CN221227127U

CN221227127U - Protection circuit, electric heating water tank and heating system

Info

Publication number: CN221227127U
Application number: CN202322665763.5U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 乔晓光; 曹满清; 马鸿飞
Original assignee: AO Smith China Water Heater Co Ltd
Current assignee: AO Smith China Water Heater Co Ltd
Priority date: 2023-09-28
Filing date: 2023-09-28
Publication date: 2024-06-25
Anticipated expiration: 2033-09-28

Abstract

The embodiment of the application discloses a protection circuit, an electric heating water tank and a heating system, wherein the protection circuit is used for an electric heating part and comprises the following components: the power supply supplies power to the electric heating element through a power supply line; a contactor including an electromagnetic portion and a contact portion, the electromagnetic portion switching on or off the power supply line through the contact portion; a first switch, wherein the first switch and a contact part of the contactor are arranged on the power supply line, one end of the first switch is electrically connected with the power supply, and the other end of the first switch is electrically connected with the contact part; and one end of the second switch is electrically connected with the other end of the first switch, and the other end of the second switch is electrically connected with the electromagnetic part of the contactor. Therefore, the full-pole disconnection can be realized, the failure mode of adhesion of the contactor can be protected, and the circuit is simple in structure and good in safety.

Description

Protection circuit, electric heating water tank and heating system

Technical Field

The embodiment of the application relates to the field of electric appliances, in particular to a protection circuit, an electric heating water tank and a heating system.

Background

The heating element start-stop of an electric water heating device is usually controlled by a switch, for example, in some power supply circuits of the heating elements, a contactor is provided as a switch for controlling the start-stop of the heating element, the contactor comprises an electromagnetic part and a contact part, the contact part is closed to be communicated with the power supply circuit of the heating element when the electromagnetic part is electrified to generate a magnetic field, and the contact part is opened to be disconnected with the power supply circuit of the heating element when the electromagnetic part is deenergized.

In general, in order to control a contactor, an electromagnetic portion of the contactor is often connected in series with a temperature control switch to form a control circuit, and the temperature control switch closes or opens the control circuit according to a relationship between a detected temperature of a detection object (for example, water) and a set temperature, thereby causing the contactor to close or cut off a power supply circuit of a heating element.

In the conventional structure, in order to prevent the control circuit from failing to be normally turned off when the temperature of the detection object is overheated due to abnormality of the temperature control switch, a thermal breaker is often connected in series to the control circuit, and the thermal breaker can automatically cut off the control circuit when the temperature is abnormal.

It should be noted that the foregoing description of the background art is only for the purpose of providing a clear and complete description of the technical solution of the present application and is presented for the convenience of understanding by those skilled in the art. The above-described solutions are not considered to be known to the person skilled in the art simply because they are set forth in the background of the application section.

Disclosure of utility model

The inventors found that even if the control circuit is disconnected by the action of the thermal circuit breakers connected in series, the contactor may be stuck due to overload or the like, in which case the power supply circuit may continue to supply power to the heating element, possibly causing danger, in some existing constructions, by providing a further thermal circuit breaker in the power supply circuit to ensure that the power supply circuit can be cut off in case the contactor is stuck. However, such a solution would result in a relatively complex circuit and delay in the switching off of the supply circuit.

In view of at least one of the above problems, embodiments of the present application provide a protection circuit, an electric heating water tank, and a heating system.

According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present application, there is provided a protection circuit for an electric heating element, the protection circuit comprising:

the power supply supplies power to the electric heating element through a power supply line;

A contactor including an electromagnetic portion and a contact portion, the electromagnetic portion switching on or off the power supply line through the contact portion;

A first switch, wherein the first switch and a contact part of the contactor are arranged on the power supply line, one end of the first switch is electrically connected with the power supply, and the other end of the first switch is electrically connected with the contact part;

And one end of the second switch is electrically connected with the other end of the first switch, and the other end of the second switch is electrically connected with the electromagnetic part of the contactor.

In one or more embodiments, the power source is a mains power source, the power supply line is a three-phase power supply line, the contactor is an ac contactor,

The ac contactor is used to switch on or off the three-phase power supply line,

Said one end of said first switch is electrically connected to two of said three-phase power supply lines for switching on or off said two lines,

The one end of the second switch is electrically connected to one of the two lines.

In one or more embodiments, the protection circuit further includes an air switch disposed on the power supply line and located between the power supply and the one end of the first switch.

In one or more embodiments, the first switch is turned off when an ambient temperature at which the first switch is located is not less than a preset temperature value.

In one or more embodiments, the first switch is a mechanical switch, and the first switch is automatically turned off when the ambient temperature of the first switch is not less than the preset temperature value;

the second switch is an electric control switch.

In one or more embodiments, the first switch is a thermal circuit breaker.

According to a second aspect of embodiments of the present application, there is provided an electric water heating tank including:

A protection circuit for an electric heating element according to the first aspect of the embodiment of the present application;

the inner container is used for storing water;

and the electric heating piece is used for heating water in the inner container.

In one or more embodiments, the electric water heater tank further comprises a housing, and a heat preservation layer is arranged between the housing and the liner.

According to a third aspect of an embodiment of the present application, there is provided a heating system including:

An electric water heating tank according to the second aspect of the embodiment of the present application;

A heat pump having a heat exchanger for heating water flowing into the heat pump;

The electric heating water tank is connected with the heat exchanger and is used for supplementing heat to water flowing out of the heat pump or preheating water flowing into the heat pump.

One of the beneficial effects of the embodiment of the application is that: the contact part of the contactor is connected with a power supply through a first switch in a power supply circuit, and the electromagnetic part of the contactor is connected with the end part of the first switch connected with the contact part through a second switch. Therefore, the power supply to the electromagnetic part of the contactor and the power supply line to the electric heating part can be cut off simultaneously through the first switch, the full-pole disconnection can be realized, the failure mode of adhesion of the contactor can be protected, the circuit structure is simple, the electric heating part is disconnected in time, and the safety is good.

Specific embodiments of the application are disclosed in detail below with reference to the following description and drawings, indicating the manner in which the principles of the application may be employed. It should be understood that the embodiments of the application are not limited in scope thereby. The embodiments of the application include many variations, modifications and equivalents within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Features that are described and/or illustrated with respect to one embodiment may be used in the same way or in a similar way in one or more other embodiments in combination with or instead of the features of the other embodiments.

Drawings

The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. In addition, the shapes, proportional sizes, and the like of the respective components in the drawings are merely illustrative for aiding in understanding the present application, and are not particularly limited. Those skilled in the art with access to the teachings of the present application can select a variety of possible shapes and scale sizes to practice the present application as the case may be.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a first embodiment of the present application including a protection circuit;

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of an electric water heating tank according to a second aspect of the present application;

Fig. 3 is another schematic view of an electric water heating tank according to a second aspect of the present application;

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a heating system according to an embodiment of the third aspect of the present application.

The protection circuit: 10, contactor: 11, electromagnetic part: 111, contact portion: 112, first switch: s1, a second switch: s2, an air switch: s3, a power supply circuit: 12, electric heating element: 22, line: l1, L2, L3, zero line: n, electric heating water tank: 20, inner container: 21, a shell: 23, heating system: 30, heat pump: 31.

Detailed Description

The technical solution of the present utility model will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings and specific embodiments, it should be understood that these embodiments are only for illustrating the present utility model and not for limiting the scope of the present utility model, and various modifications of equivalent forms of the present utility model will fall within the scope of the appended claims after reading the present utility model.

In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "first," "second," and the like are used to distinguish between different elements from each other by name, but do not indicate spatial arrangement or time sequence of the elements, and the elements should not be limited by the terms. The term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed terms. The terms "comprises," "comprising," "including," "having," and the like, are intended to reference the presence of stated features, elements, components, or groups of components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, or groups of components.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used herein in the description of the application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The term "and/or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Example of the first aspect

Embodiments of the first aspect of the present application provide a protection circuit for an electrical heating element.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the first aspect of the present application including a protection circuit.

As shown in fig. 1, the protection circuit 10 includes a power supply, a contactor 11, a first switch S1, and a second switch S2. Wherein the power supply supplies power to the electric heating element 22 through the power supply line 12, the contactor 11 includes an electromagnetic portion 111 and a contact portion 112, the electromagnetic portion 111 turns on or off the power supply line 12 through the contact portion 112, that is, the electromagnetic portion 111 controls the action of the contact portion 112 to turn on or off the power supply line 12, as for the contactor, see the related art.

In the embodiment of the present application, as shown in fig. 1, the contact portions 112 of the first switch S1 and the contactor 11 are disposed on the power supply line 12, one end 1a of the first switch S1 is electrically connected to the power supply, the other end 1b of the first switch S1 is electrically connected to the contact portion 112, one end 2a of the second switch S2 is electrically connected to the other end 1b of the first switch S1, and the other end 2b of the second switch S2 is electrically connected to the electromagnetic portion 111 of the contactor 11.

As is apparent from the above embodiments, the first switch S1 and the contact portion 112 of the contactor 11 are disposed on the power supply line 12, the two ends 1a, 1b of the first switch S1 are electrically connected to the power supply and the contact portion 112, respectively, and the two ends 2a, 2b of the second switch S2 are electrically connected to the other end 1b of the first switch S1 and the electromagnetic portion 111 of the contactor 11, respectively, that is, the contact portion 112 of the contactor 11 is connected to the power supply through the first switch S1 in the power supply line 12, and the electromagnetic portion 111 of the contactor 11 is connected to the end 1b of the first switch S1 connected to the contact portion 112 through the second switch S2. Therefore, the power supply to the electromagnetic part 111 of the contactor 11 can be cut off through the first switch S1, so that the contact part 112 acts to realize full-pole disconnection, meanwhile, the first switch S1 cuts off the power supply to the electric heating element 22 through the power supply line 12, and even if the contactor is stuck, the power supply to the electric heating element 22 can be ensured not to be continued, so that full-pole disconnection can be realized, the failure mode of the contactor which is stuck can be protected, the circuit structure is simple, the electric heating element can be disconnected in time, and the safety is good.

In the conventional circuit, a thermal breaker (referred to as a first thermal breaker) connected in series with the electromagnetic portion of the contactor needs to be provided to ensure that the control circuit is opened in the event of abnormality of the temperature control switch, wherein the control circuit refers to a circuit for controlling power up and power down of the electromagnetic portion of the contactor, and further, a further thermal breaker (referred to as a second thermal breaker) is provided in the power supply line to protect the contactor from the failure mode in which the contactor is stuck, whereas in the embodiment of the present application, in the event of abnormality of the second switch S2, the control circuit for supplying power to the electromagnetic portion of the contactor 11 and the power supply line 12 for supplying power to the electric heater 22 are cut off at the same time, and even if the contactor 11 is stuck, the failure mode in which the contactor is stuck can be protected. In addition, in the embodiment of the application, the first switch S1 is only required to be arranged for circuit protection, compared with the structure of protecting the existing circuit by using the first thermal circuit breaker and the second thermal circuit breaker, the number of the switches is reduced, so that the circuit is simplified, in addition, the second thermal circuit breaker in the existing circuit is generally disconnected after the first thermal circuit breaker is disconnected to protect the failure mode of adhesion of the contactor, and in the embodiment of the application, the control circuit is disconnected, the power supply circuit 12 is disconnected, the electric heating element 22 can be disconnected in time, no delay is caused in time, and the safety is good.

In the embodiment of the application, the power supply can be commercial power or a generator, and the application is not limited to the commercial power or the generator and can be selected according to actual needs.

In the embodiment of the present application, the contactor may be an ac contactor, but the present application is not limited thereto, for example, may be a dc contactor, and the present application is not limited thereto and may be selected according to actual needs.

For example, as shown in fig. 1, in one or more embodiments, the power source is a mains power source, the power supply line 12 is a three-phase power supply line including lines L1, L2, and L3, the contactor is an ac contactor for switching on or off the three-phase power supply line, one end 1a of the first switch S1 may be electrically connected to two lines L1 and L2 of the three-phase power supply line for switching on or off the two lines L1 and L2, and one end 2a of the second switch S2 may be electrically connected to one of the two lines, such as line L1 shown in fig. 1.

Therefore, when the first switch S1 is disconnected, the lines L1 and L2 are disconnected, the coil of the alternating-current contactor powered by the line L1 is powered down, the alternating-current contactor is disconnected from the three-phase power supply line, full-pole disconnection is realized, even if the alternating-current contactor is adhered, as the two lines L1 and L2 in the three-phase power supply line are disconnected, namely the power supply line for supplying power to the electric heating element is disconnected, the protection of a failure mode for the adhesion of the alternating-current contactor is realized while the full-pole disconnection is realized, and the heating rod can be disconnected from the power supply line in time without delay.

It should be noted that, in fig. 1, the power supply line is exemplarily shown as a three-phase power supply line, and the first switch S1 disconnects two of the three-phase power supply lines, but the present application is not limited thereto, for example, the first switch S1 may disconnect three of the three-phase power supply lines, so long as the first switch S1 may realize full pole disconnection of the power supply line.

In addition, the power supply line is not limited to a three-phase power supply line, for example, the power supply line can also be single-phase power supply or two-phase power supply, the application is not limited in this respect, and the number of the lines disconnected by the first switch S1 is not limited correspondingly, and the power supply line can be set according to the type of the power supply line, so long as the first switch S1 can realize full-pole disconnection of the power supply line, and the power supply line can be set according to actual needs.

As shown in fig. 1, in one or more embodiments, a control circuit for controlling an electromagnetic portion of a contactor may be powered by a power source, for example, one end of the control circuit is connected to one line L1 of a three-phase power supply line, the other end is connected to a neutral line N, and power supply of the control circuit is achieved by a voltage between the line L1 and the neutral line N, but the present application is not limited thereto, and one end of the control circuit may be connected to the line L2 as long as the line for powering the control circuit can be disconnected by the first switch S1.

In addition, the embodiment of the application can also supply power to the control circuit by other power devices except the power supply, so long as the first switch is arranged in the control circuit, that is, the control circuit can be cut off when the first switch is disconnected so as to realize full pole disconnection.

In one or more embodiments, the first switch may be turned off when its ambient temperature is not less than a preset temperature value, where the preset temperature value is a preset temperature, such as a temperature that may be manually set or a temperature upper limit that may be set by the system. That is, the first switch is opened and closed according to the temperature of the environment in which the first switch is located, and thus the first switch can reliably respond to a change in the ambient temperature, and reliability can be ensured.

For example, the electric heating element is used for heating water in the inner container of the electric water heater or the electric water heater, in this case, the first switch can be arranged on the inner container wall of the inner container, when the water temperature in the inner container is not smaller than the preset temperature value, the temperature of the inner container wall of the inner container changes correspondingly, and compared with the mode of obtaining the water temperature in a remote signal transmission temperature value mode, the first switch arranged on the inner container wall of the inner container can act timely and accurately according to the change of the inner container wall temperature, so that reliability is ensured.

In one or more embodiments, the first switch may be a mechanical switch, and the first switch is automatically turned off when an ambient temperature at which the first switch is located is not less than a preset temperature value. Thus, the first switch can mechanically operate according to the change of the ambient temperature, and the reliability can be further improved. For example, the first switch may be a thermal breaker, but the present application is not limited thereto, and the first switch may be another kind of mechanical switch.

In addition, the first switch is not limited to a mechanical switch, for example, the first switch may be a relay switch, which is not limited in the present application.

In one or more embodiments, the second switch may be an electronically controlled switch, for example, as shown in fig. 1, and the second switch is controlled by a microcontroller MCU, for example, the MCU may obtain the temperature of the detection object according to, for example, a temperature sensor provided to the detection object, and the MCU controls the second switch to be turned on or off according to the obtained detection value, so that the contact portion of the contactor can be turned on or off.

In the embodiment of the application, the temperature sensor can be arranged at the detection object, and can be connected with the MCU on the computer board or the circuit board in an electric connection mode to transmit the detection value, or the temperature sensor can be separately arranged with the computer board or the circuit board and transmit the detection value in a wireless communication mode, and in addition, the second switch can be integrated with the computer board or the circuit board provided with the MCU, or can be separately arranged with the computer board or the circuit board and receive the on or off signal of the MCU in an electric connection mode.

In the embodiment of the application, the action temperature of the second switch is generally smaller than the preset temperature corresponding to the first switch, wherein the action temperature of the second switch means that the second switch is disconnected under the control of the MCU when the MCU detects that the temperature of the detection object is not smaller than the action temperature.

However, the present application is not limited thereto, and the second switch may be a mechanical switch, for example, a thermal breaker.

As shown in fig. 1, in one or more embodiments, the protection circuit 10 may further include an air switch S3, the air switch S3 being disposed on the power supply line 12 and the air switch S3 being located between the power supply and one end 1a of the first switch S1. By providing the air switch on the power supply side, when the power supply circuit is abnormal, the air switch can be turned off to cut off the power supply circuit, thereby realizing further protection.

Through the above embodiment, the power supply to the electromagnetic part of the contactor 11 and the power supply to the electric heating element 22 by the power supply line 12 can be cut off simultaneously by the first switch S1, so that the full-pole disconnection can be realized, the failure mode of adhesion of the contactor can be protected, the circuit structure is simple, the electric heating element can be disconnected in time, and the safety is good.

Embodiments of the second aspect

Embodiments of the second aspect of the present application provide an electric water tank. The electric heating water tank can be a commercial electric heating water tank, but the embodiment of the application is not limited thereto, and for example, the electric heating water tank can be a household electric heating water tank, and the electric heating water tank can also be an electric water heater.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of an electric water heating tank according to an embodiment of the second aspect of the present application. As shown in fig. 2, the electric water tank 20 may include:

the protection circuit of the electric heating element, for the protection circuit, the specific description of which can be referred to the protection circuit 10 described in the embodiment of the first aspect, and the content of which is incorporated herein and will not be described herein again;

the inner container 21, the inner container 21 is used for storing water; and

The electric heater 22, the electric heater 22 is used for heating the water in the inner container 21, and the electric heater 22 may be a heating rod, but the present application is not limited thereto, and the electric heater may be other components that can be used for heating the water.

As shown in fig. 2, in one or more embodiments, the electric heating water tank further includes a housing 23, and an insulation layer may be provided between the housing 23 and the inner container 21, thereby preventing heat loss in the inner container 21. The heat insulating layer may be made of various materials, for example, polyurethane foam, but is not limited thereto.

As shown in fig. 2, in one or more embodiments, the first switch S1 may be disposed on the outer surface of the inner container 21, and may be capable of being operated according to the temperature of the inner container, such as being turned off when the temperature of the outer surface of the inner container reaches a preset temperature value.

As shown in fig. 2, in one or more embodiments, the second switch S2 may be disposed on the electric water tank, for example, a computer board may be disposed on the electric water tank 23, the second switch S2 may be disposed on the computer board, an MCU controlling the second switch S2 may be further disposed on the computer board, a temperature sensor transmitting a temperature detection value to the MCU may be disposed above the bladder 21, for example, and electrically connected to the MCU or connected through wireless communication, and further, when the second switch S2 is a mechanical switch, the second switch S2 may be integrated on the computer board or electrically connected to the computer board outside the computer board.

The contactor 11 may be provided on a computer board, and the first switch S1, the electric heater 22, and the air switch may be electrically connected to the computer board.

Fig. 3 is another schematic view of an electric water heating tank according to an embodiment of the second aspect of the present application.

As shown in fig. 3, in one or more embodiments, the second switch S2 is separately disposed from the electric heating water tank, for example, the second switch S2 and the MCU for controlling the second switch may be integrated in an external computer board, and a temperature sensor disposed at the electric heating water tank transmits a temperature detection value to the MCU of the external computer board through wireless communication, so as to realize on-off control of the second switch S2, and the external computer board and the computer board at the electric heating water tank are electrically connected to form the protection circuit 10, and in addition, the second switch S2 may also be separately disposed from the external computer board and electrically connected to the MCU on the external computer board.

For another example, the MCU controlling the second switch S2 may be integrated with a computer board at the electric heating water tank, and the second switch S2 is electrically connected with the computer board at the electric heating water tank.

It is noted that the electric heating water tank can also comprise other components, and the shell can be provided with a water inlet and a water outlet. In addition, the electric heating water tank 20 may further include components not shown in fig. 2, and reference may be made to the related art, which is not illustrated herein.

In the embodiment of the present application, the connection circuits of the first switch S1, the second switch S2, the contactor 11, the air switch S3 and the electric heating element 22 are not shown in fig. 2, and the connection manner of the connection circuits refers to the description of the protection circuit 10 in the embodiment of the first aspect, which is not described herein, and the connection circuits may be disposed between the inner container 21 and the housing 23 of the electric water tank and around the housing 23.

In the embodiment of the present application, the second switch may be controlled by an MCU, in the embodiment of the present application, the MCU may be configured separately from the controller of the electric water tank itself, for example, the MCU may be configured as a chip connected to the controller of the electric water tank, and the two may be controlled by each other, or the function of the MCU may be integrated into the controller of the electric water tank itself.

Embodiments of the third aspect

Embodiments of the third aspect of the present application provide a heating system.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a heating system according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 4, the heating system 30 may include:

An electric heating water tank 20; and

The heat pump 31, the heat pump 31 having a heat exchanger (not shown in fig. 4) for heating water flowing into the heat pump 31.

In the embodiment of the present application, the electric heating water tank 20 is connected to the heat exchanger, and the electric heating water tank 20 may be used to supplement heat to the water flowing out of the heat pump 31, or the electric heating water tank 20 may also be used to preheat the water flowing into the heat pump 31.

As shown in fig. 4, water at the bottom temperature may flow into the heat pump 31, and water heated by the heat pump 31 may flow into the electric heating water tank 20 to supplement heat before being fed out, but the present application is not limited thereto, and water at a lower temperature may be preheated by the electric heating water tank 20 before flowing into the heat pump 31, and water preheated by the electric heating water tank 20 may flow into the heat pump 31 to be heated and then supplied out, thereby performing auxiliary heating by the electric heating water tank 20, and ensuring stability of the heating system 30.

For the electric heating water tank 20, the detailed description thereof can be described with reference to the embodiment of the second aspect, and the content thereof is incorporated herein and will not be repeated here.

In addition, the heating system 30 may further include components not shown in fig. 4, to which reference is made, and which are not exemplified herein.

While the application has been described in connection with specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the description is intended to be illustrative and not limiting in scope. Various modifications and alterations of this application will occur to those skilled in the art in light of the spirit and principles of this application, and such modifications and alterations are also within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A protection circuit for an electrical heating element, the protection circuit comprising:

2. The protection circuit of claim 1, wherein,

The power supply is a mains supply, the power supply circuit is a three-phase power supply circuit, the contactor is an alternating current contactor,

The ac contactor is used to switch on or off the three-phase power supply line,

3. The protection circuit of claim 1, wherein,

The protection circuit further includes an air switch disposed on the power supply line and located between the power supply and the one end of the first switch.

4. The protection circuit of claim 1, wherein,

The first switch is turned off when the ambient temperature of the first switch is not less than a preset temperature value.

5. The protection circuit of claim 4, wherein,

The first switch is a mechanical switch, and is automatically turned off when the ambient temperature of the first switch is not less than the preset temperature value;

the second switch is an electric control switch.

6. The protection circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein,

The first switch is a thermal circuit breaker.

7. An electric hot water tank, characterized in that it comprises:

a protection circuit for an electric heating element according to any one of claims 1 to 6;

the inner container is used for storing water;

8. The electric water heater according to claim 7, wherein,

The electric heating water tank further comprises a shell, and an insulating layer is arranged between the shell and the inner container.

9. The electric water heater according to claim 8, wherein,

The first switch is arranged on the outer surface of the inner container, and/or the second switch is arranged on the electric heating water tank or is arranged in a split mode with the electric heating water tank.

10. A heating system, the heating system comprising:

An electric heating water tank as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 9;