Combustion device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11137168-B2
Application number	US-201916967700-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 12, 2019
Priority date	Feb 19, 2018
Publication date	Oct 5, 2021
Grant date	Oct 5, 2021

Abstract

A combustion device includes: a gas proportional valve; a control portion; a driving circuit; and a monitoring circuit. The monitoring circuit includes: a voltage generating portion configured to generate monitoring voltages corresponding to a driving current; and a branch output portion configured to output the monitoring voltages to a plurality of terminals of the control portion. When a voltage difference between the monitoring voltages input to the plurality of terminals is a determination reference value or more, the control portion determines that there is a failure of the monitoring circuit. When the voltage difference between the monitoring voltages is less than the determination reference value, and at least one of the monitoring voltages does not fall within a predetermined normal range while the gas proportional valve is controlled to become a predetermined state, the control portion determines that there is the failure of the monitoring circuit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A combustion device comprising:
a gas proportional valve configured to adjust an amount of gas supplied to a combustor;
a control portion configured to output an opening degree signal that controls the gas proportional valve;
a driving circuit configured to supply a driving current corresponding to the opening degree signal to the gas proportional valve; and
a monitoring circuit configured to generate monitoring voltages corresponding to the driving current and output the monitoring voltages to the control portion, wherein:
the monitoring circuit includes
a voltage generating portion configured to generate the monitoring voltages corresponding to the driving current and
a branch output portion configured to output the monitoring voltages, generated by the voltage generating portion, to two terminals of the control portion through two branch lines respectively connected to the two terminals; and

the control portion performs
a first determination process in which the control portion compares the monitoring voltages respectively input to the two terminals with each other, and when a voltage difference between the monitoring voltages is a determination reference value or more, the control portion determines that there is a failure of the monitoring circuit, and
a second determination process in which when the voltage difference between the monitoring voltages is less than the determination reference value, and at least one of the monitoring voltages does not fall within a predetermined normal range while the gas proportional valve is controlled to become a predetermined state, the control portion determines that there is the failure of the monitoring circuit.

2. A combustion device comprising:
a gas proportional valve configured to adjust an amount of gas supplied to a combustor;
a control portion configured to output an opening degree signal that controls the gas proportional valve;
a driving circuit configured to supply a driving current corresponding to the opening degree signal to the gas proportional valve; and
a monitoring circuit configured to generate monitoring voltages corresponding to the driving current and output the monitoring voltages to the control portion, wherein:
the monitoring circuit includes
a voltage generating portion configured to generate the monitoring voltages corresponding to the driving current and
a branch output portion configured to output the monitoring voltages, generated by the voltage generating portion, to a plurality of terminals of the control portion through a plurality of branch lines respectively connected to the plurality of terminals; and

the control portion performs
a first determination process in which the control portion compares the monitoring voltages respectively input to the plurality of terminals with each other, and when a maximum voltage difference between the monitoring voltages is a determination reference value or more, the control portion determines that there is a failure of the monitoring circuit, and
a second determination process in which when the maximum voltage difference between the monitoring voltages is less than the determination reference value, and at least one of the monitoring voltages does not fall within a predetermined normal range while the gas proportional valve is controlled to become a predetermined state, the control portion determines that there is the failure of the monitoring circuit.

3. The combustion device according to claim 1 , wherein the control portion performs the second determination process by using a first predetermined range as the normal range while the gas proportional valve is controlled to become a closed state.

4. The combustion device according to claim 1 , wherein the control portion performs the second determination process by using a second predetermined range as the normal range while an opening degree of the gas proportional valve is controlled to become a predetermined opening degree immediately before ignition of the combustor or in an initial stage of the ignition of the combustor.

5. The combustion device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the control portion is constituted by a plurality of microcontrollers that communicate with each other; and
the terminals are respectively included in the microcontrollers.

6. The combustion device according to claim 2 , wherein the control portion performs the second determination process by using a first predetermined range as the normal range while the gas proportional valve is controlled to become a closed state.

7. The combustion device according to claim 2 , wherein the control portion performs the second determination process by using a second predetermined range as the normal range while an opening degree of the gas proportional valve is controlled to become a predetermined opening degree immediately before ignition of the combustor or in an initial stage of the ignition of the combustor.

8. The combustion device according to claim 2 , wherein:
the control portion is constituted by a plurality of microcontrollers that communicate with each other; and
the terminals are respectively included in the microcontrollers.

Assignees

• Noritz Corp

Inventors

• Mori Masahiro
• Kishimoto Tomoki

Classifications

• F24H9/0005 Primary

  for water heaters · CPC title

• F23N5/24

  Preventing development of abnormal or undesired conditions, i.e. safety arrangements (F23N5/02 - F23N5/18 take precedence) · CPC title

• F24H1/186

  using fluid fuel · CPC title

• F23N5/242

  using electronic means · CPC title

• F23K5/00

  Feeding or distributing other fuel to combustion apparatus · CPC title