Systems and Methods to Quick Start a Water Heater

Abstract

A water heater including a heat pump assembly, a heating element and a controller is disclosed. The controller is configured to activate a quick start mode of the water heater responsive to obtaining a user request and activate the heat pump assembly and the first heating element simultaneously responsive to activating the quick start mode. The controller may obtain an operational parameter associated with a water heater component responsive to activating the heat pump assembly and the first heating element and output a notification indicating the operational parameter.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 63 / 766,004, filed Mar. 3, 2025, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a water heater and more specifically to systems and methods to “quick start” a water heater having a heat pump assembly.BACKGROUND

[0003] Water heaters are generally used to provide a supply of heated water in a variety of applications, including residential, commercial, and industrial applications. Conventional water heaters use gas burners, electrical heating elements, and / or renewables (e.g., solar panels or the like) to heat water. Some water heaters also use heat pumps that heat water by extracting heat from ambient air by using a refrigerant.

[0004] Sometimes, after installing the water heater (with a heat pump assembly), service providers (e.g., plumbers) may be required to return to the installation site to fix issues (real or perceived) that the water heater users may face after installation. For example, some users may call back installers for “no hot water” issues within 2-3 hours of the water heater being installed and turned on because the water heater typically takes a longer time for the initial heat up. Such instances may cause inconvenience to both the installer and the water heater users.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings. The use of the same reference numerals may indicate similar or identical items. Various embodiments may utilize elements and / or components other than those illustrated in the drawings, and some elements and / or components may not be present in various embodiments. Elements and / or components in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Throughout this disclosure, depending on the context, singular and plural terminology may be used interchangeably.

[0006] FIG. 1 depicts a schematic diagram of an exemplary water heater in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0007] FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary snapshot of a user interface in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0008] FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of a controller in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0009] FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary process to “quick start” a water heater to perform diagnosis in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0010] FIG. 5 depicts a flow diagram of an exemplary method to “quick start” a water heater to perform diagnosis in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] The present disclosure is directed towards a water heater that may operate in a quick start mode. The quick start mode may facilitate a user (e.g., and installer, a service provider, and / or a plumber) to perform diagnosis of one or more water heater components during installation or maintenance of the water heater.

[0012] The water heater may include a heat pump assembly, a first heating element, and a second heating element, which may individually and / or collectively heat water. The first heating element may be located at a lower portion of a storage tank of the water heater, and the second heating element may be located at an upper portion of the storage tank. The water heater may further include a sensor unit that may measure one or more operational parameters associated with the water heater components, and a controller that may control the water heater components and facilitate activation and deactivation of the quick start mode based on inputs obtained from the sensor unit and / or user inputs (via a user interface).

[0013] When the user (e.g., installer) desires to perform diagnosis of the water heater during the installation process, the user may select to activate the quick start mode of the water heater on a user interface. When the user selects the quick start mode, the controller may receive a trigger signal and may activate the quick start mode of the water heater responsive to obtaining the trigger signal. Responsive to activating the quick start mode, the controller may activate or turn-on the heat pump assembly and one or more other heating elements simultaneously to quickly heat water in the storage tank. In some aspects, the controller may activate the heat pump assembly and the first heating element simultaneously. Alternatively, the controller may activate the heat pump assembly and both the heating elements simultaneously. In the latter scenario, the controller may activate the heating elements sequentially in the quick start mode along with activating the heat pump assembly to enable the user to perform diagnosis of both the heating elements.

[0014] Responsive to activating the heat pump assembly and a heating element (e.g., the first heating element), the controller may obtain one or more operational parameters associated with one or more water heater components from the sensor unit. The water heater component may be, for example, heat pump assembly components (e.g., a first heat exchanger or an evaporator, a compressor, a second heat exchanger or a condenser, and an expansion valve) and / or the first and second heating elements, etc. For instance, the controller may obtain temperature reading / measurement associated with the first heating element and / or the second heating element from the sensor unit responsive to activating the heat pump assembly and the first or second heating element.

[0015] Responsive to obtaining the operational parameter as described above, the controller may determine whether the water heater component is operating optimally based on the obtained operational parameter. To make this determination, the controller may fetch a predetermined range (or an optimal range) associated with the water heater component from a controller memory and then compare the obtained operational parameter with the fetched predetermined range. The controller may further determine whether the water heater component is operating optimally or not based on the comparison. For instance, the controller may determine that the water heater component is operating optimally when the operational parameter is within the predetermined range and may determine that the water heater component is not operating optimally when the operational parameter is outside of the predetermined range.

[0016] The controller may further output a notification to the user, via the user interface, which may indicate whether the water heater component is operating optimally or not. The notification may further include information of the operational parameter associated with the water heater component, as measured by the sensor unit, which may enable the user to identify the issues (if any) that the water heater component may be experiencing before leaving the installation site.

[0017] The controller may deactivate the quick start mode when the diagnosis is complete or after a predetermined time duration of activating the quick start mode. For instance, the controller may deactivate the quick start mode when the user indicates that the diagnosis is complete (e.g., when the user enters / clicks “exit” button on the user interface).

[0018] Although certain examples of the disclosed technology are explained in detail herein, it is to be understood that other examples, embodiments, and implementations of the disclosed technology are contemplated. Accordingly, it is not intended that the disclosed technology is limited in its scope to the details of construction and arrangement of components expressly set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The disclosed technology can be implemented in a variety of examples and can be practiced or carried out in various ways. In particular, the presently disclosed subject matter is described in the context of being a system and method to “quick start” a water heater to perform diagnosis. The present disclosure, however, is not so limited and can be applicable in other contexts.

[0019] Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of an exemplary water heater 100 in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 will be described in conjunction with FIG. 2.

[0020] The water heater 100 may be a tankless water heater or a tank water heater. A tankless water heater is a heater that does not store water (or stores a minimal amount of water relative to a tank system) and heats the water instantaneously without the use of a storage tank. On the other hand, a tank water heater includes a storage tank that stores water to be heated. Although the present disclosure is described in the context of a tank water heater, the description should not be construed as limited only to such water heaters.

[0021] The water heater 100 may include a plurality of units including, but not limited to, a heat pump assembly 102, a controller 104, a first heating element 106, a second heating element 108, a sensor unit 110, a user interface 112, and a storage tank 114. The water heater 100 may include a plurality of additional components that are not shown in FIG. 1 for the sake of simplicity and conciseness (e.g., water inlet and outlet ports, valves, etc.).

[0022] The heat pump assembly 102 may include a plurality of heat pump components that may be connected via a refrigerant tubing 116, through which, during the heat pump assembly operation, a refrigerant may flow in the indicated clockwise direction (or a counterclockwise direction based on an operating mode of the water heater 100). The refrigerant may be selected from a variety of materials. The refrigerant may be any material capable of supplying favorable thermodynamic properties to a heat pump system. The refrigerant, for example, may be selected based on a desired boiling point, a high heat of vaporization, a moderate liquid density, a high critical temperature, and / or other aspects. Accordingly, the refrigerant may be any chlorofluorocarbon, chlorofluoroolefin, hydrochlorofluorocarbon, hydrochlorofluoroolefin, hydrofluorocarbon, hydrofluoroolefin, hydrochlorocarbon, hydrochloroolefin, hydrocarbon, hydroolefin, perfluorocarbon, perfluoroolefin, perchlorocarbon, perchloroolefin, halon, or haloalkane. For example, the refrigerant may be any refrigerant designated as such by, and compliant with, the standards, rules, and regulations set forth by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) (e.g., ASHRAE Standard 34-2019). For example, the refrigerant may be R-410A or R-134a. In some embodiments, the refrigerant may be or may include a hydrofluoroolefin, such as HFO-1234yf or blends thereof, including R-454B.

[0023] Example of the components of the heat pump assembly 102 include, but are not limited to, a first heat exchanger 118, a compressor 120, a second heat exchanger 122 and an expansion device 124 (hereinafter referred to as an expansion valve 124) connected by the refrigerant tubing 116, through which, during heat pump operation, the refrigerant may flow.

[0024] During the heat pump operation, the compressor 120 may output the refrigerant in a vapor state (or output “refrigerant vapor”) towards the second heat exchanger 122. The refrigerant output from the compressor 120 may be in a high temperature and high pressure state. In an exemplary aspect, the second heat exchanger 122 may be a condenser, which may receive the refrigerant vapor from the compressor 120 via the refrigerant tubing 116 and may condense the refrigerant into liquid state. In some aspects, the heat that the second heat exchanger 122 provides while condensing the refrigerant phase from vapor to liquid may be used to heat water. When the water heater 100 is a tankless water heater, an incoming cold water may be made to pass through or around the second heat exchanger 122 / condenser, which heats the water by using the heat described above. On the other hand, when the water heater 100 is a tank water heater, one or more condenser coils may be wrapped around or generally be in heat exchange with the storage tank, thereby heating the water stored in the storage tank by using the heat described above. In this manner, the water heater 100 heats the water via the second heat exchanger 122 / condenser.

[0025] The second heat exchanger 122 may further output the refrigerant in a liquid state towards the expansion valve 124 via the refrigerant tubing 116. The refrigerant output from the second heat exchanger 122 may be at high pressure and medium-to-high temperature state. The expansion valve 124 may receive the refrigerant from the second heat exchanger 122 and may output the refrigerant in a low pressure, low temperature state towards the first heat exchanger 118 via the refrigerant tubing 116. The refrigerant output from the expansion valve 124 may be in a mixture of liquid and vapor states.

[0026] In an exemplary aspect, the first heat exchanger 118 may be an evaporator, which may receive the refrigerant from the expansion valve 124 and may vaporize the refrigerant into a low pressure, vapor state refrigerant. The first heat exchanger 118 may include a fan (not shown) that may draw air from ambient environment and blow it towards the first heat exchanger 118. The first heat exchanger 118 may draw heat / warmth from the air that is received from the fan and may transfer the warmth towards the refrigerant received from the expansion valve 124, thereby vaporizing the refrigerant. The first heat exchanger 118 may output the refrigerant in vapor state towards the compressor 120. The compressor 120 may receive the refrigerant from the first heat exchanger 118 and may “compress” the refrigerant to output the refrigerant in a high pressure, high temperature state towards the second heat exchanger 122, as described above. In this manner, the refrigerant flows through the heat pump assembly 102, causing the water heater 100 to heat water by using the heat provided by the second heat exchanger 122 / condenser.

[0027] In some aspects, the compressor 120 may be a pump that provides additional pressure to the refrigerant to enable the refrigerant to flow through the defined path as indicated in FIG. 1. The compressor 120 may be of any type. For example, the compressor 120 may be a positive displacement compressor, a reciprocating compressor, a rotary screw compressor, a rotary vane compressor, a rolling piston compressor, a scroll compressor, a diaphragm compressor, a dynamic compressor, an axial compressor, or any other form of compressor that can be integrated into the heat pump assembly 102 for the particular application.

[0028] As described above, the water heater 100 may include the first heating element 106 and the second heating element 108. The heating elements 106, 108 may be resistive heating elements that may convert electrical energy into heat through the process of resistance heating. In some aspects, when the water heater 100 is a tank water heater, the water heater 100 may include the storage tank 114 configured to store water. In an exemplary aspect, the first heating element 106 may be located at a lower portion of the storage tank 114, and the second heating element 108 may be located at an upper portion of the storage tank 114. Stated another way, the first heating element 106 may be located at or in proximity to a bottom portion of the storage tank 114 (from where cold water may enter the storage tank 114), and the second heating element 108 may be located at or in proximity to a top portion of the storage tank 114 (from where hot water may exit the storage tank 114).

[0029] The water heater 100 may further include the sensor unit 110 that may measure one or more operational parameters associated with one or more water heater components. For instance, the sensor unit 110 may measure water temperature inside the storage tank 114 at different locations. In an exemplary aspect, the sensor unit 110 may measure water temperature at the lower portion and the upper portion of the storage tank 114. In additional aspects, the sensor unit 110 may measure temperature readings (as an example of operational parameters) associated with the first heating element 106 and / or the second heating element 108. In such cases, the sensor unit 110 may be thermocouples, resistor temperature detectors, thermistors, infrared sensors, semiconductors, or any other type of sensors that would be appropriate for a given use or application.

[0030] It may be appreciated that the water heater 100 may include additional sensors or components, which may enable efficient working of the water heater 100. Examples of such additional sensors or components include, but are not limited to, a water flow rate sensor (that may be disposed in proximity to the water heater inlet valve and / or the outlet valve), a pressure sensor, a scale, a voltmeter, an ammeter, a power meter, an ohmmeter, a resistance temperature detector, environment condition sensors including ambient air temperature sensors, humidity sensors, and / or the like. These additional sensors or components are not shown in FIG. 1 for the sake of simplicity and conciseness.

[0031] The water heater 100 may further include a controller 104 that may communicatively couple with the sensor unit 110, the heat pump assembly 102, and the first and second heating elements 106, 108. In some aspects, the controller 104 may activate a quick start mode of the water heater 100, which may facilitate a user (e.g., a service provider or a plumber) to effectively perform diagnosis of the water heater 100 during the water heater installation process (or after draining and refilling the storage tank for service). The quick start mode may facilitate the user to determine whether all the water heater components are operating optimally at the time of installation. In addition, the quick start mode may facilitate the user to get detailed information (e.g., operational parameters described above) associated with one or more water heater components to enable the user to identify issues (if any) before leaving the installation site. The water heater component, as described above, may be any heat pump assembly component (e.g., the first heat exchanger 118, the compressor 120, the second heat exchanger 122 and the expansion valve 124), the first and second heating elements 106, 108, the sensor unit 110, and / or the like.

[0032] In operation, when the user desires to perform diagnosis of the water heater 100 during installation (or during maintenance), the user may transmit a user request to the controller 104 to activate the quick start mode of the water heater 100, via the user interface 112. For example, the user may manually select the quick start mode from the user interface 112 to transmit the user request to the controller 104. The controller 104 may obtain the user request from the user interface 112 and may activate the quick start mode responsive to obtaining the user request.

[0033] Responsive to activating the quick start mode, the controller 104 may transmit commands signals to the heat pump assembly 102 and the heating element(s) (e.g., the first heating element 106 and / or the second heating element) to activate the heat pump assembly 102 and the heating element(s) to facilitate diagnosis of the water heater components. In some aspects, the controller 104 may activate the heat pump assembly 102 and the heating element(s) simultaneously. In certain embodiments, the controller 104 may activate the heat pump assembly 102 and the first heating element 106 (located at the lower portion of the storage tank) simultaneously and may not activate the second heating element 108 (located at the upper portion of the storage tank) initially. Alternatively, the controller 104 may activate the heat pump assembly 102 and both the heating elements 106, 108 simultaneously to quickly heat the water. In the latter scenario, the controller 104 may activate the heating elements 106, 108 sequentially in the quick start mode. For instance, the controller 104 may first activate the second heating element 108 and may activate the first heating element 106 after a specific time duration of activating the second heating element 108. The details of the sequential activation of the first and second heating elements 106, 108 are described later in the description below in conjunction with FIG. 4.

[0034] Responsive to activating the heat pump assembly 102 and the heating element(s), the controller 104 may obtain one or more operational parameters (e.g., in real-time) associated with one or more water heater components. The controller 104 may obtain the operational parameter associated with the water heater component from the sensor unit 110 and may determine that the water heater component is operating optimally based on the operational parameter. For instance, the controller 104 may obtain the temperature reading / measurement associated with the first heating element 106 and / or the second heating element 108 from the sensor unit 110. The controller 104 may further fetch a predetermined range (or an optimal range) associated with the water heater component from a memory (shown as memory 310 in FIG. 3). The controller 104 may then compare the operational parameter obtained from the sensor unit 110 with the fetched predetermined range and determine that the water heater component may be operating optimally based on the comparison. For instance, the controller 104 may determine that the water heater component is operating optimally when the operational parameter obtained from the sensor unit 110 (e.g., the temperature reading / measurement associated with the first heating element 106 and / or the second heating element 108) is within the predetermined range.

[0035] In additional or alternative aspects, the controller 104 may obtain the temperature reading / measurement associated with the first heating element 106 and / or the second heating element 108 from the sensor unit 110, correlate the temperature measurements, and determine that the water heater component is operating optimally based on the correlation. For example, the controller 104 may obtain the temperature measurements of 75 degrees Fahrenheit for the first heating element 106 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit for the second heating element 108. Based on these measurements, the controller 104 may determine / detect a fault with the thermistors (and / or the heating element) as the second heating element 108 (located at the upper portion in the storage tank) should not be cooler than the first heating element 106 (located at the lower portion in the storage tank).

[0036] The controller 104 may further output a notification to the user, via the user interface 112, which may indicate whether the water heater component is operating optimally or not. The notification may further include information of the operational parameter associated with the water heater component, as measured by the sensor unit 110, which may enable the user to identify issues (if any) associated with the water heater 100.

[0037] An exemplary snapshot of a notification 200 output by the controller 104 on the user interface 112 is shown in FIG. 2. The notification 200 includes names of water heater components (as shown in a first portion 202) and operational parameters associated with respective water heater component (as shown in a second portion 204). For instance, the notification 200 indicates temperature measurements for the first heating element 106 and the second heating element 108. The notification 200 further includes an indication whether the water heater component is operating optimally or not (as shown in a third portion 206).

[0038] In some aspects, the controller 104 may output the diagnosis report (including the measured operational parameter and indication whether the associated component is operating optimally) in a single notification, as shown by the notification 200. Alternatively, the controller 104 may output the diagnosis report for each component individually in a sequential manner.

[0039] The controller 104 may deactivate the quick start mode of the water heater 100 when the diagnosis of the water heater components is finished or after a predetermined time duration (e.g., after 3 hours) of activating the quick start mode.

[0040] FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of the controller 104 in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The controller 104 may include a plurality of components including, but not limited to, a processor 305, a memory 310, and a communication interface 315. The controller 104 may be a computing device configured to receive data, determine actions based on the received data (e.g., the inputs obtained from the sensor unit 110), and output notification based on the actions.

[0041] In some aspects, the controller 104 may be configured to send and receive wireless or wired signals, and the signals may be analog or digital signals. The wireless signals may include Bluetooth, BLE, WiFi, ZigBee, infrared, microwave radio, or any other type of wireless communication signals as may be suitable for a particular system application. The hard-wired signals can include communication signals between any directly wired connections between the controller 104 and other system components. For example, the controller 104 can have a hard-wired 24 Volts Direct Current (VDC) connection to the sensors included in the sensor unit 110 described above.

[0042] Alternatively, the controller 104 may communicate with the sensors via a digital connection. The digital connection can include a connection such as an Ethernet or a serial connection and can utilize any suitable communication protocol for the system application, such as Modbus, fieldbus, PROFIBUS, SafetyBus, Ethernet / IP, and / or the like. Furthermore, the controller 104 can utilize a combination of wireless, hard-wired, and analog or digital communication signals to communicate with and control the various system components. A person ordinarily skilled in the art may appreciate that the above configurations are given merely as non-limiting examples, and the actual configuration can vary depending on the particular system application.

[0043] The memory 310 may store a program and / or instructions associated with the functions and methods described herein. The processor 305 may be configured to execute the program and / or instructions stored in the memory 310. The memory 310 can include one or more suitable types of memory (e.g., volatile or non-volatile memory, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, floppy disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash memory, a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), and the like) for storing files including the operating system, application programs (including, for example, a web browser application, a widget or gadget engine, and or other applications, as necessary), executable instructions and data. One, some, or all of the processing techniques or methods described herein can be implemented as a combination of executable instructions and data within the memory 310.

[0044] The communication interface 315 may be configured to send or receive communication signals between the various water heater components. The communication interface 315 can include hardware, firmware, and / or software that allows the processor 305 to communicate with the other components via wired or wireless networks, whether local or wide area, private or public, as known in the art. The communication interface 315 can also provide access to a cellular network, the Internet, a local area network, or another wide-area network as suitable for the particular water heater application.

[0045] Additionally, the controller 104 may have or be in communication with the user interface 112 for receiving inputs from the user and / or outputting the notification 200. In some aspects, the user interface 112 may be installed locally on the water heater 100. Alternatively, the user interface 112 may be located remotely. For instance, the user interface 112 may be a mobile device associated with the user.

[0046] The function of the controller 104 is already described above in conjunction with FIG. 1 and hence is not described again here for the sake of simplicity and conciseness.

[0047] FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary process 400 to “quick start” the water heater 100 to perform diagnosis in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. When the user powers on or turns-on the water heater 100 (as shown in a step 402) during the installation, the water heater 100 may turn-on in an energy saver mode (or a default mode) of the water heater 100 (as shown in a step 404). To perform diagnosis of the water heater components, the user may select the quick start mode on the user interface 112. Stated another way, the user may manually activate the quick start mode to perform diagnosis of the water heater components (as shown in a step 406). Responsive to the user manually activating the quick start mode, the controller 104 may cause the water heater 100 to enter the quick start mode (as shown in a step 408). The water heater 100 may then starts to operate in the quick start mode, as shown in a step 410.

[0048] When the water heater 100 enters the quick start mode, the controller 104 may activate or turn-on the heat pump assembly 102, as shown in a step 412. The heat pump assembly 102 may remain active during the quick start mode, to enable the water heater 100 to heat the water via the heat pump assembly 102. The controller 104 may deactivate the heat pump assembly 102 when the controller 104 deactivates the quick start mode.

[0049] In addition, the controller 104 may activate the heating element(s) when the water heater 100 enters the quick start mode. In some aspects, the controller 104 may activate the heating element(s) in parallel with the heat pump assembly 102. Stated another way, the controller 104 may activate the heating element(s) and the heat pump assembly 102 simultaneously to quickly heat the water in the storage tank. In some aspects, the controller 104 may activate only one heating element (e.g., the first heating element 106) at a time and the heat pump assembly 102 simultaneously. Alternatively, the controller 104 may activate both the first heating element 106 and the second heating element 108 sequentially in the quick start mode, along with the heat pump assembly 102.

[0050] For instance, the controller 104 may first activate or turn-on the second heating element 108, as shown in a step 414 (along with the heat pump assembly 102). Responsive to activating the second heating element 108, the controller 104 may activate the first heating element 106 when the user is satisfied with the operation of the second heating element 108 or the controller 104 determines that the second heating element 108 is operating optimally, as shown in steps 416 and 418.

[0051] In some aspects, to determine whether the second heating element 108 is operating optimally or not, the controller 104 may obtain the operational parameter associated with the second heating element 108 via the sensor unit 110 and determine that the operational parameter associated with the second heating element 108 is within the predetermined range responsive to activating the second heating element 108. The controller 104 may determine that the second heating element 108 is operating optimally when the operational parameter associated with the second heating element 108 is within the predetermined range. The controller 104 may then output a first notification indicating the operational parameter associated with the second heating element 108 and an indication that the second heating element 108 is operating optimally.

[0052] In one exemplary aspect, the controller 104 may automatically activate the first heating element 106 when the controller 104 determines that the second heating element 108 is operating optimally, as shown in the steps 416 and 418. In a second exemplary aspect, the user may view the first notification described above on the user interface 112 and may enter / click “OK” to indicate that the user is satisfied with the operation of the second heating element 108. In this case, the controller 104 may activate the first heating element 106 once the user is satisfied with the operation of the second heating element 108 and clicks “OK” on the user interface 112. In a third exemplary aspect, the controller 104 may activate the first heating element 106 after a specific time duration of activating the second heating element 108 (irrespective of whether the second heating element 108 is operating optimally or not).

[0053] Responsive to activating the first heating element 106, the controller 104 may obtain the operational parameter associated with the first heating element 106 via the sensor unit 110 and determine that the operational parameter associated with the first heating element 106 is within the predetermined range responsive to activating the first heating element 106. The controller 104 may determine that the first heating element 106 is operating optimally when the operational parameter associated with the first heating element 106 is within the predetermined range. The controller 104 may then output a second notification indicating the operational parameter associated with the first heating element 106 and an indication that the first heating element 106 is operating optimally. The user may view the second notification on the user interface 112 and may enter / click “OK” to indicate that the user is satisfied with the operation of the first heating element 106, as shown in a step 420.

[0054] Responsive to determining that the user is satisfied with the first heating element 106 and the second heating element 108 (or responsive to determining that the first heating element 106 and the second heating element 108 are operating optimally), the controller 104 may deactivate the quick start mode or may switch the operating mode of the water heater 100 from the quick start mode back to the energy saver mode (or a previously selected mode), as shown in a step 422. In other aspects, the controller 104 may deactivate the quick start mode or may switch the operating mode of the water heater 100 from the quick start mode back to the energy saver mode (or a previously selected mode) after a predetermined time duration (e.g., after 3 hours) has elapsed, as shown in the steps 420 and 422.

[0055] In addition, the user may perform or view the diagnosis of the water heater components via the user interface 112 in parallel. The user may select a diagnostic screen on the user interface 112 to view the notification 200, as shown in a step 424. When the user selects the diagnostic screen, the controller 104 may display the diagnostic screen or the notification 200, as shown in a step 426. The user may view the notification(s) indicating the information associated with different water heater components, including the operational parameters and the indication(s) whether the components are operating optimally. After displaying the diagnostic screen, the controller 104 may determine if the display time-out has reached, as shown in a step 428. The controller 104 may return to a default screen (e.g., a home screen) when the display time-out has reached, as shown in a step 430.

[0056] FIG. 5 depicts a flow diagram of an exemplary method 500 to “quick start” the water heater 100 to perform diagnosis in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 may be described with continued reference to prior figures. The following process is exemplary and not confined to the steps described hereafter. Moreover, alternative embodiments may include more or less steps than are shown or described herein and may include these steps in a different order than the order described in the following example embodiments.

[0057] The method 500 may start at step 502. At step 504, the method 500 may include activating, by the controller 104, a quick start mode of the water heater 100 responsive to obtaining a user request via the user interface 112. At step 506, the method 500 may include activating, by the controller 104, the heat pump assembly 102 and the first heating element 106 responsive to activating the quick start mode. At step 508, the method 500 may include obtaining, by the controller 104, an operational parameter associated with a water heater component responsive to activating the heat pump assembly 102 and the first heating element 106. At step 510, the method 500 may include outputting, by the controller 104, a notification indicating the operational parameter.

[0058] The method 500 may stop at step 512.

[0059] In the above disclosure, reference has been made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, which illustrate specific implementations in which the present disclosure may be practiced. It is understood that other implementations may be utilized, and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. References in the specification to “one embodiment,”“an embodiment,”“an example embodiment,” etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, one skilled in the art will recognize such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

[0060] It should also be understood that the word “example” as used herein is intended to be non-exclusionary and non-limiting in nature. More particularly, the word “example” as used herein indicates one among several examples, and it should be understood that no undue emphasis or preference is being directed to the particular example being described.

[0061] With regard to the processes, systems, methods, heuristics, etc. described herein, it should be understood that, although the steps of such processes, etc. have been described as occurring according to a certain ordered sequence, such processes could be practiced with the described steps performed in an order other than the order described herein. It further should be understood that certain steps could be performed simultaneously, that other steps could be added, or that certain steps described herein could be omitted. In other words, the descriptions of processes herein are provided for the purpose of illustrating various embodiments and should in no way be construed so as to limit the claims.

[0062] Accordingly, it is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many embodiments and applications other than the examples provided would be apparent upon reading the above description. The scope should be determined, not with reference to the above description, but should instead be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is anticipated and intended that future developments will occur in the technologies discussed herein, and that the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into such future embodiments. In sum, it should be understood that the application is capable of modification and variation.

[0063] All terms used in the claims are intended to be given their ordinary meanings as understood by those knowledgeable in the technologies described herein unless an explicit indication to the contrary is made herein. In particular, use of the singular articles such as “a,”“the,”“said,” etc., should be read to recite one or more of the indicated elements unless a claim recites an explicit limitation to the contrary. Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,”“could,”“might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments could include, while other embodiments may not include, certain features, elements, and / or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and / or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments.

Claims

1. A water heater, comprising:a heat pump assembly;at least a first heating element; anda controller configured to:activate a quick start mode of the water heater responsive to obtaining a user request;activate the heat pump assembly and the first heating element simultaneously responsive to activating the quick start mode;obtain an operational parameter associated with a water heater component responsive to activating the heat pump assembly and the first heating element; andoutput a notification indicating the operational parameter.

2. The water heater of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine that the water heater component is operating optimally when the operational parameter is within a predetermined range.

3. The water heater of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to output the notification indicating that the water heater component is operating optimally.

4. The water heater of claim 1, further comprising a sensor unit configured to measure the operational parameter associated with the water heater component.

5. The water heater of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to obtain the operational parameter associated with the water heater component from the sensor unit.

6. The water heater of claim 2, further comprising a storage tank configured to store water.

7. The water heater of claim 6, wherein the first heating element is located at a lower portion of the storage tank.

8. The water heater of claim 6, further comprising at least a second heating element located at an upper portion of the storage tank.

9. The water heater of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to activate the second heating element.

10. The water heater of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to activate the first heating element and the second heating element sequentially.

11. The water heater of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to:activate the second heating element; anddetermine that the second heating element is operating optimally when the operational parameter is within the predetermined range responsive to activating the second heating element, wherein the operational parameter is a temperature measurement of the second heating element.

12. The water heater of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to:activate the first heating element responsive to determining that the second heating element is operating optimally; anddetermine that the first heating element is operating optimally when the operational parameter is within the predetermined range responsive to activating the first heating element, wherein the operational parameter is a temperature measurement of the first heating element.

13. The water heater of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to deactivate the quick start mode responsive to determining that the first heating element and the second heating elements are operating optimally.

14. The water heater of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to deactivate the quick start mode after a predetermined time duration.

15. The water heater of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to obtain the user request via a user interface.

16. The water heater of claim 15, wherein the controller is configured to output the notification on the user interface.

17. The water heater of claim 1, wherein the heat pump assembly comprises at least a compressor, a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, and an expansion valve.

18. The water heater of claim 17, wherein the water heater component is at least the compressor, the first heat exchanger, the second heat exchanger, the expansion valve, and / or the first heating element.

19. A water heating method, comprising:activating, by a controller, a quick start mode of a water heater responsive to obtaining a user request;activating, by the controller, a heat pump assembly and a heating element associated with the water heater simultaneously responsive to activating the quick start mode;obtaining, by the controller, an operational parameter associated with a water heater component responsive to activating the heat pump assembly and the heating element; andoutputting, by the controller, a notification indicating the operational parameter.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:activate a quick start mode of a water heater responsive to obtaining a user request;activate a heat pump assembly and a heating element associated with the water heater simultaneously responsive to activating the quick start mode;obtain an operational parameter associated with a water heater component responsive to activating the heat pump assembly and the heating element; andoutput a notification indicating the operational parameter.

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