JPH1151388A - Combustion controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To always maintain an optimum air volume by obtaining a current deviation rate between a fan motor reference applied current and an actual applied current, and outputting an applying voltage corresponding to an air intake and exhaust blocking rate and required heat quantity corresponding to the rate and the applied voltage to the motor. SOLUTION: A combustion control circuit 18 reads a fan motor reference current by a voltage indicating at present from a first reference map. The circuit 18 calculates a current deviation rate of an actual current value to the motor reference current. And, the circuit 18 reads the deviation rate and an air intake and exhaust blocking rate corresponding to the voltage indicating at present by using a second reference map. Subsequently, the circuit 18 reads the blocking rate and a voltage corresponding to required heat quantity at present time from a third reference map, and outputs a designated value response to the voltage toward a constant-voltage driving circuit 15. Thus, a voltage is applied to a fan motor 21, which, in turns, feeds the air to a combustion chamber.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a combustion control apparatus for controlling a combustion apparatus such as a gas water heater, and more particularly to a combustion control apparatus for appropriately feeding a fan for forcibly supplying an optimal amount of air corresponding to a required heat amount in a combustion section. It relates to improvements for control.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a combustion control apparatus for a combustion apparatus of this kind, for example, the fan motor current is controlled to be constant to keep the fan motor rotation speed constant and the fan motor current reaches a predetermined value. Occasionally, there has been a configuration configured to generate an abnormal alarm or prohibit combustion.

[0003] In the combustion control device of this fan motor by current control according to the conventional method, it is possible to detect an air supply / exhaust failure without providing a wind pressure switch, but an appropriate air flow rate corresponding to the degree of blockage (blockage rate) of the air supply / exhaust system. Cannot be maintained, and optimal combustion cannot be ensured. That is, the supply / exhaust system varies from a simple configuration in which the exhaust is provided directly from the exhaust port provided in the combustion equipment to a type in which the intake and exhaust are extended and guided to the outdoors. Change, headwind, flow path length,
It changes due to various factors such as the pressure difference between the supply and exhaust, the degree of bending of the flow path, and the clogging of the intake filter. Since the air flow rate changes due to the change in the blockage rate, if the appropriate motor speed cannot be maintained in accordance with the blockage rate of the air supply / exhaust system, the air-fuel ratio will deteriorate, resulting in fire extinguishing, incomplete combustion, poor fire transfer, etc. Poor combustion occurs.

Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a wind speed sensor is provided in an air passage from an air supply port to an exhaust port, and a fan motor speed is controlled in accordance with a detection signal from the wind speed sensor. Some were.

[0005]

However, in a conventional combustion control device that controls the air flow rate using this wind speed sensor,
Although the specified air volume can be maintained, the air velocity sensor is installed in the air passage, so the air velocity sensor increases the blockage rate of the air supply / exhaust system, the cost of the air velocity sensor itself is high, and a detection signal is generated due to an installation error. There is a very high possibility that an error will occur, and the installation cost is high because the installation is troublesome.

In the air flow rate control using the wind speed sensor, when the closing rate of the air supply / exhaust system increases, the rotation speed of the fan motor increases in order to keep the air flow rate constant. Therefore, the pressure in the combustion chamber increases, and the amount of fuel such as gas supplied to the combustion chamber decreases. As a result, the required combustion amount cannot be obtained, so that the target combustion amount is increased, and the fan motor speed is accordingly increased. That is, as the pressure in the combustion chamber increases, the target combustion amount increases in order to obtain the required combustion amount, and control is performed so that the fan motor speed increases accordingly. As a result, there is a problem that the increase in the number of revolutions of the fan motor becomes excessive, the combustion air is excessively supplied, and the air-fuel ratio deteriorates.

On the contrary, when the blockage rate of the supply / exhaust system decreases,
In order to keep the air volume constant, the fan motor speed decreases. Therefore, the pressure in the combustion chamber decreases, and the amount of fuel such as gas supplied to the combustion chamber increases. As a result, since the required combustion amount is exceeded, the target combustion amount is reduced, and the fan motor speed is reduced accordingly. That is, since the pressure in the combustion chamber is reduced, the target combustion amount is reduced in order to obtain the required combustion amount, and control is performed so as to reduce the fan motor rotation speed accordingly. On the other hand, the number of revolutions of the fan motor becomes excessively low, and there is a problem that the supply of combustion air is insufficient and the air-fuel ratio deteriorates.

The present invention has been proposed in view of the above points, and can be simply and inexpensively constructed without providing a wind speed sensor in an air passage, and furthermore, a combustion chamber caused by a change in a blockage rate of a supply / exhaust system. It is an object of the present invention to provide a combustion control device that can always maintain an optimum air flow regardless of the pressure fluctuation.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, a combustion control apparatus according to the present invention forcibly supplies an optimum amount of air corresponding to a required amount of heat in a combustion section by a fan. In a combustion control device for controlling a fan motor to be driven, a first reference map including a fan motor applied voltage and a fan motor reference applied current obtained by previously holding a supply and exhaust of a combustion unit in a reference device in a fully open state; The fan motor applied voltage, the current deviation rate of the fan motor applied current when the supply / exhaust obstruction rate is changed with respect to the fan motor reference applied current, obtained by previously changing the supply / exhaust obstruction rate of the combustion unit in the reference device, A second reference map including the exhaust gas blockage ratio, and the supply / exhaust blockage ratio, various required heat amounts, and the like obtained by previously changing the supply / exhaust blockage ratio of the combustion unit in the reference device. A reference map storing means for storing a third reference map comprising a fan motor applied voltage capable of securing an optimum air amount for achieving the required heat quantity, and a fan motor current detecting means for detecting an applied current of the fan motor. When a voltage is applied to the fan motor, a current deviation rate for calculating a current deviation rate between a fan motor reference applied current at the applied voltage in the first reference map and an actual applied current by the fan motor current detecting means. Computing means; closing rate determining means for determining the supply / exhaust closing rate corresponding to the current deviation rate obtained by the current rate calculating means and the applied voltage using the second reference map; The applied voltage corresponding to the supply / exhaust blockage ratio determined in the above and the current required heat amount is determined using the third reference map, and the applied voltage is applied to the fan motor. Is characterized by having a voltage applied determination output means for force, the.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a gas water heater to which the combustion control device of the present invention is applied. In the drawing, an inlet 2 and an outlet 3 are opened in a casing of a combustion section 1 of a gas water heater, and a water supply pipe 6 for supplying water, a gas pipe 7 for supplying gas, and hot water are provided. A hot tapping pipe 8 is provided.

A combustion chamber 1a including a heat exchanger 4 and a burner 5 is provided inside a casing of the combustion section 1, and an upper portion of the combustion chamber 1a has an exhaust port 3 for discharging exhaust gas burned in the combustion chamber 1a.
It is connected to the. Further, a fan motor 21 is connected to a lower portion of the combustion chamber 1a, and when the fan motor 21 rotates, a fan 22 rotates coaxially with the fan motor 21 to supply air from the air supply port 2 to the combustion chamber 1a. It has a configuration.

Water is supplied from a water supply pipe 6 and supplied through a water supply thermistor 61 for detecting the temperature of the water, a water amount sensor 62 for detecting the flow rate of water, and a heating tap thermistor 63 for detecting the temperature of the hot water. , Water proportional valve 6 for limiting the amount of hot water
4 and is supplied from a tapping pipe 8. The gas is supplied to the gas pipe 7
The gas is supplied to the burner 5 of the combustion chamber 1a through a gas solenoid valve 71 for opening and closing the connection from the gas pipe 7 and a gas proportional valve 72 for adjusting the amount of gas. I do.

The combustion control device 10 controls the amount and temperature of hot water supplied from the combustion section 1a. That is,
Water supply temperature data from the water supply thermistor 61, water supply amount data from the water amount sensor 62, and water temperature data from the tap water thermistor 63 are input to the combustion control device 10 via signal lines not shown here. Also, required data such as a hot water supply temperature set by the user is input. Then, when the user opens a faucet (not shown) and water is generated, the water flow sensor 62 detects the water flow,
The burner 5 is ignited by an ignition device (not shown). Gas as fuel is supplied to the burner 5 via a gas proportional valve 72. After the combustion is started, the combustion control device 10 needs the gas according to required data such as a hot water supply temperature set by a user. The valve opening of each of the gas proportional valve 72 and the water proportional valve 64 is controlled via a signal line (not shown) so that the supply gas amount matches the required heat amount. The passing water is heated to the required hot water temperature and supplied. Note that the hot water supply temperature control by the combustion control device 10 is not a subject of improvement according to the present invention, and thus a detailed description thereof is omitted here.

The combustion control device 10 controls the amount of air blown into the combustion chamber 1a together with the above hot water supply temperature control. Hereinafter, the air volume control will be described in detail.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration relating to air flow control in the combustion control device. In the figure, the combustion control circuit 18
Is a microcomputer mainly composed of a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM.

The ROM of the combustion control circuit 18 previously stores three types of reference maps, each of which is made up of data measured using a reference unit of a gas water heater.

The first reference map M1 is obtained by holding the supply and exhaust of the combustion section in the reference unit in a fully open state, and as shown in FIG. It consists of a fan motor reference current flowing to the fan motor 21 at that time.

The second reference map M2 is obtained by changing the supply / exhaust blockage rate of the combustion section in the reference device, and is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the voltage is made up of the fan motor applied voltage, the current deviation rate of the fan motor current at the time of changing the supply / exhaust obstruction rate with respect to the fan motor reference current, and the supply / exhaust obstruction rate.

Further, the third reference map M3 is obtained by changing the supply / exhaust blockage rate of the combustion section in the reference unit, and as shown in FIG. , And a fan motor applied voltage capable of securing an optimal amount of air for achieving the various required amounts of heat.
In the third reference map M3, the optimum amount of air for achieving the various required heat amounts is a decrease in the fuel flow rate due to a rise in the combustion chamber pressure, which is conspicuous when the supply / exhaust blockage ratio is high and the fan motor current value is relatively high. In the range that occurs, the air amount is such that the air-fuel ratio can be maintained and the decrease in the fuel flow rate is minimized.

The combustion control circuit 18 calculates the required heat amount at each time based on the water supply temperature data, the water supply amount data, the water supply temperature data set by the user, and the like, and determines the amount of air blown by the fan 22 according to the required heat amount. A command signal is output to the constant voltage drive circuit 15 so that the amount of air matches the amount of heat. Note that the command signal at the start of combustion is based on the required heat quantity read from the third reference map M3, assuming that the supply / exhaust blockage rate is 0% (fully open state) in the third reference map M3 shown in FIG. It corresponds to the corresponding voltage.

The constant voltage drive circuit 15, which receives an instruction from the combustion control circuit 18, drives the NPN transistor 12,
The PNP transistor 13 connected to the DC power supply 11 is driven to supply power to the fan motor 21. The voltage detection circuit 16 connected in parallel with the fan motor 21 detects a voltage applied to the fan motor at each time and supplies a voltage signal to the constant voltage drive circuit 15. Constant voltage drive circuit 15
Compares the value specified by the combustion control circuit 18 with the voltage signal supplied from the voltage detection circuit 16 so that the voltage signal from the voltage detection circuit 16 matches the specified value from the combustion control circuit 18. Driving the NPN transistor 12,
In effect, self-excited oscillation starts.

The combustion control circuit 18 is supplied with a current signal from a current detection circuit 17 for detecting the current of the fan motor 21. The average value of the current value at the time when the current signal is stabilized is determined by the fan motor 21. 21 is recognized as the current value.

The combustion control circuit 18 determines the voltage applied to the fan motor 21 according to the following procedure, and performs optimal control of the air flow. That is, the combustion control circuit 18 first reads the fan motor reference current at the currently instructed voltage from the first reference map M1 shown in FIG. 3, and then reads the actual current value with respect to the fan motor reference current. Calculate the current deviation rate. Then, the supply / exhaust blockage ratio corresponding to the current deviation ratio and the voltage currently instructed is read from the second reference map M2 shown in FIG. Next, the voltage corresponding to the air supply / exhaust blockage rate and the current required heat quantity is shown in FIG.
And outputs an instruction value corresponding to the voltage to the constant voltage drive circuit 15.
As a result, a voltage is applied to the fan motor 21 and the fan motor 21 sends air into the combustion chamber 1a.

In general, the air supply / exhaust system of the combustion section 1 has a simple structure in which exhaust is directly exhausted from an exhaust port provided in a casing, or a system in which intake and exhaust are extended and guided outside the room.
It changes depending on various factors such as aging, headwind, flow path length, pressure difference between supply and exhaust, degree of flow path bending, and clogging of the intake filter. In this embodiment, the closing rate (supply / exhaust closing rate) of the supply / exhaust system that fluctuates in this way is determined based on the current deviation rate using the second reference map M2.
The determined occlusion rate substantially matches the actual occlusion situation. Then, an air amount that is optimal for combustion with respect to various air supply / exhaust blockage rates, that is, a fan motor applied voltage is set in advance in the third reference map M3, and a voltage to be applied to the fan motor 21 at the present time is determined by the third reference map. Map M3
, It is possible to maintain an appropriate motor speed according to the current blockage rate of the supply / exhaust system even if the blockage rate of the supply / exhaust system changes. For this reason, even if the pressure in the combustion chamber fluctuates, the optimum air volume can be always maintained, and the air-fuel ratio can be maintained constant. As a result, it is possible to avoid poor combustion such as fire extinguishing, incomplete combustion, and poor post-fire, and it is not necessary to use a wind speed sensor or the like, and it does not increase the manufacturing cost in terms of cost and installation. , And cost can be reduced.

In this embodiment, when the closing rate of the supply / exhaust system determined by the above procedure exceeds a predetermined value, the applied voltage is output as usual using the third reference map M3 based on the closing rate. At the same time, the display unit 18a connected to the combustion control circuit 18 performs a supply / exhaust system confirmation display. As a result, the user can be alerted to the blockage of the air supply / exhaust system to such an extent that combustion is not hindered. An apparatus can be provided.

When the applied voltage determined in the above procedure exceeds a predetermined voltage value, an abnormality is displayed and the combustion is stopped. As a result, if the fan motor speed becomes abnormally high and the airflow becomes excessive,
If it enters the combustion process as it is, it is determined that there is danger, an abnormality is displayed on the display unit 18a, the blowing is stopped, and the combustion is also stopped. The user sees the abnormality display, finds out the cause of the abnormally high fan motor rotation speed, and can take immediate action.

At the time of re-ignition after the above-mentioned abnormality display and combustion stop, the fan motor 21 is driven in the ignition-related sequence to determine the closing rate of the supply / exhaust system, and the closing rate determined at the time of the ignition sequence is determined. Is abnormal when it exceeds a predetermined value, the sequence relating to ignition is stopped, and when the closing rate is equal to or less than the predetermined value and is normal, the sequence relating to ignition is continued as it is. As a result, the fan motor rotation speed becomes abnormally high, and even after the user takes a countermeasure in response to the abnormality display, the normal or abnormal closing rate is immediately determined upon re-ignition. Can be reliably prevented from becoming abnormally high.

In the above description, when the applied voltage exceeds a predetermined voltage value, an abnormality is displayed and the combustion is stopped. In such a case, the amount of water passing through the heat exchanger 4 is reduced. May be configured to reduce the required heat amount and to perform a confirmation display of the supply / exhaust system of the combustion unit 1. Thus, the user can receive hot water by burning in the safe area, and at the same time, check the air supply / exhaust system, so that a safe and convenient gas water heater can be provided.

In the above description, when the air supply / exhaust blockage ratio exceeds a predetermined value, or when the applied voltage exceeds a predetermined voltage value, etc., an abnormal display is performed on the display unit 18a. In such a case, an alarm may be issued to the user using the alarm device 19 to notify the user.

Further, in the above description, the current deviation rate is used in the second reference map M2. However, instead of the current deviation rate, the difference between the fan motor reference current value and the actual current value of the fan motor is used. The difference, that is, the current deviation may be obtained, and this current deviation may be used.

[0031]

As described above, according to the combustion control apparatus of the present invention, the supply / exhaust blockage ratio is determined according to the actual blockage condition, and the optimum air amount is determined using the supply / exhaust blockage ratio. Since it is determined, even if the air supply / exhaust obstruction rate changes, the optimal air volume according to the current air supply / exhaust obstruction rate can be maintained
Further, even if the pressure in the combustion chamber fluctuates due to the change in the supply / exhaust blockage rate, the optimum air volume can always be maintained, and the air-fuel ratio can be maintained constant. As a result, it is possible to avoid poor combustion such as fire extinguishing, incomplete combustion, and poor post-fire, and it is not necessary to use a wind speed sensor or the like, and it does not increase the manufacturing cost in terms of cost and installation. , And cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a gas hot water supply device to which a combustion control device of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration relating to air flow control in a combustion control device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a first reference map.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a second reference map.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a third reference map.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Combustion part 1a Combustion chamber 2 Supply port 3 Exhaust port 4 Heat exchanger 5 Burner 6 Water supply pipe 7 Gas pipe 8 Tapping pipe 10 Combustion control device 11 DC power supply 12 NPN transistor 13 PNP transistor 15 Constant voltage drive circuit 16 Voltage detection circuit Reference Signs List 17 rotation speed detection circuit 18 combustion control circuit 18a display unit 19 alarm device 21 fan motor 22 fan 61 water supply thermistor 62 water quantity sensor 63 tap water thermistor 64 water proportional valve 71 gas solenoid valve 72 gas proportional valve M1 first reference map M2 second reference Map M3 Third reference map

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A combustion control device for controlling a fan motor for driving a fan in order to forcibly supply an optimum amount of air corresponding to a required amount of heat in the combustion unit by a fan. A first reference map comprising a fan motor applied voltage and a fan motor reference current, obtained by holding the supply and exhaust in a fully open state, and a supply and exhaust blockage rate of a combustion unit in a reference device previously changed, A second reference map including a fan motor applied voltage, a current deviation rate of the fan motor current when the supply / exhaust blockage rate is changed with respect to the fan motor reference current, and the supply / exhaust blockage rate; Of the supply / exhaust air, the required heat quantity, and the fan motor applied voltage that can secure the optimum air quantity to achieve the required heat quantity. A third reference map, a reference map storage means for storing: a fan motor current detection means for detecting a current of the fan motor; and a voltage applied to the fan motor when the voltage is applied to the fan motor. Current deviation ratio calculating means for calculating a current deviation ratio between the fan motor reference current and the actual current detected by the fan motor current detecting means, and corresponding to the current deviation rate determined by the current deviation rate calculating means and the applied voltage. And a supply / exhaust blockage ratio determined by the blockage ratio determination unit, and an applied voltage corresponding to the current required heat quantity to the third blockage. And a means for determining and outputting an applied voltage to the fan motor by using a reference map. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said current deviation rate calculating means employs an average value in a state where the current value is stable as a current value by said fan motor current detecting means. Combustion control device. 3. The optimum air amount for achieving the various required heat amounts in the third reference map has a high supply / exhaust blockage rate,
Also, in the range where the fuel flow rate decreases due to the increase in the combustion chamber pressure that appears remarkably when the fan motor speed is relatively high,
An air amount at which the air-fuel ratio can be maintained and a decrease in the fuel flow rate is minimized, and the fan motor applied voltage in the third reference map enables the air amount to be secured. The combustion control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: 4. When the supply / exhaust blockage ratio determined by the blockage ratio determination unit exceeds a predetermined value, the applied voltage determined by the applied voltage determination output unit is output as usual, and the supply / exhaust system of the combustion unit is controlled. 4. The combustion control device according to claim 1, wherein an information notification is performed so as to perform the confirmation. 5. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the applied voltage determined by the applied voltage determination output means exceeds a predetermined voltage value, notification of abnormality information is performed and combustion is stopped. 3. The combustion control device according to item 1. 6. The combustion section heats water passing through the heat exchanger, and when the applied voltage determined by the applied voltage determination output means exceeds a predetermined voltage value, the internal combustion engine heats the water. The combustion control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a required amount of heat is reduced by restricting a flow amount of water passing through the combustion control device. 7. The combustion section heats water passing through the heat exchanger, and when the applied voltage determined by the applied voltage determining and outputting means exceeds a predetermined voltage value, the heat in the heat exchanger. 5. The combustion system according to claim 1, wherein the amount of heat required is reduced by limiting the amount of water passing through the combustion unit, and information is notified so as to check the supply / exhaust system of the combustion unit. Control device. 8. When the applied voltage determined by the applied voltage determination output means exceeds a predetermined voltage value, notification of abnormality information is performed, combustion is stopped, and at the time of re-ignition after the combustion is stopped,
By determining the supply / exhaust blockage rate by driving a fan motor in a sequence related to ignition, if the supply / exhaust blockage rate determined at the time of ignition exceeds a predetermined value and is abnormal, the sequence related to ignition is stopped. The combustion control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: 9. When the applied voltage determined by the applied voltage determination output means exceeds a predetermined voltage value, notification of abnormality information is performed, combustion is stopped, and at the time of re-ignition after the combustion is stopped,
The above-described supply / exhaust blockage ratio is determined by driving a fan motor in a sequence related to ignition, and when the supply / exhaust blockage ratio determined at the time of ignition is equal to or less than a predetermined value and is normal, the sequence relating to ignition is continued as it is. The combustion control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: 10. At the time of initial ignition at the time of power-on, the supply / exhaust blockage ratio is determined by driving a fan motor in a sequence related to ignition, and the supply / exhaust blockage ratio determined at the time of ignition exceeds a predetermined value and becomes abnormal. The combustion control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the sequence relating to the ignition is stopped in the case of (1), and the sequence relating to the ignition is continued as it is when the sequence is normal at a predetermined value or less.