JP2001193928A - Monitoring system for imperfect combustion of gas combuster - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To distinguish whether imperfect combustion is temporary or caused by aged degradation. SOLUTION: A carbon monoxide sensor 11 for detecting imperfect combustion of a hot-water supply system 1 is provided in a stack adaptor 3 to be combined with the exhaust stack of the hot-water supply system 1. When determination means 21 detects imperfect combustion based on carbon monoxide concentration detected by the carbon monoxide sensor 11, a shut-off valve 13 is closed to stop the operation of the hot-water supply system 1. Counting means 25 counts the frequency of operation shutdown, and when the count reaches a predetermined number of times, the hot-water supply system 1 is prohibited to resume operation. When the operation of the hot-water supply system 1 is resumed after it is stopped due to imperfect combustion, however, if running time integrated by running-time integrating means 28 exceeds a predetermined time, reset means 29 resets the count of the counting means 25 regarding that temporary imperfect combustion has occurred.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for monitoring non-combustibility of gas combustion equipment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recent gas-fired equipment is provided with a safety device for stopping the gas-fired equipment when incomplete combustion is detected in order to enhance safety. This kind of safety device is configured such that even if the gas combustion device is stopped by the operation of the safety device, the operation of the gas combustion device can be restarted up to a specified number of times (for example, three times). This is because even if the gas combustion device is stopped due to the detection of incomplete combustion by the operation of the safety device, maintenance of the gas combustion device is not necessarily required,
This is because the convenience is reduced if maintenance is performed each time the gas combustion device is stopped by the safety device. However, the number of recoverable times is limited, and when the number of times the operation is restarted after the gas combustion device is stopped by the operation of the safety device reaches a specified number, the restart of the operation is prohibited.

[0003]

Incidentally, as described above, even if incomplete combustion is detected by the safety device, maintenance of the gas combustion device is often unnecessary. For example, the gas combustion device is installed indoors and exhausted outdoors. In the gas combustion device described above, the amount of air introduced into the gas combustion device may be temporarily insufficient due to the influence of a strong wind outdoors, resulting in incomplete combustion. However, as described above, the number of recoverable times is limited, so even if the gas combustion device is not abnormal, the number of recoverable times is reduced if the safety device operates, and even if the gas combustion device is not abnormal. Regardless, the gas combustion device may become unusable.

To solve this problem, it is conceivable to increase the number of recoverable times. However, if the number of recoverable times increases, a problem arises in that the response is delayed when an abnormality occurs in the gas combustion device.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to be able to promptly respond to an abnormality in a gas-fired device, and to detect an abnormality in a gas-fired device even if incomplete combustion is detected. Another object of the present invention is to provide a non-combustible monitoring device for a gas-fired device that makes it possible to continue using the gas-fired device.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a non-combustible sensor for detecting incomplete combustion of a gas-fired device, and a judging means for judging presence or absence of incomplete combustion of the gas-fired device based on a detection output of the non-combustible sensor. A stop control means for stopping the gas combustion equipment when the incomplete combustion is detected by the determination means; a counting means for counting the number of times the gas combustion equipment is stopped by the stop control means; and a count value by the counting means. Return prohibiting means for prohibiting the restart of the operation of the gas-fired device when the number of times is reached, and integrating the operation time of the gas-fired device after the restart when the operation is restarted after the gas-fired device is stopped by the stop control means. The apparatus includes operating time integrating means and reset means for resetting the count value of the counting means when the time integrated by the operating time integrating means reaches a specified time.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the first aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the gas combustion apparatus is a water heater that is installed indoors and exhausts air outdoors.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the non-combustible sensor is housed in a housing which is separate from the gas-fired device and can be mounted on an exhaust passage of the gas-fired device. It is characterized by having been done.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of exhaust gas of the gas-fired device is provided in the housing, and the gas-fired device is detected based on a temperature detected by the temperature sensor. Operation monitoring means for detecting the operation and stop of the gas combustion device. The operation time integration means integrates the time during which the operation of the gas combustion equipment is detected by the operation monitoring means.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the third or fourth aspect, the non-combustible sensor is a carbon monoxide sensor.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the embodiments of the invention described below, a water heater installed indoors and exhausted to the outside as a gas-fired device is exemplified, and a gas heater is installed in a housing mounted on an exhaust passage of the water heater. Although an example in which incomplete combustion is detected by the provided carbon monoxide sensor is shown, the gas combustion equipment is not limited to this type of water heater. Further, the non-combustible sensor for detecting incomplete combustion is not limited to the carbon monoxide sensor, and other types of sensors such as a thermocouple for detecting the temperature of the tip of the flame at a predetermined distance from the flame opening of the gas burner may be employed. .

As shown in FIG. 2, an exhaust pipe 2 is provided on the upper surface of a water heater 1 installed indoors, and an exhaust pipe 4 is connected to the exhaust pipe 2 via an exhaust pipe adapter 3. The water heater 1 is configured to heat water by burning fuel gas such as city gas with a burner to supply hot water. In the present embodiment, the water heater 1 does not have a function of detecting incomplete combustion. Is used. The exhaust pipe adapter 3 is formed in a shape in which connecting pipes 3b are protruded from two surfaces of a housing 3a formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and each connecting pipe 3b is connected to the exhaust pipe 2 and the exhaust pipe 4 of the water heater 1 respectively. Is done. The exhaust pipe 4 is drawn out. Therefore, the exhaust gas of the water heater 1 passes through the exhaust pipe adapter 3 and is discharged outside through the exhaust pipe 4. As described above, the water heater 1 of the present embodiment does not have a function of detecting incomplete combustion. A carbon monoxide sensor as a non-combustible sensor for detecting incomplete combustion is provided inside the exhaust pipe adapter 3. Further, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of exhaust gas to determine whether or not the water heater 1 is operating is also provided inside the exhaust pipe adapter 3. Exhaust cylinder adapter 3
Since the housing 3a has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, the air flow of the exhaust gas can be disturbed inside, and the exhaust gas can be agitated to sufficiently contact the carbon monoxide sensor and the temperature sensor. In addition, incomplete combustion caused by burner contamination may occur unevenly in a part of the burner.However, since the incomplete combustion is detected based on the concentration of carbon monoxide in exhaust gas, incomplete combustion is prevented. Even if it occurs in a part of the burner, it can be detected.

The carbon monoxide sensor and the temperature sensor provided on the exhaust pipe adapter 3 are connected to a control device 5 provided separately, and the control device 5 determines whether or not there is incomplete combustion. When control device 5 detects incomplete combustion, control device 5 shuts off a shutoff valve provided on the supply path of fuel gas to the burner in water heater 1.

This will be described more specifically. As shown in FIG. 1, a carbon monoxide sensor (hereinafter, referred to as a “CO sensor”) 11 and a temperature sensor 12 including a thermistor are arranged inside the exhaust pipe adapter 3. The output of the CO sensor 11 is input to the determination means 21 provided in the control device 5 which is separate from the exhaust pipe adapter 3, and the carbon monoxide concentration detected by the CO sensor 11 is set to a threshold value set in the determination means 21. When the state exceeding the predetermined time is continued for a predetermined time, the judging means 21 shuts off the shut-off valve 13 of the water heater 1 through the stop control means 22 composed of a relay to extinguish the burner 14. Judgment means 2
In 1, the concentration of carbon monoxide that shuts off the shutoff valve 13 is 1
It is set to about 300 ppm, and the duration is set to about 1 minute. Since it is meaningless to detect the concentration of carbon monoxide unless the water heater 1 is in operation, an operation monitoring means 23 for monitoring the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 12 is provided. It is determined that the heater 1 is operating (the burner 14 is ignited) and the determination means 21 determines the carbon monoxide concentration. Water heater 1
Is determined to be about 60 ° C.

As described with the conventional configuration, if maintenance such as cleaning of the burner 14 is performed only by detecting incomplete combustion once, the usability is deteriorated and the convenience is reduced. Therefore, a return operation means 24 including a push button switch is provided, and the shutoff state of the shutoff valve 13 by the stop control means 22 can be released by operating the return operation means 24. That is, when the shut-off valve 13 is shut off by the stop control means 22, if the return operation means 24 is operated, the shut-off valve 13 can be opened again and the burner 14 can be ignited.

However, if the operation can be performed indefinitely by the operation of the return operation means 24, the response is delayed even though maintenance such as cleaning of the burner 14 is required. Is done. In order to limit the number of recoverable times, the number of times that the shutoff valve 13 is shut off by the determination means 21 through the stop control means 22 is counted by the counting means 25 which is a counter.
When the count value at the time reaches the specified number (set to three times), the stop control means 2 via the return prohibiting means 26 so that the shut-off valve 13 is not opened even if the return operation means 24 is operated.
2 is controlled. In short, the return prohibition unit 26 prohibits the restart of the operation of the water heater 1 when the count value of the counting unit 25 reaches the specified number. Also, since the counting means 25 counts the number of times the shut-off valve 13 has been shut off due to the detection of incomplete combustion, by displaying that the shut-off valve 13 has been shut off and the number of shut-offs on the display means 27, Notify the user that incomplete combustion has been detected.

Since one end of the exhaust pipe 4 is drawn out to the outside, if a strong wind such as a typhoon is generated, it is not possible to secure the air required for combustion in the burner 14 in the water heater 1. This can cause incomplete combustion temporarily. As described above, even if the incomplete combustion does not require maintenance of the water heater 1, the counting means 2
5 counts the number of times incomplete combustion has occurred, and when the number reaches the specified number, the operation of the water heater 1 cannot be restarted by operating the return operation means 24. Therefore, in the present embodiment, there is provided an operating time integrating means 28 for integrating the time during which the operation monitoring means 23 detects the operation of the water heater 1 based on the output of the temperature sensor 12, and the operating time integrating means 28 integrates the time. When the elapsed time reaches a specified time, the count value of the counting means 25 is reset via the reset means 29. At the same time as the counting means 25 is reset, the integration time of the operation time integration means is also reset. Here, the counting means 2 is reset by the reset means 29.
The specified time before resetting 5 is set to about 3 hours. However, this time can be appropriately set according to the installation conditions of the water heater 1 and the type of the gas combustion equipment, and can be set to, for example, about 1 to 2 hours.

As is apparent from the above-described operation, the operating time integrating means 28 integrates the time during which the water heater 1 has been operated without shutting off the shut-off valve 13. Therefore, the judgment means 2
1, when the operation is restarted by the return operation means 24 after it is determined that the incomplete combustion has occurred, the integrated value of the operation time of the water heater 1 until the incomplete combustion is detected next time is equal to the specified time. If it exceeds, it is judged that the previously generated incomplete combustion is transient incomplete combustion that does not require the maintenance of the water heater 1, and the reset means 29 resets the counting means 25. In this way, by distinguishing the incomplete combustion that requires maintenance caused by aging deterioration of the water heater 1 and the transient incomplete combustion that does not require maintenance by the integrated value of the operation time, when the maintenance is required, the hot water supply is performed. By prohibiting the operation of the water heater 1 at a relatively early stage, it is possible to respond promptly, and in the case of transient incomplete combustion that does not require maintenance, the water heater 1 can be continuously used to improve convenience. Can be enhanced.

The above-mentioned control device 5 includes a stop control means 22,
Except for the return operation unit 24 and the display unit 27, this can be realized by mounting an appropriate program on the microcomputer. The above operation is summarized as shown in FIG.
That is, when the water heater 1 is not operating, the operation of the CO sensor 11 is stopped (the CO sensor 11 is driven at a constant current, and the current supply is stopped when the water heater 1 is not operating). , The CO sensor 11 is in a standby state (S1). When the temperature of the exhaust gas detected by the temperature sensor 12 exceeds 60 ° C. (S2), CO 2
The output of the sensor 11 is taken into the determining means 21 (S3), and the operating time of the water heater 1
The sum is calculated in step 8 (S4). Operating time integrating means 28
When the accumulated time in (3) reaches 3 hours (S5), it is determined that the incomplete combustion is transient, and the counting means 25 and the operating time integrating means 28 are reset (S6). On the other hand, when the concentration of carbon monoxide detected by the CO sensor 11 is 13
If the state exceeding 00 ppm continues for 1 minute (S7),
Shut off the shutoff valve 13 to stop the operation of the water heater 1 (S
8). The detection of the carbon monoxide concentration by the CO sensor 11 is as follows.
Regardless of whether or not to reset the reset means 25,
This is performed at any time while the water heater 1 is in operation. When the water heater 1 is stopped as described above, 1 is added to the count value of the counting means 25 (S9). Thereafter, the return operation means 24 is operated (S10), and the above operation is repeated until the number of operations reaches three (S11). When the operation of the return operation means 24 exceeds three, the return operation means 24 is operated.
Is operated so that the operation of the water heater 1 is not restarted.

[0020]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a non-combustible sensor for detecting incomplete combustion of a gas-fired device, a judging means for judging the presence or absence of incomplete combustion of the gas-fired device based on a detection output of the non-combustible sensor. A stop control means for stopping the gas-fired equipment when incomplete combustion is detected, a counting means for counting the number of times the gas-fired equipment is stopped by the stop control means, and when the count value of the counting means reaches a specified number. Return prohibition means for prohibiting resumption of operation of the gas combustion equipment, and operation time accumulation means for accumulating the operation time of the gas combustion equipment after restarting operation when the operation is restarted after the gas combustion equipment has been stopped by the stop control means. And reset means for resetting the count value of the counting means when the time integrated by the operation time integrating means reaches a specified time, and incomplete combustion is detected. If the integrated value of the operating time exceeds the specified time when the operation is restarted after the combustion equipment has been temporarily stopped, it is determined that the previous incomplete combustion is transient and the past Resetting the count value of the number of times of incomplete combustion of the gas, it is possible to distinguish between incomplete combustion caused by aging of gas-fired equipment and transient incomplete combustion, In the case of complete combustion, gas combustion equipment can be continuously used, and there is an advantage that convenience is enhanced. In addition, if the combustion is incomplete due to aging, the resetting means is not reset and the restart of the operation of the gas combustion equipment is prohibited in a relatively short time, so that safety can be ensured. Quick response such as maintenance becomes possible.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water heater in which the gas-fired device is installed indoors and exhausts air outdoors, and is temporarily incomplete due to a strong wind due to a typhoon or the like. Although combustion may occur, convenience is enhanced by adopting the configuration of the first aspect of the present invention.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the non-combustible sensor is housed in a housing which is separate from the gas-fired device and can be mounted on an exhaust passage of the gas-fired device. This makes it possible to add a function of detecting incomplete combustion to a gas-fired appliance that does not have a function of detecting incomplete combustion.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of exhaust gas of the gas-fired device is provided in the housing, and the gas-fired device is detected based on a temperature detected by the temperature sensor. Operation monitoring means for detecting operation and stop of the gas combustion equipment, wherein the operation time integration means integrates the time during which the operation of the gas combustion equipment is detected by the operation monitoring means, and the temperature sensor detects the operation of the gas combustion equipment. Since the operation state is detected, the operation state of the gas combustion device can be detected without connecting an electric system to the gas combustion device, and it is easy to separate the gas combustion device from the gas combustion device.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the third or fourth aspect of the present invention, since the non-combustible sensor is a carbon monoxide sensor, incomplete combustion occurs in a part of a combustion part (burner) of a gas combustion device. Even in such a case, incomplete combustion can be detected, and the detection accuracy of incomplete combustion increases.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an appearance of a main part of the above.

FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory diagram of the above.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Water heater 3 Exhaust pipe adapter 3a Housing 11 Carbon monoxide sensor 12 Temperature sensor 21 Judgment means 22 Stop control means 25 Counting means 26 Return prohibition means 28 Operating time accumulation means 29 Reset means

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (71) Applicant 000161998 Keiyo Gas Co., Ltd. 2-8-8 Ichikawaminami, Ichikawa-shi, Chiba (71) Applicant 000006895 Yazaki Sogyo Co., Ltd. 1-4-28 Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo (72) Inventor Tatsunori Hara 4-1-2, Hirano-cho, Chuo-ku, Osaka City Inside (72) Inventor Tetsuji Morita 4-1-2, Hirano-cho, Chuo-ku, Osaka City Osaka Gas Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masaru Matsuno 23 Minamikashima, Futamata-cho, Tenryu-shi, Shizuoka Prefecture F-term in Yazaki Keiki Co., Ltd. (reference) 3K003 TB03 TB07 TC05 TC08

Claims (5)

[Claims] An incombustible sensor for detecting incomplete combustion of a gas-fired device, a judging means for judging the presence or absence of incomplete combustion of the gas-fired device based on a detection output of the non-combustible sensor; Stop control means for stopping the gas-fired equipment, a counting means for counting the number of times the gas-fired equipment is stopped by the stop control means, and restarting operation of the gas-fired equipment when the count value of the counting means reaches a specified number. Return prohibition means for prohibiting the operation of the gas-fired equipment, the operation time integration means for integrating the operation time of the gas-fired equipment after the restart of operation when the operation is restarted after the gas combustion equipment is stopped by the stop control means, and the operation time integration means A non-combustion monitoring device for a gas-fired device, comprising: reset means for resetting a count value of a counting means when an integrated time reaches a specified time. 2. The non-combustion monitoring device for gas-fired equipment according to claim 1, wherein the gas-fired equipment is a water heater that is installed indoors and exhausts air outdoors. 3. The gas-fired device according to claim 1, wherein the non-combustible sensor is separate from the gas-fired device and is housed in a housing that can be mounted on an exhaust passage of the gas-fired device. Non-combustion monitoring device for gas combustion equipment. 4. An operation monitoring means comprising: a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of exhaust gas of the gas-fired device in the housing; and detecting operation and stop of the gas-fired device based on a temperature detected by the temperature sensor. 4. The non-combustion monitoring device for a gas-fired device according to claim 3, wherein the operation time integrating device integrates the time during which the operation of the gas-fired device is detected by the operation monitoring device. 5. The non-combustible monitoring device for a gas-fired device according to claim 3, wherein the non-combustible sensor is a carbon monoxide sensor.