Honeywell International Inc.

Other

Ademco Inc.

Michael William Schultz

Brent Chian

Timothy J Nordberg

Douglas D Bird

Rolf Lee Strand

Peter M Anderson

Jonathan McDonald

Douglas Perry

Victor J Cueva

Curtis L Taylor

Bruce L Hill

Sybrandus B V Munsterhuis

James Holmberg

James Edward Erickson

Glenn R Bergum

Brent Chiain

Tim J Smith

Meng Yang

A furnace controller for a modulating furnace that helps provide a balance between energy efficiency and occupant comfort across various burner firing rates and/or across various circulating blower speeds. In some cases, the furnace controller can be configured to permit a user to customize operation of the furnace in accordance with their particular needs and/or desires with respect to efficiency and comfort. A selection may be made between an energy efficiency setting and a user comfort setting. Then, a plenum parameter such as a discharge air temperature (DAT) or discharge air flow (DAF) may be regulated in accordance with the selected setting.

Selectable efficiency versus comfort for modulating furnace

A burner system for a furnace. The system may have a wedged or other shaped burner box. An air-fuel mixer may be attached to a smaller end of the burner box at virtually any angle relative to a direction of a gas and air mixture leaving the larger box end. A burner head may be attached to the larger end of the box. The burner head may be sufficient for numerous heater sections of a heat exchanger. A spacer and a radiation shield may be situated between the burner head and heat exchanger. An addition of the radiation shield may reduce the operating temperature of the burner box, burner head and/or spacer. A fan may move the gas and air mixture from the mixer, through the box and the burner head. The mixture may be ignited into a flame which is moved into the heat exchanger.

Furnace burner radiation shield

A furnace is disclosed that includes a burner with a firing rate that is variable between a minimum and a maximum firing rate. After a call for heat is received, the firing rate is set to an initial level above the minimum firing rate, and the burner is ignited. The firing rate is then modulated downward toward the minimum firing rate. If the flame is lost during or after modulation, the burner is reignited and the firing rate is maintained above the firing rate at which the flame was lost until the current call for heat is satisfied. In some cases, the firing rate is maintained until one or more subsequent calls for heat are satisfied.

Furnace with modulating firing rate adaptation

Systems, methods, and controllers for controlling gas-fired appliances such as warm air furnaces are disclosed. An illustrative furnace system can include a burner unit in communication with a combustion air flow conduit and heat exchanger, a variable speed inducer fan or blower adapted to provide a flow of combustion air to the burner unit, a furnace controller and motor speed control unit adapted to regulate the speed of the inducer fan or blower, and a pneumatically modulated gas valve adapted to variably output gas pressure to the burner unit based at least in part on the combustion air flow.

Gas pressure control for warm air furnaces

A system having a pre-mix burner manifold in a housing that may permit air to be drawn through slots in the housing to flow over an external surface of the manifold. The flow of air may maintain a temperature of the manifold lower than a temperature that the manifold might have without the flow. The manifold may be attached to a burner and heat exchanger.

Furnace premix burner

A modulating furnace having a variable rate burner and a controller is operated at a first burner firing rate for a first period of time, and a higher burner firing rate once the first period of time has expired. In some instances, the burner may be operated only while the controller is receiving a call for heat from a thermostat or the like.

Burner firing rate determination for modulating furnace

Systems and methods for controlling gas to gas-fired appliances are disclosed. An illustrative system can include a modulating gas valve adapted to supply gas to a burner unit, an inducer fan adapted to produce a combustion air flow at the burner unit, a pressure reducing element in fluid communication with the gas valve and adapted to output at least one pressure signal for sensing the combustion air flow outputted by the inducer fan, and a controller for controlling the speed of the inducer fan. The pressure reducing element can include a venturi tube, flow nozzle, or other suitable device capable of producing pneumatic signals that can be used by the gas valve to modulate the gas supplied to the burner unit. By pneumatically linking the gas valve to the actual combustion air flow, the gas valve can be operated over a wide range of firing rates by adjusting the speed of the inducer fan.

Systems and methods for controlling gas pressure to gas-fired appliances

A forced air furnace may include a pneumatically modulated gas valve that is configured to provide gas to a burner. A pneumatic sampling device may be disposed proximate a combustion blower and may be configured to provide the pneumatically modulated gas valve with a first pneumatic signal and a second pneumatic signal that are representative of fluid flow through the pneumatic sampling device. The pneumatically modulated gas valve may regulate gas flow in accordance with the first and second pneumatic signals. In some cases, the pneumatic sampling device may include a restriction, a first pressure port disposed upstream of the restriction and a second pressure port disposed downstream of the restriction. The first and second pressure ports may provide the first and second pneumatic signals to the pneumatically modulated gas valve.

Combustion blower control for modulating furnace

A knee prosthesis for providing a user with a natural walking gait and flexion resistance. The knee prosthesis includes a support assembly; a flexion resistance member being supported upon the support assembly; a pivot assembly being pivotally connected to the support assembly and being fastened to a user's leg socket; and a flexion resistance drive assembly interconnecting said pivot assembly and said flexion resistance member.

Knee prosthesis

A pneumatic signal conditioning device may have a first fluid path and a second fluid path. The first fluid path includes a first inlet and a first outlet, and is configured such that the first outlet provides a first conditioned signal representing a pressure at the first inlet. Similarly, the second fluid path is configured such that the second outlet provides a second conditioned signal representing a pressure at the second inlet. A pressure switch may be disposed in fluid communication with the first fluid path and the second fluid path such that the first fluid path and the second fluid path pass through the pressure switch.

Negative pressure conditioning device with low pressure cut-off

A pneumatic signal conditioning device may have a first fluid path and a second fluid path. The first fluid path includes a first inlet and a first outlet, and is configured such that the first outlet provides a first conditioned signal representing a pressure at the first inlet. Similarly, the second fluid path is configured such that the second outlet provides a second conditioned signal representing a pressure at the second inlet.

Negative pressure conditioning device and forced air furnace employing same

A fault detection system and method for a warm air furnace is provided. A sensing circuit connected to an AC power source measures a level of current consumption during several points in the warm air furnace operating sequence. The measured level of current consumption is compared with an expected value. If the measured level exceeds the expected level by a threshold amount, a fault in the warm air furnace may be detected. An indication of at least one warm air furnace component that is most likely to have caused the fault may be provided.

Growing community of inventors

Elk River, MN, United States of America

Michael William Schultz