Heat pump water heater and control method

Abstract

Heat pump water heater includes head assembly and water tank assembly including electric heating device. The head assembly includes fan, housing having first vent formed in top wall of the housing and second vent, heat pump device including heat exchanger and compressor disposed in the housing with first and second air ducts formed between the heat exchanger and the first and second vents, respectively, and control assembly including second control device disposed in the first air duct and at least partially located directly below the first vent. The second control device controls the electric heating device. The fan is configured to form first airflow flowing from one of the first and second air ducts, through the heat exchanger, to the other of the first and second air ducts. The control assembly is configured to, based on operation of the electric heating device, operate the fan.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT / CN2023 / 135890, filed on December 1, 2023, which claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202311290851.X, titled “HEAT PUMP WATER HEATER AND CONTROL METHOD” and filed with China National Intellectual Property Administration on October 7, 2023, and Chinese patent application No. 202322685133.4, titled “HEAT PUMP WATER HEATER” and filed with China National Intellectual Property Administration on October 7, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to, but is not limited to, the field of electrical appliance technologies, and more particularly, to a heat pump water heater and a control method.BACKGROUND

[0003] With economic development, people’s demand for hot water for bathing has increased, and environmental protection requirements have become more stringent. As an energy-efficient water heater, heat pump water heaters have been increasingly adopted driven by environmental regulations.

[0004] A heat pump water heater includes a water tank, a heat pump device, two electric heating tubes, and a control device. The control device includes a control box and a control board disposed in the control box. The control board operates in heat pump mode to heat water via the heat pump device. This mode is energy-efficient, with a long water heating time and slow water temperature rise. Alternatively, the control board operates in electric heating mode to alternately heat water via two 4.5kW electric heating tubes. This mode features a short water heating time and rapid water temperature rise, to achieve rapid and continuous output of hot water.

[0005] Due to the excessive power of the electric heating tubes, a relay for controlling the electric heating tubes on the control board generates an extremely large amount of heat and reaches an excessively high temperature. Such continuous long‑term operation easily causes damage to the components for controlling the heat pump device on the control board and the relay for controlling the electric heating tubes due to overheating.SUMMARY

[0006] The following is an overview of the subject matter described in detail herein. This overview is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0007] A heat pump water heater according to embodiments of the present disclosure includes a head assembly and a water tank assembly having an electric heating device. The head assembly includes: a fan; a housing having a first vent and a second vent, in which the first vent is formed in a top wall of the housing; a heat pump device having a heat exchanger and a compressor that are disposed in the housing, in which a first air duct is formed between the first vent and the heat exchanger, and in which a second air duct is formed between the second vent and the heat exchanger; and a control assembly having a second control device, in which the second control device is disposed in the first air duct and at least partially located directly below the first vent. The second control device is configured to control the electric heating device, and the control assembly is configured to control the fan. The fan is configured to form a first airflow flowing from one of the first air duct and the second air duct to the other one of the first air duct and the second air duct through the heat exchanger. The control assembly is configured to control, based on an operation of the electric heating device, the fan to operate.

[0008] In some embodiments, the second control device includes an enclosure disposed in an up-down direction, and a control board disposed within the enclosure in the up-down direction.

[0009] In some embodiments, the enclosure includes a fireproof box. The second control device further includes an insulation support fixedly disposed in the fireproof box. The control board is fixedly disposed at the insulation support and spaced apart from the fireproof box.

[0010] In some embodiments, the enclosure has a fireproof box and an insulation box disposed in the fireproof box. The control board is disposed in the insulation box.

[0011] In some embodiments, the enclosure has a side wall through which a third vent and a fourth vent are formed. The control board is located between the third vent and the fourth vent. An air flow gap is formed between the control board and the enclosure. The third vent and the fourth vent are in communication with each other via the air flow gap. A second airflow driven by the fan is formed in the enclosure, flowing from one of the third vent and the fourth vent, through the air flow gap, to the other one of the third vent and the fourth vent.

[0012] In some embodiments, a wiring terminal protrudes from a side edge of the control board. An air flow region is formed between the wiring terminal and an end wall of the enclosure. The air flow gap has the air flow region.

[0013] In some embodiments, the control assembly further has a first control device spaced apart from the second control device and configured to control the heat pump device. At least one of the first control device or the second control device is further configured to control the fan.

[0014] In some embodiments, the first control device is disposed in the first air duct or the second air duct.

[0015] In some embodiments, the compressor is disposed in the first air duct or the second air duct.

[0016] In some embodiments, the fan is disposed in the first air duct or the second air duct.

[0017] In some embodiments, the electric heating device has one or more electric heating tubes.

[0018] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a control method of the heat pump water heater. The method includes: acquiring a first control instruction for operating the electric heating device; and controlling the electric heating device and the fan in response to the first control instruction.

[0019] In some embodiments, controlling the electric heating device and the fan includes: operating the electric heating device, recording an operation duration t1 of the electric heating device, determining that operating the fan when the operation duration t1 is greater than or equal to a first predetermined duration T1, and acquiring a second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device; and in response to the second control instruction, stopping the electric heating device and continuing operating the fan, recording an operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan, determining that t2-t1 is greater than or equal to a duration threshold T2, and stopping the fan based on the determination that the t2-t1 is greater than or equal to the duration threshold T2.

[0020] In some embodiments, controlling the electric heating device and the fan includes: operating the electric heating device, recording an operation duration t1 of the electric heating device, determining that the operation duration t1 is greater than or equal to a first predetermined duration T1, operating the fan and the heat pump device in response to the operation duration t1 being greater than or equal to the first predetermined duration T1, and acquiring a second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device; and in response to the second control instruction, stopping the electric heating device and continuing operating the fan and the heat pump device, recording an operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan, determining that t2-t1 is greater than or equal to a duration threshold T2, and stopping the fan and the heat pump device based on the determination that the t2-t1 is greater than or equal to the duration threshold T2.

[0021] In some embodiments, controlling the electric heating device and the fan includes: operating the electric heating device, recording an operation duration t1 of the electric heating device, determining that the operation duration t1 is greater than or equal to a first predetermined duration T1, operating the fan and the heat pump device in response to the operation duration t1 being greater than or equal to the first predetermined duration T1, and acquiring a second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device; in response to the second control instruction, stopping the electric heating device and the heat pump device, continuing operating the fan, recording an operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan, determining that t2-t1 is greater than or equal to a duration threshold T2, and stopping the fan based on the determination that the t2-t1 is greater than or equal to the duration threshold T2.

[0022] In the heat pump water heater according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the second control device is disposed in the first air duct. Further, the fan operates in the electric heating mode, and the first airflow performs air cooling and heat dissipation on the second control device, lowering a temperature of the second control device. In this way, the second control device is less prone to be damaged due to overheating. Therefore, the heat pump water heater according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is less likely to malfunction.

[0023] Other aspects can be understood based on the accompanying drawings and detailed descriptions.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THEDRAWINGS

[0024] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a structure of a heat pump water heater according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 2 is a schematic top cross-sectional view of a structure of the heat pump water heater shown in FIG. 1 with a housing removed for clarity.

[0026] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a structure of the heat pump water heater shown in FIG. 1 with a housing removed for clarity.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a schematic exploded structural view of an example of a second control device in FIG. 1.

[0028] FIG. 5 is a schematic structural view of a first box body, a second box body, a wire passing collar, and a control board shown in FIG. 4 that are assembled.

[0029] FIG. 6 is a schematic exploded structural view of another example of a second control device in FIG. 1.

[0030] FIG. 7 is a schematic structural view of a first box body, a second box body, a wire passing collar, and a control board shown in FIG. 6 that are assembled.

[0031] FIG. 8 is a schematic exploded structural view of yet another example of a second control device in FIG. 1.

[0032] FIG. 9 is a schematic structural view of a first box body, an insulation support, and a control board shown in FIG. 8 that are assembled.

[0033] FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a partial structure of the heat pump water heater shown in FIG. 1 in a usage state, in which arrows indicate a flowing direction of a first airflow.

[0034] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a partial structure of the heat pump water heater shown in FIG. 1 in another usage state, in which arrows indicate a flowing direction of a first airflow.

[0035] FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a control method of a heat pump water heater according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0036] FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a control method of a heat pump water heater according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0037] FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a control method of a heat pump water heater according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0038] FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a control method of a heat pump water heater according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0039] The correspondence between the reference numerals and component names in FIG. 1 to FIG. 11 is as follows:

[0040] 100 head assembly, 110 fan, 120 housing, 121 first vent, 122 second vent, 131 heat exchanger, 132 compressor, 140 first control device, 150 second control device, 151 fireproof box, 152 insulation box, 153 control board, 154 insulation support, 155 third vent, 156 fourth vent, 157 wiring terminal, 158 air flow region, 159 wire passing collar, 200 water tank assembly, 210 electric heating device, 310 first box body, 320 first box cover, 330 second box body, 340 second box cover.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0041] The present disclosure describes several embodiments, but the description is exemplary rather than restrictive. In addition, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of the embodiments described herein. Although many possible combinations of features are shown in the accompanying drawings and discussed in the detailed description, many other combinations of the disclosed features are also possible. Unless specifically limited, any feature or element of any embodiment may be used in combination with, or may replace, any other feature or element of any other embodiment.

[0042] The present disclosure includes and contemplates combinations of features and elements known to those skilled in the art. The embodiments, features, and elements disclosed in the present disclosure may also be combined with any conventional features or elements to form a unique inventive solution as defined by the claims. Any feature or element of any embodiment may also be combined with features or elements from other inventive solutions to form another unique inventive solution as defined by the claims. Therefore, it should be understood that any feature shown and / or discussed in the present disclosure may be implemented individually or in any suitable combination. Accordingly, the embodiments are not limited except by the limitations imposed by the appended claims and their equivalents. Furthermore, various modifications and changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

[0043] Furthermore, in describing representative embodiments, the specification may have presented methods and / or processes as a specific sequence of steps. However, the method or process should not be limited to the specific order of steps described herein, to the extent that it does not rely on such a specific order set forth herein. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, other sequences of steps are also possible. Therefore, the specific order of steps set forth in the specification should not be construed as a limitation of the claims. Moreover, the claims regarding the method and / or process should not be limited to the steps performed in the written order, and those skilled in the art will readily understand that these orders can be varied and still remain within the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0044] The present disclosure provides a heat pump water heater that is less prone to malfunction.

[0045] The present disclosure further provides a control method of the heat pump water heater.

[0046] As illustrated in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the heat pump water heater according to the embodiments of the present disclosure includes a head assembly 100 and a water tank assembly 200 having an electric heating device 210. The head assembly 100 includes: a fan 110; a housing 120 having a first vent 121 and a second vent 122, in which the first vent is formed in a top wall of the housing; a heat pump device having a heat exchanger 131 and a compressor 132, in which the heat exchanger 131 and the compressor 132 are both disposed in the housing 120, a first air duct is formed between the first vent 121 and the heat exchanger 131, and a second air duct is formed between the second vent 122 and the heat exchanger 131; and a control assembly having a second control device 150, in which the second control device 150 is disposed in the first air duct and at least partially located directly below the first vent 121. The second control device 150 is configured to control the electric heating device 210. The control assembly is configured to control the fan 110. The fan 110 is configured to form a first airflow flowing from one of the first air duct and the second air duct to the other one of the first air duct and the second air duct through the heat exchanger 131. The control assembly is configured to control, based on an operation of the electric heating device 210, the fan 110 to operate, to perform air cooling and heat dissipation on the second control device 150.

[0047] In the heat pump water heater, the second control device 150 is disposed in the first air duct. The electric heating device 210 operates in an electric heating mode, and the fan 110 further operates in the electric heating mode. The first airflow performs air cooling and heat dissipation on the second control device 150, lowering a temperature of the second control device 150. In this way, the second control device 150 is less prone to be damaged due to overheating, so the heat pump water heater according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is less likely to malfunction.

[0048] In some examples, the control assembly further has a first control device 140. The first control device 140 is spaced apart from the second control device 150 and configured to control the heat pump device. At least one of the first control device 140 or the second control device 150 is configured to control the fan 110.

[0049] Since the first control device 140 is spaced apart from the second control device 150, heat generated by the second control device 150 is less likely to be transferred to the first control device 140 in the electric heating mode. Therefore, a temperature of the first control device 140 is lowered, which avoids a problem of damage due to overheating. In this way, the heat pump water heater according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is less prone to malfunction.

[0050] As illustrated in FIG. 10, when the fan 110 rotates in a forward direction, air in an ambient environment passes through the first air duct, the heat exchanger 131, and the second air duct sequentially from the first vent 121, and is blown to the ambient environment through the second vent 122. In this process, the first airflow performs air cooling and heat dissipation on the second control device 150, lowering the temperature of the second control device 150. As illustrated in FIG. 11, when the fan 110 rotates in a reverse direction, the air in the ambient environment passes through the second air duct, the heat exchanger 131, and the first air duct sequentially from the second vent 122, and is blown to the ambient environment through the first vent 121. In this process, the first airflow performs the air cooling and heat dissipation on the second control device 150, lowering the temperature of the second control device 150. As illustrated in FIG. 4 to FIG. 7, the second control device 150 is provided with a wire passing collar 159 at a lower part of the second control device 150, and the head assembly 100 is disposed at an upper part of the water tank assembly 200. The electric heating device 210 leads a wire upward to allow the wire to pass through the wire passing collar 159 to be connected to the second control device 150.

[0051] The first control device 140 may be disposed in the first air duct or the second air duct. The compressor 132 may be disposed in the first air duct or the second air duct. The fan 110 may be disposed in the first air duct or the second air duct. The electric heating device 210 may have one electric heating tube, or the electric heating device 210 may have a plurality of electric heating tubes, such as two or three electric heating tubes. All the above arrangements can achieve the objectives of the present disclosure without departing from the design concept of the present disclosure. Thus, details thereof will be omitted here, and all such variations shall fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0052] As illustrated in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, FIG. 10, and FIG. 11, a detailed description is provided below by taking an example in which the first control device 140 is disposed in the first air duct, the compressor 132 is disposed in the first air duct, the fan 110 is disposed in the second air duct, and the electric heating device 210 has two electric heating tubes spaced apart from each other from top to bottom.

[0053] In some examples, the second control device 150 has an enclosure disposed within the first air duct in an up-down direction, and a control board 153 disposed within the enclosure in the up-down direction. The control board 153 is provided with a relay.

[0054] In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the enclosure has a fireproof box 151. The second control device 150 further has an insulation support 154 fixedly disposed in the fireproof box 151. The control board 153 is fixedly disposed at the insulation support 154 and spaced apart from the fireproof box 151 to prevent high-voltage electricity on the control board 153 from being conducted to the fireproof box 151.

[0055] In this example, the fireproof box 151 is a sheet metal part, dispensing with the insulation box 152 inside the fireproof box 151. Due to good thermal conductivity of the sheet metal part, the first airflow provides a better heat dissipation effect for the control board 153.

[0056] In some examples, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the fireproof box 151 has a separable structure and includes a first box body 310 and a first box cover 320 that are detachably assembled.

[0057] In some examples, as illustrated in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 10, and FIG. 11, the first vent 121 is formed in a top wall of the housing 120, and the second vent 122 is located in a circumferential wall of the housing 120. Further, the heat exchanger 131 is disposed between the first vent 121 and the second vent 122 to separate the first vent 121 from the second vent 122, and the fireproof box 151 is located directly below the first vent 121. The fireproof box 151 has a side wall through which a third vent and a fourth vent (not shown) are formed. The control board 153 is located between the third vent and the fourth vent. An air flow gap is formed between the control board 153 and the fireproof box 151, and the third vent and the fourth vent are in communication with each other via the air flow gap. The third vent faces the heat exchanger 131, and the fourth vent faces away from the heat exchanger 131. When the fan 110 operates in the forward direction, a second airflow is formed in the fireproof box 151 under the action of the first airflow, and flows from the fourth vent, through the air flow gap, to the third vent. The second airflow is blown out of the fireproof box 151 from the third vent and carries away heat from the control board 153, then passes through the heat exchanger 131 along with the first airflow, and finally is blown to the ambient environment through the second vent 122. When the fan 110 operates in a reverse direction, the second airflow is formed in the fireproof box 151 under the action of the first airflow, and the second airflow flows from the third vent, through the air flow gap, to the fourth vent. The second airflow is blown out of the fireproof box 151 from the fourth vent and carries away the heat from the control board 153, and is blown to the ambient environment along with the first airflow through the first vent 121. In this way, better heat dissipation effect on the control board 153 is realized.

[0058] In some examples, as illustrated in FIG. 9, a wiring terminal 157 protrudes from a side edge of the control board 153. An air flow region is formed between the wiring terminal 157 and an end wall of the fireproof box 151 (i.e., the end wall of the fireproof box 151 adjacent to the wiring terminal 157). The air flow gap has the air flow region. Since the wiring terminal 157 generates a relatively large amount of heat, the air flow region can improve a heat dissipation effect on the wiring terminal 157. The insulation support 154 may have four mounting bases for fixing four corners of the control board, and the air flow region is formed between adjacent mounting bases of the four mounting bases.

[0059] In some examples, the third vent and the fourth vent are both configured as grille holes. One of the third vent and the fourth vent is disposed in a middle part of one side wall of the fireproof box 151, and the other one of the third vent and the fourth vent is disposed in opposite edges of the other side wall of the fireproof box 151. In this way, flow performance of the second airflow is better.

[0060] In some examples, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the fireproof box 151 has a separable structure, and includes the first box body 310 and the first box cover 320 that are detachably assembled.

[0061] In other embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the enclosure has a fireproof box 151 and an insulation box 152 disposed in the fireproof box 151, and the control board 153 is disposed in the insulation box 152. The insulation box 152 is configured to prevent high-voltage electricity on the control board 153 from being conducted to the fireproof box 151. In this embodiment, the first airflow performs the air cooling and heat dissipation on the fireproof box 151, reducing heat of the control board 153.

[0062] In some examples, as illustrated in FIG. 1, FIG. 3, FIG. 6, FIG. 7, FIG. 10, and FIG. 11, the first vent 121 is formed in the top wall of the housing 120, and the second vent 122 is located in the circumferential wall of the housing 120. Further, the heat exchanger 131 is disposed between the first vent 121 and the second vent 122 to separate the first vent 121 and the second vent 122, and the fireproof box 151 is located directly below the first vent 121. Opposite side walls of the fireproof box 151 and opposite side walls of the insulation box 152 each have a third vent 155 and a fourth vent 156. The two third vents 155 are located in one side of the control board 153 and in communication with each other, and the two fourth vents 156 are located in the other side of the control board 153 and in communication with each other. The air flow gap is formed between the control board 153 and the fireproof box 151, and the third vent 155 and the fourth vent 156 of the insulation box 152 are in communication with each other via the air flow gap. The third vent 155 of the fireproof box 151 faces the heat exchanger 131, and the fourth vent 156 of the fireproof box 151 faces away from the heat exchanger 131. When the fan 110 operates in the forward direction, the second airflow is formed in the fireproof box 151 under the action of the first airflow, and flows from the fourth vent 156 of the fireproof box 151, through the fourth vent 156 of the insulation box 152, the air flow gap, and the third vent 155 of the insulation box 152 sequentially, to the third vents 155 of the fireproof box 151. The second airflow is blown out of the fireproof box 151 from the third vent 155 of the fireproof box 151 and carries away the heat from the control board 153, then passes through the heat exchanger 131 along with the first airflow, and finally is blown to the ambient environment through the second vent 122. When the fan 110 operates in a reverse direction, the second airflow is formed in the fireproof box 151 under the action of the first airflow, and the second airflow flows from the third vent of the fireproof box 151, through the third vent 155 of the insulation box 152, the air flow gap, and the fourth vent 156 of the insulation box 152 sequentially, to the fourth vent 156 of the fireproof box 151. The second airflow is blown out of the fireproof box 151 from the fourth vent 156 of the fireproof box 151 and carries away the heat from the control board 153, and is blown to the ambient environment along with the first airflow through the first vent 121.

[0063] In some examples, as illustrated in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the wiring terminal 157 is disposed on and protrudes from the side edge of the control board 153. An air flow region 158 is formed between the wiring terminal 157 and the end wall of the fireproof box 151 (i.e., the end wall of the fireproof box 151 adjacent to the wiring terminal 157). The air flow gap has the air flow region 158. Since the wiring terminal 157 generates a relatively large amount of heat, the air flow region 158 can improve the heat dissipation effect on the wiring terminal 157. The insulation box 152 may be provided with a plurality of clamping parts disposed in an interior of the insulation box 152, and the plurality of clamping parts protrude from the interior of the insulation box 152. The plurality of clamping parts is configured to fix edges of the control board, and the air flow region 158 is formed between adjacent clamping parts of the plurality of clamping parts.

[0064] In some examples, as illustrated in FIG. 3, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7, the third vent 155 and the fourth vent 156 of the fireproof box 151 are both configured as grille holes, and the third vent 155 of the insulation box 152 and the fourth vent 156 of the insulation box 152 are both configured as through holes. One of the third vent 155 and the fourth vent 156 of the fireproof box 151 is disposed in the middle part of one side wall of the fireproof box 151, and the other one of the third vent 155 and the fourth vent 156 of the fireproof box 151 is disposed in opposite edges of the other side wall of the fireproof box 151. One of the third vent 155 and the fourth vent 156 of the insulation box 152 is disposed in a middle part of one side wall of the insulation box 152, and the other one of the third vent 155 and the fourth vent 156 of the insulation box 152 is disposed in opposite edges of the other side wall of the insulation box 152. The third vent 155 of the fireproof box 151 corresponds to the third vent 155 of the insulation box 152, and the fourth vent 156 of the fireproof box 151 corresponds to the fourth vent 156 of the insulation box 152. In this way, the flow performance of the second airflow is better.

[0065] In some examples, as illustrated in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the fireproof box 151 has a separable structure and includes the first box body 310 and the first box cover 320 that are detachably assembled. The insulation box 152 has a separable structure and includes a second box body 330 and a second box cover 340 that are detachably assembled together. The first box cover 320 and the second box cover 340 may be assembled, or the first box body 310 and the second box body 330 may be assembled.

[0066] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a control method of a heat pump water heater. As illustrated in FIG. 12 to FIG. 15, the method includes: acquiring a first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210; and controlling the electric heating device 210 and the fan 110 in response to the first control instruction.

[0067] The electric heating device 210 and the fan 110 are controlled to operate in response to the first control instruction. The first airflow performs the air cooling and heat dissipation on the second control device 150, lowering the temperature of the second control device 150. In this way, the second control device 150 is less prone to be damaged due to overheating. Therefore, the heat pump water heater according to embodiments of the present disclosure is less likely to malfunction.

[0068] In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, controlling the electric heating device 210 and the fan 110 includes: operating the electric heating device 210, recording an operation duration t1 of the electric heating device 210, determining that the operation duration t1 is greater than or equal to a first predetermined duration T1, operating the fan 110 in response to the operation duration t1 being greater than or equal to a first predetermined duration T1, and acquiring a second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device 210; and in response to the second control instruction, stopping the electric heating device 210 and continuing operating the fan 110, recording an operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan 110, determining that t2-t1 is greater than or equal to a duration threshold T2, and stopping the fan 110 based on the determination that that t2-t1 is greater than or equal to the duration threshold T2.

[0069] In the electric heating mode, the fan 110 performs the air cooling and heat dissipation on the second control device 150, lowering the temperature of the second control device 150. An operation of the fan 110 may be controlling the fan 110 to rotate in the forward direction, or controlling the fan 110 to rotate in the reverse direction.

[0070] In an example, as illustrated in FIG. 10 and FIG. 12, a control method of the heat pump water heater includes: acquiring the first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210; determining that there is no first control instruction, performing the step of acquiring the first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210 in response to no first control instruction; operating the electric heating device 210 in response to the first control instruction; recording the operation duration t1 of the electric heating device 210 and determining whether a first determination condition of t1≥T1 is satisfied; performing the steps of recording the operation duration t1 of the electric heating device 210 and determining whether the first determination condition of t1≥T1 is satisfied in response to the first determination condition being not satisfied; controlling the fan 110 to rotate in the forward direction in response to the first determination condition being satisfied; acquiring the second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device 210; determining that there is no second control instruction, performing the step of acquiring the second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device 210 in response to no second control instruction; in response to the second control instruction, stopping the electric heating device 210 and controlling the fan 110 to continue rotating in the forward direction; recording the operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan 110 and determining whether a second determination condition of t2-t1≥ T2 is satisfied; performing the steps of recording the operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan 110 and determining whether the second determination condition of t2-t1≥ T2 is satisfied in response to the second determination condition being not satisfied; and in response to the second determination condition being satisfied, stopping the fan 110, and performing the step of acquiring the first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210.

[0071] In another example, as illustrated in FIG. 11 and FIG. 13, a control method of a heat pump water heater includes: acquiring the first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210; determining that there is no first control instruction, performing the step of acquiring the first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210 in response to no first control instruction; operating the electric heating device 210 in response to the first control instruction; recording an operation duration t1 of the electric heating device 210 and determining whether the first determination condition of t1≥ T1 is satisfied; performing the steps of recording the operation duration t1 of the electric heating device 210 and determining whether the first determination condition of t1 ≥ T1 is satisfied in response to the first determination condition being not satisfied; controlling the fan 110 to rotate in a reverse direction in response to the first determination condition being satisfied; acquiring the second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device 210; determining that there is no second control instruction, performing the step of acquiring the second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device 210 in response to no second control instruction; in response to the second control instruction, stopping the electric heating device 210 and controlling the fan 110 to continue rotating in the reverse direction; recording the operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan 110, and determining whether a second determination condition of t2-t1≥ T2 is satisfied; performing the steps of recording the operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan 110 and determining whether the second determination condition of t2-t1≥ T2 is satisfied in response to the second determination condition being not satisfied; and in response to the second determination condition being satisfied, stopping controlling the fan 110, and performing the step of acquiring the first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210.

[0072] In other embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 14, controlling the electric heating device 210 and the fan 110 includes: operating the electric heating device 210, recording an operation duration t1 of the electric heating device 210, determining that the operation duration t1 is greater than or equal to a first predetermined duration T1, operating the fan 110 and the heat pump device in response to the operation duration t1 being greater than or equal to the first predetermined duration T1, and acquiring a second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device 210; and in response to the second control instruction, stopping the electric heating device 210 and continuing operating the fan 110 and the heat pump device, recording an operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan 110, determining that t2-t1 is greater than or equal to a duration threshold T2, and stopping the fan 110 and the heat pump device based on the determination that the t2-t1 is greater than or equal to the duration threshold T2.

[0073] In the electric heating mode, the fan 110 performs air cooling and heat dissipation on the second control device 150. By activating the heat pump device, the heat exchanger 131 absorbs heat dissipated by the second control device 150 to heat water in the water tank assembly 200, lowering the temperature of the second control device 150. The fan 110 is configured to be controlled to rotate in the forward direction. In this way, the heat exchanger 131 can easily absorb heat dissipated by the second control device 150 and the compressor 132.

[0074] In some other embodiments, the fan 110 may be configured to be controlled to rotate in a reverse direction. In this way, the heat dissipation effect on the second control device 150 is improved.

[0075] In an example, as illustrated in FIG. 10 and FIG. 14, a control method of a heat pump water heater includes: acquiring a first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210; determining that there is no first control instruction; performing the step of acquiring the first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210 in response to no first control instruction; operating the electric heating device 210 in response to the first control instruction; recording the operation duration t1 of the electric heating device 210 and determining whether the first determination condition of t1 ≥ T1 is satisfied; performing the steps of recording the operation duration t1 of the electric heating device 210 and determining whether the first determination condition of t1≥ T1 is satisfied in response to the first determination condition being not satisfied; controlling the fan 110 to rotate in the forward direction and operating the heat pump device in response to the first determination condition being satisfied; acquiring the second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device 210; determining that there is no second control instruction, performing the step of acquiring the second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device 210 in response to no second control instruction; in response to the second control instruction, stopping the electric heating device 210, and controlling the fan 110 to continue rotating in the forward direction and continuing operating the heat pump device; recording the operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan 110 and determining whether the second determination condition of t2-t1≥ T2 is satisfied; performing the steps of recording the operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan 110 and determining whether the second determination condition of t2-t1≥ T2 is satisfied in response to the second determination condition being not satisfied; and in response to the second determination condition being satisfied, stopping the fan 110 and the heat pump device, and performing the step of acquiring the first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210.

[0076] In some other embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 15, controlling the electric heating device 210 and the fan 110 includes: operating the electric heating device 210, recording the operation duration t1 of the electric heating device 210, determining that the operation duration t1 is greater than or equal to the first predetermined duration T1, operating the fan 110 and the heat pump device in response to the operation duration t1 being greater than or equal to the first predetermined duration T1, and acquiring the second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device 210; and in response to the second control instruction, stopping the electric heating device 210 and the heat pump device and continuing operating the fan 110, recording the operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan 110, determining that t2-t1 is greater than or equal to the duration threshold T2, and stopping the fan 110 based on the determination that the t2-t1 is greater than or equal to the duration threshold T2.

[0077] In the electric heating mode, the fan 110 performs the air cooling and heat dissipation on the second control device 150. By activating the heat pump device, the heat exchanger 131 absorbs the heat dissipated by the second control device 150 to heat the water in the water tank assembly 200, lowering the temperature of the second control device 150. The fan 110 is configured to be controlled to rotate in the forward direction. In this way, the heat exchanger 131 can easily absorb the heat dissipated by the second control device 150 and the compressor 132.

[0078] In some other embodiments, the fan 110 may be configured to be controlled to rotate in the reverse direction. In this way, the heat dissipation effect on the second control device 150 is improved.

[0079] In some examples, as illustrated in FIG. 10 and FIG. 15, a control method of a heat pump water heater includes: acquiring the first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210; determining that there is no first control instruction, performing the step of acquiring the first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210 in response to no first control instruction; operating the electric heating device 210 in response to the first control instruction; recording the operation duration t1 of the electric heating device 210 and determining whether the first determination condition of t1≥ T1 is satisfied; performing the steps of recording the operation duration t1 of the electric heating device 210 and determining whether the first determination condition of t1≥ T1 is satisfied in response to the first determination condition being not satisfied; controlling the fan 110 to rotate in the forward direction and the heat pump device to operate in response to the first determination condition being satisfied; acquiring the second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device 210; determining that there is no second control instruction, performing the step of acquiring the second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device 210 in response to no second control instruction; in response to the second control instruction, stopping the electric heating device 210 and the heat pump device and controlling the fan 110 to continue rotating in the forward direction; recording the operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan 110 and determining whether the second determination condition of t2-t1≥ T2 is satisfied; performing the steps of recording the operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan 110 and determining whether the second determination condition of t2-t1≥ T2 is satisfied in response to the second determination condition being not satisfied; and in response to the second determination condition being satisfied, stopping the fan 110, and performing the step of acquiring the first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210.

[0080] In summary, in the heat pump water heater according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the second control device is disposed in the first air duct, and further operate the fan in the electric heating mode. The first airflow performs the air cooling and heat dissipation on the second control device, lowering the temperature of the second control device. In this way, the second control device is less prone to be damaged due to overheating, so the heat pump water heater according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is less likely to malfunction.

[0081] In the description of the present disclosure, it should be noted that the orientation or the position indicated by terms such as “over”, “below”, “one side”, “the other side”, “one end”, “the other end”, “side”, “opposite”, “four corners”, “periphery”, and “square-shaped structure” should be construed to refer to the orientation or the position as shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the pointed device or element must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation to the present disclosure.

[0082] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, terms such as “connect”, “directly connect”, “indirectly connect”, “fixedly connect”, “install”, and “assemble” should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it may be a fixed connection or a detachable connection or connection as one piece. Terms such as “install”, “connect”, and “fixedly connect” may refer to direct connection or indirect connection through an intermediate; internal communication of two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meaning of the above-mentioned terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0083] It should be understood by those of ordinary skilled in the art that all or some of the steps in the methods disclosed above, and the functional modules / units in the systems and apparatuses, can be implemented as software, firmware, hardware, or appropriate combinations thereof. In hardware implementations, the division between functional modules / units mentioned in the above description does not necessarily correspond to the division of physical components; for example, a physical component may have multiple functions, or a function or step may be performed cooperatively by several physical components. Some or all components may be implemented as software executed by a processor, such as a digital signal processor or microprocessor, or as hardware, or as an integrated circuit, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Such software may be distributed on a computer-readable medium, which may include computer storage media (or non-transitory media) and communication media (or transient media). As is well known to those skilled in the art, the term computer storage media includes volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storing information (such as computer-readable instructions, data

[0084] structures, program modules, or other data). Computer storage media include, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile disc (DVD) or other optical disc storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired information and can be accessed by a computer. Furthermore, it is well known to those of ordinary skilled in the art that communication media typically contain computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transmission mechanisms, and may include any information delivery media.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0041]The present disclosure describes several embodiments, but the description is exemplary rather than restrictive. In addition, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of the embodiments described herein. Although many possible combinations of features are shown in the accompanying drawings and discussed in the detailed description, many other combinations of the disclosed features are also possible. Unless specifically limited, any feature or element of any embodiment may be used in combination with, or may replace, any other feature or element of any other embodiment.

[0042]The present disclosure includes and contemplates combinations of features and elements known to those skilled in the art. The embodiments, features, and elements disclosed in the present disclosure may also be combined with any conventional features or elements to form a unique inventive solution as defined by the claims. Any ...

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT / CN2023 / 135890, filed on December 1, 2023, which claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202311290851.X, titled “HEAT PUMP WATER HEATER AND CONTROL METHOD” and filed with China National Intellectual Property Administration on October 7, 2023, and Chinese patent application No. 202322685133.4, titled “HEAT PUMP WATER HEATER” and filed with China National Intellectual Property Administration on October 7, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to, but is not limited to, the field of electrical appliance technologies, and more particularly, to a heat pump water heater and a control method.BACKGROUND

[0003] With economic development, people’s demand for hot water for bathing has increased, and environmental protection requirements have become more stringent. As an energy-efficient water heater, heat pump water heaters have been increasingly adopted driven by environmental regulations.

[0004] A heat pump water heater includes a water tank, a heat pump device, two electric heating tubes, and a control device. The control device includes a control box and a control board disposed in the control box. The control board operates in heat pump mode to heat water via the heat pump device. This mode is energy-efficient, with a long water heating time and slow water temperature rise. Alternatively, the control board operates in electric heating mode to alternately heat water via two 4.5kW electric heating tubes. This mode features a short water heating time and rapid water temperature rise, to achieve rapid and continuous output of hot water.

[0005] Due to the excessive power of the electric heating tubes, a relay for controlling the electric heating tubes on the control board generates an extremely large amount of heat and reaches an excessively high temperature. Such continuous long‑term operation easily causes damage to the components for controlling the heat pump device on the control board and the relay for controlling the electric heating tubes due to overheating.SUMMARY

[0006] The following is an overview of the subject matter described in detail herein. This overview is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0007] A heat pump water heater according to embodiments of the present disclosure includes a head assembly and a water tank assembly having an electric heating device. The head assembly includes: a fan; a housing having a first vent and a second vent, in which the first vent is formed in a top wall of the housing; a heat pump device having a heat exchanger and a compressor that are disposed in the housing, in which a first air duct is formed between the first vent and the heat exchanger, and in which a second air duct is formed between the second vent and the heat exchanger; and a control assembly having a second control device, in which the second control device is disposed in the first air duct and at least partially located directly below the first vent. The second control device is configured to control the electric heating device, and the control assembly is configured to control the fan. The fan is configured to form a first airflow flowing from one of the first air duct and the second air duct to the other one of the first air duct and the second air duct through the heat exchanger. The control assembly is configured to control, based on an operation of the electric heating device, the fan to operate.

[0008] In some embodiments, the second control device includes an enclosure disposed in an up-down direction, and a control board disposed within the enclosure in the up-down direction.

[0009] In some embodiments, the enclosure includes a fireproof box. The second control device further includes an insulation support fixedly disposed in the fireproof box. The control board is fixedly disposed at the insulation support and spaced apart from the fireproof box.

[0010] In some embodiments, the enclosure has a fireproof box and an insulation box disposed in the fireproof box. The control board is disposed in the insulation box.

[0011] In some embodiments, the enclosure has a side wall through which a third vent and a fourth vent are formed. The control board is located between the third vent and the fourth vent. An air flow gap is formed between the control board and the enclosure. The third vent and the fourth vent are in communication with each other via the air flow gap. A second airflow driven by the fan is formed in the enclosure, flowing from one of the third vent and the fourth vent, through the air flow gap, to the other one of the third vent and the fourth vent.

[0012] In some embodiments, a wiring terminal protrudes from a side edge of the control board. An air flow region is formed between the wiring terminal and an end wall of the enclosure. The air flow gap has the air flow region.

[0013] In some embodiments, the control assembly further has a first control device spaced apart from the second control device and configured to control the heat pump device. At least one of the first control device or the second control device is further configured to control the fan.

[0014] In some embodiments, the first control device is disposed in the first air duct or the second air duct.

[0015] In some embodiments, the compressor is disposed in the first air duct or the second air duct.

[0016] In some embodiments, the fan is disposed in the first air duct or the second air duct.

[0017] In some embodiments, the electric heating device has one or more electric heating tubes.

[0018] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a control method of the heat pump water heater. The method includes: acquiring a first control instruction for operating the electric heating device; and controlling the electric heating device and the fan in response to the first control instruction.

[0019] In some embodiments, controlling the electric heating device and the fan includes: operating the electric heating device, recording an operation duration t1 of the electric heating device, determining that operating the fan when the operation duration t1 is greater than or equal to a first predetermined duration T1, and acquiring a second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device; and in response to the second control instruction, stopping the electric heating device and continuing operating the fan, recording an operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan, determining that t2-t1 is greater than or equal to a duration threshold T2, and stopping the fan based on the determination that the t2-t1 is greater than or equal to the duration threshold T2.

[0020] In some embodiments, controlling the electric heating device and the fan includes: operating the electric heating device, recording an operation duration t1 of the electric heating device, determining that the operation duration t1 is greater than or equal to a first predetermined duration T1, operating the fan and the heat pump device in response to the operation duration t1 being greater than or equal to the first predetermined duration T1, and acquiring a second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device; and in response to the second control instruction, stopping the electric heating device and continuing operating the fan and the heat pump device, recording an operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan, determining that t2-t1 is greater than or equal to a duration threshold T2, and stopping the fan and the heat pump device based on the determination that the t2-t1 is greater than or equal to the duration threshold T2.

[0021] In some embodiments, controlling the electric heating device and the fan includes: operating the electric heating device, recording an operation duration t1 of the electric heating device, determining that the operation duration t1 is greater than or equal to a first predetermined duration T1, operating the fan and the heat pump device in response to the operation duration t1 being greater than or equal to the first predetermined duration T1, and acquiring a second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device; in response to the second control instruction, stopping the electric heating device and the heat pump device, continuing operating the fan, recording an operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan, determining that t2-t1 is greater than or equal to a duration threshold T2, and stopping the fan based on the determination that the t2-t1 is greater than or equal to the duration threshold T2.

[0022] In the heat pump water heater according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the second control device is disposed in the first air duct. Further, the fan operates in the electric heating mode, and the first airflow performs air cooling and heat dissipation on the second control device, lowering a temperature of the second control device. In this way, the second control device is less prone to be damaged due to overheating. Therefore, the heat pump water heater according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is less likely to malfunction.

[0023] Other aspects can be understood based on the accompanying drawings and detailed descriptions.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THEDRAWINGS

[0024] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a structure of a heat pump water heater according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 2 is a schematic top cross-sectional view of a structure of the heat pump water heater shown in FIG. 1 with a housing removed for clarity.

[0026] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a structure of the heat pump water heater shown in FIG. 1 with a housing removed for clarity.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a schematic exploded structural view of an example of a second control device in FIG. 1.

[0028] FIG. 5 is a schematic structural view of a first box body, a second box body, a wire passing collar, and a control board shown in FIG. 4 that are assembled.

[0029] FIG. 6 is a schematic exploded structural view of another example of a second control device in FIG. 1.

[0030] FIG. 7 is a schematic structural view of a first box body, a second box body, a wire passing collar, and a control board shown in FIG. 6 that are assembled.

[0031] FIG. 8 is a schematic exploded structural view of yet another example of a second control device in FIG. 1.

[0032] FIG. 9 is a schematic structural view of a first box body, an insulation support, and a control board shown in FIG. 8 that are assembled.

[0033] FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a partial structure of the heat pump water heater shown in FIG. 1 in a usage state, in which arrows indicate a flowing direction of a first airflow.

[0034] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a partial structure of the heat pump water heater shown in FIG. 1 in another usage state, in which arrows indicate a flowing direction of a first airflow.

[0035] FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a control method of a heat pump water heater according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0036] FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a control method of a heat pump water heater according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0037] FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a control method of a heat pump water heater according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0038] FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a control method of a heat pump water heater according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0039] The correspondence between the reference numerals and component names in FIG. 1 to FIG. 11 is as follows:

[0040] 100 head assembly, 110 fan, 120 housing, 121 first vent, 122 second vent, 131 heat exchanger, 132 compressor, 140 first control device, 150 second control device, 151 fireproof box, 152 insulation box, 153 control board, 154 insulation support, 155 third vent, 156 fourth vent, 157 wiring terminal, 158 air flow region, 159 wire passing collar, 200 water tank assembly, 210 electric heating device, 310 first box body, 320 first box cover, 330 second box body, 340 second box cover.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0041] The present disclosure describes several embodiments, but the description is exemplary rather than restrictive. In addition, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of the embodiments described herein. Although many possible combinations of features are shown in the accompanying drawings and discussed in the detailed description, many other combinations of the disclosed features are also possible. Unless specifically limited, any feature or element of any embodiment may be used in combination with, or may replace, any other feature or element of any other embodiment.

[0042] The present disclosure includes and contemplates combinations of features and elements known to those skilled in the art. The embodiments, features, and elements disclosed in the present disclosure may also be combined with any conventional features or elements to form a unique inventive solution as defined by the claims. Any feature or element of any embodiment may also be combined with features or elements from other inventive solutions to form another unique inventive solution as defined by the claims. Therefore, it should be understood that any feature shown and / or discussed in the present disclosure may be implemented individually or in any suitable combination. Accordingly, the embodiments are not limited except by the limitations imposed by the appended claims and their equivalents. Furthermore, various modifications and changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

[0043] Furthermore, in describing representative embodiments, the specification may have presented methods and / or processes as a specific sequence of steps. However, the method or process should not be limited to the specific order of steps described herein, to the extent that it does not rely on such a specific order set forth herein. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, other sequences of steps are also possible. Therefore, the specific order of steps set forth in the specification should not be construed as a limitation of the claims. Moreover, the claims regarding the method and / or process should not be limited to the steps performed in the written order, and those skilled in the art will readily understand that these orders can be varied and still remain within the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0044] The present disclosure provides a heat pump water heater that is less prone to malfunction.

[0045] The present disclosure further provides a control method of the heat pump water heater.

[0046] As illustrated in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the heat pump water heater according to the embodiments of the present disclosure includes a head assembly 100 and a water tank assembly 200 having an electric heating device 210. The head assembly 100 includes: a fan 110; a housing 120 having a first vent 121 and a second vent 122, in which the first vent is formed in a top wall of the housing; a heat pump device having a heat exchanger 131 and a compressor 132, in which the heat exchanger 131 and the compressor 132 are both disposed in the housing 120, a first air duct is formed between the first vent 121 and the heat exchanger 131, and a second air duct is formed between the second vent 122 and the heat exchanger 131; and a control assembly having a second control device 150, in which the second control device 150 is disposed in the first air duct and at least partially located directly below the first vent 121. The second control device 150 is configured to control the electric heating device 210. The control assembly is configured to control the fan 110. The fan 110 is configured to form a first airflow flowing from one of the first air duct and the second air duct to the other one of the first air duct and the second air duct through the heat exchanger 131. The control assembly is configured to control, based on an operation of the electric heating device 210, the fan 110 to operate, to perform air cooling and heat dissipation on the second control device 150.

[0047] In the heat pump water heater, the second control device 150 is disposed in the first air duct. The electric heating device 210 operates in an electric heating mode, and the fan 110 further operates in the electric heating mode. The first airflow performs air cooling and heat dissipation on the second control device 150, lowering a temperature of the second control device 150. In this way, the second control device 150 is less prone to be damaged due to overheating, so the heat pump water heater according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is less likely to malfunction.

[0048] In some examples, the control assembly further has a first control device 140. The first control device 140 is spaced apart from the second control device 150 and configured to control the heat pump device. At least one of the first control device 140 or the second control device 150 is configured to control the fan 110.

[0049] Since the first control device 140 is spaced apart from the second control device 150, heat generated by the second control device 150 is less likely to be transferred to the first control device 140 in the electric heating mode. Therefore, a temperature of the first control device 140 is lowered, which avoids a problem of damage due to overheating. In this way, the heat pump water heater according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is less prone to malfunction.

[0050] As illustrated in FIG. 10, when the fan 110 rotates in a forward direction, air in an ambient environment passes through the first air duct, the heat exchanger 131, and the second air duct sequentially from the first vent 121, and is blown to the ambient environment through the second vent 122. In this process, the first airflow performs air cooling and heat dissipation on the second control device 150, lowering the temperature of the second control device 150. As illustrated in FIG. 11, when the fan 110 rotates in a reverse direction, the air in the ambient environment passes through the second air duct, the heat exchanger 131, and the first air duct sequentially from the second vent 122, and is blown to the ambient environment through the first vent 121. In this process, the first airflow performs the air cooling and heat dissipation on the second control device 150, lowering the temperature of the second control device 150. As illustrated in FIG. 4 to FIG. 7, the second control device 150 is provided with a wire passing collar 159 at a lower part of the second control device 150, and the head assembly 100 is disposed at an upper part of the water tank assembly 200. The electric heating device 210 leads a wire upward to allow the wire to pass through the wire passing collar 159 to be connected to the second control device 150.

[0051] The first control device 140 may be disposed in the first air duct or the second air duct. The compressor 132 may be disposed in the first air duct or the second air duct. The fan 110 may be disposed in the first air duct or the second air duct. The electric heating device 210 may have one electric heating tube, or the electric heating device 210 may have a plurality of electric heating tubes, such as two or three electric heating tubes. All the above arrangements can achieve the objectives of the present disclosure without departing from the design concept of the present disclosure. Thus, details thereof will be omitted here, and all such variations shall fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0052] As illustrated in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, FIG. 10, and FIG. 11, a detailed description is provided below by taking an example in which the first control device 140 is disposed in the first air duct, the compressor 132 is disposed in the first air duct, the fan 110 is disposed in the second air duct, and the electric heating device 210 has two electric heating tubes spaced apart from each other from top to bottom.

[0053] In some examples, the second control device 150 has an enclosure disposed within the first air duct in an up-down direction, and a control board 153 disposed within the enclosure in the up-down direction. The control board 153 is provided with a relay.

[0054] In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the enclosure has a fireproof box 151. The second control device 150 further has an insulation support 154 fixedly disposed in the fireproof box 151. The control board 153 is fixedly disposed at the insulation support 154 and spaced apart from the fireproof box 151 to prevent high-voltage electricity on the control board 153 from being conducted to the fireproof box 151.

[0055] In this example, the fireproof box 151 is a sheet metal part, dispensing with the insulation box 152 inside the fireproof box 151. Due to good thermal conductivity of the sheet metal part, the first airflow provides a better heat dissipation effect for the control board 153.

[0056] In some examples, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the fireproof box 151 has a separable structure and includes a first box body 310 and a first box cover 320 that are detachably assembled.

[0057] In some examples, as illustrated in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 10, and FIG. 11, the first vent 121 is formed in a top wall of the housing 120, and the second vent 122 is located in a circumferential wall of the housing 120. Further, the heat exchanger 131 is disposed between the first vent 121 and the second vent 122 to separate the first vent 121 from the second vent 122, and the fireproof box 151 is located directly below the first vent 121. The fireproof box 151 has a side wall through which a third vent and a fourth vent (not shown) are formed. The control board 153 is located between the third vent and the fourth vent. An air flow gap is formed between the control board 153 and the fireproof box 151, and the third vent and the fourth vent are in communication with each other via the air flow gap. The third vent faces the heat exchanger 131, and the fourth vent faces away from the heat exchanger 131. When the fan 110 operates in the forward direction, a second airflow is formed in the fireproof box 151 under the action of the first airflow, and flows from the fourth vent, through the air flow gap, to the third vent. The second airflow is blown out of the fireproof box 151 from the third vent and carries away heat from the control board 153, then passes through the heat exchanger 131 along with the first airflow, and finally is blown to the ambient environment through the second vent 122. When the fan 110 operates in a reverse direction, the second airflow is formed in the fireproof box 151 under the action of the first airflow, and the second airflow flows from the third vent, through the air flow gap, to the fourth vent. The second airflow is blown out of the fireproof box 151 from the fourth vent and carries away the heat from the control board 153, and is blown to the ambient environment along with the first airflow through the first vent 121. In this way, better heat dissipation effect on the control board 153 is realized.

[0058] In some examples, as illustrated in FIG. 9, a wiring terminal 157 protrudes from a side edge of the control board 153. An air flow region is formed between the wiring terminal 157 and an end wall of the fireproof box 151 (i.e., the end wall of the fireproof box 151 adjacent to the wiring terminal 157). The air flow gap has the air flow region. Since the wiring terminal 157 generates a relatively large amount of heat, the air flow region can improve a heat dissipation effect on the wiring terminal 157. The insulation support 154 may have four mounting bases for fixing four corners of the control board, and the air flow region is formed between adjacent mounting bases of the four mounting bases.

[0059] In some examples, the third vent and the fourth vent are both configured as grille holes. One of the third vent and the fourth vent is disposed in a middle part of one side wall of the fireproof box 151, and the other one of the third vent and the fourth vent is disposed in opposite edges of the other side wall of the fireproof box 151. In this way, flow performance of the second airflow is better.

[0060] In some examples, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the fireproof box 151 has a separable structure, and includes the first box body 310 and the first box cover 320 that are detachably assembled.

[0061] In other embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the enclosure has a fireproof box 151 and an insulation box 152 disposed in the fireproof box 151, and the control board 153 is disposed in the insulation box 152. The insulation box 152 is configured to prevent high-voltage electricity on the control board 153 from being conducted to the fireproof box 151. In this embodiment, the first airflow performs the air cooling and heat dissipation on the fireproof box 151, reducing heat of the control board 153.

[0062] In some examples, as illustrated in FIG. 1, FIG. 3, FIG. 6, FIG. 7, FIG. 10, and FIG. 11, the first vent 121 is formed in the top wall of the housing 120, and the second vent 122 is located in the circumferential wall of the housing 120. Further, the heat exchanger 131 is disposed between the first vent 121 and the second vent 122 to separate the first vent 121 and the second vent 122, and the fireproof box 151 is located directly below the first vent 121. Opposite side walls of the fireproof box 151 and opposite side walls of the insulation box 152 each have a third vent 155 and a fourth vent 156. The two third vents 155 are located in one side of the control board 153 and in communication with each other, and the two fourth vents 156 are located in the other side of the control board 153 and in communication with each other. The air flow gap is formed between the control board 153 and the fireproof box 151, and the third vent 155 and the fourth vent 156 of the insulation box 152 are in communication with each other via the air flow gap. The third vent 155 of the fireproof box 151 faces the heat exchanger 131, and the fourth vent 156 of the fireproof box 151 faces away from the heat exchanger 131. When the fan 110 operates in the forward direction, the second airflow is formed in the fireproof box 151 under the action of the first airflow, and flows from the fourth vent 156 of the fireproof box 151, through the fourth vent 156 of the insulation box 152, the air flow gap, and the third vent 155 of the insulation box 152 sequentially, to the third vents 155 of the fireproof box 151. The second airflow is blown out of the fireproof box 151 from the third vent 155 of the fireproof box 151 and carries away the heat from the control board 153, then passes through the heat exchanger 131 along with the first airflow, and finally is blown to the ambient environment through the second vent 122. When the fan 110 operates in a reverse direction, the second airflow is formed in the fireproof box 151 under the action of the first airflow, and the second airflow flows from the third vent of the fireproof box 151, through the third vent 155 of the insulation box 152, the air flow gap, and the fourth vent 156 of the insulation box 152 sequentially, to the fourth vent 156 of the fireproof box 151. The second airflow is blown out of the fireproof box 151 from the fourth vent 156 of the fireproof box 151 and carries away the heat from the control board 153, and is blown to the ambient environment along with the first airflow through the first vent 121.

[0063] In some examples, as illustrated in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the wiring terminal 157 is disposed on and protrudes from the side edge of the control board 153. An air flow region 158 is formed between the wiring terminal 157 and the end wall of the fireproof box 151 (i.e., the end wall of the fireproof box 151 adjacent to the wiring terminal 157). The air flow gap has the air flow region 158. Since the wiring terminal 157 generates a relatively large amount of heat, the air flow region 158 can improve the heat dissipation effect on the wiring terminal 157. The insulation box 152 may be provided with a plurality of clamping parts disposed in an interior of the insulation box 152, and the plurality of clamping parts protrude from the interior of the insulation box 152. The plurality of clamping parts is configured to fix edges of the control board, and the air flow region 158 is formed between adjacent clamping parts of the plurality of clamping parts.

[0064] In some examples, as illustrated in FIG. 3, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7, the third vent 155 and the fourth vent 156 of the fireproof box 151 are both configured as grille holes, and the third vent 155 of the insulation box 152 and the fourth vent 156 of the insulation box 152 are both configured as through holes. One of the third vent 155 and the fourth vent 156 of the fireproof box 151 is disposed in the middle part of one side wall of the fireproof box 151, and the other one of the third vent 155 and the fourth vent 156 of the fireproof box 151 is disposed in opposite edges of the other side wall of the fireproof box 151. One of the third vent 155 and the fourth vent 156 of the insulation box 152 is disposed in a middle part of one side wall of the insulation box 152, and the other one of the third vent 155 and the fourth vent 156 of the insulation box 152 is disposed in opposite edges of the other side wall of the insulation box 152. The third vent 155 of the fireproof box 151 corresponds to the third vent 155 of the insulation box 152, and the fourth vent 156 of the fireproof box 151 corresponds to the fourth vent 156 of the insulation box 152. In this way, the flow performance of the second airflow is better.

[0065] In some examples, as illustrated in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the fireproof box 151 has a separable structure and includes the first box body 310 and the first box cover 320 that are detachably assembled. The insulation box 152 has a separable structure and includes a second box body 330 and a second box cover 340 that are detachably assembled together. The first box cover 320 and the second box cover 340 may be assembled, or the first box body 310 and the second box body 330 may be assembled.

[0066] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a control method of a heat pump water heater. As illustrated in FIG. 12 to FIG. 15, the method includes: acquiring a first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210; and controlling the electric heating device 210 and the fan 110 in response to the first control instruction.

[0067] The electric heating device 210 and the fan 110 are controlled to operate in response to the first control instruction. The first airflow performs the air cooling and heat dissipation on the second control device 150, lowering the temperature of the second control device 150. In this way, the second control device 150 is less prone to be damaged due to overheating. Therefore, the heat pump water heater according to embodiments of the present disclosure is less likely to malfunction.

[0068] In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, controlling the electric heating device 210 and the fan 110 includes: operating the electric heating device 210, recording an operation duration t1 of the electric heating device 210, determining that the operation duration t1 is greater than or equal to a first predetermined duration T1, operating the fan 110 in response to the operation duration t1 being greater than or equal to a first predetermined duration T1, and acquiring a second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device 210; and in response to the second control instruction, stopping the electric heating device 210 and continuing operating the fan 110, recording an operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan 110, determining that t2-t1 is greater than or equal to a duration threshold T2, and stopping the fan 110 based on the determination that that t2-t1 is greater than or equal to the duration threshold T2.

[0069] In the electric heating mode, the fan 110 performs the air cooling and heat dissipation on the second control device 150, lowering the temperature of the second control device 150. An operation of the fan 110 may be controlling the fan 110 to rotate in the forward direction, or controlling the fan 110 to rotate in the reverse direction.

[0070] In an example, as illustrated in FIG. 10 and FIG. 12, a control method of the heat pump water heater includes: acquiring the first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210; determining that there is no first control instruction, performing the step of acquiring the first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210 in response to no first control instruction; operating the electric heating device 210 in response to the first control instruction; recording the operation duration t1 of the electric heating device 210 and determining whether a first determination condition of t1≥T1 is satisfied; performing the steps of recording the operation duration t1 of the electric heating device 210 and determining whether the first determination condition of t1≥T1 is satisfied in response to the first determination condition being not satisfied; controlling the fan 110 to rotate in the forward direction in response to the first determination condition being satisfied; acquiring the second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device 210; determining that there is no second control instruction, performing the step of acquiring the second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device 210 in response to no second control instruction; in response to the second control instruction, stopping the electric heating device 210 and controlling the fan 110 to continue rotating in the forward direction; recording the operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan 110 and determining whether a second determination condition of t2-t1≥ T2 is satisfied; performing the steps of recording the operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan 110 and determining whether the second determination condition of t2-t1≥ T2 is satisfied in response to the second determination condition being not satisfied; and in response to the second determination condition being satisfied, stopping the fan 110, and performing the step of acquiring the first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210.

[0071] In another example, as illustrated in FIG. 11 and FIG. 13, a control method of a heat pump water heater includes: acquiring the first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210; determining that there is no first control instruction, performing the step of acquiring the first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210 in response to no first control instruction; operating the electric heating device 210 in response to the first control instruction; recording an operation duration t1 of the electric heating device 210 and determining whether the first determination condition of t1≥ T1 is satisfied; performing the steps of recording the operation duration t1 of the electric heating device 210 and determining whether the first determination condition of t1 ≥ T1 is satisfied in response to the first determination condition being not satisfied; controlling the fan 110 to rotate in a reverse direction in response to the first determination condition being satisfied; acquiring the second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device 210; determining that there is no second control instruction, performing the step of acquiring the second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device 210 in response to no second control instruction; in response to the second control instruction, stopping the electric heating device 210 and controlling the fan 110 to continue rotating in the reverse direction; recording the operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan 110, and determining whether a second determination condition of t2-t1≥ T2 is satisfied; performing the steps of recording the operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan 110 and determining whether the second determination condition of t2-t1≥ T2 is satisfied in response to the second determination condition being not satisfied; and in response to the second determination condition being satisfied, stopping controlling the fan 110, and performing the step of acquiring the first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210.

[0072] In other embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 14, controlling the electric heating device 210 and the fan 110 includes: operating the electric heating device 210, recording an operation duration t1 of the electric heating device 210, determining that the operation duration t1 is greater than or equal to a first predetermined duration T1, operating the fan 110 and the heat pump device in response to the operation duration t1 being greater than or equal to the first predetermined duration T1, and acquiring a second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device 210; and in response to the second control instruction, stopping the electric heating device 210 and continuing operating the fan 110 and the heat pump device, recording an operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan 110, determining that t2-t1 is greater than or equal to a duration threshold T2, and stopping the fan 110 and the heat pump device based on the determination that the t2-t1 is greater than or equal to the duration threshold T2.

[0073] In the electric heating mode, the fan 110 performs air cooling and heat dissipation on the second control device 150. By activating the heat pump device, the heat exchanger 131 absorbs heat dissipated by the second control device 150 to heat water in the water tank assembly 200, lowering the temperature of the second control device 150. The fan 110 is configured to be controlled to rotate in the forward direction. In this way, the heat exchanger 131 can easily absorb heat dissipated by the second control device 150 and the compressor 132.

[0074] In some other embodiments, the fan 110 may be configured to be controlled to rotate in a reverse direction. In this way, the heat dissipation effect on the second control device 150 is improved.

[0075] In an example, as illustrated in FIG. 10 and FIG. 14, a control method of a heat pump water heater includes: acquiring a first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210; determining that there is no first control instruction; performing the step of acquiring the first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210 in response to no first control instruction; operating the electric heating device 210 in response to the first control instruction; recording the operation duration t1 of the electric heating device 210 and determining whether the first determination condition of t1 ≥ T1 is satisfied; performing the steps of recording the operation duration t1 of the electric heating device 210 and determining whether the first determination condition of t1≥ T1 is satisfied in response to the first determination condition being not satisfied; controlling the fan 110 to rotate in the forward direction and operating the heat pump device in response to the first determination condition being satisfied; acquiring the second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device 210; determining that there is no second control instruction, performing the step of acquiring the second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device 210 in response to no second control instruction; in response to the second control instruction, stopping the electric heating device 210, and controlling the fan 110 to continue rotating in the forward direction and continuing operating the heat pump device; recording the operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan 110 and determining whether the second determination condition of t2-t1≥ T2 is satisfied; performing the steps of recording the operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan 110 and determining whether the second determination condition of t2-t1≥ T2 is satisfied in response to the second determination condition being not satisfied; and in response to the second determination condition being satisfied, stopping the fan 110 and the heat pump device, and performing the step of acquiring the first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210.

[0076] In some other embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 15, controlling the electric heating device 210 and the fan 110 includes: operating the electric heating device 210, recording the operation duration t1 of the electric heating device 210, determining that the operation duration t1 is greater than or equal to the first predetermined duration T1, operating the fan 110 and the heat pump device in response to the operation duration t1 being greater than or equal to the first predetermined duration T1, and acquiring the second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device 210; and in response to the second control instruction, stopping the electric heating device 210 and the heat pump device and continuing operating the fan 110, recording the operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan 110, determining that t2-t1 is greater than or equal to the duration threshold T2, and stopping the fan 110 based on the determination that the t2-t1 is greater than or equal to the duration threshold T2.

[0077] In the electric heating mode, the fan 110 performs the air cooling and heat dissipation on the second control device 150. By activating the heat pump device, the heat exchanger 131 absorbs the heat dissipated by the second control device 150 to heat the water in the water tank assembly 200, lowering the temperature of the second control device 150. The fan 110 is configured to be controlled to rotate in the forward direction. In this way, the heat exchanger 131 can easily absorb the heat dissipated by the second control device 150 and the compressor 132.

[0078] In some other embodiments, the fan 110 may be configured to be controlled to rotate in the reverse direction. In this way, the heat dissipation effect on the second control device 150 is improved.

[0079] In some examples, as illustrated in FIG. 10 and FIG. 15, a control method of a heat pump water heater includes: acquiring the first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210; determining that there is no first control instruction, performing the step of acquiring the first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210 in response to no first control instruction; operating the electric heating device 210 in response to the first control instruction; recording the operation duration t1 of the electric heating device 210 and determining whether the first determination condition of t1≥ T1 is satisfied; performing the steps of recording the operation duration t1 of the electric heating device 210 and determining whether the first determination condition of t1≥ T1 is satisfied in response to the first determination condition being not satisfied; controlling the fan 110 to rotate in the forward direction and the heat pump device to operate in response to the first determination condition being satisfied; acquiring the second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device 210; determining that there is no second control instruction, performing the step of acquiring the second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device 210 in response to no second control instruction; in response to the second control instruction, stopping the electric heating device 210 and the heat pump device and controlling the fan 110 to continue rotating in the forward direction; recording the operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan 110 and determining whether the second determination condition of t2-t1≥ T2 is satisfied; performing the steps of recording the operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan 110 and determining whether the second determination condition of t2-t1≥ T2 is satisfied in response to the second determination condition being not satisfied; and in response to the second determination condition being satisfied, stopping the fan 110, and performing the step of acquiring the first control instruction for operating the electric heating device 210.

[0080] In summary, in the heat pump water heater according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the second control device is disposed in the first air duct, and further operate the fan in the electric heating mode. The first airflow performs the air cooling and heat dissipation on the second control device, lowering the temperature of the second control device. In this way, the second control device is less prone to be damaged due to overheating, so the heat pump water heater according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is less likely to malfunction.

[0081] In the description of the present disclosure, it should be noted that the orientation or the position indicated by terms such as “over”, “below”, “one side”, “the other side”, “one end”, “the other end”, “side”, “opposite”, “four corners”, “periphery”, and “square-shaped structure” should be construed to refer to the orientation or the position as shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the pointed device or element must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation to the present disclosure.

[0082] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, terms such as “connect”, “directly connect”, “indirectly connect”, “fixedly connect”, “install”, and “assemble” should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it may be a fixed connection or a detachable connection or connection as one piece. Terms such as “install”, “connect”, and “fixedly connect” may refer to direct connection or indirect connection through an intermediate; internal communication of two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meaning of the above-mentioned terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0083] It should be understood by those of ordinary skilled in the art that all or some of the steps in the methods disclosed above, and the functional modules / units in the systems and apparatuses, can be implemented as software, firmware, hardware, or appropriate combinations thereof. In hardware implementations, the division between functional modules / units mentioned in the above description does not necessarily correspond to the division of physical components; for example, a physical component may have multiple functions, or a function or step may be performed cooperatively by several physical components. Some or all components may be implemented as software executed by a processor, such as a digital signal processor or microprocessor, or as hardware, or as an integrated circuit, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Such software may be distributed on a computer-readable medium, which may include computer storage media (or non-transitory media) and communication media (or transient media). As is well known to those skilled in the art, the term computer storage media includes volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storing information (such as computer-readable instructions, data

[0084] structures, program modules, or other data). Computer storage media include, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile disc (DVD) or other optical disc storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired information and can be accessed by a computer. Furthermore, it is well known to those of ordinary skilled in the art that communication media typically contain computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transmission mechanisms, and may include any information delivery media.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0041]The present disclosure describes several embodiments, but the description is exemplary rather than restrictive. In addition, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of the embodiments described herein. Although many possible combinations of features are shown in the accompanying drawings and discussed in the detailed description, many other combinations of the disclosed features are also possible. Unless specifically limited, any feature or element of any embodiment may be used in combination with, or may replace, any other feature or element of any other embodiment.

[0042]The present disclosure includes and contemplates combinations of features and elements known to those skilled in the art. The embodiments, features, and elements disclosed in the present disclosure may also be combined with any conventional features or elements to form a unique inventive solution as defined by the claims. Any ...

Claims

1. A heat pump water heater, comprising a head assembly and a water tank assembly including an electric heating device, the head assembly including: a fan; a housing having a first vent and a second vent, the first vent being formed in a top wall of the housing; a heat pump device including a heat exchanger and a compressor that are disposed in the housing, a first air duct being formed between the first vent and the heat exchanger, and a second air duct being formed between the second vent and the heat exchanger; and a control assembly including a second control device, the second control device being disposed in the first air duct and at least partially located directly below the first vent, the second control device being configured to control the electric heating device, and the control assembly being configured to control the fan; wherein: the fan is configured to form a first airflow flowing from one of the first air duct and the second air duct, through the heat exchanger, to the other one of the first air duct and the second air duct; and the control assembly is configured to, based on an operation of the electric heating device, operate the fan.

2. The heat pump water heater according to claim 1, wherein the second control device includes: an enclosure disposed in an up-down direction; and a control board disposed within the enclosure in the up-down direction.

3. The heat pump water heater according to claim 2, wherein: the enclosure includes a fireproof box; and the second control device further includes an insulation support fixedly disposed in the fireproof box, the control board being fixedly disposed at the insulation support and spaced apart from the fireproof box.

4. The heat pump water heater according to claim 2, wherein the enclosure includes a fireproof box and an insulation box disposed in the fireproof box, the control board being disposed in the insulation box.

5. The heat pump water heater according to claim 2, wherein: the enclosure includes a side wall through which a third vent and a fourth vent are formed, the control board being located between the third vent and the fourth vent; an air flow gap is formed between the control board and the enclosure, the third vent and the fourth vent being in communication with each other via the air flow gap; and a second airflow driven by the fan is formed in the enclosure, flowing from one of the third vent and the fourth vent, through the air flow gap, to the other one of the third vent and the fourth vent.

6. The heat pump water heater according to claim 5, wherein a wiring terminal protrudes from a side edge of the control board, an air flow region being formed between the wiring terminal and an end wall of the enclosure, and the air flow gap including the air flow region.

7. The heat pump water heater according to claim 1, wherein the control assembly further includes a first control device spaced apart from the second control device and configured to control the heat pump device, and at least one of the first control device or the second control device is further configured to control the fan.

8. The heat pump water heater according to claim 7, wherein the first control device is disposed in the first air duct or the second air duct.

9. The heat pump water heater according to claim 1, wherein the compressor is disposed in the first air duct or the second air duct.

10. The heat pump water heater according to claim 1, wherein the fan is disposed in the first air duct or the second air duct.

11. The heat pump water heater according to claim 1, wherein the electric heating device includes one or more electric heating tubes.

12. A control method of the heat pump water heater according to claim 1, the method comprising: acquiring a first control instruction for operating the electric heating device; and controlling the electric heating device and the fan in response to the first control instruction.

13. The control method according to claim 12, wherein controlling the electric heating device and the fan includes: operating the electric heating device; recording an operation duration t1 of the electric heating device; determining that the operation duration t1 is greater than or equal to a first predetermined duration T1; operating the fan in response to the operation duration t1 being greater than or equal to the first predetermined duration T1 and acquiring a second control instruction for stopping the electric heating device; in response to the second control instruction, stopping the electric heating device and continuing operating the fan; recording an operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan; determining that t2-t1 is greater than or equal to a duration threshold T2; and stopping the fan based on the determination that the t2-t1 is greater than or equal to the duration threshold T2.

14. The control method according to claim 12, wherein controlling the electric heating device and the fan includes: operating the electric heating device, recording an operation duration t1 of the electric heating device, determining that the operation duration t1 is greater than or equal to a first predetermined duration T1, operating the fan and the heat pump device in response to the operation duration t1 being greater than or equal to the first predetermined duration T1, and acquiring a second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device; and in response to the second control instruction, stopping the electric heating device and continuing operating the fan and the heat pump device, recording an operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan, determining that t2-t1 is greater than or equal to a duration threshold T2, and stopping the fan and the heat pump device based on the determination that the t2-t1 is greater than or equal to the duration threshold T2.

15. The control method according to claim 12, wherein controlling the electric heating device and the fan includes: operating the electric heating device, recording an operation duration t1 of the electric heating device, determining that the operation duration t1 is greater than or equal to a first predetermined duration T1, operating the fan and the heat pump device in response to the operation duration t1 being greater than or equal to the first predetermined duration T1, and acquiring a second control instruction for stopping the operation of the electric heating device; in response to the second control instruction, stopping the electric heating device and the heat pump device and continuing operating the fan, recording an operation duration t2 of the continuous operation of the fan, determining that t2-t1 is greater than or equal to a duration threshold T2, and stopping the fan based on the determination that the t2-t1 is greater than or equal to the duration threshold T2.

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