Gas water heating equipment and wind pressure abnormity early warning method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides gas water heating equipment and a wind pressure abnormity early warning method thereof. The fuel gas water heating equipment comprises a shell, a display screen arranged on the shell, a combustor, a main heat exchanger, a fuel gas valve, a fan and an air pressure sensor, wherein the combustor, the main heat exchanger, the fuel gas valve and the fan are arranged in the shell, and the air pressure sensor is in gas communication with the fan to detect air pressure. The wind pressure abnormity early warning method comprises the steps that the standard wind pressure lower limit value and the wind pressure limit value of fan operation are preset, and the standard wind pressure lower limit value is larger than the wind pressure limit value; and when the equipment runs, the current wind pressure value is obtained through the wind pressure sensor, and when the current wind pressure value is within the interval between the standard wind pressure lower limit value and the wind pressure limit value, early warning information of wind pressure abnormity is displayed through the display screen. Through the setting, an alarm can be sent to a user in time after the wind pressure abnormity occurs, and the situation that bad experience is brought to the user due to the fact that equipment cannot operate after the wind pressure abnormity breaks through a critical value is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of gas-fired water heating equipment control, and in particular to a gas-fired water heating equipment and a method for early warning of abnormal wind pressure. Background Technology

[0002] Gas-fired water heating systems typically include gas water heaters and gas boilers. Gas water heaters are used to supply domestic hot water for drinking and bathing; while gas boilers, in addition to providing domestic hot water, can also be connected to radiators installed indoors to provide central heating.

[0003] Gas-fired water heaters typically include a fan and a fume hood. The fan supplies air to the burner and exhausts the combustion gases through the fume hood. During operation, the fan usually starts first, ensuring proper air supply and exhaust before ignition. To ensure proper fan operation, a pressure switch is usually installed to promptly shut off the gas supply in case of poor exhaust, preventing gas leakage and protecting personnel. A typical pressure switch uses the static pressure of the gas to actuate a microswitch, thus controlling the flow of electricity. The pressure switch has two detection ports: a positive pressure port and a negative pressure port, corresponding to a positive pressure chamber and a negative pressure chamber. These chambers are separated by a diaphragm; when pressure is applied, the diaphragm moves, triggering the microswitch to open / close. However, if the pressure switch actuates, it indicates abnormal air pressure and potential safety hazards. In this case, the equipment may fail to ignite or combustion may be interrupted, causing it to shut down. The equipment will then malfunction, requiring on-site repair by the manufacturer's after-sales personnel. Obviously, this will result in a very poor user experience for users who are taking a shower or urgently need heating in winter. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To overcome the problems existing in the background technology, this disclosure provides a gas-fired water heating equipment and a method for early warning of abnormal wind pressure.

[0005] A first aspect of this disclosure provides a method for early warning of abnormal wind pressure in a gas-fired water heater. The gas-fired water heater includes a casing, a display screen mounted on the casing, and a burner, a main heat exchanger, a gas valve, a fan, and a wind pressure sensor connected to the fan for detecting wind pressure, all disposed within the casing. The method includes: presetting a standard lower limit value and a wind pressure limit value for fan operation, wherein the standard lower limit value is greater than the wind pressure limit value; during equipment operation, acquiring the current wind pressure value through the wind pressure sensor, and displaying an early warning message of abnormal wind pressure on the display screen when the current wind pressure value is within the range between the standard lower limit value and the wind pressure limit value.

[0006] In some embodiments, when the current wind pressure value is less than or equal to the wind pressure limit value, a fault code is displayed on the screen.

[0007] In some embodiments, the aforementioned warning information includes text, codes, or icons that characterize abnormal wind pressure.

[0008] In some embodiments, the method further includes displaying warning information accompanied by screen flashing and / or sound alerts.

[0009] A second aspect of this disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, implement the method steps described above.

[0010] A third aspect of this disclosure provides a computer program product including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the method steps described above.

[0011] A fourth aspect of this disclosure provides a gas-fired water heating device, comprising a housing, a display screen mounted on the housing, and a burner, a main heat exchanger, a gas valve, a fan, a wind pressure sensor in gas communication with the fan for detecting wind pressure, and a controller electrically connected to the wind pressure sensor and the display screen, all disposed within the housing. The controller pre-stores a standard lower limit value and a wind pressure limit value for fan operation, wherein the standard lower limit value is greater than the wind pressure limit value. The controller is configured to: acquire the current wind pressure value via the wind pressure sensor during device operation; and display a warning message of abnormal wind pressure on the display screen when the current wind pressure value is within the range between the standard lower limit value and the wind pressure limit value.

[0012] In some embodiments, when the current wind pressure value is less than or equal to the wind pressure limit value, a fault code is displayed on the screen.

[0013] In some embodiments, the aforementioned warning information includes text, codes, or icons that characterize abnormal wind pressure.

[0014] In some embodiments, the controller is also configured to display warning information accompanied by screen flashing and / or audible alerts.

[0015] The technical solutions provided by one or more embodiments of this disclosure may include the following beneficial effects: by pre-setting a wind pressure abnormality warning zone and continuously monitoring the wind pressure value during equipment operation, a timely warning can be issued to the user after a wind pressure abnormality occurs, avoiding a bad user experience caused by the equipment being unable to operate due to the wind pressure abnormality exceeding the critical value. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating the working principle of a gas-fired water heater in one embodiment of this disclosure;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a method for issuing an early warning when abnormal wind pressure occurs in one embodiment of the gas-fired water heater disclosed herein;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the wind pressure change curve when an abnormality occurs in one embodiment of the gas-fired water heater disclosed herein. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The embodiments shown will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this disclosure, and any structural, methodological, or functional modifications made by those skilled in the art based on these embodiments are included within the scope of protection claimed in the appended claims.

[0021] Gas-fired water heating equipment uses combustible gases as fuel, such as natural gas, city gas, liquefied petroleum gas, and biogas, to provide heat to meet users' domestic needs. Examples include gas-fired water heaters that provide domestic hot water, and dual-purpose gas-fired boilers that can simultaneously provide domestic hot water and heating. The following description uses a gas-fired boiler as an example to illustrate the methods and equipment disclosed herein; however, it is clear that the methods and equipment disclosed herein are not limited to this.

[0022] like Figure 1The specific embodiment shown is a gas-fired hot water device, which is a gas-fired boiler. It includes a casing 10, a burner 11, a main heat exchanger 12, a flue gas exhaust device 13, a gas valve 15, a fan 16, and a water circuit module, all housed within the casing 10. In this embodiment, the casing 10 can be assembled from several panels. A display module is also provided on the front panel facing the user. This display module includes a screen for displaying the device's operating information to the user. In some embodiments, the display module may also include buttons for the user to set the device's operating parameters, such as the temperature of the domestic hot water output by the device and / or the temperature of the heating water output by the device. The burner 11 can be an atmospheric burner, which typically includes burner units, such as several burner plates arranged side-by-side. Each burner plate has a gas-air mixing channel. Gas and primary air supplied through the gas delivery pipeline mix in this mixing channel and are then delivered to the burner holes located at the top of the burner plate for combustion, generating 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 further here. The main heat exchanger 12 is usually located above the burner 11. It can be a finned tube heat exchanger, meaning that multiple fins are provided inside the heat exchanger shell, and a hot water suction pipe meanders 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. The heated water is then output through corresponding pipelines.

[0023] A gas valve 15 is typically installed on the gas supply line that supplies gas to the burner 11. It typically includes an integrated on / off valve and a gas proportional valve. The on / off valve connects or disconnects the gas supply path, while the gas proportional valve controls the amount of gas supplied to the burner 11. An exhaust system 13 is typically installed on the main heat exchanger 12 and includes a fume hood and an exhaust pipe located on top of the hood. Combustion-generated flue gas (containing carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, etc.) is collected by the fume hood and discharged to the outside through the exhaust pipe. In some embodiments, a fan 16 is installed together with the exhaust system 13 to drive airflow, thereby providing the air required for combustion and causing the combustion-generated flue gas to be collected by the fume hood and then discharged through the connected exhaust pipe.

[0024] The water circuit module is typically mounted on the base plate of the housing and includes a heating return water pipe 21, a bathroom inlet water pipe 22, a bathroom outlet water pipe 23, and a heating outlet water pipe 24 extending from the base plate. The heating return water pipe and the heating outlet water pipe are connected to radiators or underfloor heating pipes installed indoors to form a heating loop. The water circuit module also includes a heating water pump 30, a three-way valve 40, and a plate heat exchanger 50. A circulating water circuit flows sequentially through the heating water pump 30, the main heat exchanger 12, and the plate heat exchanger 50, and returns to the heating water pump 30. The plate heat exchanger 50 is connected to the bathroom water circuit and the circulating water circuit, which include the bathroom inlet water pipe 22 and the bathroom outlet water pipe 23, thereby achieving heat exchange between the two water circuits. A three-way valve 40 is installed in both the heating circuit and the circulating water circuit. It includes a movable valve core 41, allowing selective water flow between the heating circuit and the circulating water circuit via the movement of the valve core 41. A water flow sensor 61 is installed in the bathroom water circuit, and a temperature detection device 62, such as a negative temperature coefficient thermistor, is installed in the circulating water circuit. Other gas-fired water heating equipment, such as gas water heaters, does not include heating-related components and piping, such as the heating water pump 30, the three-way valve 40, the plate heat exchanger 50, and the heating return water pipe 21 and the heating outlet water pipe 24.

[0025] A controller 19 is disposed within the housing 10 for detecting and controlling the operation of various components and circuit devices within the gas-fired water heater. The controller 19 may be a control circuit comprising a processor, a memory, and several electronic components connected in a specific wiring configuration. The processor may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or 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 memory may be used to store instructions for any application program or method operating on the processor, as well as various types of data. The processor implements various functions of the gas-fired water heater by running or executing programs or instructions stored in the memory, and by calling data stored in the memory. Memory can contain any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, such as static random access memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (PROM), magnetic storage, flash memory, solid-state storage, disk or optical disk, etc.

[0026] A wind pressure sensor 18 is housed within a housing 10 and is in gas communication with a fan 16. A controller 19 is electrically connected to the wind pressure sensor 18, as well as the aforementioned electronic components or devices, such as a display screen, gas valve 15, fan 16, heating water pump 30, three-way valve 40, etc. The wind pressure sensor 18 typically includes a probe and sensor extending into the fan 16 for wind pressure sampling. The sensor converts the detected wind pressure into a continuous electrical signal through piezoresistive, capacitive, or piezoelectric effects to continuously represent pressure changes. Figure 3 In one example shown, the pressure detected by the wind pressure sensor 18 will continue to decrease when there is a blockage in the flue or a persistent headwind.

[0027] Figure 2 The following describes the steps of a wind pressure anomaly early warning method in one embodiment. The execution of these method steps by the controller 19 will also be described in detail below.

[0028] Preset fan operating parameters (step 701). Refer to [reference needed]. Figure 3 As shown, a wind turbine typically operates under a standard wind pressure value, such as 50 Pa. Therefore, a standard wind pressure upper limit value Pu, a standard wind pressure lower limit value P1, and a wind pressure limit value Px can be preset based on this standard wind pressure value. The standard wind pressure upper limit value Pu is greater than the standard wind pressure value, and the standard wind pressure lower limit value P1 is less than the standard wind pressure value but greater than the wind pressure limit value Px. Assuming the standard wind pressure value is 50 Pa, the standard wind pressure upper limit value Pu can be preset to 60 Pa, the standard wind pressure lower limit value P1 can be preset to 40 Pa, and the wind pressure limit value Px can be preset to 20 Pa. These values ​​are compiled from data measured in laboratories, in different environments, and at different altitudes. When the fan is running normally, the wind pressure value P detected by the wind pressure sensor is in region ①, that is, the interval between the standard wind pressure upper limit value Pu and the standard wind pressure lower limit value P1. When encountering abnormal situations such as flue blockage or backwind, the wind pressure sensor 18 detects that the wind pressure value P continues to drop and may fall into region ②, that is, the interval between the standard wind pressure lower limit value P1 and the wind pressure limit value Px. At this time, the equipment can still operate normally. If the abnormal situation continues or worsens, the wind pressure sensor 18 detects that the wind pressure value P will continue to drop and may fall into region ③, that is, the wind pressure value P is less than or equal to the wind pressure limit value Px. At this time, if the equipment continues to operate, it may cause a safety accident, so it is necessary to stop the equipment operation in time and cut off the gas supply. The above preset values ​​can be stored in the memory of the controller 19. Since the main detection is the situation of wind pressure value drop, in some embodiments, only the standard wind pressure lower limit value P1 and the wind pressure limit value Px can be preset.

[0029] During equipment operation, the current wind pressure value P is acquired through the wind pressure sensor 18 (step 702), and it is determined whether the current wind pressure value P is less than or equal to the standard wind pressure lower limit value P1 (step 703). If not, it indicates that there is no wind pressure abnormality, and the system returns to step 702 to continue monitoring the current wind pressure value P. If yes, it indicates that a wind pressure abnormality has occurred, and the system further determines whether the current wind pressure value P is less than or equal to the wind pressure limit value Px (step 704). If the current wind pressure value P is greater than the wind pressure limit value Px, that is, the current wind pressure value is in zone ②, it means that a wind pressure abnormality has occurred but is not yet enough to cause a safety accident. At this time, the controller 19 can display a wind pressure abnormality warning message on the display screen (step 705) to prompt the user to contact the manufacturer's after-sales maintenance personnel in time to eliminate the safety hazard. The warning message includes text, codes, or icons representing the wind pressure abnormality displayed on the display screen. In some embodiments, while displaying the warning message, the controller 19 can also control the display screen to flash and / or emit an audible warning through a buzzer to attract the user's attention. If the current wind pressure value P is less than or equal to the wind pressure limit value Px, that is, the current wind pressure value is in zone ③, it means that the abnormal wind pressure may lead to a safety accident. At this time, the controller 19 can display the fault code on the display screen (step 706), and at the same time, cut off the gas supply by controlling the gas valve 15 and stop the equipment operation.

[0030] By pre-setting an abnormal wind pressure warning zone and continuously monitoring the wind pressure value during equipment operation, a timely warning can be issued to the user when an abnormal wind pressure occurs, avoiding a negative user experience caused by the equipment failing to operate due to the abnormal wind pressure exceeding the critical value.

[0031] All or part of the steps in the methods of the above-disclosed embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed by a processor, it can implement the steps of the various method embodiments described above. The computer program includes computer program code, which can be in the form of source code, object code, executable files, or some intermediate form. The readable storage medium can contain any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, such as static random access memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (PROM), magnetic storage, flash memory, solid-state memory, magnetic disk, or optical disk, etc.

[0032] It should be understood that the methods and apparatus disclosed above can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative. The division of units in the controller is only a logical functional division; in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the connections between the components, parts, and units discussed above can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms of connection; they can be direct connections or indirect connections through interfaces, etc.; they can be wired connections or wireless connections.

[0033] Furthermore, the units described above as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units; some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of the disclosed embodiments according to actual needs. Additionally, the functional units in the above embodiments can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated units described above can be implemented in hardware or in a combination of hardware and software functional units.

[0034] It should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This way of describing the specification is only for clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other implementation methods that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A method for early warning of abnormal wind pressure in a gas-fired water heater, the gas-fired water heater comprising a casing, a display screen mounted on the casing, and a burner, a main heat exchanger, a gas valve, a fan, and a wind pressure sensor connected to the fan for detecting wind pressure, all disposed within the casing; characterized in that, The method includes: The standard lower limit and the wind pressure limit are preset for the operation of the fan, wherein the standard lower limit is greater than the wind pressure limit. When the equipment is running, it acquires the current wind pressure value through a wind pressure sensor, and displays an alarm message for abnormal wind pressure on the display screen when the current wind pressure value is between the lower limit of the standard wind pressure and the limit of the wind pressure.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the current wind pressure value is less than or equal to the wind pressure limit value, a fault code will be displayed on the screen.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The warning information includes text, codes, or icons that indicate abnormal wind pressure.

4. The method according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that: The method also includes displaying warning information accompanied by screen flashing and / or sound alerts.

5. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, characterized in that: When the instructions are executed by the processor, they implement the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 1-4.

6. A computer program product comprising a computer program, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 1-4.

7. A gas-fired hot water device, characterized in that: The gas-fired water heater includes a casing, a display screen mounted on the casing, and a burner, main heat exchanger, gas valve, fan, a pressure sensor connected to the fan for detecting air pressure, and a controller electrically connected to the pressure sensor and the display screen, all housed within the casing. The controller pre-stores a standard lower limit and a maximum air pressure value for fan operation, wherein the standard lower limit is greater than the maximum air pressure value. The controller is configured to... When the equipment is running, the current wind pressure value is obtained through the wind pressure sensor; When the current wind pressure value is between the lower limit of the standard wind pressure and the limit of the wind pressure, an alarm message for abnormal wind pressure will be displayed on the screen.

8. The gas-fired hot water equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that: When the current wind pressure value is less than or equal to the wind pressure limit value, a fault code will be displayed on the screen.

9. The gas-fired hot water equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that: The warning information includes text, codes, or icons that indicate abnormal wind pressure.

10. The gas-fired hot water equipment according to claim 7, 8 or 9, characterized in that: The controller is also configured to display warning information accompanied by screen flashing and / or audible alerts.

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