JPH09250741A - Combustion device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a combustion device, reduced in power consumption from a storage battery. SOLUTION: Power supply from a storage battery 22 to a boosting circuit 21 and a coil 14a is intercepted after a timer time in a timer circuit 30 has elapsed whereby the consumed power of the storage battery 22 is restrained and trouble that necessary power is not remaining upon igniting can be prevented. On the other hand, the storage battery 22 discharges to supply power to the boosting circuit 21 and the coil 14a until thermal electromotive force, generated in a thermal generation element 16, is increased sufficiently whereby a solenoid valve 14 will never be closed or the boosting circuit will never be OFF immediately after ignition. Further, the storage battery 22 will never be discharged upon flame failure during combustion whereby an electric power will never be consumed wastefully.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a combustion device, and more particularly to a combustion device with a built-in storage battery.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a combustion apparatus which uses a combustion heat of a burner to operate an electric load and which includes not only a thermoelectric generator element as a power source but also a storage battery for charging this thermoelectromotive force. Has been.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a case where such a thermoelectric power generation system is applied to a gas stove. The gas stove is roughly divided into a combustion unit 10 and a controller 20.

The combustion section 10 is a burner 11 for burning gas.
A gas conduit 12 for supplying gas to the burner 11, a main valve 13 that opens and closes in conjunction with ignition and extinguishing operations, and an adsorption valve open state by opening the ignition valve and energizing the adsorption coil 14a. Magnet solenoid valve 14 to hold
And the electrode 15 that sparks when a high voltage is applied.
A thermoelectric generator 16 in which a plurality of thermocouples that generate thermoelectromotive force when heated by a combustion flame are connected in series; and a misfire detection thermocouple 17 that detects misfire of the burner 11.

The controller 20 includes a booster circuit 21 that boosts the thermoelectromotive force generated by the thermoelectric generator 16, a storage battery 22 that is charged with the boosted thermoelectromotive force, and a limiting resistor that limits the charging current to the storage battery 22. 23, an igniter 24 that generates a high voltage for ignition spark, a switch S1 that is turned on and off in conjunction with ignition and fire extinguishing operations, and a switch S2 that is turned on only during ignition operations.

The booster circuit 21 boosts the thermoelectromotive force generated from the thermoelectric generator 16 to a level at which the storage battery 22 can be charged. Although the booster circuit 21 is driven by the power output by itself as a power source, it requires another power source until a sufficient output is obtained, so that the driving power is supplied from the storage battery 22 at the time of ignition.

Next, the operation of this gas stove will be described. When the ignition operation is performed by pressing an ignition button (not shown), the main valve 13 and the magnet solenoid valve 14 are mechanically pushed open, gas is supplied to the burner 11, and at the same time, the switches S1 and S2 are turned on and the storage battery 22 restricts. Resistance 23
Power is supplied to the booster circuit 21 and the igniter 24 via the igniter 24, and the igniter 24 operates to spark the electrode 15 and ignite the burner 11. Further, thermoelectromotive force is generated from the thermoelectric generator 16 by the combustion heat of the burner 11 and boosted by the booster circuit 21. In addition, the thermoelectromotive force generated from the misfire detection thermocouple 17 is supplied to the coil 25, and the magnet solenoid valve 14 maintains the adsorption open state.

When the ignition operation is completed by releasing a hand from an ignition button (not shown), the switch S2 is turned off, the power supply line from the storage battery 22 to the igniter 24 is cut off, and the operation of the igniter 24 is stopped. Booster circuit 2
Since 1 operates by using its own output as a power source, it needs power supply from another at first, but the charging voltage Vb of the storage battery 22 is
Is higher than the secondary side voltage Ve of the booster circuit 21, the storage battery 2
Power is supplied from 2 to start the operation.

After that, when the boosted voltage Ve exceeds the storage battery voltage Vb as the thermoelectromotive force generated from the thermoelectric generator 16 rises, the booster circuit 21 is driven only by its own output and the storage battery 22 is charged. Is performed.

When the heat is adjusted to a low level on the way by a heat adjusting lever (not shown), the electromotive force generated from the thermoelectric generator 16 decreases and the boosted voltage Ve falls below the storage battery voltage Vb. Therefore, the storage battery 22 is discharged again and power is supplied to the booster circuit 21.

When the fire of the burner 11 is extinguished due to spillage or wind, the generation of thermoelectromotive force from the misfire detecting thermocouple 17 is stopped, the magnet solenoid valve 14 is closed, and the gas supply is shut off.

When an ignition button (not shown) is pressed again (fire extinguishing operation), the main valve 13 and the magnet solenoid valve 14 are closed to shut off the gas, and the switch S
1 is turned off, and the power supply line from the storage battery 22 to the booster circuit 21 is cut off.

[0013]

However, in such a conventional circuit configuration, when the state of the boosted voltage Ve <the storage battery voltage Vb continues for a long time due to the use of the low heat power, the power consumption of the storage battery 22 continues and the storage battery 22 continues. There was a problem that the remaining amount of power was below the power required for the next startup. This problem can be solved by maintaining the boosted voltage Ve ≧ the storage battery voltage Vb in a weak thermal power state, but the efficiency of the booster circuit 21 must be increased or the electromotive force of the thermoelectric generator 16 must be increased, resulting in a significant cost reduction. Will rise to. In addition, there is also a problem in that, in the case of disappearance due to spillage or wind, power is continuously supplied from the storage battery 22 to the booster circuit 21 and power is wasted.

It is an object of a combustion apparatus of the present invention to solve the above problems and provide a combustion apparatus that consumes less power from a storage battery.

[0015]

A combustion apparatus according to the present invention which solves the above-mentioned problems has a burner which burns a fuel gas, a thermoelectric generator which generates a thermoelectromotive force by combustion heat of the burner, and its own output. A booster circuit that boosts and outputs the thermoelectromotive force generated from the thermoelectric generator together with a driving power source, and a storage battery that charges the output boosted by the booster circuit, and the output voltage of the booster circuit is When the charging voltage is lower than the charging voltage of the storage battery, in a combustion device that supplies power from the storage battery to the booster circuit, a timer means for shutting off the power supply line from the storage battery to the booster circuit after a predetermined time has elapsed from the ignition operation. The point is to have prepared.

In the combustion apparatus of the present invention having the above structure, when the burner is ignited, the booster circuit is driven by the power supplied from the storage battery, and the thermoelectromotive force generated from the thermoelectric generator is boosted by the combustion heat of the burner. Since the thermoelectromotive force generated immediately after ignition is small, the storage battery discharges and supplies driving power to the booster circuit. When the thermoelectromotive force generated from the thermoelectric generator rises sufficiently after a while, the booster circuit is driven only by its own output, and the storage battery is also charged. When a predetermined time has elapsed after ignition, the power supply line from the storage battery to the booster circuit is shut off by the timer means, and the power is not supplied from the storage battery to the booster circuit even if the thermal power weakens and the thermoelectromotive force generated from the thermoelectric generator decreases Therefore, the current consumption of the storage battery can be suppressed. Further, even if the burner is extinguished due to spilled air, wind, or the like, the storage battery does not discharge, so there is no unnecessary power consumption.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION In order to further clarify the constitution and operation of the present invention described above, preferred embodiments of the combustion apparatus of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a gas stove as an embodiment of the present invention. The basic configuration is the same as that of the conventional gas stove (FIG. 4), but the burner 11 does not include the misfire thermocouple 17, but the thermoelectromotive force generated from the thermoelectric generator 16 and boosted by the booster circuit 21 is used. The coil 14a is energized by the electric power from the storage battery 22 to adsorb the magnet solenoid valve 14, the switch S3 is turned on and off in conjunction with ignition and fire extinguishing operations, the storage battery 22 to the booster circuit 21 and the coil 14a. Are different in that a timer circuit 30 is provided in a power supply line to the storage battery 22 and a diode 31 is provided in a charging line to the storage battery 22. The same components as those of the conventional gas stove are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

The gas stove of this embodiment is composed of a diode 31.
With the charging line from the booster circuit 21 to the storage battery 22,
The power supply line from the storage battery 22 to the booster circuit 21 and the coil 14a is distinguished, and a timer circuit 30 that shuts off the power supply line after a lapse of a predetermined timer time after ignition is provided. As shown in FIG. 2, the timer circuit 30 has a switch S2.
Transistor Q1 which is turned on by turning on, and resistors R1 and R2 which divide the voltage on the base side of the transistor Q1
And a capacitor C charged through the resistor R3 when the transistor Q1 is energized, and O due to the voltage of the capacitor C.
When the transistor Q2 that turns on and the resistors R4 and R5 that divides the capacitor voltage on the base side of the transistor Q2 and the transistor Q2 turn on, the storage battery 22 is turned on.
To a booster circuit 21 and a coil 14a, and a resistor R6 provided on the base side of the transistor Q3.

Now, the operation of the timer circuit 30 will be described. When the switch S2 is turned on, the transistor Q1
Is turned on, a current flows through the resistor R3, and the capacitor C is charged. At the same time, the transistor Q2 is turned on and the transistor Q3 is turned on, and power is supplied from the storage battery 22 to the booster circuit 21 and the coil 14a. Next, when the switch S2 is turned off and the igniter 24 is turned off, the transistor Q1 is turned off, but the charge charged in the capacitor C is supplied to the transistor Q2 through the resistor R4, so that the transistors Q2 and Q3 are turned on. The power is continuously supplied from the storage battery 22 to the booster circuit 21 and the coil 14a. When the remaining capacity of the capacitor C becomes equal to or lower than the ON voltage of the transistor Q2 due to the discharging of the capacitor C, the transistor Q2 is turned off, and at the same time, the transistor Q3 is also turned off to cut off the power supply line from the storage battery 22 to the coil 14a. With such a configuration, the power supply line is shut off after the elapse of a predetermined timer time due to the discharge of the capacitor C.

Next, the operation of the gas stove of this embodiment will be described. When the ignition operation is performed by pressing an ignition button (not shown), the main solenoid valve 13 and the magnet solenoid valve 14 are mechanically pushed open, and gas flows into the burner 11,
At the same time, the switches S1, S2, S3 are turned on, and the storage battery 22
Power is supplied to the igniter 24 and the timer circuit 30 from the limiting resistor 23, and the transistor Q3 is turned on.
By doing so, electric power is also supplied to the booster circuit 21 and the coil 14a. The igniter 24 by the supplied power
Operates to spark the electrode 15 and ignite the burner 11, and the magnet solenoid valve 14 holds the adsorption open state. Further, the combustion heat of the burner 11 causes thermoelectromotive force of the thermoelectric generator 16 to be boosted by the booster circuit 21.

When the ignition operation is completed by releasing a hand from an ignition button (not shown), the switch S2 is turned off, the power supply line from the storage battery 22 to the igniter 24 is cut off, and the operation of the igniter 24 is stopped. Therefore, the power supply to the timer circuit 30 is also cut off, but the ON state of the transistor Q3 is held by the timer circuit 30 for a predetermined timer time. FIG. 3 is a graph showing changes in the voltage Vb boosted by the booster circuit. As shown by point A in FIG. 3, since sufficient thermoelectromotive force is not generated from the thermoelectric generator 16 immediately after ignition, the voltage Ve boosted by the booster circuit 21 is lower than the storage battery voltage Vb, and the storage battery 22 is discharged. Then, driving power is supplied to the booster circuit 21 and the coil 14a.

When the electromotive force generated from the thermoelectric generator 16 rises, as shown at point B, the boosted voltage Ve changes to the storage battery voltage V.
Since it is higher than b, the storage battery 22 starts to be charged from the booster circuit 21. The output of the booster circuit 21 drives the booster circuit 21 itself and the coil 14a.

As indicated by point C, when the timer time by the timer circuit 30 has elapsed, the transistor Q3 turns off,
The power supply line from the storage battery 22 to the booster circuit 21 and the coil 14a is cut off, but the booster circuit 21 supplies power.

Here, when the heat is adjusted to a low level by a heat adjusting lever (not shown) at point D, the electromotive force generated from the thermoelectric generator 16 decreases, and as shown at point E, the boosted voltage Ve becomes equal to that of the storage battery. It falls below the voltage Vb. However, since the transistor Q3 is off, the storage battery 22 is not discharged. Further, even at the weakest thermal power, the boosted voltage Ve exceeds the minimum operating voltage Vs for driving the booster circuit 21 and the coil 14a, so that the combustion is continued.

When the burner 11 extinguishes fire due to spilled air, wind, etc., the generation of thermoelectromotive force from the thermoelectric generator 16 is stopped as shown at point F, and the boosted voltage Ve is reduced as shown at point G. Then, since it falls below the minimum operating voltage Vs for driving the booster circuit 21 and the coil 14a, the magnet solenoid valve 14 is closed and the gas supply is cut off.

As described above, according to the gas stove of the present embodiment, after the timer time by the timer circuit 30 has elapsed, the power supply line from the storage battery 22 to the booster circuit 21 and the coil 14a is cut off, so that the storage battery 22 is protected. It is possible to reduce power consumption and prevent problems such as insufficient power remaining at ignition. Further, until the thermoelectromotive force generated from the thermoelectric generator 16 sufficiently rises, the storage battery 22 discharges and supplies power to the booster circuit 21 and the coil 14a, so the magnet solenoid valve 14 closes immediately after ignition. The booster circuit does not turn off. In addition, since the storage battery 22 is not discharged even when a misfire occurs on the way, there is no unnecessary power consumption. Further, since it is sufficient to add the timer circuit 30 having a simple structure, the cost is low. Also,
Since the thermoelectric generator 16 can also be used for misfire detection, the cost is low.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above.
The present invention is not limited to these embodiments at all, and can be applied to, for example, a combustion device other than a gas stove, and can of course be implemented in various modes without departing from the scope of the present invention. is there.

[0028]

As described above in detail, according to the combustion apparatus of the present invention, the power supply line from the storage battery to the booster circuit is cut off after the elapse of the predetermined time by the timer means, so that the current consumption of the storage battery is suppressed. It is possible to prevent a problem that there is no necessary power at the next startup. Further, until the thermoelectromotive force generated by the thermoelectric generator after the burner ignition is sufficiently increased, the storage battery is discharged and the driving power is supplied to the booster circuit, so that the booster circuit does not turn off. . Further, even if the burner is extinguished by spilled air, wind, etc., the storage battery does not discharge, so there is no unnecessary power consumption.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a gas stove as an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a timer circuit of this embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing changes in boosted voltage Ve.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram as an example that can be considered when the thermoelectric generation system is applied to a gas stove.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Combustion part, 11 ... Burner, 13 ... Main valve, 1
4 ... Magnet solenoid valve, 16 ... Thermoelectric generator element, 20 ...
Controller, 21 ... Booster circuit, 22 ... Storage battery.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A burner that burns fuel gas, a thermoelectric generator that generates thermoelectromotive force by the combustion heat of the burner, and a thermoelectric generator that uses the output of itself as a drive power source. A boosting circuit for boosting and outputting the boosted voltage, and a storage battery for charging the output boosted by the boosting circuit. When the output voltage of the boosting circuit is lower than the charging voltage of the storage battery, the boosting circuit is operated from the storage battery. A combustion device for supplying power to a combustion device, comprising: timer means for cutting off a power supply line from the storage battery to the booster circuit after a lapse of a predetermined time from an ignition operation.