Patent
Water heater having a waterway changeover control apparatus and method for operating the same
| العنوان: | Water heater having a waterway changeover control apparatus and method for operating the same |
|---|---|
| Patent Number: | 9,151,506 |
| تاريخ النشر: | October 06, 2015 |
| Appl. No: | 13/241559 |
| Application Filed: | September 23, 2011 |
| مستخلص: | A water heating system and method of operating the same. The system includes a first water heater having a first heating source of a first type. The system further includes a second water heater having a second heating source of a second type. A valve having a first interface that is connected to the cold water source, a second interface that is connected to a first cold water inlet of the first water heater, a third interface that is connected to a second hot water outlet of the second water heater, and a fourth interface connected to the hot water outlet of the first water heater. A motor positions the changeover valve to one of at least three positions. A control circuit includes a temperature sensor near the first hot water outlet of the first water heater, and a controller coupled to the first temperature sensor and the motor. |
| Inventors: | Ru, Xingpeng (Nanjing, CN); Zhu, Dongwei (Nanjing, CN); Shao, Xiaorong (Nanjing, CN); Xu, Jian (Nanjing, CN); Yang, Yinan (Nanjing, CN); Li, Zhi (Nanjing, CN) |
| Assignees: | A. O. SMITH CORPORATION (Milwaukee, WI, US) |
| Claim: | 1. A method of controlling a water heater system including a first water heater having a first heating source of a first type, a first cold water inlet, and a first hot water outlet; a second water heater having a second heating source of a second type, a second cold water inlet connected to a cold water source, and a second hot water outlet; a valve having a first interface connected to the cold water source, a second interface connected to the first cold water inlet of the first water heater, a third interface connected to the second hot water outlet of the second water heater, a fourth interface connected to the hot water outlet of the first water heater, a motor positioning the valve to one of at least three positions including a first position defined by the first interface being interconnected to the second interface, a second position defined by the second interface being interconnected to the third interface, and a third position defined by the third interface being interconnected to the fourth interface, the method comprising: controlling the motor to position the valve in the first position; monitoring a first sensed temperature by a first temperature sensor installed at the first hot water outlet, for detecting a first temperature value; monitoring the first sensed temperature for a temperature variation; determining if the temperature variation traverses a first set value; determining if the first sensed temperature traverses the first temperature value; controlling the motor to position the valve in the second position after the temperature variation traverses the first set value and the first sensed temperature traverses a first preset temperature value; monitoring a second sensed temperature, by a second temperature sensor installed at the second hot water outlet, for detecting a second temperature value; determining if the second sensed temperature is greater than the first sensed temperature; and controlling the motor to move the valve from the second position toward the third position after determining the second sensed temperature is greater than the first sensed temperature. |
| Claim: | 2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: monitoring the second sensed temperature for a second temperature variation; determining if the second temperature variation traverses a second set value within a time interval; and controlling the motor to move the valve to the third position after the time interval when determining the second temperature variation traverses the second set value within the time interval. |
| Claim: | 3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising: controlling the motor to move the valve to the third position when determining the second temperature variation does not traverse the second set value within the time interval. |
| Claim: | 4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first heating source of the first type includes an electric heating source and the second heating source of the second type includes a gas heating source. |
| Claim: | 5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first water heater is a storage water heater and the second water heater is an instantaneous water heater. |
| Claim: | 6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first heating source of the first type includes an electric heating source and the second heating source of the second type includes a solar heating source. |
| Claim: | 7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second type is different from the first type. |
| Patent References Cited: | 1945204 January 1934 Sim 4825908 May 1989 Tsuchihashi et al. 2012/0037095 February 2012 DuPlessis 2012/0291460 November 2012 Aoyagi 2800161 July 2006 1895241 March 2008 |
| Assistant Examiner: | Lin, Ko-Wei |
| Primary Examiner: | Mcallister, Steven B |
| Attorney, Agent or Firm: | Michael Best & Friedrich LLP |
| رقم الانضمام: | edspgr.09151506 |
| قاعدة البيانات: | USPTO Patent Grants |
| الوصف غير متاح. |