Control system

A direct current energizable low voltage control system for enabling a fuel valve of a fuel burner comprising:

• means for actuating the fuel valve and a semiconductor device in series circuit relation therewith wherein current flow therethrough enables the fuel valve to effect a flow of a combustible fuel from the burner;
• means responsive to system energization for rendering the semi-conductor device conductive a predetermined time after system energization;
• means for igniting the fuel emitted from the fuel burner;
• means disposed near the fuel burner for detecting when a flame is present;
• and
• means coupled to the detecting means for interrupting the current flow through the actuating means another predetermined time after system energization only if the detecting means does not indicate that a flame is present.

A low voltage thermostatically energizable control system for a combustible fuel burner having a fuel flow control valve comprising:

• means for actuating the control valve to effect flow of a combustible fuel from the fuel burner;
• means near the fuel burner for indicating when a flame is present;
• means near the fuel burner for defining a spark gap;
• a low voltage to high voltage converter coupled to the spark gap defining means for causing an arc across the spark gap when enabled and including a pair of step-up transformer devices, and a threshold discharge circuit interconnecting the step-up transformer devices, one of the step-up transformer devices receiving a low voltage input and providing an increased voltage output to the threshold discharge circuit and the other of the step-up transformer devices being enabled by a discharge of the threshold discharge circuit to provide a high voltage output to the spark gap defining means;
• and
• means in circuit relation with the one step-up transformer device for inducing oscillations therein when current from a low voltage source is allowed to flow therethrough.