Abstract:
A system and controller where the pressure of the air is continuously monitored or read at a designated exhaust point and adjustments made to the flow of the air and gas to keep the efficiency of the appliance at a maximum to control the appliance (or the burner for an appliance) within specifications as dictated by the customer or consumer rather than training the user.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/140,153, filed on Mar. 30, 2015, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The subject matter relates to a controller for heating operations. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    In the present invention pressure of the manifold gas pressure and the vacuum air pressure are continuously monitored or read at a designated exhaust point and makes adjustments to the flow of the air and gas to keep the efficiency of the appliance at a maximum to control the appliance (or the burner for an appliance) rather than training the user. 
         [0004]    The subject invention also provides a method that helps eliminate repetitive, unnecessary, and sometimes harmful switching of the speed of the fan. As the switching of the motor speed may cause damage to various electrical components, such as relays and transistors, the method serves to prevent optimum switching of the fan to run at an optimum speed. The method also promotes proper operation of burner at its optimum state. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]    Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
           [0006]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram showing a general representation of the system setup; 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is a more detailed schematic diagram of the controller in the system; 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is an elevated perspective view of the gas modulating valve for burner gas pressure in the system; 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is an elevated perspective view of a testing orifice for the system to set the flow rate equal for the customer&#39;s system specifications; 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  is an elevated perspective view of a controller connected to all relevant input and output signals; 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  is an elevated perspective view of a variac variable speed fan control board and variable speed combustion fan; 
           [0012]      FIG. 7  is an elevated perspective view of a 0″ to 4″ w. c. gas pressure sensor in the system as described; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 8  is an elevated perspective view of a 0″-2″ w. c. vacuum air pressure sensor in the system as described. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0014]    Referring to the Figures, a controller  10  in a system  20  is shown herein. This controller  10  is designed to provide a uniform output heat pattern as called for in a specific environment to have a constant efficiency of a burner (ideal for an operating point). The efficiency of the burner is determined by customer or consumer specifications and is tested, as shown in  FIG. 4 , so that it feeds back to those specifications. 
         [0015]    The controller  10  is designed, as shown in  FIG. 1 , to bring in two pressures (combustion air pressure and burner gas pressure) and control the fan speed to match an internal table of air pressures. The modulating valve adjusts the burner gas pressure to match the desired air/gas ratio that is programmed into the controller via a microprocessor, microcontroller or equivalent device.  FIG. 1  is a general representation of the system setup. 
         [0016]      FIG. 2  provides more detail in the various steps. After testing, an analog control parameter  100  is fed into an A/D input  102  to provide a derived internal air pressure target  104  relating to speed  103  of the fan motor. A PID controller  106  compares the current air vacuum pressure with the derived internal target and sends a control voltage to the motor speed control board  108 , thus changing the speed of the fan motor and the vacuum air pressure if not at the speed or pressure needed for optimum performance. A sensor  110  monitors vacuum air pressure (controlled by the motor speed) and transmits via another A/D input  112  to an internal air pressure device for a pressure value  114  which communicates with both the PID controller  106  (to determine if it is within specifications) and also a different portion of the microcontroller to derive the gas pressure target at  116 . 
         [0017]    Once this stage is reached, the derived gas pressure target is fed into the gas pressure specification  118  to generate a digital instruction in the PID controller  119  to control the valve  120 . A sensor  122  is used at the output of the valve  120  to feed information back to the A/D input  124  into a gas pressure monitor  126  for the valve, where the monitor  126  feeds back into the PID controller  119 . 
         [0018]    In operation, the system and controller controls a gas modulating valve  200  ( FIG. 3 ), a control board  250  and variable speed combustion fan  260  ( FIG. 6 ) as monitored by a water column gas pressure sensor  270  ( FIG. 7 ) and a water column vacuum air pressure sensor  280  ( FIG. 8 ). As shown in  FIG. 3 , a gas modulating valve  200 , such as that supplied by Maxitrol under the model number EXA40 PV-7 or similar devices, modulates the burner gas pressure. An example of a 0-4″ water column gas pressure gauge is shown in  FIG. 7 , and was purchased as a ProSense gauge identified as P356-5026, C24. The water column vacuum air pressure sensor  280  of  FIG. 8  was purchased as a ProSense product DPTA-20. 
         [0019]      FIG. 4  illustrates an orifice  210  used in testing to set the flow rate equal to the customer&#39;s system specifications. Each customer sets their own optimum performance specifications. The invention herein takes that information and produces the derived gas pressure target, fan motor speed (or air pressure target), and any other information generated as described above. 
         [0020]    The circuit  10  shown can provide a number of advantages. The components of the circuit  10  are preferably supported by one or more printed circuit boards. The printed circuit board  215  ( FIG. 5 ) provides electrical connections between the components and includes the microcontroller.  FIG. 5  illustrate a controller connection to all relevant input and output signals. The circuit is suited for providing voltage control signals to the other printed circuit boards for the gas modulating valve ( FIG. 3 ) and the variac and the variable speed fan controller ( FIG. 6 ) to control the variable speed combustion fan  260 , as well as reading the sensors  270  and  280 . However, those skilled in the art will appreciate other uses for the circuit  10  described herein. 
         [0021]    The present invention has been described herein in an illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Many modifications and variations of the invention are possible in light of the above teachings.