Water heater pilot operation
AssigneeRheem Manufacturing Company
InventorsJozef Boros, Larry D. Kidd, Raheel A. Chaudhry
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of controlling water heater pilot flame ignition includes receiving, by a controller of a water heater, a user input and controlling a pilot gas valve to start a gas flow to a pilot burner in response to the user input. The method further includes, in response to the user input, controlling, by the controller, an igniter to generate an ignition spark for lighting a pilot flame. The method also includes controlling, by the controller, the pilot gas valve to maintain the gas flow to the pilot burner if the pilot flame is lit.
Claims18
A method of controlling water heater pilot flame ignition, the method comprising:
- determining, by a controller of a water heater, that first data received from a flame sensor at a first time indicate that a continuous pilot flame at a pilot burner is not lit;
- controlling, by the controller, an igniter to generate an ignition spark for a threshold time for lighting the continuous pilot flame at the pilot burner in response to a user input, the threshold time based on the determination that the first data received from the flame sensor indicate that the continuous pilot flame is not lit;
- and
- in response to determining that the continuous pilot flame remains unlit after expiration of the threshold time based on second data received from the flame sensor after the first time, outputting a control signal to control a pilot gas valve to stop a gas flow to the pilot burner.
A method of controlling water heater pilot flame ignition, the method comprising:
- determining, by a controller of a water heater, that first data received from a flame sensor at a first time indicate that a continuous pilot flame at a pilot burner is not lit;
- controlling, by the controller, an igniter to generate an ignition spark for a threshold time for lighting the continuous pilot flame at the pilot burner in response to a user input, the threshold time based on the determination that the first data received from the flame sensor indicate that the continuous pilot flame is not lit;
- controlling, by the controller, the igniter to stop generating the ignition spark based on a determination that the continuous pilot flame remains unlit after expiration of the threshold time based on second data received from the flame sensor after the first time;
- and
- controlling, by the controller, a pilot gas valve to stop a gas flow to the pilot burner based on the determination that the continuous pilot flame remains unlit after expiration of the threshold time based on the second data received from the flame sensor after the first time.
A water heating system of a water heater, comprising:
- a pilot burner;
- a pilot gas valve;
- an igniter;
- a flame sensor;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- determine that first data received from the flame sensor at a first time indicate that a continuous pilot flame at the pilot burner is not lit;
- control the igniter to provide an ignition spark for a threshold time to light the continuous pilot flame at the pilot burner in response to a user input, the threshold time based on the determination that the first data received from the flame sensor indicate that the continuous pilot flame is not lit;
- and
- control the pilot gas valve to maintain a gas flow to the pilot burner if the continuous pilot flame is lit within the threshold time based on second data received from the flame sensor after the first time.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.