Sensor device and method for flame presence detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024302040-A1
Application number	US-202418432795-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 5, 2024
Priority date	Mar 10, 2023
Publication date	Sep 12, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

A sensor device for detecting a flame comprises a carbon dioxide sensor for detecting a CO 2 concentration, a fuel sensor for detecting the combustion of a fuel, an electrostatic charge variation sensor for detecting electrostatic charge variations generated by the flame, and a control unit. The control unit is configured to acquire a carbon dioxide signal indicative of the concentration of carbon dioxide, a fuel signal indicative of the fuel combustion, and an electrostatic charge variation signal indicative of a difference between the electrostatic charge variations detected by a first and a second electrode of the electrostatic charge variation sensor, determine a quantized signal based on the electrostatic charge variation signal, determine an aggregate datum based on the carbon dioxide signal, the fuel signal and the electrostatic charge variation signal, and generate, based on the aggregate datum, a flame signal indicative of the presence or absence of the flame.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A sensor device for detecting a presence or absence of a flame, the sensor device comprising:
a carbon dioxide sensor configured to detect a concentration of carbon dioxide in air, generated by the flame; a fuel sensor configured to detect combustion of a fuel used to produce the flame; an electrostatic charge variation sensor including first and second electrodes spaced from each other and configured to detect respective electrostatic charge variations generated by the flame; and a control unit operatively coupled to the carbon dioxide sensor, the fuel sensor, and the electrostatic charge variation sensor, wherein the control unit is configured to:
acquire, through the carbon dioxide sensor, a carbon dioxide signal indicative of the concentration of carbon dioxide generated by the flame;
acquire, through the fuel sensor, a fuel signal indicative of a presence of combustion of the fuel used to produce the flame;
acquire, through the electrostatic charge variation sensor, an electrostatic charge variation signal indicative of a difference between the electrostatic charge variations detected by the first and the second electrodes;
determine a quantized signal by processing the electrostatic charge variation signal;
determine an aggregate datum indicative of an aggregation of the carbon dioxide signal, the fuel signal and the electrostatic charge variation signal; and
generate, as a function of the aggregate datum, a flame signal indicative of the presence or absence of the flame.

2 . The sensor device according to claim 1 , further comprising a tubular body having an inlet opening and an outlet opening fluidically coupled to each other through a fluidic channel of the tubular body, which extends through the tubular body and which defines a fluidic path between the inlet opening and the outlet opening, in fluidic communication with the flame such that, in the presence of the flame, the fluidic channel is flown through by an air flow that is caused by the flame and that transfers from the inlet opening to the outlet opening;
wherein the control unit, the carbon dioxide sensor, the fuel sensor, and the electrostatic charge variation sensor are disposed in the tubular body, and the carbon dioxide sensor and the fuel sensor extend into the fluidic channel.

3 . The sensor device according to claim 2 , wherein the carbon dioxide sensor comprises:
a light radiation emitter facing the fluidic channel and controllable by the control unit to emit light radiation through the fluidic channel; a carbon dioxide optical filter facing the fluidic channel and configured to filter the light radiation emitted by the light radiation emitter so as to transmit the light radiation having a wavelength located in a carbon dioxide wavelength range comprising a carbon dioxide absorption wavelength; and a carbon dioxide detector arranged at a distance from the light radiation emitter and configured to detect the light radiation filtered by the carbon dioxide optical filter and to generate the carbon dioxide signal; wherein the light radiation emitter, the carbon dioxide optical filter, and the carbon dioxide detector are aligned in succession to each other along a carbon dioxide alignment axis extending through the fluidic channel.

4 . The sensor device according to claim 2 , wherein the fuel sensor comprises:
a fuel optical filter facing the fluidic channel and configured to filter radiation generated by the flame so as to transmit radiation having a wavelength located in a fuel wavelength range comprising a fuel emission wavelength; and a fuel detector configured to detect the radiation filtered by the fuel optical filter and to generate the fuel signal; wherein the inlet opening, the fuel optical filter, and the fuel detector are aligned in succession to each other along a fuel alignment axis extending through the fluidic channel.

5 . The sensor device according to claim 2 , wherein the tubular body has a first end and a second end opposite to each other along a longitudinal axis of the tubular body, the first end configured to face the flame and the second end configured to extend on an opposite side of the tubular body with respect to the flame;
wherein the first electrode extends at the first end of the tubular body, and the second electrode extends at the second end of the tubular body.

6 . The sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the sensor device further comprises a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the air dependent on the presence or absence of the flame; and the control unit is operatively coupled to the temperature sensor, and further configured to:
acquire, through the temperature sensor, a temperature signal indicative of the temperature of the air; and
in response to both the temperature signal being indicative of the absence of the flame and the flame signal being indicative of the presence of the flame, impose that the flame signal is indicative of the absence of the flame and/or generate a sensor warning signal.

7 . An ignition system for igniting a flame, the ignition system comprising:
a dispensing device coupleable to a fuel source and controllable to dispense a fuel received from the fuel source; a spark generator controllable to generate a spark and coupled to the dispensing device so as to produce the flame in response to the generated spark at the fuel dispensed by the dispensing device; and a sensor device operatively coupled to the dispensing device and to the spark generator so as to detect a presence or absence of the flame, the sensor device comprising:
a carbon dioxide sensor configured to detect a concentration of carbon dioxide in air, generated by the flame;
a fuel sensor configured to detect combustion of the fuel used to produce the flame;
an electrostatic charge variation sensor including first and second electrodes spaced from each other and configured to detect respective electrostatic charge variations generated by the flame; and
a control unit operatively coupled to the carbon dioxide sensor, the fuel sensor, and the electrostatic charge variation sensor, wherein the control unit is configured to:
acquire, through the carbon dioxide sensor, a carbon dioxide signal indicative of the concentration of carbon dioxide generated by the flame;
acquire, through the fuel sensor, a fuel signal indicative of a presence of combustion of the fuel used to produce the flame;
acquire, through the electrostatic charge variation sensor, an electrostatic charge variation signal indicative of a difference between the electrostatic charge variations detected by the first and the second electrodes;
determine a quantized signal by processing the electrostatic charge variation signal;
determine an aggregate datum indicative of an aggregation of the carbon dioxide signal, the fuel signal and the electrostatic charge variation signal; and
generate, as a function of the aggregate datum, a flame signal indicative of the presence or absence of the flame.

8 . The ignition system according to claim 7 , further comprising a main control unit operatively coupled to the dispensing device, the spark generator and the sensor device and configured to:
receive from the sensor device the flame signal indicative of the presence or absence of the flame; and control the dispensing device as a function of the flame signal, in such a way as to prevent the fuel from dispensing in response to the flame signal being indicative of the absence of the flame.

9 . The ignition system according to claim 7 , wherein the sensor device further comprises a tubular body having an inlet opening and an outlet opening fluidically coupled to each other through a

Assignees

• St Microelectronics Srl

Inventors

• Alessi Enrico Rosario
• Dellutri Michele Alessio
• Passaniti Fabio

Classifications

• F23N2227/36

  Spark ignition, e.g. by means of a high voltage · CPC title

• F23N2229/14

  using two or more different types of flame sensor · CPC title

• F23N2900/05002

  Measuring CO2 content in flue gas · CPC title

• F23N5/123

  using electronic means · CPC title

• F23N1/002 Primary

  using electronic means (F23N1/04 - F23N1/10 take precedence) · CPC title