A solar water heating system leakage intelligent identification alarm device

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of solar water heating system operation monitoring technology, and discloses an intelligent leakage identification and alarm device for solar water heating systems, including a controller, an alarm unit, a control valve, and a valve assembly composed of multiple unit modules and end plates. Each unit module includes a valve body, a valve core, a return spring, and a stroke detection sensor, with a pressure-bearing chamber inside the valve body. The installation area of ​​the solar water heating system is divided into multiple detection areas, and a reference area without a solar water heating system is set. Each area is connected to the corresponding pressure-bearing chamber through a water inlet pipe. The reference area corresponds to the main control module, and the detection areas correspond to the detection modules. The controller identifies non-rainfall leakage, rainfall leakage, and rainfall-accompanied leakage based on the valve core stroke of the main control module and the detection modules, and alarms and controls the corresponding control valve when leakage is confirmed. This device can reduce the risk of false alarms due to rain and identify actual leakage during rainfall.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of solar water heating system operation monitoring technology, and in particular to a smart alarm device for identifying water leakage in a solar water heating system. Background Technology

[0002] Solar water heating systems are commonly used energy-saving systems for building hot water supply, especially in schools, dormitories, hotels, hospitals, factories, and public buildings, where centralized or engineered solar water heating systems are frequently employed. These systems typically include a collector array, a hot water storage tank, a water supply pipeline, a collector circulation pipeline, a hot water supply pipeline, and corresponding valves and control equipment. Because centralized solar water heating systems have a large collector area, a wide pipeline distribution, and numerous connection joints, leaks may occur during long-term operation due to reasons such as vacuum tube rupture, loose pipe joints, aging seals, damaged valves, or pipe corrosion.

[0003] For centralized solar water heating systems, if leaks are not detected in time, they can easily lead to continuous water replenishment, heat loss, and water waste. In severe cases, it can even cause roof leaks, equipment shutdowns, or disruptions to the hot water supply. Therefore, monitoring, identifying, and issuing alarms for leaks during the operation of solar water heating systems is of practical significance.

[0004] Existing leak alarm methods typically involve installing water immersion sensors, level switches, water flow detection elements, or other sensing devices at potential leak locations. When water accumulation, flow, or level changes occur in the detected area, the detection element outputs a signal, triggering an alarm in the control system or causing it to shut down control valves such as the water supply valve and circulation valve. This type of method is relatively easy to apply in indoor piping or enclosed environments, but it still has certain limitations when used in outdoor centralized solar water heating systems.

[0005] On the one hand, the location of leaks in centralized solar water heating systems is uncertain; leaks may occur in different collector areas, pipe joints, branch valves, or vacuum tube installation locations. If water immersion sensors, humidity sensors, or liquid level detection elements are installed at each potential leak point to locate the leak, a large number of detection elements and their connecting lines are required, increasing the complexity of the system layout and the workload of subsequent inspection, maintenance, and replacement. If the number of detection elements is reduced, it becomes difficult to determine the specific leak area in a timely manner, still requiring manual inspection of each area, which affects the efficiency of fault handling.

[0006] On the other hand, centralized solar water heating systems are usually installed on building roofs or other open areas. During rainfall, rainwater can enter the installation area of ​​the solar water heating system, the area under the collector brackets, the area under the pipes, or the roof drainage area. If the presence of moisture, water accumulation, or water flow in the detection area is used to determine whether there is a leak, it is easy to mistake rainwater for a leak in the solar water heating system, leading to false alarms, false valve closures, or false shutdowns, which will affect the normal operation of the system.

[0007] To avoid false alarms during rain, some control methods may directly disable leak alarms during rainfall. However, solar water heating systems can still experience real leaks during rainfall, such as ruptured vacuum tubes, loose pipe joints, or damaged valves. Simply disabling alarm signals in the detection area during rain may fail to detect actual leaks in time, posing a risk of missed detection.

[0008] Therefore, existing leak alarm methods for solar water heating systems struggle to simultaneously address leak location, suppress false alarms caused by rainwater, and identify actual leaks during rain. On one hand, it requires zoned identification of different areas when the leak location is uncertain; on the other hand, it needs to prevent rainwater entering the detection area from being mistaken for a system leak under open-air rainfall conditions, while also identifying actual leaks in the detection area during rainfall. Therefore, it is necessary to provide an intelligent leak detection alarm device for solar water heating systems to improve the accuracy of leak alarms and the reliability of system operation. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The purpose of this invention is to provide a smart leakage identification and alarm device suitable for centralized solar water heating systems, in order to solve the problem that existing leakage alarm methods are easily interfered with by rainwater in open-air rooftop installation environments, causing rainwater to be mistakenly identified as a solar water heating system leak when it enters the detection area, resulting in false alarms, false valve closures, or false shutdowns; at the same time, if the alarm in the detection area is simply blocked during rainfall, it is difficult to identify the actual leakage during rainfall in a timely manner.

[0010] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a smart alarm device for identifying water leakage in a solar water heating system, comprising a controller, an alarm unit, a control valve, and a valve group consisting of multiple unit modules and two end plates; Each of the unit modules includes a valve body, a valve core slidably disposed within the valve body, a reset spring for driving the valve core to reset, and a stroke detection sensor for detecting the movement stroke of the valve core. A pressure-bearing chamber is provided within the valve body. The installation area of ​​the solar water heating system is divided into multiple detection areas, and a reference area is set up outside the installation area or in a location within the installation area where no solar water heating system is installed. Each of the detection areas and the reference areas is equipped with a water inlet pipe, which is connected to the pressure chamber of the corresponding unit module. The water inlet pipe is used to guide rainwater or leaked water from the solar water heating system in the corresponding area into the corresponding pressure chamber, and to form water pressure in the pressure chamber to drive the valve core to move. The unit module connected to the reference area is the main control module, and the unit module connected to the detection area is the detection module; The controller is electrically connected to each of the stroke detection sensors, the alarm unit and the control valve respectively, and the controller stores the correspondence between each detection module and each detection area; The controller is configured to identify non-rain leakage state, rainfall state, and rainfall-accompanied leakage state based on the valve core stroke of the main control module and the valve core stroke of each detection module. When a non-rain leakage state or rainfall-accompanied leakage state is identified, the controller controls the alarm unit to sound an alarm, controls the control valve related to the corresponding detection area to act, and outputs leakage prompt information for the corresponding detection area according to the correspondence.

[0011] Preferably, the controller is configured to: when the valve core stroke of the main control module is less than a preset rainfall action threshold, and the valve core stroke of any detection module reaches or exceeds a preset leakage action threshold, determine that there is a non-rainfall leakage state in the detection area corresponding to that detection module; When the valve core stroke of the main control module reaches or exceeds the preset rainfall action threshold, it is determined that the current state is in rainfall. Under the rainfall condition, when the valve core stroke of the main control module decreases within a preset time window, and the valve core stroke of any detection module does not decrease synchronously, decreases less than the decrease in valve core stroke of the main control module, or remains above a preset leakage action threshold, it is determined that the detection area corresponding to that detection module has a rainfall-accompanied leakage condition. Preferably, both the detection area and the reference area form a water collection tank structure, the water outlet of the water collection tank structure is connected to the inlet end of the corresponding water inlet pipe, and a filter layer is provided at the water outlet and / or the inlet end of the water inlet pipe. The valve assembly is positioned below the installation area of ​​the solar water heating system, such that the inlet end of the water inlet pipe is higher than the end of the water inlet pipe that connects to the corresponding pressure chamber, and that the rainwater or leaked water from the solar water heating system collected in the water inlet pipe can form a water column pressure difference acting on the corresponding pressure chamber under the effect of the height difference.

[0012] Preferably, the spring constant and / or preload of the reset spring of the main control module are less than the spring constant and / or preload of the reset spring of the detection module; And / or, the valve core pressure-bearing area of ​​the main control module is greater than the valve core pressure-bearing area of ​​the detection module; And / or, the pressure in the pressure chamber required for the valve core of the main control module to reach the preset rainfall action threshold is less than the pressure in the pressure chamber required for the valve core of the detection module to reach the preset leakage action threshold.

[0013] Preferably, the valve core has a reset position, a venting position, and a control trigger position within the valve body; The reset position is the position when the valve core is not driven by the water pressure in the pressure chamber; The discharge location is the position where the valve core, driven by the water pressure in the pressure chamber, allows the pressure chamber of the corresponding unit module to connect to the discharge path. The control trigger position is the position of the hydraulic medium used to drive the control valve after the valve core continues to move.

[0014] Preferably, the valve body is provided with a leakage channel, and the valve core is provided with a first sealing element for controlling the opening and closing of the leakage channel; The discharge channels of each unit module are sequentially arranged along the arrangement direction of the valve group, and are connected to the corresponding pressure chamber when the corresponding valve core is in the discharge position, so that the unit module in the discharge position is connected to the discharge path; When the valve core of any unit module is in the reset position, the pressure chamber of that unit module is isolated from the discharge path; The main control module is provided with a discharge hole, and the end plate is provided with a discharge pipe communicating with the discharge hole. When the valve core of the main control module is activated, the discharge hole is opened so that the pressure chamber of the unit module connected to the discharge path can be connected to the discharge pipe through the discharge path.

[0015] Preferably, the valve body is provided with a control channel, and the valve core is provided with a second sealing element for controlling the opening and closing of the control channel; The end plate is provided with a control input pipe for communicating with the hydraulic pump, and the valve body is provided with a control output pipe for communicating with the control valve; When the valve core is in the control trigger position, the control channel connects the control input pipe and the control output pipe to output a hydraulic control signal to the corresponding control valve; The control valve is configured to receive hydraulic control signals output from the control channel and / or electrical control signals output from the controller to shut down the water supply pipeline, heat collection circulation pipeline, or hot water branch pipeline of the corresponding detection area.

[0016] Preferably, the valve body is provided with a cleaning channel, and the valve core is provided with a third sealing element for controlling the opening and closing of the cleaning channel; The cleaning channel is configured to be open when the valve core is in the venting position; The cleaning channels of each unit module are arranged sequentially along the arrangement direction of the valve group, and a through cleaning flow path is formed when the valve cores of each unit module are in the discharge position. The end plate is provided with a clean water supply pipe that is connected to the through cleaning flow path; The clean water supply pipeline is configured to inject clean water into the through-flow cleaning path during rainfall to replace the balance medium in the gap between the valve core and the valve body, and to carry out impurities in the gap.

[0017] Preferably, the controller is further configured to: after determining that the current state is in rainfall, take the current rainfall as an effectiveness detection process, and collect the valve core action time, valve core stroke and reset status of the main control module, as well as the valve core action time, valve core stroke and reset status of each detection module; If any detection module fails to generate valve core stroke within a preset time, the action lag time exceeds a preset threshold, the valve core stroke is lower than a preset effective stroke threshold, or it fails to reset within a preset reset time after rainfall ends, it is determined that the detection module has a blocked water pipe, valve core blockage, abnormal stroke detection sensor, or abnormal reset, and the alarm unit is controlled to output a maintenance alarm signal.

[0018] Preferably, the end of the valve body is provided with a manual valve that communicates with the pressure chamber; A low-pressure chamber is provided at the end of the valve body away from the pressure chamber. The reset spring is located in the low-pressure chamber and abuts against the valve core. The low-pressure chambers in each unit module are connected in series along the arrangement direction of the valve group. At least one end plate is provided with a return pipeline connected to the low-pressure chamber.

[0019] The present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. This invention, by setting up a main control module connected to a reference area and detection modules connected to multiple detection areas respectively, enables the controller to identify non-rainfall leakage, rainfall leakage, and rainfall-accompanied leakage based on the valve core stroke of the main control module and the valve core stroke of each detection module. Compared with the method of alarming only based on whether there is water in the detection area, it can effectively reduce the risk of false alarms, false valve closures, or false shutdowns caused by rainwater entering the detection area, and improve the accuracy of leakage identification in solar water heating systems.

[0020] 2. In the event of rainfall, this invention does not simply block the alarm signal of the detection module, but further compares the valve core stroke change trends of the main control module and the detection module. When the valve core stroke of the main control module decreases as the rainfall decreases, while the valve core stroke of a certain detection module does not decrease synchronously or remains above the preset leakage action threshold, it can be determined that there is a state of rain accompanied by leakage in the corresponding detection area, thus taking into account both rain false alarm suppression and real leakage identification in the rain.

[0021] 3. This invention, by setting up a discharge channel, allows the unit module in the discharge position to connect to the discharge path, while the unit module in the reset position remains isolated from the discharge path. After the main control module activates and opens the discharge hole, the pressure chamber of the detection module connected to the discharge path can be connected to the discharge pipe through the discharge channel, thereby quickly discharging the accumulated water and residual water pressure formed by rainwater in the pressure chamber of the detection module and the corresponding water inlet pipe. This allows the valve core stroke of the detection module to decrease or reset in a timely manner according to changes in rainfall, avoiding weakening the stroke difference judgment between the main control module and the detection module due to continuous water in the water inlet pipe, thereby improving the accuracy of rainwater leakage identification.

[0022] 4. By setting up a control channel, the present invention enables the valve core to connect the control input pipe and the control output pipe when it is in the control trigger position, and outputs a hydraulic control signal to the corresponding control valve. At the same time, the control valve can also receive the electrical control signal output by the controller, thereby shutting off the corresponding water supply pipe, heat collection circulation pipe or hot water branch pipe when water leakage occurs in the detection area, realizing timely isolation of the leakage area and reducing water waste and heat loss caused by continuous water leakage.

[0023] 5. By setting up a cleaning channel and a clean water supply pipeline, the present invention enables the valve core of each unit module to form a through cleaning flow path when it is in the discharge position. During rainfall, clean water is injected into the through cleaning flow path to replace the balance medium in the gap between the valve core and the valve body and to remove impurities. This reduces the risk of valve core jamming caused by long-term retention of impurities in rainwater or leaked water, and improves the reliability of valve core operation, reset and long-term operation. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the valve assembly proposed in this invention.

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the valve assembly proposed in this invention.

[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the correspondence between each unit module and the reference area and detection area in this invention.

[0027] Figure 4 This is an exploded structural diagram of the main control module proposed in this invention.

[0028] Figure 5 This is an exploded structural diagram of the detection module proposed in this invention.

[0029] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the valve body's front section structure when the valve core of the unit module in the present invention is in the reset position.

[0030] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the valve body's front section structure when the valve core of the unit module in the present invention is in the venting position.

[0031] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the valve body cross-section when the valve core of the unit module in the present invention is in the control trigger position.

[0032] In the picture: 100. Valve assembly; 101. Main control module; 102. Detection module; 103. End plate; 201. Valve body; 202. Valve core; 203. Return spring; 204. Stroke detection sensor; 205. Pressure chamber; 206. Manual valve; 207. Low-pressure chamber; 208. Drainage channel; 209. First seal; 210. Drain hole; 211. Drain pipe; 212. Control channel; 213. Second seal; 214. Control input pipe; 215. Control output pipe; 216. Cleaning channel; 217. Third seal; 218. Clean water supply pipe; 219. Return pipe; 301. Water inlet pipe; 302. Control valve. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments.

[0034] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0035] Example 1

[0036] Reference Figures 1 to 5This embodiment provides a smart leakage detection and alarm device for a solar water heating system, including a controller, an alarm unit, a control valve 302, and a valve assembly 100. The valve assembly 100 consists of multiple unit modules and two end plates 103. The multiple unit modules are arranged sequentially along the length of the valve assembly 100. The two end plates 103 are respectively disposed at both ends of the multiple unit modules, used for connecting, sealing, or forming corresponding pipe interfaces for the multiple unit modules, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the multiple unit modules include a main control module 101 and multiple detection modules 102.

[0037] like Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, each unit module includes a valve body 201, a valve core 202, a return spring 203, and a stroke detection sensor 204. The valve core 202 is slidably disposed within the valve body 201. The return spring 203 is used to drive the valve core 202 to return to its original position. The stroke detection sensor 204 is used to detect the stroke, operating state, or position of the valve core 202. A pressure-bearing chamber 205 is provided within the valve body 201. The pressure-bearing chamber 205 is used to receive rainwater or leaked water from the solar water heating system introduced by the water inlet pipe 301. When water pressure is formed in the pressure-bearing chamber 205, the water pressure can push the valve core 202 to overcome the elastic force of the return spring 203 and produce displacement, thereby causing the stroke detection sensor 204 to output a corresponding detection signal.

[0038] like Figure 3 As shown, the installation area of ​​the solar water heating system is divided into multiple detection zones. These zones can be defined according to the collector arrangement direction, collector branches, vacuum tube arrangement area, pipe joint area, or roof drainage direction. Each detection zone corresponds to a detection module 102. Outside the installation area, or in locations within the installation area where no solar water heating system is installed, a reference area is also provided. Each reference area corresponds to a main control module 101. The reference area does not receive leakage water from the solar water heating system; it is primarily used to receive natural rainfall, serving as a reference benchmark for judging rainfall conditions.

[0039] Each detection area and reference area is equipped with a water inlet pipe 301. One end of the water inlet pipe 301 is connected to the corresponding area, and the other end is connected to the pressure chamber 205 of the corresponding unit module. Rainwater or leaking water from the solar water heating system in the detection area can enter the pressure chamber 205 of the corresponding detection module 102 through the corresponding water inlet pipe 301; rainwater in the reference area can enter the pressure chamber 205 of the main control module 101 through the corresponding water inlet pipe 301. Thus, the water inlet status of the reference area is reflected by the stroke of the valve core 202 of the main control module 101, and the water inlet status of the detection area is reflected by the stroke of the valve core 202 of the corresponding detection module 102.

[0040] Preferably, both the detection area and the reference area form a water collection trough structure. The water collection trough structure can be an independently installed trough, a water receiving tray, a guide channel, or it can be formed by a partial roof recess, a water-blocking strip, a waterproof edging, or a guide slope. The water outlet of the water collection trough structure is connected to the inlet end of the corresponding water inlet pipe 301, and a filter layer is provided at the water outlet of the water collection trough structure and / or the inlet end of the water inlet pipe 301. The filter layer can be a filter screen, a grid, filter cotton, a filter cylinder, or other filter structure capable of blocking leaves, sediment, and particulate impurities from entering the water inlet pipe 301. By forming a water collection trough structure, water in the corresponding area can preferentially collect to the corresponding water inlet pipe 301, reducing lateral flow between adjacent areas and improving the accuracy of the correspondence between the detection module 102 and the detection area.

[0041] The valve assembly 100 is positioned below the installation area of ​​the solar water heating system, such that the inlet end of the water inlet pipe 301 is higher than the end of the water inlet pipe 301 that connects to the corresponding pressure chamber 205. Therefore, rainwater or leaking water from the solar water heating system collected in the water inlet pipe 301 can create a water column pressure differential acting on the corresponding pressure chamber 205 due to the height difference. This water column pressure differential acts on the valve core 202, causing it to produce a detectable actuation stroke. Compared to directly using a humidity sensor or water immersion sensor to detect the presence of moisture in the area, this structure can collect the water in the area and convert it into water pressure to drive the valve core 202, which helps reduce the possibility of malfunction caused by moisture, condensation, or small amounts of splashing water.

[0042] The controller is electrically connected to each stroke detection sensor 204, the alarm unit, and the control valve 302. The control valve 302 is used to control the solar water heating system pipeline associated with the corresponding detection area. The control valve 302 closes the corresponding pipeline to cut off or limit the continued supply of water to the leaking area or the circulation of water, thereby reducing the waste of water resources and heat loss caused by continuous leakage.

[0043] The controller stores the correspondence between each detection module 102 and each detection area. When the stroke of the valve core 202 of a certain detection module 102 meets the leakage judgment condition, the controller can determine the corresponding detection area according to the correspondence and output leakage warning information for the corresponding detection area through the alarm unit. The alarm unit may include one or more of the following: an audible and visual alarm, a display screen, and a communication module. The communication module can send leakage alarm information, maintenance alarm information, or detection area location information to a remote monitoring platform, a mobile terminal, or an operation and maintenance management terminal.

[0044] In a preferred embodiment, to make it easier for the main control module 101 to generate a reference signal during rainfall, the elastic coefficient and / or preload of the return spring 203 of the main control module 101 are less than the elastic coefficient and / or preload of the return spring 203 of the detection module 102; or, the pressure-bearing area of ​​the valve core 202 of the main control module 101 is greater than the pressure-bearing area of ​​the valve core 202 of the detection module 102; or, the inlet pressure of the pressure chamber 205 required for the valve core 202 of the main control module 101 to reach the preset rainfall action threshold is less than the inlet pressure of the pressure chamber 205 required for the valve core 202 of the detection module 102 to reach the preset leakage action threshold. With the above structure, the main control module 101 can respond more easily under rainfall conditions, thereby providing a rainfall status reference for the controller.

[0045] Example 2

[0046] Reference Figure 3 , Figures 6 to 8 This embodiment illustrates the process by which the controller identifies leakage status, rainfall status, and rainfall accompanied by leakage status.

[0047] The controller receives the valve core 202 stroke signal output by the stroke detection sensor 204 of the main control module 101, as well as the valve core 202 stroke signals output by the stroke detection sensors 204 of each detection module 102. Based on the valve core 202 stroke of the main control module 101 and the valve core 202 stroke of each detection module 102, the controller identifies the non-rainfall leakage state, the rainfall state, and the rainfall-accompanied leakage state.

[0048] In non-rainfall conditions, no rainwater enters the reference area, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the pressure chamber 205 of the main control module 101 does not generate sufficient water pressure to actuate the valve core 202, and the stroke of the valve core 202 of the main control module 101 is less than the preset rainfall action threshold. If the stroke of the valve core 202 of any detection module 102 reaches or exceeds the preset leakage action threshold at this time, it indicates that there is water entering the water inlet pipe 301 in the detection area corresponding to the detection module 102, and this water is not caused by rainfall. Based on this, the controller determines that there is a non-rainfall leakage state in the detection area corresponding to the detection module 102, controls the alarm unit to output a leakage alarm, and controls the control valve 302 related to the corresponding detection area to shut off the water supply pipe, heat collection circulation pipe, or hot water branch pipe of the corresponding detection area.

[0049] During rainfall, rainwater enters the reference area and flows through the corresponding water pipe 301 into the pressure chamber 205 of the main control module 101. When the travel of the valve core 202 of the main control module 101 reaches or exceeds the preset rainfall action threshold, the controller determines that the system is currently in a rainfall state. At this time, rainwater may also enter various detection areas, causing the valve core 202 of one or more detection modules 102 to actuate. The controller will not directly determine leakage based solely on the travel of the valve core 202 of the detection module 102, but will compare and judge the travel of the valve core 202 of the main control module 101 with that of the detection module 102, thereby avoiding misjudging water ingress caused by rainfall as a leak in the solar water heating system.

[0050] In the event of rainfall accompanied by leakage, the detection area receives both rainwater and leakage water from the solar water heating system. When the rainfall decreases, the water inflow into the reference area decreases, and the stroke of the valve core 202 of the main control module 101 will decrease accordingly or tend to return to its original position. If a solar water heating system leak exists in a certain detection area, even if the rainfall decreases, the corresponding detection module 102 in that detection area will still maintain a large valve core 202 stroke due to the continuous leakage water entering the pressure chamber 205, or the reduction in the valve core 202 stroke will be significantly less than the reduction in the valve core 202 stroke of the main control module 101.

[0051] Therefore, under rainfall conditions, the controller further collects the stroke change trend of the valve core 202 of the main control module 101 and the stroke change trend of the valve core 202 of each detection module 102. When the stroke of the valve core 202 of the main control module 101 decreases within a preset time window, and the stroke of the valve core 202 of any detection module 102 does not decrease synchronously, decreases less than the decrease in stroke of the valve core 202 of the main control module 101, or remains above a preset leakage action threshold, the controller determines that there is a rainfall-accompanied leakage state in the detection area corresponding to that detection module 102.

[0052] Using the above-described judgment method, this embodiment does not simply block the alarm signal of the detection module 102 during rainfall. Instead, it continues to identify actual leaks by utilizing the difference in the stroke of the valve core 202 between the main control module 101 and the detection module 102 during rainfall. Therefore, it can both reduce false alarms caused by rainwater and identify actual leaks in the solar water heating system during rainfall.

[0053] Furthermore, after determining that the current state is raining, the controller can also use this rainfall as a validity check process. The controller collects the valve core 202 action time, valve core 202 stroke, and reset status of the main control module 101, as well as the valve core 202 action time, valve core 202 stroke, and reset status of each detection module 102. If any detection module 102 fails to generate valve core 202 stroke within a preset time, the action lag time exceeds a preset threshold, the valve core 202 stroke is lower than a preset effective stroke threshold, or fails to reset within a preset reset time after the rainfall ends, the controller determines that the detection module 102 has a blocked water pipe 301, valve core 202 obstruction, abnormal stroke detection sensor 204, or reset abnormality, and controls the alarm unit to output a maintenance alarm signal. Thus, natural rainfall can be used to perform online validity checks on the device, reducing the workload of manual inspections.

[0054] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the preset rainfall action threshold, preset leakage action threshold, preset time window, preset effective stroke threshold, and preset reset time can all be preset or calibrated on-site based on the installation height of the solar water heating system, the detection area, the diameter and length of the water inlet pipe 301, the volume of the pressure chamber 205, the pressure-bearing area of ​​the valve core 202, the elastic coefficient and preload of the reset spring 203, the local common rainfall intensity, and the system's allowable leakage detection sensitivity. These thresholds can be stored in the controller and adjusted according to different installation scenarios.

[0055] Among them, the preset rainfall action threshold is used to indicate that when the valve core 202 of the main control module 101 reaches this stroke, it can be considered that there is rainfall input in the reference area; the preset leakage action threshold is used to indicate that when the valve core 202 of the detection module 102 reaches this stroke, it can be used as a basis for leakage judgment; the preset time window is used to limit the time range for comparing the stroke change trend of the valve core 202 of the main control module 101 and the detection module 102; the preset effective stroke threshold is used to determine whether the unit module generates an effective action during the rainfall effectiveness detection process; the preset reset time is used to determine whether the valve core 202 can return to the reset position or close to the reset position within a reasonable time after the rainfall ends.

[0056] Example 3

[0057] Reference Figures 6 to 8 This embodiment illustrates the position and state of the valve core 202 within the unit module, as well as the working process of the discharge channel 208 and the control channel 212.

[0058] The valve core 202 has a reset position, a venting position, and a control trigger position within the valve body 201. The reset position is the position where the valve core 202 is not driven by water pressure in the pressure chamber 205. The venting position is the position where, after the valve core 202 is driven by water pressure in the pressure chamber 205, the pressure chamber 205 of the corresponding unit module can connect to the venting path. The control trigger position is the position where, after the valve core 202 continues to move, the corresponding unit module can output hydraulic medium to drive the control valve 302.

[0059] like Figure 6 As shown, a drain channel 208 is provided on the valve body 201, and a first sealing element 209 for controlling the opening and closing of the drain channel 208 is provided on the valve core 202. The drain channels 208 of each unit module are arranged sequentially along the arrangement direction of the valve group 100. When the valve core 202 of the main control module 101 is in the reset position, the pressure chamber 205 of the main control module 101 is isolated from the drain channel 208. At this time, even if the valve core 202 of other detection modules 102 is activated, it will not affect the pressure chamber 205 of the unactivated detection module 102 through the drain channel 208, thereby avoiding false connection or false triggering between different detection areas. Furthermore, as shown in the figure... Figure 2 As shown, when all valve cores 202 are in the reset position, the EE section of the discharge channel 208 is not connected to each pressure chamber 205, and the pressure chambers 205 remain isolated from each other.

[0060] like Figure 7 As shown, when the valve core 202 of the main control module 101 and a certain detection module 102 moves to the discharge position, the first seal 209 opens the discharge channel 208 of the unit module, and the corresponding pressure chamber 205 is connected to the discharge channel 208. The unit module in the discharge position can discharge the accumulated water or residual water pressure in the pressure chamber 205 through the discharge channel 208, while the unit module not in the discharge position remains isolated.

[0061] like Figure 2 , Figure 4 As shown, the main control module 101 is provided with a discharge hole 210, and the end plate 103 is provided with a discharge pipe 211 communicating with the discharge hole 210. When rainwater enters the reference area, the valve core 202 of the main control module 101 is activated, which drives the first seal 209 to move and open the discharge hole 210. At this time, if the detection module 102 moves to the discharge position due to the entry of rainwater, the pressure chamber 205 of the detection module 102 can discharge rainwater through the discharge channel 208, the discharge hole 210 and the discharge pipe 211.

[0062] In short, such as Figure 2As shown, after the valve core 202 of the main control module 101 moves to the discharge position, rainwater entering the main control module 101 from the reference area can be discharged along the I→O path, allowing the main control module 101 to preferentially form a rainwater discharge outlet. When the valve core 202 of any one or more detection modules 102 is in the discharge position, rainwater entering the detection module 102 from the detection area can be discharged along the A→E→O path. If the rainwater in the reference area decreases or stops, the water pressure in the pressure chamber 205 of the main control module 101 drops, and the valve core 202 of the main control module 101 resets under the action of the reset spring 203 and closes the discharge channel 208 and the discharge hole 210, thus isolating the pressure chamber 205 of the detection module 102 from the pressure chamber 205 of the main control module 101. In this way, the accumulated water and excess water pressure formed in the pressure chamber 205 of the detection module 102 and the water inlet pipe 301 can be quickly released, so that the stroke of the valve core 202 of the detection module 102 can be reduced or reset in time with the change of rainfall, avoiding the continuous water in the water inlet pipe 301 from affecting the judgment of the stroke difference of rainwater accompanied by leakage.

[0063] like Figures 6 to 8 As shown, the valve body 201 is also provided with a control channel 212, and the valve core 202 is provided with a second seal 213 for controlling the opening and closing of the control channel 212. The end plate 103 is provided with a control input pipe 214 for communication with the hydraulic pump, and the valve body 201 is provided with a control output pipe 215 for communication with the control valve 302. Figure 8 As shown, when the valve core 202 is in the control trigger position, the second seal 213 opens the control channel 212, which connects the control input pipe 214 and the control output pipe 215, so that the hydraulic medium flows through the control channel 212 and the control output pipe 215 to the corresponding control valve 302, thereby driving the corresponding control valve 302 to operate.

[0064] Control valve 302 can be configured to receive hydraulic control signals output from control channel 212, or to receive electrical control signals output from the controller, or simultaneously possess both hydraulic and electrical control functions. When the controller determines that a certain detection area has a non-rainfall leakage state or a rainfall-accompanied leakage state, the controller can control the corresponding control valve 302 to close the water supply pipeline, heat collection circulation pipeline, or hot water branch pipeline of that detection area; when the valve core 202 moves to the control trigger position, the hydraulic medium can also flow through control channel 212 and control output pipeline 215 to the corresponding control valve 302 to drive the control valve 302 to act; such as Figure 3 As shown, the flow path of the hydraulic medium is B→B. Therefore, the device can promptly isolate the leaking area, reducing water waste and heat loss caused by continuous leakage.

[0065] Example 4

[0066] Reference Figures 2 to 8 This embodiment illustrates the cleaning, balancing medium replacement, low-pressure chamber 207 reflux, and maintenance structure of valve assembly 100.

[0067] The valve body 201 is provided with a cleaning channel 216, and the valve core 202 is provided with a third seal 217 for controlling the opening and closing of the cleaning channel 216. For example... Figure 7 As shown, the cleaning channel 216 is configured to open when the valve core 202 is in the venting position. Figure 2 As shown, the cleaning channels 216 of each unit module are arranged sequentially along the arrangement direction of the valve group 100, and a through cleaning flow path C→C is formed when the valve cores 202 of each unit module are in the discharge position. A clean water supply pipe 218 connected to the through cleaning flow path is provided on the end plate 103.

[0068] During long-term use of the device, rainwater or leaked water from the solar water heating system may contain silt, dust, rust, scale, or other impurities. Although a filter layer is installed at the inlet of the water inlet pipe 301, a small amount of fine impurities may still enter the valve body 201. To prevent impurities from remaining in the gap between the valve core 202 and the valve body 201 for a long time, causing the valve core 202 to become stuck, this embodiment injects clean water into the through-flow cleaning path through the clean water supply pipe 218 to replace the balance medium in the gap between the valve core 202 and the valve body 201 and carry out the impurities in the gap.

[0069] The cleaning process is carried out during rainfall. During rainfall, the valve cores 202 of multiple unit modules usually move to the discharge position due to rainwater ingress, making it easier for the cleaning channel 216 to form a through-flow cleaning path. The controller or maintenance personnel can inject clean water into the clean water supply line 218 in this state, thereby replacing the internal balancing medium of the valve assembly 100 and flushing the gap between the valve cores 202. It should be noted that the main function of the cleaning channel 216 is not to determine whether rainfall has occurred, but rather to periodically replace the balancing medium in the gap between the valve core 202 and the valve body 201, reducing the risk of jamming of the valve core 202 after long-term operation.

[0070] like Figures 4 to 6 As shown, a low-pressure chamber 207 is provided at the end of the valve body 201 away from the pressure-bearing chamber 205. A return spring 203 is disposed within the low-pressure chamber 207 and abuts against the valve core 202. Preferably, one end of the return spring 203 abuts against the valve body 201 or end plate 103, and the other end abuts against the valve core 202, for applying a return force to the valve core 202 toward the pressure-bearing chamber 205. Figure 3 As shown, the low-pressure chambers 207 in each unit module are connected in series along the arrangement direction of the valve group 100, and at least one end plate 103 is provided with a return pipe 219 connected to the low-pressure chamber 207.

[0071] like Figure 3 As shown, when the valve core 202 moves under the water pressure in the pressure chamber 205, the liquid in the low-pressure chamber 207 on the side of the valve core 202 facing away from the pressure chamber 205 can be discharged or returned through the adjacent low-pressure chamber 207 and the return pipe 219, with the return path being D. This reduces the back pressure of the valve core 202 and prevents pressure buildup in the low-pressure chamber 207 from affecting the valve core 202's operation. During the valve core 202's reset process, the series-connected low-pressure chambers 207 and the return pipe 219 can balance the pressure in each low-pressure chamber 207, enabling the reset spring 203 to stably push the valve core 202 to reset, thus improving the reliability of the valve core 202's operation and reset.

[0072] A manual valve 206 communicating with the pressure chamber 205 is also provided at the end of the valve body 201. The manual valve 206 is used to drain residual liquid or impurities in the pressure chamber 205 during maintenance, repair, or reset. In non-testing or maintenance states, the operator can open the manual valve 206 to drain residual water from the pressure chamber 205, the end of the water inlet pipe 301, or the valve body 201, restoring the unit module to its initial testing state. Especially after prolonged rainfall or maintenance, the manual valve 206 can quickly release residual water pressure in the pressure chamber 205, facilitating the reset of the valve core 202 and subsequent testing.

[0073] In the above embodiments, each stroke detection sensor 204 can be one or more of the following: Hall effect sensor, magnetic induction sensor, proximity switch, limit switch, photoelectric sensor, or linear displacement sensor. When a switch-type sensor is used, multiple sensors can be set at different positions on the valve body 201 to identify whether the valve core 202 has reached the reset position, the leakage position, or the control trigger position; when a linear displacement sensor is used, the continuous stroke data of the valve core 202 can be directly obtained. The controller can realize the above-mentioned identification of water leakage, rainfall, and water leakage accompanied by rainfall based on this detection information.

[0074] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention, based on the technical solution and inventive concept of the present invention, should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A smart alarm device for identifying leaks in a solar water heating system, characterized in that: It includes a controller, an alarm unit, a control valve (302), and a valve assembly (100) consisting of multiple unit modules and two end plates (103). Each of the unit modules includes a valve body (201), a valve core (202) slidably disposed in the valve body (201), a reset spring (203) for driving the valve core (202) to reset, and a stroke detection sensor (204) for detecting the stroke of the valve core (202). A pressure-bearing chamber (205) is provided in the valve body (201). The installation area of ​​the solar water heating system is divided into multiple detection areas, and a reference area is set up outside the installation area or in a location within the installation area where no solar water heating system is installed. Each of the detection areas and the reference areas is provided with a water inlet pipe (301), which is connected to the pressure chamber (205) of the corresponding unit module. It is used to guide rainwater or leaked water from the solar water heating system in the corresponding area into the corresponding pressure chamber (205) and form water pressure in the pressure chamber (205) to drive the valve core (202) to move. The unit module connected to the reference area is the main control module (101), and the unit module connected to the detection area is the detection module (102). The controller is electrically connected to each of the stroke detection sensors (204), the alarm unit and the control valve (302) respectively, and the controller stores the correspondence between each detection module (102) and each detection area; The controller is configured to identify non-rain leakage state, rainfall state, and rainfall-accompanied leakage state based on the stroke of the valve core (202) of the main control module (101) and the stroke of the valve core (202) of each detection module (102), and when the non-rain leakage state or rainfall-accompanied leakage state is identified, control the alarm unit to sound an alarm, control the control valve (302) related to the corresponding detection area to act, and output leakage prompt information for the corresponding detection area according to the correspondence.

2. The intelligent leakage identification and alarm device for solar water heating systems according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controller is configured to: when the stroke of the valve core (202) of the main control module (101) is less than the preset rainfall action threshold, and the stroke of the valve core (202) of any detection module (102) reaches or exceeds the preset leakage action threshold, it is determined that there is a non-rainfall leakage state in the detection area corresponding to the detection module (102); When the stroke of the valve core (202) of the main control module (101) reaches or exceeds the preset rainfall action threshold, it is determined that the current state is in rainfall. Under the rainfall condition, when the stroke of the valve core (202) of the main control module (101) decreases within a preset time window, and the stroke of the valve core (202) of any detection module (102) does not decrease synchronously, the decrease is less than the decrease of the stroke of the valve core (202) of the main control module (101), or it remains above the preset leakage action threshold, it is determined that there is a rainfall accompanied by leakage in the detection area corresponding to the detection module (102).

3. The intelligent leakage identification and alarm device for solar water heating systems according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both the detection area and the reference area form a water collection tank structure. The water outlet of the water collection tank structure is connected to the inlet end of the corresponding water inlet pipe (301), and a filter layer is provided at the water outlet and / or the inlet end of the water inlet pipe (301). The valve assembly (100) is located below the installation area of ​​the solar water heating system, so that the inlet end of the water inlet pipe (301) is higher than the end of the water inlet pipe (301) that is connected to the corresponding pressure chamber (205), and the rainwater or leakage water of the solar water heating system collected in the water inlet pipe (301) can form a water column pressure difference acting on the corresponding pressure chamber (205) under the action of the height difference.

4. The intelligent leakage identification and alarm device for solar water heating systems according to claim 1, characterized in that: The elastic coefficient and / or preload of the reset spring (203) of the main control module (101) are less than the elastic coefficient and / or preload of the reset spring (203) of the detection module (102); And / or, the pressure-bearing area of ​​the valve core (202) of the main control module (101) is greater than the pressure-bearing area of ​​the valve core (202) of the detection module (102); And / or, the inlet pressure of the pressure chamber (205) required for the valve core (202) of the main control module (101) to reach the preset rainfall action threshold is less than the inlet pressure of the pressure chamber (205) required for the valve core (202) of the detection module (102) to reach the preset leakage action threshold.

5. The intelligent leakage identification and alarm device for solar water heating systems according to claim 1, characterized in that: The valve core (202) has a reset position, a discharge position and a control trigger position within the valve body (201); The reset position is the position of the valve core (202) when it is not driven by the water pressure in the pressure chamber (205); The discharge location is the position where the valve core (202) is driven by the water pressure in the pressure chamber (205) so that the pressure chamber (205) of the corresponding unit module can be connected to the discharge path; The control trigger position is the position of the hydraulic medium used to drive the control valve (302) after the valve core (202) continues to move.

6. The intelligent leakage identification and alarm device for solar water heating systems according to claim 5, characterized in that: The valve body (201) is provided with a discharge channel (208), and the valve core (202) is provided with a first sealing element (209) for controlling the opening and closing of the discharge channel (208). The discharge channels (208) of each unit module are arranged sequentially along the arrangement direction of the valve group (100), and are connected to the corresponding pressure chamber (205) when the corresponding valve core (202) is in the discharge position, so that the unit module in the discharge position is connected to the discharge path; When the valve core (202) of any unit module is in the reset position, the pressure chamber (205) of that unit module is isolated from the discharge path; The main control module (101) is provided with a discharge hole (210), and the end plate (103) is provided with a discharge pipe (211) that communicates with the discharge hole (210). When the valve core (202) of the main control module (101) is activated, the discharge hole (210) is opened so that the pressure chamber (205) of the unit module connected to the discharge path can communicate with the discharge pipe (211) through the discharge path.

7. The intelligent leakage identification and alarm device for solar water heating systems according to claim 5, characterized in that: The valve body (201) is provided with a control channel (212), and the valve core (202) is provided with a second sealing element (213) for controlling the opening and closing of the control channel (212). The end plate (103) is provided with a control input pipe (214) for communicating with the hydraulic pump, and the valve body (201) is provided with a control output pipe (215) for communicating with the control valve (302). When the valve core (202) is in the control trigger position, the control channel (212) connects the control input pipe (214) and the control output pipe (215) to output a hydraulic control signal to the corresponding control valve (302); The control valve (302) is configured to receive the hydraulic control signal output by the control channel (212) and / or the electrical control signal output by the controller, so as to close the water supply pipeline, heat collection circulation pipeline or hot water branch pipeline of the corresponding detection area.

8. The intelligent leakage identification and alarm device for solar water heating systems according to claim 5, characterized in that: The valve body (201) is provided with a cleaning channel (216), and the valve core (202) is provided with a third sealing element (217) for controlling the opening and closing of the cleaning channel (216). The cleaning channel (216) is configured to open when the valve core (202) is in the discharge position; The cleaning channels (216) of each unit module are arranged sequentially along the arrangement direction of the valve group (100), and a through cleaning flow path is formed when the valve core (202) of each unit module is in the discharge position. The end plate (103) is provided with a clean water supply pipe (218) that is connected to the through cleaning flow path. The clean water supply pipeline (218) is configured to inject clean water into the through-flow cleaning path during rainfall to replace the balance medium in the gap between the valve core (202) and the valve body (201) and to carry out impurities in the gap.

9. The intelligent leakage identification and alarm device for solar water heating systems according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controller is also configured to: after determining that the current state is in rainfall, take the current rainfall as an effectiveness detection process, and collect the valve core (202) action time, valve core (202) stroke and reset status of the main control module (101) and the valve core (202) action time, valve core (202) stroke and reset status of each detection module (102); If any detection module (102) fails to generate valve core (202) stroke within a preset time, the action lag time exceeds a preset threshold, the valve core (202) stroke is lower than a preset effective stroke threshold, or fails to reset within a preset reset time after rainfall ends, it is determined that the detection module (102) has a blocked water pipe (301), blocked valve core (202), abnormal stroke detection sensor (204), or abnormal reset, and the alarm unit is controlled to output a maintenance alarm signal.

10. The intelligent leakage detection and alarm device for a solar water heating system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The valve body (201) is provided with a manual valve (206) at its end, which communicates with the pressure chamber (205). A low-pressure chamber (207) is provided in the end of the valve body (201) away from the pressure chamber (205). The reset spring (203) is provided in the low-pressure chamber (207) and abuts against the valve core (202). The low-pressure chambers (207) in each unit module are connected in series along the arrangement direction of the valve group (100). At least one end plate (103) is provided with a return pipe (219) that communicates with the low-pressure chamber (207).

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