Water heater monitor/diagnostic display apparatus

• US 7,818,095 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2008
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rheem Manufacturing Company (Paloma Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Rheem Manufacturing Company (Paloma Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hotton, Bruce A., Castleberry, Walter T., Trant, Troy E., Boros, Jozef, Harrigill, William T.
• Primary Examiner(s): TSAI, CAROL S W
• Application Number:
  US12/013,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20080188995A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• Field of Search: 700/300, 392/441, 392/454, 392/463, 392/478, 392/447, 392/497, 219/490, 219/497, 219/492, 219/481, 219/494, 122/14.22, 122/14.1, 236/20.R, 237/2.B, 237/8.R
• US Class Current: 700/300
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 1/202 with resistances
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 1/205 with furnace tubes
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/104 Inspection; Diagnosis; Trial operation
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/223 in the water storage tank
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/36 of burners
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/395 Information to users, e.g. alarms
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 9/2021 Storage heaters
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 9/2035 using fluid fuel

Abstract

A water heater is provided with monitor/diagnostic display apparatus that selectively provides a user with visual or other type of indicia of the remaining hot water availability of, the recovery time for, and the overall efficiency of the water heater. The apparatus includes a monitoring unit that may be mounted on the water heater, and a display unit that may be mounted either on the water heater or remotely therefrom.

Claims

1. For use with a water heater in which heated water is stored in a tank portion thereof for on-demand delivery therefrom, the water heater having a predetermined heated water setpoint temperature T_max and a predetermined minimum water temperature T_min, monitor/diagnostic apparatus comprising:

a monitoring portion having only a single sensing structure providing measurement of tank water temperature T_meas, the monitoring portion being operative to generate an output signal indicative of T_meas; and

a diagnostic portion operable to receive said output signal and responsively generate a hot water availability signal indicating to a user of the water heater its approximate remaining amount of available hot water at a temperature above T_min with a starting stored water delivery temperature of T_meas.

2. The monitor/diagnostic apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

said hot water availability signal is a visual display.

3. The monitor/diagnostic apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

said monitoring portion is mountable on the water heater.

4. The monitor/diagnostic apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

said diagnostic portion is mountable on the water heater.

5. The monitor/diagnostic apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

said diagnostic portion is mountable remotely from the water heater.

6. The monitor/diagnostic apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

said monitoring portion and said diagnostic portion are operative to communicate with one another via a wired connection.

7. The monitor/diagnostic apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

said monitoring portion and said diagnostic portion are operative to wirelessly communicate with one another.

8. The monitor/diagnostic apparatus of claim 1 wherein;

the magnitude of said hot water availability signal is related in a predetermined manner to T_meas, T_max, and T_min.

9. The monitor/diagnostic apparatus of claim 8 wherein:

the magnitude of said hot water availability signal is incrementally varied as a function of predetermined incremental relationships between (1) T_meas and (2) T_max and T_min.

10. The monitor/diagnostic apparatus of claim 1 wherein;

the magnitude of said hot water availability signal is solely a function of temperature parameters.

11. The monitor/diagnostic apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

said monitor/diagnostic apparatus is operable to reset T_max.

12. The monitor/diagnostic apparatus of claim 11 wherein:

said monitor/diagnostic apparatus is operable to reset T_max to T_meas in the event that T_meas becomes greater than T_max.

13. Water heating apparatus comprising:

a water heater operative to heat water stored in a tank portion thereof for on-demand delivery therefrom, the water heater having a predetermined heated water setpoint temperature T_max and a predetermined minimum water temperature T_min; and

monitor/diagnostic apparatus operatively associated with said water heater and having;

a monitoring portion having only a single sensing structure providing measurement of tank water temperature T_meas, the monitoring portion being operative to generate an output signal indicative of T_meas; and

a diagnostic portion operable to receive said output signal and responsively generate a hot water availability signal indicating to a user of said water heater its approximate remaining amount of available hot water at a temperature above T_min with a starting stored water delivery temperature of T_meas.

14. The water heating apparatus of claim 13 wherein:

said water heater is a fuel-fired water heater.

15. The water heating apparatus of claim 13 wherein:

said water heater is an electric water heater.

16. The water heating apparatus of claim 13 wherein:

said hot water availability signal is a visual display.

17. The water heating apparatus of claim 13 wherein:

the magnitude of said hot water availability signal is solely a function of temperature parameters.

18. The water heating apparatus of claim 13 wherein:

the magnitude of said hot water availability signal is related in a predetermined manner to T_meas, T_max, and T_min.

19. The water heating apparatus of claim 13 wherein:

the magnitude of said hot water availability signal is incrementally varied as a function of predetermined incremental relationships between (1) T_meas and (2) T_max and T_min.

20. For use with a water heater in which heated water is stored for on-demand delivery therefrom, the water heater having a predetermined heated water setpoint temperature T_max and a predetermined minimum water temperature T_min, monitor/diagnostic apparatus comprising:

a monitoring portion having only a single sensing structure operable to detect a temperature T_meas of the stored water, the monitoring portion being operative to responsively generate an output signal indicative of the magnitude of T_meas; and

a diagnostic portion operable to receive said output signal, responsively generate a hot water availability signal indicating to a user of the water heater the approximate remaining total hot water availability of the water heater, and incrementally vary the magnitude of said hot water availability signal as a function of predetermined incremental relationships between (1) T_meas and meas (2) predetermined algorithms containing T_max and T_min.

21. The monitor/diagnostic apparatus of claim 20 wherein:

said single sensing structure detects water temperature at only a single vertical location in the stored water.

22. Water heating apparatus comprising:

a water heater operative to heat water stored therein for on-demand delivery therefrom, the water heater having a predetermined heated water setpoint temperature T_max and a predetermined minimum water temperature T_min; and

monitor/diagnostic apparatus operatively associated with said water heater and having;

a monitoring portion having only a single sensing structure operable to detect a temperature T_meas of the stored water, the monitoring portion being operative to responsively generate an output signal indicative of the magnitude of T_meas; and

a diagnostic portion operable to receive said output signal, responsively generate a hot water availability signal indicating to a user of said water heater the approximate remaining total hot water availability of the water heater, and incrementally vary the magnitude of said hot water availability signal as a function of predetermined incremental relationships between (1) T_meas and (2) predetermined algorithms containing T_max and T_min.

23. The water heating apparatus of claim 22 wherein:

said single sensing structure detects water temperature at only a single vertical location in the stored water.

24. For use with a water heater in which heated water is stored for on-demand delivery therefrom, the water heater having a predetermined heated water setpoint temperature T_max and a predetermined minimum water temperature T_min, monitor/diagnostic apparatus comprising:

a monitoring portion operable to detect, at only a single height in the stored water, a temperature T_meas of the stored water and responsively generate an output signal indicative of the magnitude of T_meas; and

a diagnostic portion operable to receive said output signal and responsively generate a hot water availability signal indicating to a user of the water heater its approximate remaining amount of available hot water at a temperature above T_min with a starting stored water delivery temperature of T_meas.

25. Water heating apparatus comprising:

a water heater operative to heat water heater stored therein for on-demand delivery therefrom, the water heater having a predetermined heated water setpoint temperature T_max and a predetermined minimum water temperature T_min; and

monitor/diagnostic apparatus operatively associated said water heater and having;

a monitoring portion operable to detect, at only a single height in the stored water, a temperature T_meas of the stored water and responsively generate an output signal indicative of the magnitude of T_meas; and

a diagnostic portion operable to receive said output signal and responsively generate a hot water availability signal indicating to a user of said water heater its approximate remaining hot water at a temperature above T_min with a starting stored water delivery temperature of T_meas.