APPARATUS AND METHOD OF DETECTING IGNITER TYPE

• US 20080145803A1
• Filed: 02/19/2008
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AOS Holding Company (A O Smith Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AOS Holding Company (A O Smith Corporation)
• Inventors: Basheer, Sohail, Caves, Andy, Randals, Richard
• Application Number:
  US12/033,147
• Publication Number:
  US 20080145803A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 431/6
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 1/00 Regulating fuel supply
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 2241/04 Heating water
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 5/00 Systems for controlling combustion regulating fuel supply F23N1/00, regulating air supply or draught F23N3/00

Abstract

The invention includes an apparatus and method of determining the type of igniter for a burner at each stage of a boiler. The apparatus includes a controller operable to detect whether a first type of igniter or a second type of igniter is installed in the burner based on whether the first type of igniter or the second type of igniter transmits a response to the controller after receiving an activation signal from the controller.

Claims

1. A method of determining a type of igniter for igniting gas issued by a burner of a gas-fired appliance, the gas-fired appliance adapted to comprise at least one of a first-type of igniter and a second-type of igniter different than the first-type of igniter, the method comprising:

applying a control parameter at substantially the same time to the first-type of igniter and to the second-type of igniter;

monitoring the first-type of igniter and the second-type of igniter for a response to the control parameter; and

determining whether the first-type of igniter or the second-type of igniter provided the response.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the applying a control parameter comprises applying a voltage to the at least one of the first-type of igniter and the second-type of igniter.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the type of igniter that provided the response in a memory.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first-type of igniter comprises a first material and the second-type of igniter comprises a second material different than the first-type of material.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first-type of igniter comprises silicon carbide and the second-type of igniter comprises silicon nitride.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first-type of igniter comprises silicon nitride and the second-type of igniter comprises silicon carbide.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting a fault condition if neither the first-type of igniter or the second-type of igniter is connected to the burner.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein, after the determining act, only activating one type of igniter.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the activating one type of igniter is based on the determining act.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising canceling the act of applying a control parameter to the second-type of igniter if the first-type of igniter provided a response.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising canceling the act of applying a control parameter to the first-type of igniter if the second-type of igniter provided a response.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the gas-fired appliance includes a plurality of burners, wherein each burner can include one of the first-type of igniter and the second-type of igniter, and wherein the method is repeated for each of the plurality of burners.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the applying a control parameter comprises applying an activation signal to the first-type of igniter and the second-type of igniter.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the monitoring the at least one of the first-type of igniter and the second-type of igniter for a response to the control parameter comprises monitoring the first-type of igniter and the second-type of igniter for a feedback signal.

15. A gas-fired appliance comprising:

at least one of a first-type of igniter and a second-type of igniter different than the first-type of igniter; and

a controller connected to the at least one of the first-type of igniter and the second-type of igniter, the controller being operable to detect whether the first-type of igniter and the second-type of igniter is connected to the controller based on whether at least one of the first-type of igniter and the second-type of igniter transmits a response to the controller after receiving an activation signal from the controller.

16. The gas-fired appliance of claim 15 further comprising a current sensing circuit connected to the first-type of igniter and the controller, the current sensing circuit operable to transmit a signal to the controller indicative that the first-type of igniter is present when current through the first-type of igniter exceeds a threshold value.

17. The gas-fired appliance of claim 15 further comprising an igniter module connected to the controller and the second-type of igniter, the igniter module operable to transmit an activation signal to the second-type of igniter, and if activation occurs, transmit a signal to the controller indicative that the second-type of igniter is present.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a current sensing circuit connected to the first-type of igniter and the controller and an igniter module connected to the second-type of igniter and the controller, the current sensing circuit operable to transmit a signal to the controller indicative that the first-type of igniter is present when current through the first-type of igniter exceeds a threshold value, the igniter module operable to transmit an activation signal to the second-type of igniter, and if activation occurs, transmit a signal to the controller indicative that the second-type of igniter is present.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the first-type of igniter comprises a first material and the second-type of igniter comprises a second material different than the first-type of material.

20. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the first-type of igniter comprises silicon carbide and the second-type of igniter comprises silicon nitride.

21. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the first-type of igniter comprises silicon nitride and the second-type of igniter comprises silicon carbide.

22. An apparatus for detecting a type of igniter in a boiler, the apparatus comprising:

a controller connectable to at least one of a first-type of igniter and a second-type of igniter different than the first type of igniter, the controller operable to transmit a signal at substantially the same time to the first-type of igniter and the second-type of igniter

a current sensing circuit connected to the controller and the first-type of igniter, the current sensing circuit operable to transmit a signal to the controller indicative that the first-type of igniter is present if current through the first-type of igniter exceeds a threshold value; and

an igniter module connected to the controller and the second-type of igniter, and if activation occurs, transmit a signal to the controller indicative that the second-type of igniter is present.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the first-type of igniter comprises a first material and the second-type of igniter comprises a second material different than the first-type of material.

24. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the first-type of igniter comprises silicon carbide and the second-type of igniter comprises silicon nitride.

25. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the first-type of igniter comprises silicon nitride and the second-type of igniter comprises silicon carbide.