GB2393498A

GB2393498A - Remote controller for a boiler

Info

Publication number: GB2393498A
Application number: GB0222308A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Scott O'neill; Ian Barratt
Original assignee: CQI CT GLOW
Current assignee: CQI CT GLOW
Priority date: 2002-09-26
Filing date: 2002-09-26
Publication date: 2004-03-31
Also published as: GB0222308D0

Abstract

A safety device 10 is connected to a combustible fuel heating boiler 12 to allow control of the operation of the boiler. A receiver 22 allows control signals to operate the boiler remotely when transmitted from a separate location. The receiver may receive RF electromagnetic signals or it may be connected directly to an electrical supply and receive signals along the cables of the supply. The control signals may command the boiler to switch on or off, to provide hot water for heating only or for hot water only or for both, or to vary the temperature of the water. A microprocessor 14 generates the control signals. A display unit 18 is arranged to display the operating status of the boiler as well as data such as boiler temperature and time to next service. An output buffer 20 in the form of one or more relays supplies the boiler with control signals from the microprocessor.

Description

Controller The present invention relates to a controller and particularly,

but not exclusively, to a controller for a boiler of a domestic central heating system or the like.

Domestic central heating systems are well known and generally include a gas-fired or oil-fed 5 boiler or the like which is arranged to heat water for the purposes of heating the building and/or providing hot running water. In the UK, there are statutory requirements placed upon the landlord of a domestic premises in relation to the servicing of central heating systems.

These include Regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 which states that: 10 'a landlord shall ensure that each appliance andilue is checkedfor safety within 12 months of being installed and at intervals of not more than 12 months since it was last checked for safety'. The approved code of practice for these regulations states that 'a landlord shall take all reasonable steps to gain access (to the property)', and that 'it is finally for a court to decide 15 whether all reasonable steps have in fact been taken and whether a landlord is guilty of an offence'. However, some tenants are unwilling to co-operate with the landlord and may prevent the landlord and/or his service engineer from gaining access to the property in order to check and/or service the central heating apparatus. In such circumstances, the tenant may continue 20 to use the central heating apparatus well past the period at which it is due for servicing with the landlord being unable to prevent this. Such use beyond the period for servicing can pose a threat to the safety of the tenants and may leave the landlord open to legal action.

It would be advantageous to provide an apparatus or method which addresses this problem.

GB2,363,450 discloses a central heating safety device which comprises a boiler control unit 25 and a timer. The timer is arranged to switch off the central heating system via the controller

c 2 after a pre-determined period, for example a year, if the apparatus has not been serviced or otherwise checked within that time. This system suffers the disadvantage that if there is a legitimate reason why a service engineer has not serviced or otherwise checked the apparatus, for example because the tenant is on holiday or if the workload of the engineer does not 5 permit such action, the device will switch off the boiler of its own accord thus leaving the tenant with no heating or hot water.

It is an aim of the present invention to address this and other disadvantages of the prior art.

According to one aspect of the present invention, therefore, there is provided a safety device for a combustible fuel heating apparatus comprising receiver means for receiving a first 10 control signal from an associated remote transmitter and generating a second control signal in response thereto and control means for controlling the heating apparatus in response to receipt of the second control signal.

In one embodiment, the first control signal is an electromagnetic or ultrasonic control signal and the transmitter is carried by an engineer or other service personnel. The "wire-less" IS communication between the transmitter and the receiver permits control of the heating apparatus from substantially any location within a predetermined radius of the heating apparatus. In another embodiment, the first control signal is an electrical signal transmitted along one or more cables of a mains electrical supply or the like. The electrical supply may be the mains 20 supply to the heating apparatus itself. Alternatively, the electrical supply may be a different supply which is itself electrically connected to the supply for the heating apparatus.

In this embodiment, the transmitter may be arranged to plug into the electrical outlet or socket of a suitable electrical supply and transmit the first control signal along one or more of the cables of the electrical supply. The live, neutral or ground cable of the electrical supply 25 may be used.

Advantageously, on receipt of the first control signal, the receiver means is arranged to apply the second control signal to the control means which controls the operation of the heating apparatus in response thereto.

Preferably, the control means is operable selectively to switch off the heating apparatus. The 5 control means may also be operable selectively to switch on the apparatus.

In a preferred embodiment, the control means is additionally operable to program and/or initiate a series of operating parameters for the heating apparatus.

The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a schematic diagram of a preferred form of controller 10 according to the invention.

Referring to the drawing, a preferred form of controller according to the invention is shown generally at 10. The controller is connected to a combustible fuel boiler 12 and is arranged to apply boiler control signals thereto in order to control operation of the boiler. For example, the controller 10 can command the boiler 12 to switch on and/or switch off, to 15 provide hot water for heating only, for hot water only or for both or to increase or decrease the temperature of the water. The controller is also operable to supply a reset signal to the boiler in the event of incorrect operation thereof.

The controller 10 comprises a microprocessor 14 or the like which generates the boiler control signals in response to input signals received from a control panel 16. The control 20 panel 16 includes a number of buttons (not shown) which are operable by the user to set up the desired operating programme for the boiler 12.

A display unit 18 is connected to the microprocessor 14 and is arranged to display the operating status of the boiler 12, as well as other information such as the current operating programrne, boiler temperature and time to next service. Boiler control signals generated by 25 the microprocessor 14 are supplied to the boiler 12 via an output buffer 20 in the form of one

c or more relays. Preferably, the output buffer 20 comprises two relays which are arranged to receive the boiler control signals from the microprocessor 14 and switch on or off in dependence thereon. The switching of the relays controls the operation of the boiler in a known manner, for example by switching on or off the central heating or by switching on or 5 off the supply of hot water.

The controller 10 also includes a receiver 22 which is adapted to receive first control signals in the form of radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic signals from a remote transmitter unit (not shown) via an aerial 24. The received first control signals are applied by the receiver 22 to the microprocessor 14 which generates the appropriate boiler control signals for 10 controlling the boiler 12.

The transmitter unit (not shown) is preferably a portable unit carried by a service engineer or other authorised person and is arranged to generate and transmit a plurality of RF first control signals, each representing a specific instruction for the controller 10. For example, the transmitter unit may be operable to transmit RF first control signals representing the same 15 instructions as can be achieved by the tenant using the control panel 16.

For example, the transmitter unit may be arranged to transmit an 'off' signal to the controller which is transmitted as an RF electromagnetic signal and received, via the antenna 24, by the receiver 22. The receiver 22 applies the RF control signal to the micro-processor 14 which sends a boiler control signal to the boiler 12, via the output buffer 20, to switch off the boiler.

20 In another exemplary embodiment of the invention (not shown), the receiver 22 is connected to the mains electrical supply or other electrical supply to the heating apparatus and is arranged to receive first control signals in the form of electrical pulses or other signals on one or more of the cables forming the electrical supply. On receiving the first control signals, the receiver applies these signals to the microprocessor as described above.

25 In this embodiment, the transmitter carried by the service engineer is arranged to plug into a suitable wall socket or other power outlet of an electrical power supply in order to transmit

the first control signals along the cables of the electrical supply. The power supply into which the transmitter is connected need not necessarily be the power supply to the heating apparatus itself, i.e. on the same ring main or circuit. Since the neutral and/or earth cables of the power supply may be used for the transmission of the first control signals from the transmitter, it 5 may be possible to use a different ring main or circuit in the building in which the heating apparatus is located or, advantageously, even a ring main or circuit in an adjacent or nearby building. If the phase of the power supply to the socket desired to be used by the service engineer is the same as that of the power supply to the heating apparatus, it should be possible to communicate between the transmitter and the receiver 22, even if the socket and 10 heating apparatus are not located in the same building or connected to the same electrical ring main. It will be appreciated that the present invention provides a simple but effective solution to the problem of gaining access to the controller of a central heating apparatus. The service engineer or other authorised person need not have physical access to the central heating 15 apparatus, controller or boiler in order to control and adjust the operation of the central heating apparatus. In use, therefore, if the service engineer is refused access to a property in order to gain access to a central heating apparatus which is due for servicing, he is able, at his discretion, selectively to switch off the boiler 12 of the central heating apparatus by means of the transmitter unit without having to gain physical access to the apparatus itself.

20 It will be appreciated that various possibilities arise for the operation for the present invention. In particular, the transmitter unit may be arranged to transmit first control signals representing one or more of a plurality of different instructions to the controller 10. Such instructions may include an 'off' instruction, thereby to turn the boiler 12 off; an 'on' instruction thereby to switch the boiler 12 back on; or a 'reset' instruction thereby to reset the 25 controller 10 and boiler 12. In addition, it may be possible for the service engineer to set up the operating programme for the central heating apparatus remotely in much the same way that the user sets up the programme via the control panel 16.

For the first embodiment of the invention, the transmitter and receiver may communicate

using electromagnetic signals of any suitable frequency/wavelength. For example radio frequency signals, VHF or UHF signals, infrared signals or ultrasonic signals may be used.

The antenna 24 may be external to the controller and connected via a suitable cable or may be integral with the receiver 22 and controller 10. The "wire-less" communication between 5 the transmitter and the receiver permits control of the heating apparatus from substantially any location within a predetermined radius of the heating apparatus, which may be dependent upon the power of the transmitter.

The display unit 18 may be arranged to display a signal advising the user that the apparatus has been switched off pending servicing by a qualified service engineer. Such a message may 10 be displayed by the display 18 in response to a suitable RF control signal from the transmitter unit.

Claims

1. A safety device for a combustible fuel heating apparatus, the device comprising receiver means for receiving a first control signal from a remote transmitter and generating a second control signal in response thereto and control means for controlling the heating apparatus in 5 response to receipt of the second control signal.

2. A safety device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first control signal is an electromagnetic control signal and the transmitter is a remote transmitter carried by an engineer or other service personnel.

3. A safety device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first control signal is an electrical control 10 signal and the receiver means is arranged to receive said first control signal on one or more cables of a connected electrical power supply for said heating apparatus.

3. A safety device as claimed in any of claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein, on receipt of the first control signal, the receiver means is arranged to apply the second control signal to the control means which controls the operation of the heating apparatus in response thereto.

15

4. A safety device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the control means is operable selectively to switch off the heating apparatus.

5. A safety device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the control means is operable selectively to switch on the apparatus.

6. A safety device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the control means is operable 20 to program and/or initiate a series of operating parameters for the heating apparatus.