Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company

Matthew Francis Yender

Stanton Hopkins Breitlow

Keith D Ness

William Bohlinger

John Frederic Lemke

James P Hentges

Eric Meech

Geoffrey Rozek

Brittany Phillips

Eric Ellis

Kurt W Peterson

Larry Walters

Adam Kidney

Dean R McCluskey

Brian Geer

Theodore Thomas Von Arx

Robert A Pape

Larry Emil Tiedemann

Thomas Robert Pfingsten

Dale Thomas Wolfe

James Hentges

Keith Ness

A control system for controlling an adjustable output voltage provided to a heater includes a controller configured to determine an input parameter based on an electrical characteristic of the heater, where the heater includes a resistive heating element that is operable to emit heat and as a sensor. The controller is further configured to determine an output voltage for the heater based on the input parameter and a desired setpoint, and to transmit a signal to a power converter to generate the output voltage. The desired setpoint is based on an operational state of the heater, and the input parameter includes data indicative of a temperature of the resistive heating element that is determined based on the electrical characteristic.

Power converter for a thermal system

A method of dynamically calibrating a heater having a plurality of zones defined by one or more resistive heating elements includes controlling power to a heater having a plurality of zones based on a dynamic resistance-temperature (R-T) model to control a temperature of the heater to a temperature setpoint. For each of the plurality of zones, the method further includes measuring a temperature of a respective zone based on a resistance of the resistive heating elements of the respective zone and the dynamic R-T model, measuring a reference temperature for the respective zone, and incrementally adjusting a resistance value associated with the temperature setpoint provided in the dynamic R-T model for the respective zone to a calibrated resistance value. The method further includes providing the dynamic R-T model that correlates the calibrated resistance values of the plurality of zones with the temperature setpoint as a calibrated R-T model.

Dynamic calibration of a control system controlling a heater

A power converter system includes an input rectifier configured to rectify a line power having a line energy and a full-bridge isolating converter comprising a transformer, where the full-bridge isolating converter is configured to generate an isolated output voltage based on the rectified line power, and where the isolated output voltage is electrically isolated from the line energy. The power converter system includes a power controller configured to operate the full-bridge isolating converter to generate the isolated output voltage, determine whether the transformer is operating in a flux walk state based on an electric current of the transformer, and perform a corrective action in response to the transformer operating in the flux walk state.

Isolated power converter for a thermal system

A method for enhancing resistance measurements of a load includes obtaining a plurality of sample resistance values of the load, determining an average resistance value based on the plurality of sample resistance values, determining a resistance difference based on the average resistance value and a nominal resistance value associated with the load, updating an offset correction value of a controller in response to the resistance difference being greater than a resistance tolerance, and measuring a resistance of the load based on the offset correction value and one or more electrical characteristics of the load.

Method and system for calibrating a controller that determines a resistance of a load

A method for calibrating a control system configured to control a two-wire heater includes providing power to a load electrically coupled to the control system, generating, an initial measured characteristic and a calibrated measured characteristic of the load by the control system and a controller calibration system, respectively. The method further includes defining a calibrated measurement reference based on a correlation of the initial measured characteristic and the calibrated measured characteristic. With the calibrated measure reference, the control system is further calibrated to define a resistance-temperature calibration reference for determining a working temperature of the two-wire heater based on a measured resistance of the two-wire heater.

System and method for calibrating a control system operating an electric heater

A power converter system provides adjustable power to a heater and includes an input rectifier and a full-bridge isolating converter. The input rectifier is configured to rectify a line power having a line energy. The full-bridge isolating converter configured to generate an isolated output voltage based on the rectified line power. The isolated output voltage is electrically isolated from the line energy.

A control system for controlling a heater includes a power converter, a sensor circuit, and a controller. The power converter supplies an adjustable power to the heater, and the sensor circuit is configured to measure an electrical characteristic of the heater. The controller is coupled to the power converter to control the power to the heater, and is configured to select a state model control, as an operation state of the heater, from among a plurality of defined state model controls. The controller controls the power supplied to the heater based on the operation state of the heater and on the electrical characteristics of the heater.

System and method for controlling power to a heater

The present disclosure is directed toward a control system for controlling a heater that includes at least one heating element. The control system includes a power converter operable to supply an adjustable voltage output to the heater, a sensor circuit that measures an electrical characteristic of the heating element of the heater, a reference temperature sensor that measures a reference temperature of a reference at the heater, and a controller. The controller is configured to calculate a primary temperature of a heater element based on the electrical characteristic and determines the voltage output to be applied to the heater based on at least one of the reference temperature and the primary temperature. The controller is configured to operate in at least one of an operation mode and a learn mode, and execute protection protocols when voltage is being supplied to the heater.

The present disclosure generally describes a system that includes a heater, a power converter including a power switch, and a controller. The power converter is in communication with the heater and is operable to apply an adjustable voltage to the heater. The controller is in communication with the power switch to control the voltage output of the power converter based on at least one of a load current and a detected voltage at the heater. The controller operates the power switch to adjust the voltage output of the power converter.

A 1/16 DIN power controller configuration is provided that includes a housing, a circuit board carrier disposed within the housing and capable of engaging at least three circuit boards within the housing, a power supply circuit board disposed within the housing and engaged by the circuit board carrier, and a communications circuit board disposed adjacent the power supply circuit board within the housing and engaged by the circuit board carrier. The communications circuit board includes Ethernet/IP and/or Modbus TCP protocols, and in alternate forms includes RS-232 and RS-485 with Modbus RTU protocol, DeviceNet, Profibus DP, CanOpen, and/or EtherCat.

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Minnesota City, MN, United States of America

Matthew Francis Yender