Room frost protection method, control device, hydronic system, and room thermostat

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a room anti-freezing method, a control device, a water heating system, and a room temperature controller. The water heating system comprises a heating device for generating heating water, a heating terminal arranged in a room, and a detector arranged in the room for detecting room temperature, the heating terminal and the heating device are both in a heating circuit in which the heating water circulates, and an electric heating actuator in a normally closed state for controlling the opening and closing of the circuit is arranged in the heating circuit. The room anti-freezing method comprises: monitoring the room temperature in the room by the detector; when the room temperature is less than or equal to a first temperature threshold, operating the heating device and opening the electric heating actuator. By monitoring the room temperature in the room and reasonably controlling the working state of the heating device and the electric heating actuator, the anti-freezing protection of the individual room can be realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of water heating system technology, and in particular to a room antifreeze method for water heating systems, a control device for applying the method, a water heating system using the control device, and a room thermostat for water heating systems. Background Technology

[0002] Hydronic heating systems typically consist of heating equipment and heating terminal devices installed in the rooms. The heating equipment can be a heat pump, a gas boiler, or a combination of both, while the heating terminal devices can be underfloor heating coils, radiators, etc. The heating equipment and heating terminal devices are connected by a piping system. The heating equipment heats the heating water, and the heated water releases its heat into the rooms through the heating terminal devices to raise the room temperature. The heated water then flows back to the heating equipment for reheating, and this cycle repeats. In cold seasons or regions, when the hydronic heating system is not operating, a rapid drop in water temperature in the pipes can cause the water to freeze and burst. Current technology typically includes temperature sensors within the equipment to detect ambient temperature. When the temperature drops to a threshold, the equipment activates to heat the water in the pipes to prevent freezing. However, there may be temperature differences between the rooms and the installation location of the heating equipment, as well as between different rooms. This means that while the temperature in one room may be below freezing, the temperature at the equipment installation location or in other rooms may not have reached the threshold, potentially leading to a pipe freezing and bursting accident. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To overcome the problems existing in the prior art, this disclosure provides a room antifreeze method for a water heating system, a control device for applying the method, a water heating system using the control device, and a room thermostat for a water heating system.

[0004] A first aspect of this disclosure provides a method for preventing room freezing in a hydronic heating system. The hydronic heating system includes a heating device for generating heating water, a heating terminal installed in the room, and a detector installed in the room for detecting room temperature. Both the heating terminal and the heating device are located in a heating circuit where the heating water circulates. The heating circuit also includes a normally closed electrothermal actuator for controlling the circuit's on / off state. The room freezing prevention method includes: monitoring the room temperature using the detector; and when the room temperature is less than or equal to a first temperature threshold, activating the heating device and turning on the electrothermal actuator.

[0005] In some embodiments, the method further includes turning off the electric heating actuator when the room temperature is greater than or equal to a second temperature threshold; wherein the second temperature threshold is greater than a first temperature threshold.

[0006] In some embodiments, the above-described step of operating the heating device includes determining whether the heating device is operating when the room temperature is less than or equal to a first temperature threshold; if yes, keeping the heating device running; if no, turning on the heating device and causing it to generate heating water at a predetermined temperature.

[0007] 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.

[0008] 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.

[0009] A fourth aspect of this disclosure provides a control device configured to perform the steps of the above-described room antifreeze method.

[0010] A fifth aspect of this disclosure provides a hydronic heating system, comprising a heating device for generating heating water, a heating terminal installed in a room, and a detector installed in the room for detecting room temperature. Both the heating terminal and the heating device are located in a heating circuit through which the heating water circulates. The heating circuit also includes a normally closed electrothermal actuator for controlling the on / off state of the circuit. The hydronic heating system further includes the aforementioned control device.

[0011] In some embodiments, the water heating system further includes a manifold, through which the heating terminal is connected to the heating equipment to form a heating circuit, and the aforementioned electric heating actuator is mounted on the manifold.

[0012] A sixth aspect of this disclosure provides a room thermostat suitable for a hydronic heating system. The hydronic heating system includes a heating device for generating heating water and a heating terminal installed in the room. Both the heating terminal and the heating device are located in a heating circuit where the heating water circulates. The heating circuit also includes a normally closed electrothermal actuator for controlling the circuit's on / off state. The room thermostat, installed in the room, includes a detector for detecting room temperature, a relay, and a control unit. The relay is adapted to be electrically connected to the electrothermal actuator to switch power supply to the actuator on or off, and the control unit is adapted to be wired or wirelessly connected to the device controller of the heating device for communication. The control unit is configured to: monitor the room temperature via a detector; when the room temperature is less than or equal to a first temperature threshold, send a command to the device controller to obtain the device status and receive data representing the device status returned by the device controller; when the returned data indicates that the heating device is running, control the relay to close to turn on the electric heating actuator; when the returned data indicates that the heating device is not running, send a command to the device controller to turn on the heating device and make it generate heating water at a predetermined temperature, and control the relay to close to turn on the electric heating actuator.

[0013] In some embodiments, the control unit is further configured to control the relay to disconnect to shut down the electric heating actuator when the room temperature is greater than or equal to a second temperature threshold; wherein the second temperature threshold is greater than the first temperature threshold.

[0014] The technical solutions provided by one or more embodiments of this disclosure may include the following beneficial effects: by monitoring the room temperature and reasonably controlling the working status of heating equipment and electric heating actuators, the anti-freezing protection of individual rooms can be achieved. Attached Figure Description

[0015] 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.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic block diagram illustrating the working principle of a water heating system in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a method for controlling a room to prevent freezing, as described in one embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0018] 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.

[0019] Figure 1 The water heating system shown in one embodiment of this disclosure includes a heating device 10 and a heating terminal 50 installed in a room. The heating device can be installed indoors or outdoors. The heating device can be a heat pump (such as an air source heat pump), a gas boiler, or a combination of both, and is connected to the water supply terminal 50 in the room via water pipes to generate heating water and supply the heating water to the heating terminal 50. The heating device will be specifically described below using a gas boiler as an example.

[0020] The gas-fired boiler includes an outer casing housing a burner 11, a heat exchanger 12, a flue gas exhaust system 13, a fan 14, a gas proportional valve 15, a water circuit module, and an equipment controller 20. The outer casing is typically mounted to a wall, with its back panel facing the wall. The burner 11 can be an atmospheric burner, which typically includes burner units, such as several burner plates (not shown) arranged side-by-side. Each burner plate has a gas-air mixing channel where gas supplied through a gas pipeline mixes with primary air and is then passed to flame holes located at the top of the burner plate for combustion, generating hot flue gas. Since the construction and arrangement of the burner plates are well known to those skilled in the art, the applicant will not elaborate further here. The heat exchanger 12 is typically located above the burner 11 and can be a finned tube heat exchanger, i.e., the heat exchanger shell has multiple fins, and a hot water suction pipe (not shown) meanders through these fins. The heat carried by the hot flue gas generated by the combustion of burner 11 is absorbed by the fins and further transferred to the water flowing through the hot water intake pipe. The heated water is then output through corresponding pipes. The exhaust system 13 is typically installed on the heat exchanger 12 and includes a fume hood and an exhaust pipe located on top of the hood. The flue gas generated by combustion (containing waste gases such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides) is collected by the fume hood and discharged to the outside through the exhaust pipe.

[0021] A gas proportional valve 15 is installed on the gas supply pipeline. It is typically an electrically controlled valve used to control the flow rate of gas supplied to the burner. The working principle of the gas proportional valve is to regulate the output pressure of the proportional valve by controlling the valve opening, thereby controlling the output gas flow rate. The fan 14 can be a centrifugal fan, which is usually installed below the burner 12 to drive airflow, thereby providing the air required for combustion and causing the flue gas generated by combustion to be collected by the fume hood of the exhaust system.

[0022] The water circuit module is typically mounted on the base plate of the outer casing and includes a water pump 16, a three-way valve 17, an auxiliary heat exchanger 18, a water flow sensor 19, and inlet pipes, outlet pipes, heating return pipes, and heating outlet pipes extending from the base plate. The gas boiler's interior forms a circulating water circuit and a bathroom water circuit. The hot water pipes connected to the heat exchanger 12 constitute part of the circulating water circuit, and the water pump 16 is located within this circuit. The inlet and outlet pipes form part of the bathroom water circuit and can be connected to external water points, such as a mixing valve 30, to supply hot water for washing and other domestic needs. The auxiliary heat exchanger 18 can be a traditional plate heat exchanger, connected to both the bathroom water circuit and the circulating water circuit to achieve heat exchange between the two circuits. The three-way valve 17 is located in both the heating return pipe and the circulating water circuit, allowing selective flow between them. In addition, a water flow sensor 19 is installed in the heating return pipe to monitor the circulating water flow in the heating circuit; a heating return water temperature sensor 101 and a heating outlet water temperature sensor 102 are also installed in the heating return water pipe and the heating outlet water pipe respectively to collect the heating return water temperature and the heating outlet water temperature respectively.

[0023] The hydronic heating system also includes a manifold. In this embodiment, the heating return pipe and heating outlet pipe of the gas boiler are connected to heating terminals 50 installed in different rooms via the manifold to form multiple parallel heating circuits. The heating terminals 50 can be underfloor heating coils laid under the room floor or metal radiators installed on the room walls. In some embodiments, the manifold includes a distributor 51 and a collector 52. Both the distributor 51 and the collector 52 include a horizontally extending main pipe and several branch pipes extending vertically from the main pipe. These branch pipes are connected to the respective heating terminals 50 in different rooms. In each heating circuit, the heating water heated by the gas boiler enters each heating terminal 50 through the distributor 51 to dissipate heat to the corresponding room to raise the room temperature. The heated water then collects in the collector 52 and enters the gas boiler again to be reheated to raise the water temperature, and so on. The manifold is also equipped with several electric actuators 53, used to control the on / off state of the heating circuit formed by the corresponding heating terminal 50 and the gas boiler. These actuators are normally in a closed state. The electric actuators 53 can be installed on either the manifold or the collector. In this embodiment, several electric actuators 53 are installed on the collector 52, corresponding one-to-one with each branch pipe. Each electric actuator 53 typically contains an electric drive device, which can cooperate with valves installed on each branch pipe. Thus, when energized, the electric actuator 53 can open the valve to connect the corresponding heating terminal 50 for heating, and when de-energized, it can close the valve to disconnect the corresponding heating terminal 50 and stop heating.

[0024] The hydronic heating system also includes detectors installed in each room for detecting room temperature. In some embodiments, the hydronic heating system further includes room thermostats 60 installed in each room. The room thermostat 60 contains the aforementioned detectors 62 for detecting room temperature. In addition, the room thermostat 60 includes a control unit 61 and a relay 63. The relay 63 is electrically connected to the corresponding electric heating actuator 53 in the room via a cable. By engaging or disengaging the relay, the power supply to the electric heating actuator 53 is connected or disconnected accordingly, thereby controlling the opening and closing of the heating circuit.

[0025] In some embodiments, the control unit 61 and the device controller 20 may be directly connected via wired or wireless connection for communication; in other embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the control unit 61 and the device controller 20 can also communicate via a wired or wireless connection through an intermediate device 40. In some embodiments, the intermediate device 40 can be a central controller or gateway, used to enable networking between different devices within the home and interconnection between the home network and an external network. In this embodiment, the intermediate device 40 is connected to the heating device 10 and the room thermostat 60 via a communication bus (such as RS485); the intermediate device 40 can also communicate with a cloud server via the Internet through a wireless router. The intermediate device 40 has a control component 41. The control component 41, the device controller 20, and the control unit 61 can all be circuit boards with several circuit devices, which can include a processor and a memory, as well as a control circuit formed by connecting several electronic components in a certain wiring manner. The processor can 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. Memory can be used to store instructions for any application or method operating on the processor, as well as various types of data. 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 memory, magnetic disks, or optical disks, etc.

[0026] The water heating system also includes a control device for implementing room antifreeze methods, which can be implemented as a combination of hardware and software functional units. In some embodiments, the control device can be integrated into a single processing unit, such as in the control component 41, the control unit 61, the device controller 20, or a cloud server. In other embodiments, the control device can be a combination of multiple processing units, such as the control component 41, the control unit 61, and the device controller 20, where some logical functions are implemented by the control component 41, some by the control unit 61, and some by the device controller 20.

[0027] Figure 2 The following describes the steps of a room antifreeze method in a specific embodiment of this disclosure. The control device performing these steps is also described in detail below. In this example, the control device is integrated into the control unit 61 of the room thermostat.

[0028] First, the control unit 61 monitors the room temperature using the detector 62 (step 701). Then, it compares the monitored room temperature with a first temperature threshold and determines whether it is less than or equal to the first temperature threshold (step 702). If so, it indicates that the room temperature is low and an anti-freeze mode needs to be activated, meaning the heating device will run and the electric heating actuator will be turned on. If not, it continues to monitor the room temperature. In some embodiments, when the room temperature is less than or equal to the first temperature threshold, it is necessary to determine whether the heating device is currently running (step 703). In this example, the control unit 61 sends a command to the device controller 20 to obtain the device status, and then receives data representing the device status returned by the device controller 20. If the returned data indicates that the heating device is running, the heating device is kept running without interference, and the relay 63 is closed to activate the electric actuator 53 (step 705), allowing heating water to flow through the heating terminal 50 of the room to raise the room temperature. If the returned data indicates that the heating device is not running, an instruction is sent to the device controller 20 to activate the heating device and generate heating water at a predetermined temperature (step 704), and the relay 63 is closed to activate the electric actuator 53 (step 705). In some embodiments, the predetermined water temperature may be lower than the set water temperature during normal heating operation. After the antifreeze mode is activated, the room temperature is continuously monitored, and the monitored room temperature is compared with a second temperature threshold to determine whether it is greater than or equal to the second temperature threshold (step 706), wherein the second temperature threshold is greater than the first temperature threshold. When the monitored room temperature is greater than or equal to the second temperature threshold, it indicates that the room temperature is high enough to exit the antifreeze mode, and the control unit 61 controls the relay 63 to open to shut off the electric actuator 53 (step 707), thereby shutting off the heating circuit of the room.

[0029] By monitoring the room temperature and rationally controlling the working status of heating equipment and electric actuators, freeze protection for individual rooms can be achieved.

[0030] 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.

[0031] It should be understood that 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. 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 according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the disclosed embodiments.

[0032] 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 preventing room freezing in a water-based heating system, wherein the water-based heating system includes a heating device for generating heating water, a heating terminal installed in the room, and a detector installed in the room for detecting room temperature, wherein the heating terminal and the heating device are both located in a heating circuit for circulating heating water, and the heating circuit is further provided with an electrically heated actuator in a normally closed state for controlling the on / off state of the circuit; characterized in that, The method includes: The detector monitors the room temperature. When the room temperature is less than or equal to the first temperature threshold, the heating equipment is started and the electric heating actuator is turned on.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further includes turning off the electric heating actuator when the room temperature is greater than or equal to a second temperature threshold; wherein the second temperature threshold is greater than the first temperature threshold.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The steps for operating the heating equipment include: when the room temperature is less than or equal to a first temperature threshold, determining whether the heating equipment is operating; if so, keeping the heating equipment running; if not, turning on the heating equipment and generating heating water at a predetermined temperature.

4. 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 1-3.

5. 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 1-3.

6. A control device, characterized in that: The control device is configured to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1-3.

7. A water heating system, characterized in that: The water heating system includes a heating device for generating heating water, a heating terminal installed in the room, and a detector installed in the room for detecting room temperature. The heating terminal and the heating device are both located in a heating loop for circulating heating water. The heating loop is also equipped with an electric actuator that is normally closed for controlling the on / off state of the loop. The water heating system also includes the control device according to claim 6.

8. The water heating system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The water heating system also includes a manifold, through which the heating terminal is connected to the heating equipment to form a heating circuit, and the electric heating actuator is installed on the manifold.

9. A room thermostat suitable for a water-based heating system, wherein the water-based heating system includes a heating device for generating heating water and a heating terminal installed in the room, wherein both the heating terminal and the heating device are located in a heating circuit in which the heating water circulates, and the heating circuit is further provided with an electrically heated actuator in a normally closed state for controlling the on / off state of the circuit; characterized in that: The room thermostat is installed inside the room and includes a detector for detecting room temperature, a relay, and a control unit. The relay is adapted to be electrically connected to an electric heating actuator to turn power to the actuator on or off. The control unit is adapted to be wired or wirelessly connected to the device controller of the heating equipment for communication. The control unit is configured to... The detector monitors the room temperature. When the room temperature is less than or equal to the first temperature threshold, a command to obtain the device status is sent to the device controller, and data representing the device status is returned by the device controller. When the returned data indicates that the heating equipment is running, the control relay closes to activate the electric heating actuator; when the returned data indicates that the heating equipment is not running, a command is sent to the equipment controller to activate the heating equipment and generate heating water at the predetermined temperature, and the control relay closes to activate the electric heating actuator.

10. The room thermostat according to claim 9, characterized in that: The control unit is also configured to control the relay to disconnect to shut down the electric heating actuator when the room temperature is greater than or equal to a second temperature threshold; wherein the second temperature threshold is greater than the first temperature threshold.

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