Method and device for flame monitoring

• US 7,382,140 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2006
• Issued: 06/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens Building Technologies Hvac Products GmbH (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Obrecht, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirshfeld; Andrew H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HOAI AN D
• Application Number:
  US11/429,285
• Publication Number:
  US 20070019361A1
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: 324/678, 324/676, 324/658, 324/649, 324/60, 324/648, 324/600, 340/577, 340/578, 340/628, 340/630, 250/554, 431/69, 431/79
• US Class Current: 324/678
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 2227/16 Checking components, e.g. electronic
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 2229/12 with flame rectification current detecting means
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 2231/06 for flame failures
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 5/123 using electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 5/242 using electronic means

Abstract

A capacitor connected to a voltage source is charged during a charging phase up to a voltage value, and during a discharging phase the capacitor is discharged via a coupling element connected to the flame sensor. The period for the charging or discharging phase of the capacitor respectively is selected in this case as a function of the characteristics of the flame sensor, especially of its impedance. For flame monitoring the charging and discharging of the capacitor is repeated cyclically, with the voltage signal obtained in this way being evaluated in single-channel mode with the aid of a threshold value.

Claims

1. A flame monitoring device, comprising:

a control unit;

a reference voltage source supplying a reference voltage; and

a capacitor connected to a reference voltage source via a switch, charged by the reference voltage during a charging phase, and discharged during a discharge phase via a coupling element connected to a flame sensor;

wherein the switch which is closed during the charging phase and opened for the discharging phase, is under control of the control unit,

wherein a duration of the charging phase or the discharging phase is determined by the control unit based on an impedance of the flame sensor,

and that, when initiated by the control unit for flame monitoring

wherein the charging or discharging of the capacitor is repeated cyclically, a voltage signal is obtained at the capacitor, and the voltage signal is evaluated in a single-channel mode using a threshold value.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the control unit includes an analog-digital (A/D) converter connected to the capacitor either directly or via a switch.

3. The device of claim 2, further comprising a voltage divider feeding back a phase of the utility frequency to the control unit.

4. The device of claim 3, further comprising a sample-and-hold element sampling the voltage signal synchronously with a utility frequency or with a multiple of the utility frequency.

5. The device of claim 4, further comprising a pulse shaper stage creating a control pulse based on the utility frequency for intermediate storage of the sampled values in a storage capacitor.