerant circulation system further includes a branch pipe throttle valve, which is connected to the first refrigerant branch pipe and is located between the first condenser and the evaporator.

[0020] A preferred solution is that the evaporator includes a first evaporation tube and a second evaporation tube, the first evaporation tube is connected to and communicated with the first refrigerant branch pipe, and the second evaporation tube is connected to and communicated with the second refrigerant branch pipe.

[0021] A preferred solution is that the hot water supply system further includes a water mixing valve, the water mixing valve has a cold water inlet, a hot water inlet and a water outlet, and the hot water inlet is connected to the hot water outlet.

[0022] It can be seen that installing an intelligent mixing valve at the water outlet of the unit improves the stability and appropriate water volume of the hot water supply of the hot water unit, can more accurately meet the personalized water needs of different users, and can also effectively reduce energy waste.

[0023] A preferred solution is that an electric heater is provided in at least one of the first water tank and the second water tank.

[0024] It can be seen that the electric heater can be turned on when the user's water consumption is too large and the condenser heating cannot meet the heating demand, thereby further ensuring a stable supply of hot water.

[0025] To achieve the above-mentioned second purpose, the present invention provides a control method for a water heater, which is applied to the above-mentioned water heater; the control method includes: in a low water consumption mode, controlling the first switch valve to disconnect the second refrigerant branch; in a high water consumption mode, controlling the first switch valve to connect the second refrigerant branch; in both the low water consumption mode and the high water consumption mode, the first refrigerant branch is connected.

[0026] It can be seen that according to the user's water demand, the operation of the second refrigerant branch pipe is automatically controlled, which improves the user's comfort and satisfaction in using hot water and reduces unnecessary waste of electricity.

[0027] A preferred solution is that the control method also includes: if a signal of instantaneous large-capacity hot water demand is received, entering a high water consumption mode; if no signal of instantaneous large-capacity hot water demand is received, further determining whether the current moment is in a period of high water consumption demand; if so, entering a high water consumption mode; if not, entering a low water consumption mode.

[0028] It can be seen from this that whether it is necessary to enter the high water volume mode can be judged based on whether the user triggers the instantaneous large-capacity hot water demand button or whether the current period in historical time is a period of high water demand, thereby realizing intelligent control of the water heater's working mode, ensuring a stable supply of hot water while effectively reducing energy waste.

[0029] A further solution is to determine whether at least one of the following conditions is met: the first condition is that, in the current period within the preset historical time period, the user's water consumption is greater than the sum of the capacities of the first water tank and the second water tank; the second condition is that, in the current period of each day within the preset historical time period, a signal of instantaneous large-capacity hot water demand has been received; if so, the current period is determined to be a period of high water demand; if not, the current period is determined to be a period of low water demand.

[0030] It can be seen from this that within a certain time period, whether the user's water consumption is too large or the user has triggered the instantaneous large-capacity hot water demand button, it means that the user has a high water consumption demand during this time period, and the system can be intelligently controlled to automatically enter the high water consumption mode during this time period every day.

[0031] A preferred solution is that the control method further comprises: in a high water consumption mode, increasing the operating frequency of the compressor.

[0032] It can be seen that by increasing the operating frequency of the compressor, the heating efficiency of the condenser can be improved.

[0033] A preferred solution is that the control method further includes: when the water temperature in the second water tank is lower than a preset temperature and the hot water outlet is still discharging water; the electric heater in the first water tank is turned on; and / or the electric heater in the second water tank is turned on.

[0034] It can be seen that the electric heater can be turned on when the user's water consumption is too large and the condenser heating cannot meet the heating demand, thereby further ensuring a stable supply of hot water.

[0035] To achieve the third purpose mentioned above, the present invention provides another control method for the above-mentioned water heater, the control method comprising: in low water consumption mode, closing the second switch valve and the control valve, when the amount of refrigerant passing through the first switch valve reaches a preset value, closing the first switch valve and starting the refrigerant recovery pump, and the second refrigerant branch is in a disconnected state; in high water consumption mode, controlling the first switch valve to conduct the second refrigerant branch; in both low water consumption mode and high water consumption mode, the first refrigerant branch is conducted.

[0036] It can be seen that in the low water consumption mode, the second switch valve and the control valve are closed. When it is detected that the amount of refrigerant passing through the first switch valve is close to the amount of refrigerant in the second refrigerant branch when the second condenser is in working condition, the first switch valve is closed and the refrigerant recovery pump is turned on. This process is to recover the refrigerant entering the evaporator from the circulating pipeline of the second condenser to prevent this part of the refrigerant from entering the circulating pipeline of the first condenser, resulting in too much refrigerant in the circulating pipeline of the first condenser. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] Figure 1 It is a system block diagram of a water heater embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the connecting pipes of two water tanks in the system block diagram of the water heater embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of an evaporator in an embodiment of a water heater of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the connection relationship between the control valve, the refrigerant recovery pump, the liquid storage device and the second switch valve in the embodiment of the water heater of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 5 It is a flow chart of an embodiment of a control method for a water heater of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 6 This is a flow chart of determining whether the current time period is a high water demand time period in an embodiment of the control method of the water heater of the present invention.

[0043] The present invention is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The description of the exemplary embodiments is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the present invention and its application or use. The present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. These embodiments are provided to make the present invention thorough and complete and to fully express the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art. It should be noted that unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement of the parts and steps, the composition of the materials, the numerical expressions and the numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments should be interpreted as being merely exemplary, rather than as limitations.

[0045] The words "first", "second" and similar words used in the present invention do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different parts. The words "include" or "comprise" and similar words mean that the elements before the word include the elements listed after the word, and do not exclude the possibility of including other elements. "Up", "down", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0046] In the present invention, when a specific device is described as being located between a first device and a second device, there may or may not be an intermediate device between the specific device and the first device or the second device. When a specific device is described as being connected to other devices, the specific device may be directly connected to the other devices without an intermediate device, or may not be directly connected to the other devices but have an intermediate device.

[0047] All terms (including technical terms or scientific terms) used in the present invention have the same meanings as those understood by ordinary technicians in the field, unless otherwise specifically defined. It should also be understood that terms defined in general dictionaries should be interpreted as having meanings consistent with their meanings in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or extremely formal sense, unless explicitly defined herein.

[0048] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered as part of the specification.

[0049] See also Figures 1 to 4In this embodiment, the water heater includes a refrigerant circulation system 1 and a hot water supply system 2. The refrigerant circulation system 1 includes a compressor 11, a condensing assembly 12 and an evaporator 13 connected in sequence. The hot water supply system 2 includes a cold water supply port 21, a first water tank 22, a second water tank 23 and a hot water outlet 24 connected in sequence. The cold water supply port 21 is connected to a cold water source 20 at the user end, and the hot water outlet 24 is connected to a user water end 25 at the user end. The condensing assembly 12 includes a first condenser 121 and a second condenser 122. The first condenser 121 is located in the first water tank 22, and the second condenser 122 is located in the second water tank 23.

[0050] The refrigerant circulation system 1 further includes a first switch valve 14, a liquid storage tank 15, a second switch valve 16, a control valve 3, a refrigerant recovery pump 4, a branch pipe throttle valve 17, and a first refrigerant branch pipe 18 and a second refrigerant branch pipe 19 arranged in parallel. The second switch valve 16 is a throttle valve with a switch function, and the control valve 3 is a solenoid valve.

[0051] The two ends of the first refrigerant branch pipe 18 are respectively connected to the compressor 11 and the evaporator 13, and the first condenser 121 is arranged on the first refrigerant branch pipe 18. The two ends of the second refrigerant branch pipe 19 are respectively connected to the compressor 11 and the evaporator 13, and the second condenser 122 is arranged on the second refrigerant branch pipe 19. The first switch valve 14 is located between the second condenser 122 and the compressor 11, and is used to control the on-off of the second refrigerant branch pipe 19. The control valve 3, the accumulator 15 and the second switch valve 16 are all connected to the second refrigerant branch pipe 19 and are all located between the second condenser 122 and the evaporator 13, the second switch valve 16 is located between the accumulator 15 and the evaporator 13, and the control valve 3 is located between the second condenser 122 and the accumulator 15. The refrigerant recovery pump 4 is connected in parallel with the control valve 3. The branch pipe throttle valve 17 is connected to the first refrigerant branch pipe 18 and is located between the first condenser 121 and the evaporator 13.

[0052] At the same time, the first switch valve 14 also has the function of adjusting the flow rate of the refrigerant in the second refrigerant branch pipe 19 to adapt the amount of refrigerant required by the second condenser 122 on the second refrigerant branch pipe 19. When the refrigerant in the pipeline of the second refrigerant branch pipe 19 does not participate in the production of hot water, the liquid storage tank 15 is used to store the refrigerant in the pipeline to reduce the influence of temperature disturbance on the hot water due to heat exchange between the excess refrigerant and the water in the second water tank 23.

[0053] When the refrigerant recovery pump 4 is in a working state, it can continuously extract the refrigerant and transport the refrigerant to the liquid storage tank 15. When it is in a non-working state, it has the function of disconnecting the pipeline.

[0054] By setting the first switch valve 14, it can be selected whether to let the second condenser 122 work according to the user's hot water usage. In this way, it can be ensured that when the user has a high water demand, the first condenser 121 and the second condenser 122 work together to ensure a stable supply of hot water; when the user does not have a high water demand, only the first condenser 121 works, thereby reducing energy waste.

[0055] When the second condenser 122 is not working, the refrigerant in the second refrigerant branch pipe 19 will exchange heat with the hot water in the second water tank 23 when passing through the second water tank 23. The refrigerant gas will expand after being heated. If the refrigerant in the pipeline is not recovered, the pipeline will be easily damaged under the high pressure of the gas inside the pipeline, thereby causing refrigerant leakage. In addition, by setting the second switch valve 16, it is ensured that the refrigerant in the second refrigerant pipe is recovered to the liquid storage tank 15, while preventing the refrigerant from entering the evaporator 13.

[0056] The evaporator 13 includes a first evaporation tube 131 and a second evaporation tube 132 . The first evaporation tube 131 is connected to and communicates with the first refrigerant branch pipe 18 . The second evaporation tube 132 is connected to and communicates with the second refrigerant branch pipe 19 .

[0057] The hot water supply system 2 further includes a mixing valve 26. The mixing valve 26 of this embodiment is an intelligent mixing valve 26, and the mixing valve 26 has a cold water inlet 261, a hot water inlet 262, and a water outlet 263. The hot water inlet 262 is connected to the hot water outlet 24, the cold water inlet 261 is connected to the cold water source 20, and the user water end 25 is connected to the water outlet 263. By arranging the intelligent mixing valve 26 at the water outlet of the unit, the stability and appropriate water volume of the hot water supply of the hot water unit are improved, and the personalized water needs of different users can be met more accurately, and energy waste can also be effectively reduced.

[0058] An electric heater 27 is provided in at least one of the first water tank 22 and the second water tank 23. In this embodiment, the electric heater 27 is provided in both the first water tank 22 and the second water tank 23, and a temperature sensor 28 is provided in both the first water tank 22 and the second water tank 23. The electric heater 27 can be turned on when the user's water consumption is too large and the condenser heating cannot meet the heating demand, thereby further ensuring a stable supply of hot water.

[0059] See also Figure 5 The control method of the water heater of this embodiment includes:

[0060] After the water heater is working, step S1 is first executed to determine whether a signal of instantaneous large-capacity hot water demand is received, that is, to determine whether the user presses the instantaneous large-capacity hot water demand button on the water heater.

[0061] If a signal of instantaneous large-capacity hot water demand is received, step S2 is executed to enter the high water consumption mode. At this time, the first switch valve 14, the second switch valve 16 and the control valve 3 are controlled to open, so that the second refrigerant branch pipe 19 is connected, the refrigerant recovery pump 4 does not work, and the first refrigerant branch pipe 18 is also in a conducting state. The first condenser 121 heats the water in the first water tank 22, and the second condenser 122 heats the water in the second water tank 23. At the same time, the operating frequency of the compressor 11 is increased, so that the refrigerant is compressed into high-temperature and high-pressure gas from the compressor 11 and passes through the four-way valve 3 to realize the simultaneous production of hot water in the first water tank 22 and the second water tank 23. The refrigerant not only condenses and releases heat through the first condenser 121 in the first water tank 22, heating the cold water in the first water tank 22 to 50°C, but also condenses and releases heat through the second condenser 122 of the second water tank 23, heating the hot water with a temperature of 50°C entering the second water tank 23 from the water outlet of the first water tank 22 to 65°C. At this time, the hot water temperature of the first water tank 22 is 50°C, and the water temperature of the water outlet of the second water tank 23 is 65°C, which increases the appropriate water volume of the water tank while meeting the short-term water demand of users. The refrigerant flowing out of the first condenser 121 is throttled by the branch pipe throttle valve 17 and becomes gas-liquid two-phase and then enters the first evaporation tube 131 of the evaporator 13 for evaporation and heat absorption. The refrigerant flowing out of the second condenser 122 is throttled by the second switch valve 16 and becomes gas-liquid two-phase and then enters the second evaporation tube 132 of the evaporator 13 for evaporation and heat absorption. The two refrigerants are converted into gaseous state due to heat absorption and then merge and re-enter the compressor 11 for compression, thus completing a cycle.

[0062] If no signal of instantaneous large-capacity hot water demand is received, step S3 is executed to further determine whether the current moment is in a high water demand period.

[0063] If the current moment is in a high water demand period, step S2 is executed to enter the high water demand mode, and the first switch valve 14, the second switch valve 16 and the control valve 3 are controlled to open, so that the second refrigerant branch pipe 19 is connected, and the refrigerant recovery pump 4 does not work. At the same time, the first refrigerant branch pipe 18 is also in a conducting state, and the first condenser 121 heats the water in the first water tank 22, and the second condenser 122 heats the water in the second water tank 23. At the same time, the operating frequency of the compressor 11 is increased.

[0064] If the current moment is not in a high water demand period, then step S4 is executed to enter the low water demand mode, the second switch valve 16 and the control valve 3 are closed, and when it is detected that the amount of refrigerant passing through the first switch valve 14 is close to the amount of refrigerant in the second refrigerant branch pipe 19 in the working state of the second condenser 122, the first switch valve 14 is closed and the refrigerant recovery pump 4 is turned on. This process is to recover the refrigerant entering the evaporator 13 from the circulation pipeline of the second condenser 122 to prevent this part of the refrigerant from entering the circulation pipeline of the first condenser 121, resulting in too much refrigerant in the circulation pipeline of the first condenser 121. At this time, the second refrigerant branch pipe 19 is in a disconnected state, and the refrigerant recovery pump 4 is working, continuously extracting the refrigerant in the pipeline between the first switch valve 14 and the refrigerant recovery pump 4 in the second refrigerant branch pipe 19 and delivering it to the liquid storage 15. When the refrigerant recovery function meets the exit condition, the refrigerant recovery pump 4 stops working. In this mode, only the first condenser 121 heats the water in the first water tank 22 and heats the water in the first water tank 22 to 50°C. The refrigerant condenses and releases heat in the first condenser 121 to become liquid, passes through the branch pipe throttle valve 17 to become gas-liquid two-phase and enters the first refrigerant branch pipe 18 of the evaporator 13 to evaporate and absorb heat. The refrigerant is converted into gas due to heat absorption and then re-enters the compressor 11 for compression, and a cycle is performed. At this time, the second water is only used to store the hot water with a temperature of 50°C produced by the first water tank 22, and is supplied to the user water end 25 through the water outlet of the second water tank 23.

[0065] In the high water consumption mode, when the water temperature in the second water tank 23 is lower than the preset temperature and the user water end 25 is still using water, that is, the hot water outlet 24 is still discharging water, the electric heater 27 in the first water tank 22 and the electric heater 27 in the second water tank 23 are turned on at the same time. In this embodiment, the preset temperature is 50°C. In other embodiments, only the electric heater 27 in the first water tank 22 or only the electric heater 27 in the second water tank 23 may be turned on. In the low water consumption mode, when the water temperature in the second water tank 23 is lower than the preset temperature and the user water end 25 is still using water, the high water consumption mode may be entered, or the electric heater 27 in the first water tank 22 or the electric heater 27 in the second water tank 23 may be turned on to ensure a stable supply of hot water to the user water end 25 and to ensure the user's water demand.

[0066] See also Figure 6 , the steps of determining whether the current period is a period of high water demand include:

[0067] First, execute step S21. When the user has no instantaneous large-volume water demand, the user's water consumption information every half hour from 00:00 to 24:00 every day for three days (i.e., the preset historical time period) can be collected.

[0068] Next, step S22 is executed to determine whether at least one of the following conditions is met: the first condition is that in the current period of the preset historical time period, the user's water consumption is greater than the sum of the capacities of the first water tank 22 and the second water tank 23, and the user's water consumption is the total consumption capacity of the user's hot water; the second condition is that in the preset historical time period, the signal of instantaneous large-capacity hot water demand is received in the current period of each day. If so, step S23 is executed to determine that the current period is a high water demand period; if not, step S24 is executed to determine that the current period is a low water demand period.

[0069] As can be seen from the above, by setting the first water tank and the second water tank in series, after the cold water is supplied to the first water tank, the first water tank supplies hot water to the second water tank, and the second water tank supplies hot water to the user end, so that the disturbance of the hot water temperature in the water tank caused by water replenishment can be reduced. At the same time, the first refrigerant branch pipe where the first condenser is located and the second refrigerant branch pipe where the second condenser is located are connected in parallel, so that the problem of the refrigerant temperature decreasing after heating the first water tank due to the condensers in the existing two water tanks being connected in series, the heating efficiency of the refrigerant entering the secondary water tank becomes low, and the temperature difference inside the secondary water tank still affects the stable supply of hot water can be avoided. Therefore, the water heater of the present invention can reduce the problem of water temperature disturbance through the structure of double water tank water circuits in series and condensers in parallel, and can also efficiently produce high-temperature hot water, thereby effectively utilizing energy to quickly produce hot water at different temperature layers. At the same time, the intelligent control terminal is used to intelligently adjust the hot water heating method and stabilize the hot water supply temperature according to the user's historical hot water use or instantaneous water demand, thereby improving the user's comfort and satisfaction in using hot water and reducing unnecessary waste of electricity.

[0070] Finally, it should be emphasized that the above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various changes and modifications. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. Water heater, including refrigerant circulation system and hot water supply system; The refrigerant circulation system comprises a compressor, a condensing assembly and an evaporator which are connected in sequence; The hot water supply system comprises a cold water supply port, a first water tank, a second water tank and a hot water discharge port which are connected in sequence; The condensation assembly comprises a first condenser and a second condenser, the first condenser is located in the first water tank, and the second condenser is located in the second water tank; Features: The refrigerant circulation system further comprises a first refrigerant branch pipe and a second refrigerant branch pipe arranged in parallel; The two ends of the first refrigerant branch pipe are respectively connected to the compressor and the evaporator, and the first condenser is arranged on the first refrigerant branch pipe; Two ends of the second refrigerant branch pipe are respectively connected to the compressor and the evaporator, and the second condenser is arranged on the second refrigerant branch pipe.

2. The water heater according to claim 1, Features: The refrigerant circulation system further includes a first switch valve, which is located between the second condenser and the compressor and is used to control the on-off of the second refrigerant branch pipe.

3. The water heater according to claim 2, Features: The refrigerant circulation system also includes a liquid reservoir and a second switch valve; The liquid reservoir and the second switch valve are both connected to the second refrigerant branch pipe, the liquid reservoir is located between the second condenser and the evaporator, and the second switch valve is located between the liquid reservoir and the evaporator.

4. The water heater according to claim 3, Features: The refrigerant circulation system also includes a control valve and a refrigerant recovery pump; The control valve is located between the second condenser and the liquid accumulator, and the refrigerant recovery pump is connected in parallel with the control valve.

5. The water heater according to claim 3, Features: The second switch valve is a throttle valve with a switch function.

6. The water heater according to any one of claims 1 to 5, Features: The refrigerant circulation system further includes a branch pipe throttle valve, which is connected to the first refrigerant branch pipe and is located between the first condenser and the evaporator.

7. The water heater according to any one of claims 1 to 5, Features: The evaporator includes a first evaporation tube and a second evaporation tube, the first evaporation tube is connected to the first refrigerant branch pipe and communicates with the first refrigerant branch pipe, and the second evaporation tube is connected to the second refrigerant branch pipe and communicates with the second refrigerant branch pipe.

8. The water heater according to any one of claims 1 to 5, Features: The hot water supply system further comprises a water mixing valve having a cold water inlet, a hot water inlet and a water outlet, wherein the hot water inlet is communicated with the hot water outlet.

9. The water heater according to any one of claims 1 to 5, Features: An electric heater is disposed in at least one of the first water tank and the second water tank.

10. Control method of water heater, It is characterized in that Applicable to the water heater according to any one of claims 2 to 5; the control method comprises: In the low water consumption mode, controlling the first switch valve to disconnect the second refrigerant branch pipe; In high water consumption mode, controlling the first switch valve to conduct the second refrigerant branch pipe; In the low water consumption mode and the high water consumption mode, the first refrigerant branch pipe is connected.

11. The control method of the water heater according to claim 10, Features: The control method further comprises: If a signal of instantaneous large-capacity hot water demand is received, the high water consumption mode is entered; If no signal of instantaneous large-capacity hot water demand is received, it is further determined whether the current moment is in a high water demand period; If yes, entering the high water consumption mode; If not, the low water consumption mode is entered.

12. The control method of the water heater according to claim 11, Features: Determine whether at least one of the following conditions is met: the first condition is that the user's water consumption in the current period within the preset historical time period is greater than the sum of the capacities of the first water tank and the second water tank; the second condition is that within the preset historical time period, a signal of instantaneous large-capacity hot water demand is received in the current period of each day; If yes, the current period is determined to be a period of high water demand; If not, the current period is determined to be a period of low water demand.

13. The control method of the water heater according to any one of claims 10 to 12, Features: The control method further includes: in the high water consumption mode, increasing the operating frequency of the compressor.

14. The control method of the water heater according to any one of claims 10 to 12, Features: The control method further comprises: When the water temperature in the second water tank is lower than the preset temperature and the hot water outlet is still discharging water; The electric heater in the first water tank is turned on; and / or The electric heater in the second water tank is turned on.

15. Control method of water heater, It is characterized in that Applicable to the water heater as claimed in claim 4; the control method comprises: In the low water consumption mode, the second switch valve and the control valve are closed, and when the amount of refrigerant passing through the first switch valve reaches a preset value, the first switch valve is closed and the refrigerant recovery pump is turned on, and the second refrigerant branch pipe is in a disconnected state; In high water consumption mode, controlling the first switch valve to conduct the second refrigerant branch pipe; In the low water consumption mode and the high water consumption mode, the first refrigerant branch pipe is connected.

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