Water Heater Twinning Using Token-Based Heating Cycle Coordination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional twinned water heaters operate independently, leading to inefficiencies in meeting hot water demand and often require separate electrical circuits, which can be costly and impractical in certain scenarios.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for twinned water heaters that utilize controllers to transmit and receive a token, coordinating heating cycles to ensure non-simultaneous operation and allow sharing of a common electrical circuit, with controllers determining plumbing configuration and managing token possession to optimize heating cycles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional twinned water heaters operate independently, then each water heater can meet hot water demand, but they require separate electrical circuits which increases installation cost and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the electrical circuit operations of two water heaters by implementing a token-passing protocol between controllers. The controllers communicate and coordinate heating cycles so that only one water heater operates on a shared electrical circuit at any given time, eliminating the need for separate circuits while maintaining reliable hot water supply.
2Ease of manufacture
If twinned water heaters share a common electrical circuit, then installation cost is reduced, but coordination of heating cycles is required to prevent circuit overload
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a token as an intermediary mechanism between the two water heater controllers. The token acts as a permission carrier that grants the holder the right to operate heating elements on the shared circuit. Controllers exchange tokens through communication protocols, ensuring that only the token holder can activate heating, thereby preventing circuit overload without requiring complex interlocking circuits.
3Productivity
If water heaters operate simultaneously, then hot water demand is met more quickly, but electrical circuit overload occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic token passing between controllers to regulate heating operations. Instead of continuous simultaneous operation, the system uses periodic exchanges of the token to alternately grant heating permissions to different water heaters. This periodic control ensures that heating capacity is distributed over time, meeting overall hot water demand while preventing instantaneous circuit overload.
Data Source
AI summary
A water heater system includes a first water heater including a first controller configured to transmit and receive a token; and a second water heater including a second controller configured to transmit and receive the token. The first water heater is plumbed to the second water heater in a twinned configuration, and the first controller is in communication with the second controller. The first controller is configured to control the first water heater to perform a first heating cycle while in possession of the token, and then transmit the token to the second controller, and the second controller is configured to control the second water heater to perform a second heating cycle while in possession of the token, and then transmit the token to the first controller.