JP2003287225A - Combustion device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a combustion device capable of preventing exhaust gas from smelling even if combustion operation is performed with a casing cover opened in a secondary gas pressure regulating operation. <P>SOLUTION: This combustion device 1 comprises a fuel supply means 3, an air blowing means 4, and a control means 5 for regulating the supplied amounts of fuel and air supplied to a combustion part 2 during a combustion operation. The control means 5 detects by using, as a trigger, an operation signal for an operation means 6 for performing the regulating operation of a secondary gas pressure that the casing cover 11 of the combustion device 1 is in an opened state, and corrects the operating settings of the fuel supply means 3 and the air blowing means 4 to settings different from those for normal use states to avoid the occurrence of an air rich state by opening the casing cover 11 so as to prevent the exhaust gas from smelling. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a combustion device,
More specifically, the present invention relates to a combustion control technique in a combustion device including a control unit that adjusts the supply amount of fuel or air supplied to the combustion unit during combustion operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A combustion apparatus such as a water heater has been proposed in which the amount of fuel or air supplied to a combustion section such as a burner is controlled by a control section equipped with a microcomputer.

For example, in a combustion device that uses gas as fuel, the microcomputer of the control unit is based on a control program stored in the microcomputer.
It is configured to control the opening degree (fuel supply amount) of a gas pressure adjusting valve that adjusts the gas pressure of the fuel gas and the rotation speed (air supply amount) of a blower fan that blows air to the combustion unit.

By the way, in this type of combustion apparatus, the secondary gas pressure in the combustion section is regulated, and the system (for example, hot water circulation circuit for hot water heating, hot water circulation circuit for bath reheating, etc.) is tested, and so on. There is a case where an operation unit for performing the maintenance is mounted inside the housing.

Then, these operating parts open the cover of the housing by removing a part or all of the cover of the housing or opening a small door provided on the cover of the housing. It is said that it can be operated.

[0006]

However, the above-described conventional combustion apparatus has the following problems, and its improvement has been desired.

That is, the microcomputer of the control unit is equipped only with a control program that assumes a normal use state with the cover of the housing closed. for that reason,
When the combustion operation is performed with the cover of the case opened during maintenance such as adjustment of the secondary gas pressure or trial run of the system, the amount of air supplied to the combustion part due to the opening of the cover of the case becomes excessive. Therefore, there is a problem that the so-called air-rich state is caused, the emission amount of hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) increases, and exhaust odor is generated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to produce a combustion that does not generate an exhaust odor even if a combustion operation is performed with a cover of a casing opened during maintenance. To provide a device.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the combustion apparatus of the present invention comprises a fuel supply means for supplying fuel to the combustion section and a blowing means for forcibly blowing combustion air to the combustion section. And a control unit that controls the operations of the fuel supply unit and the blower unit to adjust the supply amount of fuel and air supplied to the combustion unit during the combustion operation. Of the fuel supply means and the blower means when the open state detecting means detects the open state of the housing cover. It is characterized by having a control configuration for operating at least one of the settings with a setting different from the setting in the normal use state.

That is, in the combustion apparatus of the present invention, part or all of the housing cover of the combustion apparatus is removed, or the door provided in the housing cover is opened,
When all or part of the housing cover is opened, the open state detection means detects this state (open state of the housing cover).

In this state, if the combustion operation is performed as usual, the combustion portion falls into the air rich state due to the open state of the housing cover. Therefore, in order to avoid such an air rich state, The control means sets the operation setting of the fuel supply means and the blower means different from the operation setting during the normal use (for example, the setting of the fuel supply amount of the fuel supply means is increased from that in the normal use state, Alternatively, the air flow rate of the air blower is set to be smaller than that in the normal use state) to prevent the air rich state from occurring.

The open state detecting means is configured to detect the open state of the housing cover by using the operation signal of the operating means mounted inside the housing cover as a trigger, or inside the housing cover. The open state of the housing cover is detected by using the detection signal from the sensor means provided at the trigger.

Here, the detection of the open state of the housing cover by the open state detecting means is triggered by the operation signal of the operating means mounted inside the housing cover. The combustion operation is performed only during the maintenance of the combustion device such as the adjustment of the secondary gas pressure of the combustion device and the test operation of the system.Most of the operating means for performing such maintenance is inside the housing cover. The open state of the housing cover can be detected by using the operation signal of the operating means as a trigger, and the sensor means such as a micro switch is provided inside the housing cover. This is because it can be detected that the case cover is in the open state.

It is preferable that these open state detecting means can detect whether the whole or a part of the case cover is in the open state. By doing so, the open state of the case cover (specifically, Can more finely set the fuel supply means and blower means according to the area of the opening that occurs on the front surface of the housing when the housing cover is opened, and more reliably suppress the generation of exhaust odors. Will be able to.

Regarding the timing for returning the settings of the fuel supply means and the blower means to the settings in the normal use condition, the settings different from the settings in the normal use condition are continued for a predetermined time, and then the normal use condition. It is possible to adopt a control configuration for returning to the setting in step 1, or a control configuration for returning to the setting in the normal use state on condition that a predetermined process in the control means is completed.

Here, the setting different from the setting in the above-mentioned normal use state is continued for a predetermined time so that when the detection of the open state of the housing cover is based on the operation signal of the operation means, a single trigger is performed. It is possible to perform a certain amount of maintenance operations collectively at the time of detection, and it is configured to return to the setting in the normal use state after a predetermined time elapses. This is to avoid such a situation because if the maintenance is completed without being opened, the control means continues the operation setting at the time of maintenance, even if the housing cover is closed. Further, the reason why the setting in the normal use state is restored on condition that the predetermined process in the control means is completed is that the specific end operation is not performed on the operation means such as a trial operation. This is because the settings of the fuel supply means and the blower means can be automatically restored to the normal settings.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a hot water supply device (combustion device) to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 shows an example of an external configuration of the hot water supply device. The hot water supply device shown in these figures is a gas hot water supply device that uses gas as a fuel, and has a hot water heating function and a bath reheating / bath automatic operation function in addition to a hot water supply function for a currant and a shower.

More specifically, as a can body having a burner, a heat exchanger, and the like, a can body for realizing the hot water supply function and the bath automatic operation (dropping hot water into the bath), a hot water heating function, and a bath. A so-called two-can hot water supply device including a can body for realizing a reheating function is shown. Since the specific configuration of this two-can system is already known, its detailed description is omitted here.

Therefore, the schematic structure of the hot water supply apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. In the hot water supply apparatus 1, the combustion section 2 in which the combustion operation is performed and the fuel supply means 3 for supplying fuel to the combustion section 2 are provided. And a blowing means 4 for forcibly blowing combustion air to the combustion section 2 for each of the can bodies, a control means 5 for controlling the operation of each part of the hot water supply apparatus, and maintenance of the hot water supply apparatus 1. The operation means 6 used when performing is provided as a main part.

The combustion section 2 is mainly provided with a burner 21 and an ignition device 22 for the burner 21, and the operation of each of them is controlled based on a control signal from the control means 5. Specifically, the burner 21 has a plurality of combustion tubes (not shown), and the combustion capacity can be adjusted by changing the number of combustions in the combustion tubes. The switching control of the number of combustions is performed by opening and closing a capacity switching valve (an electromagnetic valve that controls the supply / cutoff of the fuel gas to the combustion pipe) by the control means 5.

The fuel supply means 3 comprises a gas pressure adjusting valve 31 for adjusting the gas pressure of the fuel gas supplied to the burner 2 and a valve drive mechanism 32 for the gas pressure adjusting valve 31. The valve drive mechanism 32 is operable based on a control signal from the control means 5, and the amount of fuel supplied to the burner 21 during combustion operation is adjusted by the gas pressure adjusting valve 31. There is.

The blower means 4 is mainly composed of a blower fan 41 and a fan motor 42 for driving the blower fan 41, and the blower fan 41 is rotated by the drive of the fan motor 42 to rotate the blower fan 41. Combustion air is forcibly sent to the combustion unit 2. Specifically, when the blower fan 41 is rotationally driven, air is sucked into the hot water supply device 1 from the ventilation holes 16 provided in the housing cover 11 described later and is supplied to the combustion unit 2. The fan motor 42 is also driven by the control signal from the control means 5, and the control means 5 controls the rotation speed of the fan motor 42 to adjust the supply amount of the air supplied to the combustion unit 2. Is possible.

The control means 5 is a control device equipped with a microcomputer (not shown), and a control program for controlling the operation of each part of the water heater 1 is stored in this microcomputer, and this control program is executed. As a result, the operation of each part of the hot water supply device 1 is controlled, and various functions such as a hot water supply function, a hot water heating function, and a bath automatic / bath reheating function are realized. In addition, maintenance operations such as adjustment of secondary gas pressure and trial run described later are also executed by this control program.

Here, in the control program of the control means 5, the fuel supply means 3 and the blower means 4 in the normal state (when both the case cover 11 and the small door 14 which will be described later are both closed). The contents of the control related to the operation will be described by taking the case of the hot water supply function as an example.

In the case of the hot water supply function, the temperature of the hot water discharged from the hot water supply device 1 is set by the remote control device (remote control) R connected to the control means 5, and the set value (set temperature) is given to the control means 5. To be

In this state, when the head plugs such as a curran and a shower are opened and water is supplied to the hot water supply device 1, the control means 5
Detects the flow of water and obtains the combustion number (combustion capacity) required in the combustion unit 2 so that hot water can be supplied at the set temperature, and the combustion pipe combustion in the burner 21 is performed according to the combustion number. The number and the supply amount of the fuel are determined, and the result is given as a control signal to the capacity switching valve and the valve drive mechanism 32.

In parallel with this, the control means 5 is
A control signal is given to the fan motor 42 so that the amount of air blown corresponding to the number of combustions in the combustion tube and the amount of fuel supplied can be obtained.

As described above, the operating means 6 is the hot water supply device 1.
When the operation content of the operation means 6 is accepted by the control means 5, the control means 5 performs a predetermined operation necessary for maintenance of the hot water supply apparatus 1 according to the control program. The process of is executed. In the present embodiment, the operation means 6 is capable of executing the operation of adjusting the secondary gas pressure supplied to the combustion unit 2 and the test operation of the hot water heating function and the bath automatic / bath reheating function. ing.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the operating means 6 is a gas pressure adjusting switch 6 for adjusting the secondary gas pressure.
1, a heating test operation switch 62 for performing a test operation of the heating function, and a bath test operation switch 63 for performing a test operation (bath test operation) of the bath automatic / bath reheating function are mainly configured. Switches 61-
63 is mounted on the surface of the electrical board 60. In addition to the switches 61 to 63, the indicator board 64 for displaying the execution status of the test operation of the heating function is provided on the electrical equipment substrate 60.
In addition, an indicator light 65 for displaying the execution status of the bath trial run is also provided.

Here, an example of the operation of adjusting the secondary gas pressure using the operation means 6 will be described. In the operation means 6 shown in the present embodiment, the gas pressure adjusting switch 61 is provided with selection operation switches 61a and 61b for selecting the high and low of the gas pressure to be adjusted so that the gas pressure can be adjusted at two places. Since it is composed of correction operation switches 61c and 61d for increasing / decreasing the setting of, the selection operation switch 61a is operated (pressed down, for example) when performing adjustment operation on the high gas pressure side. In the state), the correction operation switch 61c or 61d is operated (continuous pressing until the desired gas pressure is reached or repeated pressing operation). That is, the correction operation switch 6
By operating 1c or 61d, the setting change of the secondary gas pressure is accepted by the control means 5, whereby the setting of the secondary gas pressure on the control means 5 side is increased or decreased. The end of the adjustment operation of the secondary gas pressure is accepted by the control means 5 by releasing the operation state of the selection operation switches 61a and 61b, whereby the changed content is the specified value of the secondary gas pressure. Is stored in the control means 5.

On the other hand, the test operation of the heating function is performed by operating the heating test operation switch 62 (pressing operation once), and the bath test operation is performed by the bath test operation switch 6.
By the operation 3 (one push-down operation), each is accepted by the control means 5, and the test operation processing according to each operation is automatically executed on the control means 5 side according to the control program. That is, in the case of these test operation operations, only the command to start the execution thereof is input from the operating means 6, and the end processing of the test operation is automatically performed by the control program on the control means 5 side.

Then, each of the operation switches 61 to
The electrical equipment substrate 60 on which 63 is arranged is provided inside the water heater 1. Specifically, the housing cover 1 of the water heater 1
It is provided inside 1 (see FIG. 3).

The casing cover 11 is detachably attached to the front surface of the main body 12 of the water heater 1 via screws 13 and 13. A small door 14 that can be opened and closed is provided at a predetermined position of the housing cover 11 (specifically, a position corresponding to the electrical equipment substrate 60), and the housing cover 11 is opened by opening the small door 14. The operation means 6 can be operated without removing it.

The reference numeral 15 in the drawing indicates the small door 1 described above.
4 is a screw for fixing in a closed state, and reference numeral 16 is a vent hole for taking in combustion air into the hot water supply device 1. Further, reference numeral 17 denotes an exhaust top for combustion exhaust provided for each can body.

By the way, in the hot water supply apparatus 1 thus constructed, when the small door 14 is opened (opened state), an opening is formed in the housing cover 11 by opening the small door 14, Substantially, this opening functions similarly to the vent hole 16. That is, when the hot water supply apparatus 1 is burnt by performing operations such as the adjustment of the secondary gas and the trial run in this state, air is sucked from the opening as the fan motor 42 is driven, and the burner is burned. No. 2 falls into a so-called air rich state.

Therefore, in the water heater 1 according to the present embodiment, the control means 5 executes the following control in order to avoid such an air rich state.

That is, when the control means 5 receives an operation signal associated with the switch operation of the operation means 6, the control means 5 uses this operation signal as a trigger to determine that the housing cover 11 is in the open state. Since the operating means 6 is provided inside the housing cover 11, it means that at least the entire housing cover 11 has been removed or the small door 14 has been opened. This is because it can be determined that the control unit 5 is in any one of the above states (in other words, in the present embodiment, the control unit 5 uses the operation signal of the operation unit 6 as a trigger to detect the open state of the housing cover 11). It also functions as a detection means).

When the open state of the housing cover 11 is detected in this way, the control means 5 normally uses at least one of the operation settings of the fuel supply means 3 and the blower means 4. The operation is performed with a setting different from the setting in the state (when the housing cover 11 is attached and the small door 14 is closed).

Specifically, in order to avoid the occurrence of the above-mentioned air-rich state, the control means 5 sets the fuel supply means 3 as a setting different from the normal use state described above.
Correction is performed to increase the amount of fuel supply from that in the normal use state, or correction to reduce the air flow rate of the blower unit 4 from that in the normal use state. That is, the control means 5 controls the fuel supply means 3 and the blower means 4.
The operation setting is corrected to a so-called gas rich side, which is an excessive supply of fuel in a normal use state.

As described above, in the hot water supply device 1 of the present invention, the control means 5 causes the fuel supply means 3 or the control means 5 to perform the maintenance operation such as the adjustment of the secondary gas pressure performed with the housing cover 11 opened. Since at least one of the operation settings of the blower unit 4 is corrected to the gas rich side, even if the hot water supply apparatus 1 is burnt during the maintenance operation in which the housing cover 11 is in the open state, the combustion section 2 is in the air rich state. It is possible to prevent generation of exhaust odor without falling.

Since any setting different from the normal use condition can be set on the control program of the control means 5, which of the fuel supply amount and the blown air amount should be selected is determined as described above. It can be arbitrarily changed by changing the setting of the control program, and similarly, both the fuel supply amount and the blown air amount can be set to be corrected to the gas rich side. Further, it goes without saying that the correction values of the fuel supply amount and the blown air amount can be appropriately set and changed.

Further, in the hot water supply device 1 of the present invention,
When the above-described operation of adjusting the secondary gas pressure is performed (when the control means 5 receives an operation signal of the operation), the control means 5 detects the open state of the housing cover 11 and then After a lapse of a predetermined time (for example, several minutes to several tens of minutes), the operation settings of the fuel supply means 3 and the blower means 4 are restored to the settings in the normal use state.

This is because in the above-described secondary gas adjusting operation, the gas pressure is normally adjusted at two places, high and low, so that the correction / return of the fuel supply amount and the blown air amount is repeated each time. Since this is not preferable, these operations can be performed collectively by continuing the corrected state for a certain period of time. Further, since the corrected state is restored to the normal setting after a lapse of a certain time, it seems that the control means 5 has not accepted the end of the secondary gas pressure adjusting operation due to, for example, a failure of the selection operation switches 61a and 61b. Even in such a case, it is possible to prevent the gas-rich state from falling into the gas-rich state even after the small door 14 is closed and the normal operation is performed.

On the other hand, when the trial operation of the heating function or the bath function described above is performed (when the control means 5 receives the operation signal of the operation), the control means 5 ends the processing relating to the trial operation. And the operation setting of the fuel supply means 3 and the blower means 4 is returned to the setting in the normal use condition on the condition that the trial operation process is completed. That is, with respect to these test operation operations, no special operation is performed at the end of the test operation, and in such a case, the control means 5 makes a judgment by itself and returns to the normal operation.

Embodiment 2 Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. This second embodiment is a modified example of the open state detecting means,
In the first embodiment described above, the control means 5 functions as the open state detection means based on the operation signal of the operation means 6, but in the present embodiment, the sensor means such as a micro switch is provided inside the housing cover 11. By providing a detection signal from this sensor means to the control means 5, the control means 5 is made to function as the open state detection means.

That is, in this case, the housing cover 11
The sensor means is arranged at least at a position corresponding to the small door 14 on the inner side of the above and another position other than the position, and the opening and closing (or attachment / detachment) of the small door 14 and the housing cover 11 itself (by these sensor means). Control means 5 for attaching / detaching the entire cover 11)
To detect.

Then, the small door 14 or the housing cover 1
When any one of the open states 1 is detected, the control means 5
As in the case of the first embodiment, at least one of the operation settings of the fuel supply means 3 and the blower means 4 is operated with a setting different from the setting in the normal use state.

At this time, in this embodiment, the control means 5 can detect which of the small door 14 and the housing cover 11 is opened. Therefore, when the operation setting is corrected, the small door 14 is opened. The correction amount is changed depending on which of the housing cover 11 and the housing cover 11 is opened.

That is, when the housing cover 11 itself is opened, the air-rich state falls into an excessive amount as compared with the case where the small door 14 is opened.
Takes larger than if only 4 were open, and vice versa,
When only the small door 14 is opened, the correction amount is smaller than when the housing cover 11 is opened.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the control means 5 can determine which of the small door 14 and the housing cover 11 is in the open state, so that the small door 14 and the housing cover 11 are opened. The operation settings of the fuel supply unit 3 and the blower unit 4 can be corrected in accordance with the area of the opening due to the opening, and the generation of exhaust odor can be prevented more appropriately than in the case of the first embodiment.

It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these, and various design changes can be made within the scope.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the housing cover 11 of the water heater 1 is provided with the small door 14 for operating the operating means 6 has been described, but the present invention provides such a small door 14. It is also applicable to the hot water supply device 1 that does not have it. In that case, at least one sensor means in the second embodiment may be provided inside the housing cover 11, and needless to say, it is not necessary to change the correction amount of the operation setting.

Further, in the above-described first embodiment, even when either the housing cover 11 or the small door 14 is opened,
Although the correction amounts of the fuel supply unit 3 and the blower unit 4 are constant, for example, when a specific switch operation is performed by changing the layout of the operation unit 6, it is necessary to remove the entire housing cover 11. In this way, when the specific switch operation is performed, the housing cover 11
Is in the open state, and if any other switch operation is performed, it is determined that only the small door 14 has been opened, and as in the second embodiment, the small door 14 or the housing cover 1 is opened.
Fuel supply means 3 depending on which one is open
It may be configured to change the correction amount of the operation setting such as.

[0055]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention,
When the control means of the hot water supply device opens any or all of the casing covers of the hot water supply device, at least one of the operation settings of the fuel supply means and the blower means is normally used. Setting different from the setting in the state (for example, the setting of the fuel supply amount of the fuel supply means is increased from that in the normal use state, or the setting of the air flow rate of the blower means is decreased from that in the normal use state Therefore, even if the combustion operation is performed when the housing cover is in the open state, the combustion portion does not fall into the air-rich state, and the generation of exhaust odor can be prevented in advance.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a hot water supply device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external view showing an example of the external configuration of the hot water supply device, FIG. 2 (a) showing the same front view and FIG. 2 (b) showing the same side view.

FIG. 3 is an external view showing an example of an external configuration of operating means of the hot water supply device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Hot water supply device (combustion device) 2 Combustion section 3 Fuel supply means 4 Blower means 5 Control means (open state detection means) 6 Operation means 11 Case cover 12 Hot water supply unit 14 small doors 21 burners 31 Gas pressure control valve 32 Valve drive mechanism for gas pressure control valve 41 Blower fan 42 fan motor R water heater remote control

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Atsushi Yoshimoto             93 Edo-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo Stock Association             Company Noritsu (72) Inventor Hideya Toyama             93 Edo-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo Stock Association             Company Noritsu F-term (reference) 3K003 EA02 FA00 FB04 FB05 GA03

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. Combustion operation by controlling fuel supply means for supplying fuel to a combustion section, blowing means for forcibly blowing combustion air to the combustion section, and operation of the fuel supply means and blowing means. In a combustion apparatus equipped with a control means for adjusting the supply amount of fuel or air sometimes supplied to the combustion section, an open state detection means for detecting that the housing cover of the combustion apparatus is in an open state is provided, and the above control When the open state detection means detects the open state of the housing cover, the means operates at least one of the operation settings of the fuel supply means and the blower means with a setting different from the setting in the normal use state. A combustion device having a control structure. 2. The combustion according to claim 1, wherein the open state detecting means detects the open state of the housing cover by using an operation signal of an operating means mounted inside the housing cover as a trigger. apparatus. 3. The open state detecting means detects whether all or a part of the housing cover is in an open state according to the content of an operation signal of the operating means. The combustion device according to 2. 4. The open state detection means detects the open state of the housing cover by using a detection signal from a sensor means provided inside the housing cover as a trigger. Combustion device. 5. The open state detecting means detects whether all or a part of the casing cover is in an open state according to the type of the sensor means that has issued the detection signal. The combustion device according to claim 4. 6. The combustion according to claim 3, wherein the control means changes the contents of the different settings depending on whether all or a part of the casing cover is in an open state. apparatus. 7. The control means has a control configuration for continuing a setting different from the setting in the normal use state for a predetermined time and then returning to the setting in the normal use state. Combustion device as described. 8. The control means restores the operation setting of the fuel supply means and / or the blower means to the setting in the normal use condition, on condition that a predetermined process in the control means such as the end of the trial run is completed. The combustion device according to claim 2, wherein the combustion device has a control configuration. 9. The control means performs a correction for increasing the fuel supply amount of the fuel supply means to be larger than that in the normal use state, as a setting different from the normal use state. The combustion apparatus according to any one of 1 to 8. 10. The control means, as a setting different from the normal use state, performs a correction to reduce the amount of air blown by the blower means from that in the normal use state. The combustion device according to any one of 1.