Heat pump system

Abstract

The invention provides a heat pump system. The heat pump system comprises a water storage tank, heat pump equipment and gas water heating equipment. When the heat pump equipment operates in the defrosting mode, the combustor of the gas water heating equipment is ignited and combusted, and hot water output by the combustor can be directly or indirectly used for defrosting work of the heat pump equipment, so that enough hot water is stored in the water storage tank to be used for indoor heat supply, and then the indoor thermal comfort degree is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a heat pump system, and particularly to the defrost operation of a heat pump system. Background Art

[0002] As is well known, a heat pump is used to heat and / or cool the air inside a building. A typical heat pump usually has a refrigerant circuit including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator. A heat transfer medium (commonly referred to as a refrigerant) circulates in the refrigerant circuit to transfer heat from a first location to a second location. During operation in the heating mode, outdoor air is used as a heat source, the outdoor heat exchanger is used as an evaporator, and the indoor heat exchanger is used as a condenser. Thus, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the external atmosphere through the evaporator and releases the heat into the internal air through the condenser. The heat pump can also be designed to reverse the above operations in the cooling mode to transfer heat from the internal air to the external atmosphere.

[0003] The outdoor heat exchanger usually adopts a coil heat exchanger. In the normal heating mode, the outdoor heat exchanger acting as an evaporator becomes colder than the external air. When the external temperature approaches or is lower than the freezing point of water, the moisture in the air is condensed and becomes ice / frost accumulating on the coils of the outdoor heat exchanger. The formation of ice restricts the air flow through the coils, which results in a reduction in the thermal energy absorbed from the outdoor air, thereby reducing the performance and efficiency of the heat pump device. To restore performance, the device will enter the defrost mode. A common method for defrosting the outdoor coil in the existing technology is to convert the heat pump system from the heating mode to the cooling mode. The effect of this mode reversal is to directly guide the hot refrigerant discharged from the compressor to the outdoor coil to melt the ice formed on the coil until the temperature of the outdoor coil rises to a predetermined value to ensure that all the ice is removed.

[0004] However, in the traditional defrost mode, the heating of the interior must be stopped. In addition, since the internal heat exchanger is used as an evaporator at this time, heat is extracted from the indoor air, resulting in a decrease in the indoor temperature, thus significantly reducing the indoor thermal comfort. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To overcome the problems existing in the related art, the present disclosure provides a heat pump system that can ensure indoor thermal comfort during defrosting.

[0006] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a heat pump system, which includes a water storage tank, a heat pump device, and a gas water heating device. The water storage tank has a first water inlet, a first water outlet, a second water inlet, and a second water outlet. The heat pump device has a refrigerant circuit and can operate in several modes to transfer heat between outdoor air and a first water circuit arranged indoors through the refrigerant. The refrigerant circuit includes a compressor for compressing the refrigerant, a first heat exchanger for transferring heat between the refrigerant and the first water circuit, a throttling device for reducing the pressure of the refrigerant, and a second heat exchanger for transferring heat between the refrigerant and outdoor air. The first heat exchanger operates as a condenser to cool the refrigerant in the heating mode, and operates as an evaporator to evaporate the refrigerant in the refrigeration mode and the defrosting mode; the second heat exchanger operates as an evaporator in the heating mode, and operates as a condenser in the refrigeration mode and the defrosting mode. The gas water heating device includes a burner for burning a gas and air mixture, a main heat exchanger for absorbing the heat generated by the burner and transferring the heat to the water flow passing through it, and a first heat exchange water circuit passing through the main heat exchanger; the first heat exchange water circuit is communicated with the water storage tank through a second water circuit arranged indoors. Wherein, the first water circuit is communicated with the first water inlet and the first water outlet of the water storage tank to realize water circulation; the second water circuit is communicated with the second water inlet and the second water outlet of the water storage tank to realize water circulation. When the heat pump device operates in the defrosting mode, the burner of the gas water heating device ignites and burns.

[0007] In some embodiments, the first water circuit has a first water outlet pipe connected to the first water inlet and a first water return pipe connected to the first water outlet; the second water circuit has a second water outlet pipe connected to the second water inlet and a second water return pipe connected to the second water outlet.

[0008] In some embodiments, a first electrically controlled three-way valve is arranged between the first water outlet pipe and the second water return pipe, and a second electrically controlled three-way valve is arranged between the first water return pipe and the second water outlet pipe.

[0009] In some embodiments, the first electrically controlled three-way valve and the second electrically controlled three-way valve are configured as follows: when the heat pump device operates in the heating mode and the refrigeration mode, the first electrically controlled three-way valve connects the first water outlet pipe and disconnects the connection with the second water return pipe, and the second electrically controlled three-way valve connects the first water return pipe and disconnects the connection with the second water outlet pipe; when the heat pump device operates in the defrosting mode, the first electrically controlled three-way valve connects the first water outlet pipe and the second water return pipe and disconnects the water connection between it and the first water inlet; the second electrically controlled three-way valve connects the first water return pipe and the second water outlet pipe and disconnects the water connection between it and the first water outlet.

[0010] In some embodiments, a first electric control valve is provided in the second water outlet pipeline, in the water path connecting to the second water inlet and upstream of the second electric control three-way valve; a second electric control valve is provided in the second water return pipeline, in the water path connecting to the second water outlet and downstream of the first electric control three-way valve.

[0011] In some embodiments, the first electric control valve and the second electric control valve are configured such that: when the heat pump device operates in the heating mode, both are in the connected state; when the heat pump device operates in the defrosting mode, both are in the disconnected state.

[0012] In some embodiments, the gas water heating device further includes a secondary heat exchanger, a second heat exchange water path, and a heat exchange branch connected to the first heat exchange water path; wherein, the second heat exchange water path is communicated with the water path of the water-using device arranged indoors, the heat exchange branch is connected to the first heat exchange water path through a third electric control three-way valve, and heat exchange is realized between the heat exchange branch and the second heat exchange water path through the secondary heat exchanger; the third electric control three-way valve is configured such that: when the heat pump device operates in the defrosting mode, the third electric control three-way valve connects the first heat exchange water path and disconnects the connection with the heat exchange branch.

[0013] In some embodiments, the heat pump system further includes a system controller, which is connected to the heat pump device and the gas water heating device in a wired or wireless manner.

[0014] In some embodiments, the heat pump system further includes a third water path arranged indoors, and a heat dissipation device and a fan coil unit connected in the third water path; the water storage tank further has a third water inlet and a third water outlet, and the third water path is communicated with the third water inlet and the third water outlet.

[0015] In some embodiments, a fourth electric control three-way valve communicating with the heat dissipation device and the fan coil unit, and a circulation water pump arranged upstream of the fourth electric control three-way valve are further provided in the third water path; the fourth electric control three-way valve can be actuated to alternatively connect the heat dissipation device and the fan coil unit to the water storage tank through the third water path.

[0016] The technical solutions provided by one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may include the following beneficial effects: when the heat pump device operates in the defrosting mode, the gas water heating device starts to operate, and the hot water output by it can be directly or indirectly used for the defrosting work of the heat pump device, so that there is enough hot water in the water storage tank for indoor heating, thereby ensuring the indoor thermal comfort. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic connection diagram between devices of a heat pump system in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 2 is a schematic connection diagram between devices of a heat pump system in another embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed implementation manners

[0020] The following will describe each illustrated embodiment in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. Structural, method, or functional transformations made by those of ordinary skill in the art based on these implementation manners are all included within the scope of protection claimed in the appended claims.

[0021] As Figure 1 shown, the heat pump system 100 in an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a gas hot water device 10, a water storage tank 20, and a heat pump device 30.

[0022] The gas hot water device uses combustible gas as fuel, such as natural gas, town gas, liquefied gas, biogas, etc., and provides heat by burning the combustible gas to meet the hot water and / or heating needs of users. The gas hot water device is usually installed indoors, but in some embodiments, it can also be installed outdoors. As Figure 1 shown, the device includes a housing, a burner 11, a main heat exchanger 12, an exhaust device 13, a blower 14, a gas valve assembly 15, a secondary heat exchanger 18, and first and second heat exchange water circuits accommodated in the housing. The housing can be installed on a wall with its back panel facing the wall. The burner 11 can adopt an atmospheric burner, which usually includes a burner unit, such as a plurality of burner plates (not shown) arranged side by side. Each burner plate is provided with a gas-air mixing channel, and the gas and primary air conveyed through the gas delivery pipeline are mixed in the mixing channel and transferred to the burner holes at the top of the burner plate to burn and generate hot flue gas. Since the structure and arrangement of the burner plates are well known to those skilled in the art, the applicant will not elaborate here. The main heat exchanger 12 is usually arranged above the burner 11, and it can adopt a finned tube heat exchanger, that is, a plurality of fins are arranged in the heat exchanger housing, and a hot water suction pipe 105 winds through these fins. The heat carried by the hot flue gas generated by the combustion of the burner 11 is absorbed by the fins and further transferred to the water flowing through the hot water suction pipe 105, and the heated water is output through the first hot water output pipe 102. The exhaust device 13 is usually installed on the main heat exchanger 12, and it includes a smoke hood and an exhaust pipe arranged at the top of the smoke hood. The flue gas generated by combustion (waste gas containing carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, etc.) is collected by the smoke hood and discharged to the outside through the exhaust pipe.

[0023] The gas valve assembly 15 is arranged on the gas supply pipeline, which generally includes a gas valve and a gas proportional valve integrated together. Both the gas valve and the gas proportional valve can adopt electrically controllable valves. The gas valve is used to connect or disconnect the gas supply channel, and the gas proportional valve is used to control the gas flow rate supplied to the burner. The working principle of the gas proportional valve is to adjust the output pressure of the proportional valve by controlling the valve opening degree, so as to control the output gas flow rate. The blower 14 can be arranged below the burner 11 to drive the air flow, so as to provide the air required for combustion and prompt the flue gas generated by combustion to be collected by the smoke hood of the smoke exhaust device.

[0024] The first heat exchange water path includes a first cold water inlet pipe 101, a hot water suction pipe 105, and a first hot water outlet pipe 102; the second heat exchange water path includes a second cold water inlet pipe 103 and a second hot water outlet pipe 104. A heat exchange branch 106 is connected to the first heat exchange water path, and its two ends are respectively communicated with the first cold water inlet pipe 101 and the first hot water outlet pipe 102 and are connected in parallel with the hot water suction pipe 105. The auxiliary heat exchanger 18 can adopt a traditional plate heat exchanger, which is connected between the heat exchange branch 106 and the second heat exchange water path to realize heat exchange between the two. The heat exchange branch 106 and the first heat exchange water path are connected by a third electrically controlled three-way valve 172, and the third electrically controlled three-way valve can be controlled by a stepping motor to alternatively connect the water flow to the first heat exchange water path and the heat exchange branch. For example, through the control of the stepping motor, the valve ports 171 and 172 of the third electrically controlled three-way valve 17 can be connected, and the valve port 173 is disconnected, so that the water flow flows in the first heat exchange water path and cannot penetrate through the heat exchange branch 106; it can also be controlled by the stepping motor to connect the valve ports 172 and 173 of the third electrically controlled three-way valve 17 and disconnect the valve port 171, then the water flow circulates and heats in the loop composed of the hot water suction pipe 105 and the heat exchange branch 106, and transfers the heat to the second heat exchange water path through the auxiliary heat exchanger 18. In some embodiments, the second heat exchange water path is communicated with the water using equipment 70 arranged indoors, such as a mixing valve water path. Thus, the cold water from the external water supply pipeline 71 enters the second cold water inlet pipe 103, and after being heated by the auxiliary heat exchanger 18, it is output to the water using equipment 70 through the second hot water outlet pipe 104 for domestic hot water uses such as washing. In some embodiments, the second heat exchange water path, the auxiliary heat exchanger 18, the heat exchange branch 106, and the third electrically controlled three-way valve 17 can also be omitted, that is, only the first heat exchange water path is retained in the water path of the gas water heater 10. In addition, a circulating water pump 16 is arranged in the first heat exchange water path to drive the internal water circulation.

[0025] A controller 19 of a gas water heating device is disposed within a housing for detecting and controlling the operation of various components and circuit devices within the device. The controller may be a circuit board provided with a number of circuit devices, which includes a control component and a communication unit. In some embodiments, the control component may be a control circuit formed by a processor, a memory, and a number of electronic components connected in a certain wiring pattern. The processor may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or may also be other general-purpose processors, Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. In some embodiments, the controller 19 is the control center of the gas water heating device, which utilizes various interfaces and lines to connect to various parts of the device. For example, the controller 19 is wired electrically connected or wirelessly communicates with a burner 11, a blower 14, a gas valve assembly 15, a circulation water pump 16, and a third electrically controlled three-way valve 17, etc.

[0026] The heat pump device 30 can be installed outdoors and can operate in several modes, such as heating mode, cooling mode, defrosting mode, etc. The heat pump device 30 has a refrigerant circuit, and heat is transferred between outdoor air and indoor water circuit through the operation of the refrigerant in the circuit. The refrigerant circuit generally includes a compressor 31, a first heat exchanger 32, a throttling device 33, and a second heat exchanger 34 installed in the device housing. The compressor 31 generally uses electricity to compress the refrigerant from a low-pressure gas state to a high-pressure gas state, thereby increasing the temperature, enthalpy, and pressure of the refrigerant. The first heat exchanger 32 can be a plate heat exchanger for transferring heat between the refrigerant and the first water circuit arranged indoors. In the heating mode, the first heat exchanger 32 acts as a condenser. The refrigerant leaving the compressor 31 flows through the first heat exchanger 32 and condenses to a saturated liquid state at a substantially constant pressure; during this process, driven by a water pump 36 arranged between the first heat exchanger 32 and the first water circuit, the circulating water flowing in the first water circuit flows through the first heat exchanger 32 and absorbs the heat released from the refrigerant and is heated to a higher temperature (such as 43 °C). The throttling device 33 can be in the form of an electronic expansion valve for controlling the amount of refrigerant entering the second heat exchanger 34. The liquid refrigerant from the first heat exchanger 32 flows through the electronic expansion valve 33, resulting in a reduction in the pressure of the liquid. During this process, the refrigerant partially evaporates, causing the refrigerant to become a mixed liquid state, reducing its temperature to a value that enables heat exchange to occur in the second heat exchanger 34. The second heat exchanger 34 can be a coil heat exchanger equipped with a blower (not labeled), which acts as an evaporator in the heating mode and uses the heat energy in the air to evaporate the refrigerant from a liquid state to a gaseous state. The gaseous refrigerant discharged from the second heat exchanger 34 is further sucked into the compressor 11 to repeat the above refrigerant cycle. The refrigerant circuit further includes a reversing valve 35, which can be a four-way valve for reversing the refrigerant cycle, that is, different operating modes are switched by reversing the direction of the refrigerant cycle. In the cooling mode, the first heat exchanger 32 operates as an evaporator, and the second heat exchanger 34 operates as a condenser; at this time, the circulating water flowing in the first water circuit flows through the first heat exchanger 32 and is cooled to a lower temperature (such as 8 °C) by the heat absorbed by the evaporating refrigerant.

[0027] The water storage tank 20 can be a metal barrel wrapped with heat-insulating material, such as foaming material, which has a first water inlet 21, a first water outlet 22, a second water inlet 23, and a second water outlet 24. The first water circuit is communicated with the first water inlet 21 and the first water outlet 22 of the water storage tank to realize water circulation. The first heat exchange water circuit of the gas water heating device 10 is communicated with the water storage tank 20 through a second water circuit arranged indoors. Among them, the second water circuit is communicated with the second water inlet 23 and the second water outlet 24 of the water storage tank to realize water circulation. The first water circuit has a first water outlet pipeline 75 connected to the first water inlet 21 and a first water return pipeline 76 connected to the first water outlet 22; the second water circuit has a second water outlet pipeline 72, 73 connected to the second water inlet 23 and a second water return pipeline 74 connected to the second water outlet 24. In this embodiment, a first electric control three-way valve 83 is arranged between the first water outlet pipeline 75 and the second water return pipeline 74, and a second electric control three-way valve 84 is arranged between the first water return pipeline 76 and the second water outlet pipeline 72. Similar to the above-mentioned third electric control three-way valve 17, the first and second electric control three-way valves 83, 84 can both be driven by a stepping motor to selectively communicate two of the valve ports and simultaneously disconnect the remaining third valve port.

[0028] The heat pump system 100 further includes a third water circuit arranged indoors and a fan coil unit 40 and a heat dissipation device 50 connected in the third water circuit. The water storage tank 20 also has a third water inlet 25 and a third water outlet 26, and the above-mentioned third water circuit is communicated with the third water inlet 25 and the third water outlet 26. The fan coil unit 40 is usually installed inside the ceiling of the room and is communicated with the indoor through an air outlet; when cooling water at a relatively low temperature (such as 8 °C) passes through the third water circuit, the cooling water flows through the fan coil unit 40 to reduce the air temperature in the room, so as to achieve a refrigeration effect. The heat dissipation device 50 can be a floor heating coil laid under the floor of the room or a metal radiator installed in the room. When hot water at a relatively high temperature (such as 43 °C) passes through the third water circuit, the hot water flows through the heat dissipation device 50 to release heat, so as to heat the air in the room to achieve a heating effect. A fourth electric control three-way valve 82 communicated with the heat dissipation device 50 and the fan coil unit 40 and a circulation water pump 81 arranged upstream of the fourth electric control three-way valve are also arranged in the third water circuit. The circulation water pump 81 can be used to drive the water flow in the third water circuit to circulate. The fourth electric control three-way valve 82 is similar to the above-mentioned electric control three-way valve and can be selectively communicated with two of the valve ports through the operation of the stepping motor and simultaneously disconnect the remaining third valve port, so that the heat dissipation device 50 and the fan coil unit 40 are alternatively communicated with the water storage tank 20 through the third water circuit.

[0029] The heat pump system 100 further includes room thermostats 60 disposed in each room, which can be connected to the circulation water pump 81 and the fourth electric control three-way valve 82 through wired connection or wireless communication to control the operation of the two. In winter, the water storage tank 20 usually stores hot water at a relatively high temperature. When the room thermostat 60 detects that the room temperature is lower than the set temperature, it controls the fourth electric control three-way valve 82 to connect the heat dissipation device 50 to the water storage tank 20, and triggers the circulation water pump 81 to operate to promote the hot water in the water storage tank 20 to pass through the heat dissipation device 50 via the third water path to heat the air in the room. In summer, the water storage tank 20 usually stores cold water at a relatively low temperature. When the room thermostat 60 detects that the room temperature is higher than the set temperature, it controls the fourth electric control three-way valve 82 to connect the fan coil unit 40 to the water storage tank 20, and triggers the circulation water pump 81 to operate to promote the cold water in the water storage tank 20 to pass through the fan coil unit 40 via the third water path to cool the air in the room.

[0030] The heat pump system 100 further includes a system controller 70, which is connected to the heat pump device 30 and the gas water heating device 10 through wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the system controller 70 is connected to the controller (not shown) of the heat pump device 30 and the controller 19 of the gas water heating device 10. The system controller 70 can adopt a similar structure to the above-mentioned gas water heating device controller 19, and the applicant will not elaborate here. The system controller 70 can also be connected to the first electric control three-way valve 83 and the second electric control three-way valve 84 through wired or wireless connection to control the operation of the two. In summer, the heat pump device 30 operates in the cooling mode. The first electric control three-way valve 83 is controlled to connect the first water outlet pipe 75 and disconnect the connection with the second water return pipe 74; at the same time, the second electric control three-way valve 84 is controlled to connect the first water return pipe 76 and disconnect the connection with the second water outlet pipe 72; thus, the relatively low-temperature cold water output by the heat pump device 30 enters the water storage tank 20 through the first water path for storage and is used by the fan coil unit 40. In winter, the heat pump device 30 operates in the heating mode. The first electric control three-way valve 83 is controlled to connect the first water outlet pipe 75 and disconnect the connection with the second water return pipe 74; at the same time, the second electric control three-way valve 84 is controlled to connect the first water return pipe 76 and disconnect the connection with the second water outlet pipe 72; thus, the relatively high-temperature hot water output by the heat pump device 30 enters the water storage tank 20 through the first water path for storage and is used by the heat dissipation device 50. In this mode, the gas water heating device 10 can be turned on to output hot water to the water storage tank 20 through the second water path, thereby accelerating the increase in the water temperature in the water storage tank 20.

[0031] In winter, when the heat pump device operates in the defrosting mode, the first electronically controlled three-way valve 83 is controlled to connect the first water outlet pipe 75 and the second water return pipe 74, and disconnect the water connection between it and the first water inlet 21; at the same time, the second electronically controlled three-way valve 84 is controlled to connect the first water return pipe 76 and the second water outlet pipe 72, and disconnect the water connection between it and the first water outlet 22. In this mode, the gas water heating device 10 starts to operate, the burner 11 ignites and burns, and the third electronically controlled three-way valve 17 is controlled to connect the first heat exchange water path and disconnect the connection with the heat exchange branch 106. Thus, the hot water heated by the gas water heating device 10 enters the heat pump device 30 via the second water outlet pipe 72 and the first water return pipe 76, and heats the refrigerant therein when passing through the first heat exchanger 32 for defrosting use; the water cooled after heat exchange through the first heat exchanger 32 then enters the first heat exchange water path of the gas water heating device 10 through the first water outlet pipe 75 and the second water return pipe 74 to be heated and output, and so on in a cycle until the defrosting of the second heat exchanger 34 of the heat pump device 30 ends. That is to say, when the heat pump device 30 operates in the defrosting mode, the heat required by the first heat exchanger 32 used as an evaporator all comes from the gas water heating device 10 rather than the water storage tank 20. Thus, the hot water in the water storage tank 20 can be all used for indoor heating, thereby ensuring the indoor thermal comfort.

[0032] In some embodiments, a first electronically controlled valve 85 is provided in the water path of the second water outlet pipe 73, upstream of the second electronically controlled three-way valve 84 and connected to the second water inlet 23; a second electronically controlled valve 86 is provided in the water path of the second water return pipe 75, downstream of the first electronically controlled three-way valve 83 and connected to the second water outlet 24. The first electronically controlled valve 85 and the second electronically controlled valve 86 are used to connect or disconnect the water paths where they are located, and they can be ordinary solenoid valves or driven by a stepping motor. When the heat pump device operates in the heating mode, both the first electronically controlled valve 85 and the second electronically controlled valve 86 are controlled to be in the connected state, so that the gas water heating device 10 can be used to heat the water in the water storage tank 20. When the heat pump device operates in the defrosting mode, both the first electronically controlled valve 85 and the second electronically controlled valve 86 are controlled to be in the disconnected state, so that the hot water output after being heated by the gas water heating device 10 does not enter the water storage tank 20 and is all used for the defrosting work of the heat pump device 30.

[0033] As Figure 2Another embodiment of the heat pump system 200 is shown. The main difference from the above embodiment is that the first electronically controlled three-way valve 83, the second electronically controlled three-way valve 84, the first electronically controlled valve 85, the second electronically controlled valve 86, and the corresponding connecting pipelines are omitted. When the heat pump device 30 operates in the defrosting mode, the gas water heater 10 starts to operate, and the burner 11 ignites and burns. The third electronically controlled three-way valve 17 is controlled to connect the first heat exchange water path and disconnect the connection with the heat exchange branch 106. Thus, the hot water output after heating by the gas water heater 10 is input into the water storage tank through the second water path until the defrosting of the heat pump device ends. That is to say, when the heat pump device 30 operates in the defrosting mode, although the heat required by the first heat exchanger 32 used as the evaporator still comes from the water storage tank 20, at the same time, the gas water heater 10 outputs hot water to the water storage tank 20. Therefore, there is enough hot water in the water storage tank 20 for indoor heating, thereby ensuring the indoor thermal comfort. It can also be considered that the hot water output by the gas water heater at this time can be indirectly used for the defrosting work of the heat pump device.

[0034] In the description of the above embodiments of the present disclosure, the orientation or positional relationship indicated by "longitudinal", "transverse", "vertical", "radial", "circumferential", "horizontal", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "rear", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. It is only for the convenience of description and simplification of the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation to the present disclosure.

[0035] In the above disclosure, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined as "first", "second", etc. may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the above description, the meanings of similar terms such as "several", "multiple", etc. are at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0036] In the above disclosure, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "adjacent to", "connected", "connected to", "fixed", etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or integrated; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, which can be the internal communication of two components or the interaction relationship between two components, unless otherwise clearly limited. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0037] In the above disclosure, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, the first feature being "on" or "under" the second feature may mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Also, the first feature being "above", "over", or "on top of" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature has a higher horizontal height than the second feature. The first feature being "under", "beneath", or "underneath" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature has a lower horizontal height than the second feature.

[0038] The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of units in a controller is only a division of logical functions, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation. For instance, multiple units may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Additionally, the connections between the components, components, and units discussed above can be electrical, mechanical, or other connection forms; they can be direct connections or indirect connections through some interfaces, etc.; they can be wired connections or wireless communications.

[0039] Furthermore, the units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units; some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the disclosed embodiment solution. Additionally, each functional unit in the above embodiments can be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically alone, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The above integrated units can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of hardware plus software functional units.

[0040] It should be understood that although this specification is described according to embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative manner of the specification is only for clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A heat pump system, characterized in that: The system includes a water storage tank having a first water inlet, a first water outlet, a second water inlet, and a second water outlet; a heat pump device having a refrigerant circuit that can operate in several modes to transfer heat between outdoor air and a first water circuit provided indoors; the refrigerant circuit includes a compressor for compressing the refrigerant, a first heat exchanger for transferring heat between the refrigerant and the first water circuit, a throttling device for reducing the pressure of the refrigerant, and a second heat exchanger for transferring heat between the refrigerant and outdoor air; the first heat exchanger operates as a condenser to cool the refrigerant in the heating mode and operates as an evaporator to evaporate the refrigerant in the cooling mode and the defrosting mode; the second heat exchanger operates as an evaporator in the heating mode and operates as a condenser in the cooling mode and the defrosting mode; a gas water heating device including a burner for burning a gas and air mixture, a main heat exchanger for absorbing the heat generated by the burner and transferring the heat to the water flow passing through it, and a first water heat exchange circuit passing through the main heat exchanger; the first water heat exchange circuit is communicated with the water storage tank through a second water circuit provided indoors; wherein, the first water circuit is communicated with the first water inlet and the first water outlet of the water storage tank to realize water circulation; the second water circuit is communicated with the second water inlet and the second water outlet of the water storage tank to realize water circulation; when the heat pump device operates in the defrosting mode, the burner of the gas water heating device ignites and burns.

2. The heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein: The first water circuit has a first water outlet pipe connected to the first water inlet and a first water return pipe connected to the first water outlet; the second water circuit has a second water outlet pipe connected to the second water inlet and a second water return pipe connected to the second water outlet.

3. The heat pump system according to claim 2, characterized in that: A first electric control three-way valve is provided between the first water outlet pipe and the second water return pipe, and a second electric control three-way valve is provided between the first water return pipe and the second water outlet pipe.

4. The heat pump system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first electric control three-way valve and the second electric control three-way valve are configured as follows: when the heat pump device operates in the heating mode and the cooling mode, the first electric control three-way valve connects the first water outlet pipe and disconnects the connection with the second water return pipe, and the second electric control three-way valve connects the first water return pipe and disconnects the connection with the second water outlet pipe; when the heat pump device operates in the defrosting mode, the first electric control three-way valve connects the first water outlet pipe and the second water return pipe and disconnects the water connection between it and the first water inlet; the second electric control three-way valve connects the first water return pipe and the second water outlet pipe and disconnects the water connection between it and the first water outlet.

5. The heat pump system according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: A first electric control valve is provided in the second water outlet pipe at the waterway connected to the second water inlet upstream of the second electric control three-way valve; a second electric control valve is provided in the second water return pipe at the waterway connected to the second water outlet downstream of the first electric control three-way valve.

6. The heat pump system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first electric control valve and the second electric control valve are configured as follows: when the heat pump device operates in the heating mode, both are in the connected state; when the heat pump device operates in the defrosting mode, both are in the disconnected state.

7. The heat pump system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The gas water heating device further includes a secondary heat exchanger, a second heat exchange water path, and a heat exchange branch connected to the first heat exchange water path; wherein, the second heat exchange water path is communicated with the water path of the water-using device arranged indoors, the heat exchange branch is connected to the first heat exchange water path through a third electronically controlled three-way valve, and heat exchange is realized between the heat exchange branch and the second heat exchange water path through the secondary heat exchanger; the third electronically controlled three-way valve is configured to: when the heat pump device operates in the defrosting mode, the third electronically controlled three-way valve connects the first heat exchange water path and disconnects the connection with the heat exchange branch.

8. The heat pump system according to claim 1, characterized in that: It further includes a system controller, which is connected to the heat pump device and the gas water heating device in a wired or wireless manner.

9. The heat pump system according to claim 1, characterized in that: It further includes a third water path arranged indoors, and a heat dissipation device and a fan coil unit connected in the third water path; the water storage tank further has a third water inlet and a third water outlet, and the third water path is communicated with the third water inlet and the third water outlet.

10. The heat pump system according to claim 9, wherein: A fourth electronically controlled three-way valve communicated with the heat dissipation device and the fan coil unit, and a circulation water pump arranged upstream of the fourth electronically controlled three-way valve are further arranged in the third water path; the fourth electronically controlled three-way valve can actuate to selectively connect the heat dissipation device and the fan coil unit to the water storage tank through the third water path.

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