EP2499432A2

EP2499432A2 - Valve apparatus and method for the thermo-electric safety pilot for gas-operated appliances

Info

Publication number: EP2499432A2
Application number: EP10782520A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Artur Fehringer
Original assignee: Anstoss Regelgerate GmbH
Current assignee: Anstoss Regelgerate GmbH
Priority date: 2009-11-09
Filing date: 2010-11-09
Publication date: 2012-09-19
Anticipated expiration: 2030-11-09
Also published as: WO2011054022A2; WO2011054022A3; EP2499432B1; AT508263A4; AT508263B1

Abstract

A valve apparatus (1) and a method for the thermo-electric safety pilot for gas-operated appliances, having a valve housing (2) which has a gas inlet (3) and at least one gas outlet (4) and in which a magnet insert (16) which exerts a magnetic force in an active state and has a movable closure part (15) for closing the flow path is provided for the selective opening of a flow path from the gas inlet (3) to the gas outlet (4), wherein a movable valve body (5) is accommodated in the valve housing (4), which valve body (5) has an inner flow channel (6) with at least one inlet opening (7) and at least one outlet opening (8) for the gas to be guided through, wherein, independently of the position of the movable valve body (5), the inlet opening (7) of the inner flow channel (6) is closed sealingly by the closure part (15) in a non-active state of the magnet insert (16).

Description

Ventilvorrichtunq; and method for thermoelectric

Ignition fuse for qas-powered devices

The invention relates to a valve device for gas-operated devices, having a gas inlet and at least one gas outlet lass valve housing, in which for selectively releasing a flow path from the gas inlet to the gas outlet in a active state, a magnetic force exerting magnets z is provided z, which has a having movable closure member for closing the flow path, and a method for thermoelectric ignition protection of a gas-powered device.

Such valve devices or methods are used in particular in open or closed gas burners, space heaters, water heaters, water heaters, oven controls, absorber refrigerators, caravan heaters, patio heaters, infrared burners and the like.

Basically, there are three different systems eta ^¬ bliert on the market, namely a so-called. Thermoelectric ignition fuse, serembran membrane valves with automatic firing and

Safety solenoid valves with an automatic burner control.

For thermoelectric ignition protection in particular a wide variety of solenoid valves are known.

From DE 103 16 642 B2 a thermoelectric ignition fuse with a valve housing and a button is known in which on the one hand a safety valve and on the other hand a

Control valve is provided.

From DE 20 2005 021 724 Ul a Magnetein ^¬ set for thermoelectric safety devices of gas-fired Ge ^¬ Board for what is known, for example, a covenant for the seat of a

Protective cap forms a circumferential collar, wherein on the end face of this annular collar one end of the winding is attached.

Further thermoelectric ignition fuses are, for example from DE 80 05 56 U and DE 91 17 110 Ul known.

The aim of the present invention is now to provide a Ventilvorrich ^¬ device of the initially mentioned kind, which is compact, by which a regulation of the gas passage is possible in a simple manner, while ensuring that at the same time in case of extinguishment of the gas flame Gas passage is reliably prevented. The latter objectives should also be achieved with the method according to the invention.

The valve device of the initially defined kind is characterized in that a movable valve body is received in the valve housing having an internal flow channel with at least one inlet opening and at least one outlet ^¬ opening for the bypassed gas, regardless of the position of the movable valve body, the inlet opening of the inner flow channel in a non-active state of Magneteinsat zes from the closure part is sealingly closed.

By providing a valve body movably received in the valve body can be easily regulated, the gas flow and thus the size of the gas flame. Regardless of the Stel ^¬ ment of the valve body is, however, si ^¬ chergestellt by the sealing completion of the inner flow channel with the help of the closure part that - unless the magnetic insert is not activated - a gas passage is prevented. Accordingly united front ^¬ geous enough, control and safety functions in a single valve device. The activation of the magnetic insert, in particular a electromagnets gnets recorded in the magnetic insert is usually ensured by a starting phase of the device with the aid of a heated gas from the pilot flame or a thermal ^¬ elements. Therefore, if the gas flame does not heat the thermo ^¬ element, the magnetic insert is no longer

activated, so that the movable closure part is no longer held by the Magnetein ^¬ set in its preferably retracted open Stel ^¬ lung, but is released from the magnetic insert and is thus preferably transferred by means of a spring element in a flow channel sealing position. This ensures that, when the gas flame is broken off, the internal flow regardless of the position of the valve body is sealed by the closure element.

In order to achieve with the aid of the valve body a continuous control of the gas passage and thus any regulation of the size of the gas flame, it is advantageous if the valve body between the gas outlet completely occlusive closed position and the gas outlet completely releasing open position is arbitrarily positionable. Accordingly, with the aid of the valve device, if the closure element is arranged in the open position against the magnetic insert, gas passage can be prevented with the aid of the valve body and thus the gas flame can be extinguished.

With regard to a possible automatic operation of the valve device, it is advantageous if a control or regulating unit is provided for positioning the valve body. It is also convenient to achieve the activation of the magnetic insert with a single control command, that a control unit is provided for activating the magnetic insert. In order to be able to position the valve body in a simple manner in a wide variety of positions between an open position and a closed position, it is advantageous if the valve body is assigned a drive unit, preferably a stepper motor, preferably controlled via the control unit. To provide a valve body with an inner flow channel, it is particularly simple from a structural point of view, if the valve body is designed as a one-piece hollow body. Of course, the valve body may, however, also be composed telescopically of at least two parts.

When the valve body has an outer circumferential recess on ^¬, which is connected to the at least one outlet opening of the inner flow channel, can be regulated in a simple manner the gas passage characterized by the outer well to the gas outlet in the valve housing is arranged at least partially in alignment. On the more or less aligned or overlapping arrangement of the recess with respect to the gas outlet can thus be easily controlled, the free passage opening and thus the gas flowing through. If, in addition to the gas flame to be protected a pilot flame is provided for heating the thermocouple, it is advantageous if at least two gas outlets, in particular for a Zündgasanschluss or a main burner port, are provided, depending on the position of the valve body one or both gas outlets the outlet of the _. Flow channels communicate.

To ensure that in a start-up phase for igniting a gas flame on the one hand, the valve device is in a closed position, on the other hand, the closure part is moved to a position in which it is held by the magnetic insert in its active state, it is advantageous if when activated the Control unit of the valve body is positioned in the closed position, so that the Ver ^¬ closing part is positioned against the force of a spring such that an armature of the closure part is substantially applied to an electromagnet of the magnetic insert.

In order to ensure that in a start-up phase for igniting a gas flame, the closure element is held in its active state via the magnetic insert, it is advantageous if the Steuerbzw. Control unit is configured to control or regulate an auxiliary current for activation of the magnetic insert within a predetermined safety time interval or until reaching a threshold value for a source voltage of a thermocouple.

When the control unit is adapted to switch a switching device, in particular a transistor, after reaching the threshold value for the source voltage of the thermocouple in a closed position, in which the magnetic insert. is supplied with the source voltage of the thermocouple, it is possible - apart from changes in position of the valve body - to maintain the safety function of the valve device, with only a minimum maintenance energy for the transistor is required, but no further power supply is needed. With regard to a cost-effective production and a simple assembly and a small space and material costs and to reduce sources of error and interference, it is advantageous if the valve device together with the control unit and an ignition system and an energy storage is designed as a modular component.

The method of the initially cited type is characterized in that a movable valve body is moved into a closed position for igniting a gas flame, wherein the valve body entrains a closure body, so that the closure body rests against an active magnetic insert and the closure body is held by a magnetic force, wherein the valve body is then moved into a position in which the closure body, an inner flow passage in the valve body is released, wherein the closure body seals the inner flow passage regardless of the position of the closure body in the absence of magnetic force. By moving the valve body and the Ver ^¬ closure body so that it can be gripped by the force exerted by the magnetic insert magnetic force the entrainment, it is ensured that, before the valve body is converted into an at least partially open position, the gas flow path is released, wherein, in the take-away the closure body of this particular is displaced against the elastic force of a spring, so that it is preferably ensured due to this elastic force in the absence of magnetic force that a gas passage is impossible.

On the one hand to ensure that before a gas flame is ignited, the closure body is held in its open position, on the other hand to one of the active gas or

To maintain ignition flame-dependent maintenance of the open position by a power-saving method, it is advantageous if the magnetic insert is fed with an auxiliary current at the beginning of the ignition of a gas flame and after ignition of the gas flame of the magnetic insert is fed via a coming from a thermocouple electromagnetic force, said in the line coming from the thermocouple, a transistor is arranged. In order to ensure that the transistor is checked before each start of the device, it is favorable if the auxiliary current is diverted to the thermocouple in the event of a short circuit of the transistor. Such a diversion is ensured in particular due to the lower internal resistance of the thermocouple; by redirecting the auxiliary flow is thus

ensures that the closure part is not held in its open position, since the magnetic insert is not activated and thus no magnetic force is exerted on the closure part. Accordingly, it is ensured regardless of the position of the valve body in such a type of fault that no gas release takes place.

The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to a preferred embodiment shown in the drawings, to which, however, it should not be limited. In detail, in the drawing:

1 shows a sectional view of the valve device according to the invention in a non-activated state of a magnetic insert.

FIG. 2 shows a sectional view according to FIG. 1, wherein a valve body is transferred to a lower closed position after initiation of a start command; FIG.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view according to FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein a valve body is shown in an upwardly shifted open position.

FIG. 1 shows a valve apparatus 1 for gas-operated appliances, which has a valve housing 2 with a gas inlet 3 and a gas outlet 4. In the valve housing 2, a valve body 5 is slidably received, which is designed as a hollow body, so that a flow channel 6 with a

Inlet opening 7 and a gas outlet opening 8 is provided. The hollow body 5 is in this case by means of two sealing rings 9 in an inner channel 10 of the valve housing 2 sealingly movable movable. For controlled positioning of the valve body 5 in the valve housing 2, a stepping motor 11 is provided, which is connected via a threaded spindle 12 with the valve body 5. The stepper motor 11 is again verbun ^¬ with a control unit 13, via which the motor is activated. 11

In the position shown in FIG. 1, the valve body 5 is in an upper position, in which the Gasaustrittsöff ^¬ tion 8 of the valve body 5 with the gas outlet 4 of

Valve body 2 is in communication. However, the gas inlet opening 7 in the inner flow channel 6 of the valve body 5 is closed tightly via a sealing plate 14 of a closure element 15 of a magnetic insert 16. The magnetic insert 16 has, in particular, an electromagnet 17, which is received in a stationary manner in the valve housing via a fixing 18. In the position shown in Fig. 1, the magnetic insert 16 or the electromagnet 17 is not activated, i. There is no magnetic force exerted, so that the closure member 15 is disposed via a spring element 19 in a position remote from a protective cap 20 position in which it seals the gas inlet opening 7 in the flow channel 6.

The magnetic insert 16 and the recorded herein electromagnet 17 is via a conduit 21, 24 to the control unit 13 verbun ^¬ via which an auxiliary current in a start phase, if the provided with the valve device gas appliance is to be acti ^¬ fourth, to activate the Electromagnet 17 is ^¬ leads.

Further, the controller 13 is connected via a line 22 to a field effect transistor (FET) 23, which is connected via the line 24 as well as the line 21 to the electromagnet 17. In addition, a thermocouple 25 is provided, which is connected via a line 26 to the control unit 13, so that, unless before the expiry of a pre give ^¬ NEN safety time sufficient electromotive force (EMF) is detected at a measuring point 27, the FET 23 in the conducting state over ^¬ is performed and the solenoid 17 of the magnetic insert 16 is supplied with this emf. Now, if a command to activate the (not shown) gas-powered device, ie for example via a manually operated button or a thermostat, is issued, the

Actuator 11 is activated, so that the valve body 5 is transferred to the lower closed position shown in FIG. Here, the closure piston 5 is up to a stop 27 of a unte ^¬ ren armature plate 15 'of the shutter member 15 moves downward. The movable valve body 5 is - if the magnetic insert 16 is not activated - sealed in any position by the sealing plate 14 of the magnetic insert 16, so that a gas inlet from the gas inlet 3 is not possible.

After reaching the lower end position shown in Fig. 2, which is pre ^¬ give by the mechanical dimensions of the magnetic insert 16, an auxiliary current is fed from the control unit 13 via line 21, so that the electromagnet 17 of the Magne ^¬ teinsatzes 16 is activated and the anchor plate 15 'of the Ver ^¬ closing part 15 of the electromagnet 17 by means of

Magnetic force is held.

This auxiliary current is fed until at a measuring point 27 ^¬ a sufficient from the thermocouple 25 back EMF is detected, but no longer than for the duration of the guard time. ^¬ to coincide with the activation of the auxiliary current to an ignition system 28 is activated and the movable valve body 5 driven by the step motor 6 to the desired position (see. FIG. 3). By the method of the valve body 5, as soon as a recess 29 of the closure body 5 is at least partially overlapping ^¬ lappend with the gas outlet 4 in the valve housing 2, a flow path for the gas released, so that a burner 30 is supplied with gas, which over the Ignition system 28 can be ignited.

Alternatively, that only a single burner 30 is vorgese ^¬ hen, in addition to the gas outlet 4, a further (not shown) gas outlet be provided which leads to an ignition ^¬ burner, then depending on the position of the valve body 5, only a single gas outlet or both can be shared. If the power supply ends before a sufficient EMF is still produced by the thermocouple 25, the armature plate 15 'can not be held by the magnetic insert 16 and its electromagnets 17, so that the sealing plate 14 via the force of the spring 19 to the inlet opening 7 in the Flow channel 6 is ge ^¬ presses, regardless of the position in which the Ven ^¬ tilkörper 5 is currently located (see Fig. 1). As a result, it is reliably ensured that the flow path through the valve device 1 is interrupted. The ignition is thus switched off ^¬ , which is a so-called. Security or lockout.

On the other hand is detected, a sufficient back EMF before the safety ^¬ time at the measuring point 27, the FET is transferred to the conducting state 23 and the electromagnet 17 of the Ma ^¬ gneteinsatzes 16 with this electromotive force supplied in place of the auxiliary flow.

The flow path from the gas inlet 3 to gas outlet 4 remains demzu ^¬ follow open until either the EMF of the thermocouple 25 is less than the holding threshold value, the FET is turned off (for example, because the desired temperature has been reached) or, however, the valve body 5 is positioned so far down that the inlet opening 7 is supported on the sealing plate 14 of the circuit member ^¬ Ver. 5

The valve body 5 can therefore be positioned so that the variable overlap of the recess 29 with the gas outlet 4 different sized free outlet openings can be ^{¬ a} set.

In this mode, no additional power supply is out of a minimal trickle charge for the FET 23 which is preferably powered by an (unspecified ge ^¬ showed) current source, in particular battery required. Only if the position of the valve body 5 is to be changed, a power supply to the servomotor 11 is required.

In addition, a (not shown) flame detector can be provided, via which the ignition system 28 already before the sufficient EMF of the thermocouple 25 can be turned off, whereby the power consumption is further reduced. Since the thermocouple 25 requires a certain cooling time in the event of a flame breakage of the burner 30 until the required holding EMF is undershot, a re-ignition test can be initiated by the flame detector during this time.

Advantageously, actuators (not shown) include a start, stop, more power, and less power button, and depending on the software, the more and less power buttons may be replaced by a reference potentiometer and a thermistor, thereby providing a high performance thermostatic modulation of the burner output can be achieved. The actuators can of course also be replaced or supplemented by external keys or an RF remote control or the like.

Claims

Claims:

1. Valve device (1) for gas-operated devices, with a gas inlet (3) and at least one gas outlet (4) aufwei ^¬ send valve housing (2), in which for selective release of a flow path from the gas inlet (3) to the gas outlet (4) in egg ^{¬ an} active state, a magnetic force exerting magnetic insert (16) is provided, which is a movable

Closing part (15) for closing the flow path, characterized in that a movable valve body (5) in the valve housing (4) is accommodated, which has an inner flow channel (6) with at least one inlet opening (7) and at least one outlet opening (8) for the gas to be passed through, wherein regardless of the position of the movable valve body (5), the inlet opening (7) of the inner Strömungska ^¬ nals (6) in a non-active state of the magnetic insert (16) from the closure part (15) sealingly closed.

2. A valve device according to claim 1, characterized in that the valve body (5) between a gas outlet (4) completely closing position and a gas outlet (4) completely releasing open position is arbitrarily position ^¬ bar.

3. A valve device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a control or regulating unit (13) for positioning ^¬ ning the valve body (5) is provided.

4. Valve device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a control or regulating unit (13) for Ak ^¬ tivierung of the magnetic insert (16) is provided.

5. Valve device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the valve body (5) is preferably associated with a control unit (13) driven drive unit, in particular a stepping motor (11).

6. Valve device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the valve body (5) is designed as a one-piece hollow body.

7. Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized ge ^¬ indicates that the valve body (5) has an outer circumferential recess (29) which is connected to the at least one outlet opening (8) of the inner flow channel (6).

8. Valve device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that at least two gas outlets (4), in particular for a Zündgasanschluss or a main burner port, are provided, depending on the position of Ven ^¬ tilkörpers (5) one of or both gas outlets (4) with the outlet opening (8) of the flow channel (6) are in communication.

9. Valve device according to one of claims 3 to 8, characterized in that upon activation of the control unit (13) of the valve body (5) is positioned in the closed position, so that the closure part (15) against the force of a spring ( 19) is positioned such that an armature (15 ¹ ) of the closure part (15) substantially abuts against an electromagnet (17) of the magnetic insert (16).

10. Device according to one of claims 3 to 9, characterized in that the control or regulating unit (13) is adapted to within a predetermined safety time interval or until reaching a threshold value for a source voltage of a thermocouple (25) an auxiliary current to Activation of the magnetic insert (16) to control or regulate.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that the control unit (13) is adapted to a switching device (23), in particular a transistor, ^¬ according He range of the threshold value for the source voltage of the thermocouple (25) in a To close closed position, in which the magnetic insert (16) with the source voltage of the thermocouple (25) is supplied.

12. Device according to one of claims 3 to 11, characterized ge ^¬ indicates that the valve device (1) together with the Steuerbzw. Control unit (13) and an ignition system (28) and an energy storage is designed as a modular component.

13. A method for thermoelectric ignition of a gas-operated device, characterized in that for igniting a gas flame, a movable valve body (5) in a

Closed position is moved, wherein the valve body (5) entrains a closure body (15), so that the closure body (15) on an active magnetic insert (16) is applied and the closure body (15) is held by a magnetic force, wherein the valve body (5 ) is then moved to a position in which the closure body (15) an inner flow channel is released in the valve body, wherein the Ver ^¬ closing body when the magnetic force ceases the inner flow channel (6) regardless of the position of the closure ^¬ body (5) seals.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that at the beginning of the ignition of a gas flame of the magnetic insert (16) is fed with an auxiliary current and after ignition of the gas flame of the magnetic insert (16) via one of a thermocouple (25) coming electromagnetic power is fed , wherein in the thermocouple (25) coming line, a transistor (23) is arranged to ^¬ .

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that in the case of a short circuit of the transistor (23), the auxiliary current is diverted to the thermocouple.