Tankless water heater

• US 10,024,571 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2017
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: David E. Seitz
• Original Assignee: David E. Seitz
• Inventors: Seitz, David E., Dabney, James, Everett, Louis, Harman, Thomas L.
• Primary Examiner(s): LAFLAME JR, MICHAEL A
• Application Number:
  US15/845,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20180106497A1
• Time in Patent Office: 211 Days
• Field of Search: 219481, 219483, 219494, 219497, 219506, 219523, 122 4 A, 122 40, 122 1301- 192, 392441, 392444, 392447-449, 392451, 392453, 392465, 392485, 392486, 392488, 392490, 392492, 237 2 A
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 17/0089 Additional heating means, e.g. electric heated buffer tanks or electric continuous flow heaters, located close to the consumer, e.g. directly before the water taps in bathrooms, in domestic hot water lines
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 1/102 with resistance
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 1/103 with bare resistances in direct contact with the fluid
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 1/202 with resistances
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/184 Preventing harm to users from exposure to heated water, e.g. scalding
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/212 Temperature of the water
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/246 Water level
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 2250/02 Resistances
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 9/0015 in water channels
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 9/0021 Sleeves surrounding heating elements or heating pipes, e.g. pipes filled with heat transfer fluid, for guiding heated liquid
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 9/1818 Arrangement or mounting of electric heating means
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 9/2028 Continuous-flow heaters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/021 Heaters specially adapted for heating liquids
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/48 heating conductor embedded in insulating material
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/78 Heating arrangements specially adapted for immersion heating
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/82 Fixedly-mounted immersion heaters

Abstract

A water heater (10) is suitable for point-of-use applications. The water heater includes a first temperature sensor, a second temperature sensor, and a controller connected to the first and second temperature sensors. The controller is configured to receive the signals generated by the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor and to detect a flow condition of water within the heat without using mechanical flow detection means and without supplying stand-by heating by adding an absolute value of the sensed change in temperature of water at the first temperature sensor to the absolute value of the sensed change in temperature of water at the second temperature sensor to yield a sum and then comparing the sum to a reference temperature.

Claims

1. A method of a detecting a flow condition within a water heater by using a first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor downstream from the first temperature sensor, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first temperature signal from the first temperature sensor at a first moment in time, the first temperature signal being representative of a first temperature;

receiving a second temperature signal from the first temperature sensor at a second moment in time, the second temperature signal being representative of a second temperature;

receiving a third temperature signal from the second temperature sensor at the first moment in time, the third temperature signal being representative of a third temperature;

receiving a fourth temperature signal from the second temperature sensor at the second moment in time, the fourth temperature signal being representative of a fourth temperature;

subtracting one of the first temperature and the second temperature from the other of the first temperature and the second temperature to yield a first temperature difference;

subtracting one of the third temperature and the fourth temperature from the other of the third temperature and the fourth temperature to yield a second temperature difference;

comparing the sum of the absolute value of the first temperature difference and the absolute value of the second temperature difference to a reference temperature.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the reference temperature is a delta reference temperature.