Forney Engineering Company

Forney International, Inc.

Donald L Ewing

James S Grisham, Jr

William D Johnson

In an infrared flame detector system an infrared photodetector is positioned to receive infrared radiation from the flame to be detected. The output of the infrared flame detector is amplified with a gain readily switchable between two different gain values. The amplified output signal is filtered by a programmable high pass filter, in which the corner frequency can be selected to have different values and is readily switchable between two different values to correspond with different fuels generating the flame being detected. The output of the programmable filter is full wave rectified to provide a DC signal level corresponding to the AC signal generated across the photodetector. This DC signal level is compared with a reference signal voltage selected to correspond with the signal voltage produced when no flame is present, to provide an indication of the presence or absence of a flame.

Infrared flame detector adaptable for different fuels

An industrial control system in accordance with the present invention is provided with a plurality of diverse controlled devices (e.g., fans, pumps, valves, solenoids, relays, etc.) for effecting overall system control. Each device has a unique set of logic control functions and/or command sequences and is connected, through an input/output interface, to a stored-program single board computer that provides device control and monitoring. The computers each include a central processor controlled by a composite or 'master' program which is common to all the computers and which includes instruction sequences for all logic control functions and command sequences that exist within the system. A user alterable interconnection device (UAID) permits only those logic control function and/or command sequence portions of the master program that relate to a particular one of the controlled devices to operatively connect with the particular input/output ports associated with that controlled device. As the master program successively loops, only those logic control functions and/or command sequences that relate to the particular controlled device, as determined by the user alterable interconnection device, are operative to address the input-output ports associated with the controlled device and thereby effect device control and monitoring. The invention permits simple and efficient dedication of a plurality of single board computers having only one master program to an equal member of diverse controlled devices without the drawbacks normally associated with dedicated stored-program controllers.

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Richardson, TX, United States of America

Donald L Ewing