Aos Holding Company

A.o. Smith Corporation

Thomas Gerard Van Sistine

Ray Oliver Knoeppel

William Louis Mehlhorn

Andrew William Phillips

Andrew Robert Caves

Brian Thomas Branecky

Mark A Murphy

Robert Eugene Olson

Zhongsheng Niu

Timothy H Houle

Ronald P Bartos

Michael William Schultz

David E Morris

Timothy Edward Rooney

John Matthew Schulz

Jason W T Scott

Mark Allan Murphy

A gas-fired appliance includes a tank configured to store a fluid to be heated, a powered anode extending into the tank and configured to generate an electric anode current, and a combustion chamber including a burner configured to generate products of combustion. The appliance also includes an exhaust structure, a heat exchanger, and an electronic processor coupled to the powered anode. The products of combustion flow from the combustion chamber to the exhaust structure via the heat exchanger. The electronic processor is configured to determine a duty cycle of the burner, determine whether the duty cycle of the burner exceeds a predetermined threshold, increase a magnitude of a protection parameter of the powered anode from a first value to a second value when the duty cycle of the burner exceeds the predetermined threshold, and control the powered anode according to the second value of the protection parameter.

System and method of controlling a water heater having a powered anode

A storage-type water heater including a tank for supporting water to be heated, a first heating element, a first relay connected to the first heating element, a second heating element, a second relay connected to the second heating element, and a controller for selectively operating the first relay and the second relay. The controller includes instructions for selecting a mode from at least, a no-sequencing mode, wherein the first relay and the second relay are operated concurrently, and a sequencing mode, wherein the first relay and the second relay are operated sequentially. The controller also operates the first relay to supply power to the first heating element, and operates the second relay to supply power to the second heating element, based on the selected mode.

Water heater and method of operating the same

A storage-type water heater includes a tank for supporting water to be heated, a first heating bank including a first heating surface disposed within the tank, a first contactor connected to the first heating bank, a second heating bank including a second heating surface disposed within the tank, a second contactor connected to the second heating bank, and a controller for selectively operating the first contactor and the second contactor.

A dry-fire protection system and method. The dry-fire protection system includes a tank, a heating element, a powered electrode, a sensor, and a microcircuit. The heating element and the powered electrode are positioned in the tank, the powered electrode being positioned above the heating element. The powered electrode includes an electrode wire and a connector having an electrical connector coupled to the electrode wire, but electrically isolated from the tank, and a fastener for coupling the powered electrode to the tank. The sensor detects an electrical characteristic of a circuit formed by the tank, the powered electrode, and water in the tank. The microcircuit determines if a possible dry-fire condition exists based on a signal received from the sensor.

Water storage device having a powered anode

Methods and systems for evaluating the condition of a water tank having a powered anode protection system. The water heater includes a storage tank to hold water, a powered anode, and a control circuit. The control circuit includes a variable voltage supply, a voltage sensor, and a current sensor. The control circuit is configured to compare a measured parameter to a threshold. In some constructions, the threshold is indicative of a condition of the storage tank at which the powered anode is no longer able to protect the storage tank from corrosion. In other constructions, the threshold is predicative of a potential failure of the storage tank caused by corrosion. In some constructions, the control circuit is configured to estimate a time remaining until the predicted failure of the storage tank.

Storage-type water heater having tank condition monitoring features

A water heater having a powered electrode and a method of controlling the water heater. The water heater includes a tank to hold water, a heating element, an electrode, and a control circuit. The control circuit includes a variable voltage supply, a voltage sensor, and a current sensor. The control circuit is configured to controllably apply a voltage to the electrode, determine the potential of the electrode relative to the tank with the voltage sensor when the voltage does not power the electrode, determine a current applied to the tank after the voltage powers the electrode, determine a conductivity state of the water in the tank based on the electrode potential and the current, and define the voltage applied to the powered electrode based on the conductivity state. The control circuit of the water heater can also determine whether the water heater is in a dry-fire state.

A fluid-heating apparatus for heating a fluid and method of operating the same. The fluid-heating apparatus includes a heating element for heating a fluid surrounding the heating element and a control circuit connected to the heating element and connectable to a power source. The control circuit includes a current path from the power source to the heating element back to the power source, a switch connected in the current path, and a current sensor. The method includes initiating a heating state of the fluid-heating apparatus, initiating a non-heating state of the fluid-heating apparatus, applying a voltage to the heating element during the non-heating state, sensing a leakage current of the heating element during the application of the voltage, and determining a degradation of the heating element with the sensed leakage current.

Fluid-heating apparatus, circuit for heating a fluid, and method of operating the same

A switched reluctance motor includes a rotor mounted for rotation about an axis, and having a plurality of rotor poles, and a stator surrounding the rotor and including first, second and third stator phases. The motor also includes energizing means for sequentially energizing the stator phases with an energy source to cause rotation of the rotor, based on rotor position information, the energizing means causing one phase to be energized and then deenergized to near a zero current level prior to a point where the rotor pole breaks away from the stator pole. The energizing means further includes limited current turn on means connected to switch operating means for operating a switch on the one phase to permit flow of limited current through the one phase after it reaches a near zero current level but before the break away point. The motor further includes circuit means connected to the one phase for permitting the limited current to circulate through the one phase; and current sensing means for sensing the amount of current in the one phase and for determining when the current exceeds a predetermined regenerative current threshold at about the break away point, the energizing means being connected to the current sensing means to use this excess regenerative current information at about the break away point for rotor position information.

Switched reluctance motor providing rotor position detection at high

A switched reluctance motor includes a rotor mounted for rotation about a rotor shaft axis and a stator surrounding the rotor and having at least three electrically independent stator phases. The motor includes an electronic circuit for selectively energizing the phases in succession with a run current to generate a torque on the rotor and thereby rotate the rotor. The circuit includes switch operating means for selectively operating switches connecting an energy source to the phases. The circuit also includes current sensing means for sensing the amount of current in each of the phases, and timing means for determining the amount of time for the current in each phase to reach a predetermined current level threshold. The circuit also includes pulse means for periodically selectively operating the switch operating means for a limited time to energize the unenergized phases with a seek current without substantially generating torque on the rotor, and comparing means for comparing the amount of time that current in each of the unenergized phases took to reach the predetermined current level threshold. The circuit also includes run means connected to the comparing means and the switch operating means for switching on a selected one of the switches to rotate the rotor.

Switched reluctance motor providing rotor position detection at low

A switched reluctance electronic motor includes a rotor mounted for rotation about an axis and including a plurality of rotor poles. A stator surrounds the rotor and includes at least three stator phases. The motor also includes a circuit for controlling the motor, the circuit includes a pulse generator for supplying a seek current to each of the phases of the motor without causing rotation of the rotor. The seek currents in the phases each have a respective seek current rise time. The rise time is a function of the proximity of the rotor poles to the respective phases. The circuit includes a series of counters for measuring the amount of time required for the seek current in each phase to reach a predetermined seek current threshold and a comparator for comparing the seek current rise times and for establishing a priority sequence determined by which of the phases has the lowest seek current rise time, the intermediate seek current rise time, and the highest seek current rise time The circuit also includes a run signal generator connected to the comparing structure for energizing a selected one of the phases based upon the priority sequence to cause rotation of the rotor.

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Menomonee Falls, WI, United States of America

Thomas Gerard Van Sistine