Hot water supply system
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hot water supply systems with multiple hot water storage tanks require large circuit boards to handle multiple temperature sensors, leading to increased production costs and device size, along with complex wiring, which complicates the detection of hot water storage amounts and temperatures.
Innovation Solution
A hot water supply system with temperature sensors installed along the height of the storage tank, where signals from these sensors are distributed among multiple control boards, each with fewer input ports, allowing for compact circuit boards and reduced costs, and enabling accurate temperature detection and storage amount measurement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple temperature sensors are connected to a single control board, then temperature detection accuracy is improved, but the circuit board size and production cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the control function into multiple control boards, each responsible for a subset of temperature sensors. Instead of one large control board handling all sensors, the system segments the control functionality across multiple smaller boards, reducing the input port requirements for each individual board while maintaining comprehensive temperature monitoring capability.
2Measurement precision
If multiple temperature sensors are connected to a single control board, then temperature detection accuracy is improved, but production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the control system into multiple control boards, each handling a portion of the temperature sensors. This segmentation reduces the complexity and cost of each individual control board, making production more economical while still achieving accurate temperature detection through the combined input from all sensors across multiple boards.
3Device complexity
If a single control board handles all temperature sensors, then system structure is simplified, but device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the control functionality across multiple control boards, each with fewer input ports and smaller size. While this increases the number of control boards, each board's reduced complexity allows for more compact design, and the distributed architecture can be implemented in a space-efficient manner compared to one large control board handling all sensors.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system reduces the size and cost of control boards, allows for accurate detection of hot water storage amounts, and simplifies the installation process by distributing signal inputs among multiple control boards, ensuring reliable operation even with communication failures or device malfunctions.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of temperature sensors that is installed in a height direction of the water storage tank and that detects temperatures at each of their installed positions
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of hot water supply devices that heats hot water in the hot water storage tank
Data Source
AI summary
A hot water supply system includes a hot water storage tank configured to store hot water, a plurality of temperature sensors that are installed in the height direction of the water storage tank and that detect temperatures at their installed positions, a main-unit-side hot water supply device that heats hot water in the hot water storage tank, a sub-unit-side hot water supply device, a main-unit-side control board equipped with control means that controls the corresponding hot water supply device, and a sub-unit-side control board. Signals sent from the temperature sensors are input in a distributed manner among the main-unit-side control board and the sub-unit-side control board, and each of the control boards are communicably connected to each other by a transmission line.