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US 6,649,881 B2Granted
Electric water heater with pulsed electronic control and detection
AssigneeAmerican Water Heater Company
InventorsAllen Scott, William Stout
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention is directed to a water heater which includes a water container; an element located to heat water in the water container; a sensor located to sense temperature proximate the element; and a controller connected to the element and the sensor, the controller being programmed to energize the element with at least one electrical pulse over a predetermined time interval, comparing temperature information received from the sensor with a predetermined temperature, and disengaging the element in the event that the temperature received from the sensor is greater than a predetermined temperature for the predetermined time interval.
Claims49
An electric water heater comprising:
- a water container;
- an element located to heat water in said water container;
- a sensor located to sense temperature proximate said element;
- and
- a controller connected to said element and said sensor, said controller being programmed to energize said element with at least one electrical pulse within a predetermined time interval, comparing temperature information received from said sensor with a predetermined temperature, and disengaging said element in the event that said temperature received from said sensor is greater than said predetermined temperature.
2 more elements
An electric water heater comprising:
- a water tank;
- an element located to heat water in said water tank;
- a thermistor located to sense temperature adjacent said element;
- and
- a controller connected to said element and said thermistor said controller being programmed to energize said element with at least one electrical pulse within a predetermined time interval, comparing temperature information received from said thermistor with a predetermined temperature difference, and deenergizing said element in the event that a sensed temperature over a predetermined time interval is greater than a predetermined temperature difference, wherein there is substantially no degradation of said element within said predetermined time interval.
2 more elements
An electric water heater comprising:
- a water container;
- an element located to heat water in said water container;
- a sensor located to sense temperature proximate said element;
- and
- a controller connected to said element and said sensor, said controller being programmed to energize said element with a plurality of electrical pulses within a predetermined time interval, comparing temperature information received from said sensor with a predetermined temperature, and disengaging said element in the event that said temperature received from said sensor is greater than a predetermined temperature for said predetermined time interval.
2 more elements
An electric water heater comprising:
- a water heater;
- an element located to heat water in said water container;
- a sensor located to sense temperature proximate said element;
- and
- a controller connected to said element and said sensor, said controller being programmed to energize said element with at least one electrical pulse within a predetermined timed interval, comparing temperature information received from said sensor with a predetermined temperature, and disengaging said element in the event that said temperature received from said sensor is greater than a predetermined temperature or said temperature time interval;
- wherein said controller is capable of comparing temperature information received from said sensor with an additional predetermined temperature and engaging a controller lockout based on the result thereof.
3 more elements
An electric water heater comprising:
- a water tank;
- an element located to heat water in said water tank;
- a thermistor located to sense temperature adjacent said element;
- and
- a controller connected to said element and said thermistor, said controller being programmed through energized said element with at least electrical one pulse within a predetermined time interval, comparing temperature information received from said thermistor with a predetermined temperature difference, and deenergizing said element in the event that a sense temperature over a predetermined time interval is greater than a predetermined temperature difference, wherein there is substantially no degradation of said element within said predetermined time interval;
- and
- wherein said controller is capable of comparing temperature information received from said sensor with a third predetermined temperature and engaging a controller lockout based on the result thereof.
4 more elements
An electric water heater comprising:
- a water container;
- an element located to heat water in said water container;
- a sensor located to sense temperature proximate said element;
- and
- a controller connected to said element and said sensor, said controller being programmed to energize said element with a plurality of electrical pulses within a predetermined time interval, comparing temperature information received from said sensor with a predetermined temperature, and disengaging said element in the event that said temperature received from said sensor is greater than a predetermined temperature for said predetermined time interval;
- wherein said controller is capable of comparing temperature information received from said sensor with an additional predetermined temperature, and engaging a controller lockout based on the results thereof.
3 more elements
In an electric water heater comprising a water container:
- an element located to heat water in said container;
- a sensor located to sense temperature proximate said element;
- and
- a controller for monitoring sensed temperature of said sensor and operating to heat water in said water container to a preset temperature, wherein said controller further adjusts a control temperature of a water in the water container a defined amount from said preset temperature, wherein said at least one element is turned on, said element comprising a heat transmissive base member capable of extending through and sealingly engaging a wall of said water container, said base member having a recess containing a thermistor, members electrically connected to said thermistor extending outwardly of said base member to transmit temperature information to said controller, a heater coil extending outwardly from said base member into said water container.
1 more element
In an electric water heater having a controller programmed to transmit power in the form of at least one electrical pulse within a predetermined time interval, to compare received temperature information with a predetermined temperature, and to disengaging in the event that said temperature received is greater than said predetermined temperature, a water heating system comprising:
- a heat transmissive base member extending through and sealingly engage a wall of a water heater tank, said base member having a recess;
- a thermistor positioned in said recess;
- members electrically connected to said thermistor and extending outwardly of said base member to transmit said temperature information to said controller;
- a sheathing sealed to and extending outwardly from said base member and into said water heater tank;
- a heating coil positioned within said sheathing;
- and
- members extending outwardly of said base member and electrically connected to said controller to transmit said power to said heating coil.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.