Burner control system and method for controlling a burner control system of or for a heating system

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a burner control system comprising a controller, a burner connectable to a combustible gas supply and comprising a controllable valve coupled to the controller, and an optical sensor disposed on the burner and coupled to the controller, wherein the controller is configured to determine an operating state of the burner from a group of operating states including at least an ignition state based on a measurement signal of the optical sensor indicating a light level corresponding to the operating state, and to selectively control the controllable valve depending on the operating state of the burner.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a burner control system, which may be applied, for example, to a central heating system, a domestic hot water system, or a pool hot water system. Such a burner control system is typically constituted by a hot water appliance where a fluid (generally water) is heated before being fed back to a heating system or drafted for use. The present disclosure further relates to a method for controlling such a burner control system. [Background technology]

[0002] The purpose of the burner control system is twofold. First, the burner control system provides flame supervision by continually monitoring for the presence of a flame. If the flame is unexpectedly extinguished, flammable gases may accumulate within the burner control system's combustion chamber or the component in which it is housed (e.g., a hot water appliance such as a gas boiler) and may violently explode if ignited. If the flame is unexpectedly extinguished, the burner control system may initiate safety procedures to prevent a potentially dangerous accumulation of flammable gases from occurring.

[0003] Secondly, the burner control system controls the sequence of actions taken to initiate the combustion of the combustible gases. The burner control system according to the invention is configured to perform these actions meticulously while simultaneously ensuring optimal safety and minimal risk of gas build-up and / or explosion occurrence.

[0004] The prior art burner control systems described herein above utilize natural gas, or other hydrocarbon fuels, such as propane, as the fuel for the heating fluid of the heating systems to which they are connected. Recently, there has been increased interest in utilizing hydrogen gas for such systems in place of natural gas. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the above prior art burner control systems have been found to be inadequate for heating systems based on hydrogen gas. In particular, it has been found that sufficiently reliable monitoring of the flame is not possible when the flame being monitored is a hydrogen flame. Furthermore, conventional schemes for starting the burner and initiating the combustion of the combustible gas have been found to be inadequate for hydrogen gas in terms of safety. This problem is further exacerbated because hydrogen-based explosions are much more powerful than natural gas-based explosions. The use of hydrogen gas can cause an audible and unpleasant explosion upon ignition, and in more extreme cases, such as the malfunction of one or more components, can cause an explosion powerful enough to pose a safety hazard. Furthermore, consumers who have previously used natural gas burners may have experienced the explosion sounds caused by the combustion of natural gas, for example with delayed ignition, and are not accustomed to the potential sound of a hydrogen gas explosion, and may experience a threateningly large explosion, even at the level that the burner system was designed to withstand. To ensure safety and to increase market acceptance of hydrogen gas burners, there is a strong need to prevent excessive accumulation of hydrogen gas that could cause an explosion.

[0006] Notwithstanding any of the above, the invention disclosed herein may also be applied to non-hydrogen gas based systems to achieve at least some of the advantages of the invention as further described below.

[0007] Published Japanese Patent Application No. 60-82720 is regarded as the closest prior art. US Published Japanese Patent Application No. 2,388,124 and US Published Japanese Patent Application No. 3,574,496, as well as European Published Japanese Patent Application No. 2,136,140, ​​are acknowledged as further prior art.

[0008] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a burner control system in which at least some of the limitations of known burner control systems discussed herein above are eliminated or mitigated. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] This object is achieved by a burner control system comprising a controller, a burner connectable to a combustible gas supply and comprising a controllable valve coupled to the controller, and an optical sensor arranged on the burner and coupled to the controller, wherein the controller is configured to determine an operating state of the burner from a group of operating states including at least an ignition state based on a measurement signal of the optical sensor indicating a light level corresponding to the operating state, and to selectively control the controllable valve depending on the operating state of the burner.

[0010] The burner control systems specified herein above may utilize combustible gases as fuels with equivalent or improved levels of safety and light-off time efficiency compared to prior art burner control systems, including those for hydrogen and non-hydrogen gas based applications.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the burner control system according to the invention, the group of usage conditions further comprises a combustion condition, and the controller is configured to determine whether the measurement signal indicative of the light level is above a predetermined threshold indicative of the presence of a flame.

[0012] In these embodiments, the burner control system may monitor for the presence of a flame during operation of the burner and take appropriate action if the flame is determined to have been unexpectedly extinguished. According to certain embodiments of the burner control system, such appropriate action may be the implementation of a safety procedure which involves shutting down one or more operations of the burner control system.

[0013] In a further preferred embodiment of the burner control system according to the invention, the controller is configured to execute a safety procedure if the measurement signal indicative of the light level is below a predefined threshold indicative of the presence of a flame in the combustion condition.

[0014] In a further preferred embodiment of the burner control system according to the invention, the controller is configured to execute a safety procedure if the measurement signal indicative of the light level is below a predefined threshold indicative of the presence of a flame in a combustion condition.

[0015] In a further preferred embodiment of the burner control system according to the invention, the burner control system further comprises a spark plug coupled to the controller and configured to selectively emit a spark to ignite the combustible gas emitted by the burner, and a spark detection sensor coupled to the controller.

[0016] In a further preferred embodiment of the burner control system according to the invention, the group of use states further includes a pre-ignition state, and the controller is configured to control the spark plug to selectively emit a spark to ignite the combustible gas, receive a spark detection signal from the spark detection sensor indicative of the pre-ignition state, and control the controllable valve of the burner to emit the combustible gas based on the spark detection signal.

[0017] In these embodiments, the controller opens the controllable valve only when an emitted spark is detected, thereby preventing premature or unintended release of hydrogen gas, which may occur, for example, when a spark plug malfunctions. Hydrogen gas released without an ignition spark can build up in the system and pose an explosion hazard. Thus, these embodiments further improve the overall level of safety, especially in the event of equipment failure. Furthermore, these embodiments can minimize the time that elapses during the release of hydrogen gas and its ignition. This also results in an overall improvement in safety, since the amount of hydrogen gas released before ignition can be minimized. In turn, this reduces the intensity of the ignition itself, resulting in no or only minimal audible explosion sounds upon ignition of the hydrogen gas.

[0018] In a further preferred embodiment of the burner control system according to the present invention, the spark detect signal indicative of a pre-ignition condition comprises a fluctuating spark detect signal.

[0019] In these embodiments, a controller of the burner control system can detect light resulting from individual sparks emitted by the spark plug, each of which is represented by a fluctuation in the spark detection signal, and the controller can determine a spark plug malfunction based on the fluctuating spark detection signal.

[0020] In a further preferred embodiment of the burner control system according to the invention, the spark detection sensor is an optical sensor and the spark detection signal obtained via the spark detection sensor is indicative of light from a spark emitted by the spark plug.

[0021] In a further preferred embodiment of a burner control system according to the present invention, the controller is configured to determine whether the spark detection signal indicative of a pre-ignition condition is above a predetermined threshold indicative of a pre-ignition condition and below a predetermined threshold indicative of the presence of a flame.

[0022] In a further preferred embodiment of the burner control system according to the invention, the controller is configured to perform a zero level signal measurement, indicative of a background level of light, using the optical sensor when the burner is inactive, and to determine the usage status of the burner based on the zero level signal.

[0023] In these embodiments, the zero level signal may be utilized as a reference signal for other signals obtained by the UV sensor. In particular, the zero level signal may be subtracted from such signals so that the presence of a hydrogen flame and / or spark may be determined more accurately taking into account the zero level signal. In particular, the zero level signal may be subtracted from such signals.

[0024] In a further preferred embodiment of the burner control system according to the invention, the controller is configured to determine the load of the burner based on the measurement signal of the optical sensor and the known combustible gas air ratio of the combustible gas released by the burner.

[0025] In these embodiments, the burner control system controller periodically or continuously monitors the load on the burner, and the controllable valves may adjust the amount of hydrogen gas and / or air supplied accordingly to match the load to a desired value or to determine whether the amount of hydrogen gas and / or air supplied matches the desired load.

[0026] In a further preferred embodiment of the burner control system according to the invention, the controller is configured to execute a safety procedure based on the measurement signal of the optical sensor by performing one or more of the following: closing a controllable valve of the burner, stopping operation of a fan configured by the burner control system, and performing a safety shutdown of the burner control system.

[0027] In a further preferred embodiment of the burner control system according to the invention, the burner control system further comprises a UV sensor.

[0028] In a further preferred embodiment of the burner control system according to the invention, the controller is configured to determine whether the measurement signal indicative of the UV light level is above a predetermined threshold indicative of the presence of a hydrogen flame.

[0029] In a further preferred embodiment of the burner control system according to the invention, the controller is configured to execute a safety procedure if the measurement signal indicative of the UV light level is below a predefined threshold indicative of the presence of a hydrogen flame in the combustion conditions.

[0030] In a further preferred embodiment of the burner control system according to the invention the optical sensor is a UV sensor.

[0031] In these embodiments of the burner control system, the above functions of the UV sensor and the spark detection sensor are accomplished with only a single UV sensor. Thus, these embodiments of the burner control system include a reduced level of constructive complexity while exhibiting an improved level of reliability and safety.

[0032] In a further preferred embodiment of the burner control system according to the invention, the controller is configured to determine the load of the burner based on the measurement signal of the optical sensor and the known combustible gas air ratio of the combustible gas released by the burner.

[0033] Furthermore, the object of the present invention as described above in this specification is achieved by a method for controlling a burner control system of a heating system or a burner control system for a heating system according to the present invention, comprising obtaining a measurement signal of an optical sensor indicative of a light level, determining an operating state of a burner from a group of operating states including at least an ignition state based on the obtained measurement signal corresponding to the operating state, wherein the burner is connectable to a combustible gas supply and is configured by the burner control system, and selectively controlling a controllable valve of the burner control system depending on the operating state of the burner.

[0034] In a further preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the group of use states further comprises a combustion state, and the method further comprises determining whether the measurement signal indicative of the light level is above a predefined threshold indicative of the presence of a flame in the combustion state.

[0035] In a further preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the method further comprises executing a safety procedure if the measurement signal indicative of the light level is below a predefined threshold indicative of the presence of a flame.

[0036] In a further preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the method further includes controlling a spark plug of the burner control system to selectively release a spark to thereby ignite the combustible gas, receiving a spark detection signal from a spark detection sensor of the burner control system, and controlling a controllable valve of the burner to release the combustible gas based on the spark detection signal.

[0037] In a further preferred embodiment of the method according to the present invention, the method further includes determining whether the spark detection signal indicative of a pre-ignition condition is above a predetermined threshold indicative of an ignition condition and below a predetermined threshold indicative of a combustion condition.

[0038] In a further preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the method further comprises implementing a zero level signal indicative of a background level of light using the optical sensor and further determining the usage status of the burner based on the zero level signal.

[0039] In a further preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the method further comprises determining the load of the burner based on the measurement signal of the UV sensor and the known hydrogen gas air ratio of the hydrogen gas released by the burner.

[0040] In a further preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, executing a safety procedure comprises one or more of closing a controllable valve of the burner, stopping operation of a fan configured by the burner control system, and performing a safety shutdown of the burner control system.

[0041] In a further preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the controller is configured to determine the load of the burner based on the measurement signal of the optical sensor and the known combustible gas air ratio of the combustible gas released by the burner.

[0042] A burner control system and method for operating the system according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0043] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a burner control system according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 shows graphs illustrating the operation of the burner control system of FIG. 1 at various stages of operation of the burner control system; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0044] 1, there is shown a schematic diagram of at least a portion of a burner control system 100. The burner control system 100 includes at least a controller 105, a burner 110, and an optical sensor 120.

[0045] According to a preferred embodiment of the burner control system 100 according to the invention, the optical sensor 120 is an ultraviolet (UV) sensor 120 configured to detect light having a wavelength in the UV portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Hereinafter, the burner control system 100 according to the invention will be elucidated with reference to this UV sensor 120. However, it should be understood that the UV sensor 120 can be replaced by an optical sensor 120 configured to detect visible light and / or infrared light, particularly in the case of an embodiment in which the burner control system 100 is fueled by a non-hydrogen combustible gas.

[0046] Burner 110 is connected to a combustible gas supply 112 by a controllable valve 114 which is in turn connected to the controller 105 .

[0047] The combustible gas supply 112 may contain any suitable type of combustible gas, including natural gas in various forms of hydrogen gas. Furthermore, the combustible gas may be either a gas tank or a gas distribution network of known types. In the remainder of this disclosure, it will be assumed that the gas supply 112 is a hydrogen gas supply 112. Nevertheless, it is emphasized herein that the disclosure is not so limited and, in general, other types of combustible gases may be utilized as well.

[0048] The UV sensor 120 is connected to the controller 105 and disposed on the burner 110 such that UV light 116 resulting from the hydrogen flame 111 emitted by the burner 110 is sensed by the UV sensor 120. The resulting measurement signal of the UV sensor 120 is provided to the controller 105 such that the controller 105 may open or close the controllable valve 114 based on the received measurement signal. In this manner, the burner 110 is configured to selectively release combustible gas under the control of the controller 105. When this released hydrogen gas ignites, there is a hydrogen flame 111 that primarily emits UV light 116.

[0049] An amplifier 122 and a filter 124 may be provided downstream of the UV sensor 120 to amplify and filter, respectively, the signal from the UV sensor 120 before the signal is provided to the controller 105. Additionally, a comparator 130 is provided to compare the measurement signal of the UV sensor 120 to any one of several different reference values ​​or thresholds, which are described further below. Although the amplifier 122, the filter 124, and the comparator 130 are shown as separate components from the controller 105, in practice they may be configured by the controller 105.

[0050] Burner control system 100 further preferably comprises a spark plug 140 for igniting hydrogen gas, and optionally a spark detection sensor 121 configured to detect a spark emitted by spark plug 140. As can be seen in Fig. 1, both spark plug 140 and spark detection sensor 121 are coupled to controller 105. Primarily, the spark can be detected by sensor 120, making the additional sensor redundant. For example, the additional sensor may be applied if the sensitivity and / or measurement range of one sensor is not sufficient to measure both spark and UV signals in the full load (or modulation) range of the system.

[0051] 2 shows an exemplary graph of the measurement signal from the UV sensor 120 as a function of time during different subsequent use states of the burner control system 100. Within the context of the present disclosure, the term "use state" refers to any one of the various operating states of the burner control system 100 and its components, particularly with respect to the open / closed state of the controllable valve 114, whether the spark plug 140 is controlled to emit a spark or not. The graph of FIG. 2 shows an exemplary sequence of five such use states during respective successive periods T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5. These use states are respectively an inactive state, a pre-ignition state, an ignition state, and a firing state (where the output power of the burner control system 100 may be adjusted or the burner control system 100 may be shut down).

[0052] 2, the state of use corresponding to the period T1 is referred to as the inactive state of the burner control system 100. In this inactive state, the controllable valve 114 is closed with no hydrogen gas being released by the burner 110 and no spark being released by the spark plug 140. The burner control system 100 may be in the inactive state for the period T1 when the heating system to which the burner control system 100 is connected does not require the supply of heat.

[0053] Nonetheless, certain components, such as UV sensor 120 and controller 105, may be operated in this inactive state of burner control system 100, thereby enabling UV sensor 120 to obtain a UV measurement signal and communicate this UV measurement signal to controller 105. In the inactive state, UV sensor 120 may sense very little or no UV light due to the absence of hydrogen flame 111, represented by the low UV sensor 120 signal in the graph of FIG.

[0054] Time period T2 corresponds to a pre-ignition state of burner control system 100. In this pre-ignition state, controllable valve 114 remains closed while spark plug 140 emits a spark under the control of controller 105. These emitted sparks may be detected by spark detection sensor 121 or, more preferably, by UV sensor 120. In Figure 2, these emitted sparks are assumed to be detected by UV sensor 120, which is represented by the signal of UV sensor 120 being elevated.

[0055] The UV sensor 120 may be configured to detect individual sparks emitted by the spark plug 140. For example, the UV sensor 120 may have a sampling rate high enough to detect individual sparks. The sparks may be represented by various characteristics of the UV sensor 120 signal, such as the maximum of the individual peaks or the average of the spark signal values.

[0056] In certain embodiments of the burner control system 100, the spark plug 140 may further be utilized to detect malfunctions of the optical sensor or the UV sensor 120. In these embodiments, when the spark plug 140 emits a spark having an appropriately predefined characteristic (e.g., spark frequency or spark light intensity), the signal of the UV sensor 120 may be compared to a predefined value corresponding to the signal of the UV sensor 120 in the absence of a malfunction. A malfunction of the UV sensor 120 may then be determined based on the difference between the signal of the UV sensor 120 and the predefined value output by the UV sensor in the absence of a malfunction of the UV sensor 120. Thus, a progressive error or degradation of the UV sensor 120, which may be manifested in a "drift" of the signal of the UV sensor 120, may be detected over time. The burner control system 100 may respond to such an error or degradation of the UV sensor 120 by entering a safety procedure as described herein above and below, which may include the burner control system 100 entering a safe or locked state.

[0057] In further embodiments, the spark emitted by the spark plug 140 may be utilized to calibrate the UV sensor 120, provided that a type of spark plug 140 is used that allows for sufficient control of the emitted spark for this purpose. In certain embodiments of the burner control system 100, the controller 105 may be configured to compare the spark detection signal indicative of a pre-ignition condition with a pre-defined threshold indicative of a pre-ignition condition. This threshold may be lower than the pre-defined threshold indicative of the presence of the hydrogen flame 111 at the initial ignition. However, the disclosure is not so limited. At least in embodiments in which the burner control system 100 is configured to allow modulation of the output power, the UV sensor 120 signal corresponding to the lowest output power (where the flame 111 is at a minimum) may be higher than the signal of the UV sensor 120 detection of a spark, as described herein above. Thus, the pre-defined threshold for the presence of a flame may alternatively be selected to include a corresponding lower value.

[0058] Upon successful detection of a spark by either the UV sensor 120 or the spark detection sensor 121 during time period T2, corresponding to the pre-ignition state, the controller 105 opens the controllable valve 114, thereby causing the burner 110 to release hydrogen gas. During time period T3, corresponding to the ignition state, the released hydrogen gas is ignited by a spark emitted by the spark plug 140. Upon successful ignition, UV light emitted by the spark and the resulting hydrogen flame 111 is detected by the UV sensor 120, which is represented in FIG. 2 by a further elevated value of the UV sensor 120 during time period T3. Upon successful detection of the hydrogen flame 111 by the UV sensor 120, the controller 105 may control the spark plug 140 to stop emitting a spark. Although not explicitly shown in FIG. 2, the sensor signal of the UV sensor 120 during time period T3 may decrease due to the absence of a spark.

[0059] According to various embodiments of the burner control system 100, successful ignition of the hydrogen gas (i.e., the presence of the flame 111) may be determined by detecting that the sensor signal of the UV sensor 120 includes a first signal value corresponding to the presence of both a spark and the flame 111, after which the spark plug 140 may be controlled to stop emitting a spark. Alternatively, the spark plug 140 may be controlled to stop emitting a spark prior to determining successful ignition, after which the successful ignition is determined solely based on a second signal value of the UV sensor 120 corresponding solely to the presence of the flame 111, the second value being lower than said first value.

[0060] The controller 105 is preferably configured to control the controllable valve 114 to release gas immediately, and exclusively, upon successful detection of an released spark. Thus, no hydrogen gas is released during a pre-ignition condition, for example in the event of a malfunction of the spark plug 140. The risk of an unintended hydrogen explosion is significantly reduced, since unignited hydrogen gas may otherwise accumulate within the burner control system 100 or the boiler in which it is configured.

[0061] Furthermore, the duration of the period T3 of the ignition use state until the release of the spark and the subsequent release of hydrogen gas, ignition, and normal detection of the hydrogen flame (combustion state) can be minimized. Thus, the amount of hydrogen gas released upon ignition is likewise reduced to a minimum, resulting in ignition of the hydrogen gas with a minimum (i.e., generally non-explosive) intensity. Secondly, by minimizing the ignition time (the time between the opening of the gas valve and the detection of the hydrogen flame), if ignition (and therefore the hydrogen flame) has not been established at the end of the aforementioned time, the amount of unignited hydrogen gas is also minimized. If ignition does occur at the end of the aforementioned time, the intensity of the ignition of the hydrogen gas can be limited to a level acceptable to the user of the system.

[0062] Time period T4 corresponds to a combustion use state of the burner control system 100 in which hydrogen gas released by the burner 110 is continuously combusted to provide heat to a heating system (not shown) to which the burner control system 100 is connected. The UV sensor 120 may continuously or periodically obtain a measurement signal in this use state that is provided to the controller 105. Based on this measurement signal indicative of the UV light level, the controller 105 determines whether or not the hydrogen flame 111 is present and determines that the burner control system 100 is in a combustion state.

[0063] The controller 105 is preferably configured to determine whether the measurement signal indicative of the UV light level is above a predetermined threshold indicative of the presence of the hydrogen flame 111. This threshold indicative of the presence of the hydrogen flame 111 may be higher than the measurement signal of the UV sensor 120 during the inactive state of time period T1, the pre-ignition state of time period T2, and the ignition state of time period T3. However, as explained herein above, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0064] If the hydrogen flame 111 goes out during the combustion state of the burner control system 100, the controller 105 may determine that the hydrogen flame 111 is not present based on the measurement signal from the UV sensor 120. In response, the controller 105 may control the burner control system 100 to execute a safety procedure, thereby preventing an explosive hydrogen gas buildup from occurring. Actions performed during the safety procedure may be to close the controllable valve 114 to prevent any further hydrogen gas release, to stop operation of the fan configured by the burner control system, and to execute a safety shutdown of the entire burner control system 100.

[0065] The unexpected extinguishing of the hydrogen flame 111 is represented in FIG. 2 by a decreasing reading of the UV sensor 120 during period T5, which represents "normal" use conditions when the burner is expected to burn.

[0066] Period T5 also shows an alternative line of increased measurements of the UV sensor 120, which may indicate an increased load provided by the burner 110. The load provided by the burner may be adjusted to increase or decrease depending on the load requested from the burner control system 100. According to a preferred embodiment of the burner control system 100, the controller 105 is configured to determine the load of the burner 110 based on the measurement signal of the UV sensor 120 and the known hydrogen gas air ratio of the hydrogen gas emitted by the burner 111. The UV light 116 emitted by the hydrogen flame 111 may represent a theoretical load corresponding to a given known hydrogen gas air ratio of the gas delivered by the burner 110. By comparing the load according to the measurement signal of the UV sensor 120 with a predetermined or predefined load, the operation of the burner control system 100 may be monitored during the combustion state of the burner control system 100. A leak or blockage in the hydrogen gas conduit, a blockage in the combustion air intake, or a blockage in the smoke exhaust system may be detected by comparing the load derived from the measurement signal of the UV sensor 120 to a predetermined or set load. The burner control system 100 may initiate a safety procedure as described herein above if the load derived from the measurement signal of the UV sensor 120 does not match the predetermined or set load.

[0067] Burner control system 100 may further adjust the load by further opening or closing controllable valve 114, thereby adjusting the load. An exemplary increase in combustion load is shown in Figure 2 during time period T5, which is represented by an increasing value of the measurement signal of UV sensor 120 during this time period.

[0068] According to one particular embodiment of the burner control system 100, where the burner usage state is the inactive state for time period T1 of FIG. 2, the controller 105 is configured to use the UV sensor 120 to perform a zero level signal measurement indicative of a background level of UV light. Since the hydrogen flame 111 is not present in this inactive state, the zero level signal measurement indicative of a background level of UV light includes only noise, and optionally only background levels of UV light. The controller 105 may utilize this value to determine subsequent measurement signals of the UV sensor 120, including those during the usage state for time periods T2-T5. In particular, the controller 105 may determine the values ​​of these signals by subtracting the zero level signal from these subsequent measurement signals.

[0069] The present disclosure provides a burner control system 100 of or for a heating system, the burner control system 100 comprising a controller 105, a burner 110 connectable to a hydrogen gas supply 112 and comprising a controllable valve 114 coupled to the controller 105, and a UV sensor 120 disposed on the burner 110 and coupled to the controller 105, the controller 105 being configured to determine an operating state of the burner 110 based on a measurement signal of the UV sensor 120 indicative of a UV light level, and to selectively control the controllable valve 114 depending on the operating state of the burner 110.

[0070] Additionally, the present disclosure provides a method for controlling the burner control system 100 disclosed herein.

[0071] The invention disclosed herein is intended as a burner control system 100 that can be applied to hydrogen gas based heating systems or as a burner control system that is otherwise improved over known burner control systems in terms of safety and operational reliability.

[0072] It is noted herein that the scope of protection for the developments described in the present disclosure is in no way limited to any particular features of the embodiments described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In particular, the UV sensor 120 described herein above may alternatively be an optical sensor 120 configured to detect visible or infrared light. Such a sensor may detect a spark emitted by a spark plug 140 and / or a flame 111 generated by burning combustible gases other than hydrogen. Similarly, it should be understood that at least some of the advantages of the present invention may also be achieved when utilizing non-hydrogen combustible gases, and the description herein above is applicable to these embodiments of the present invention, unless otherwise stated.

[0073] Moreover, in the embodiments described herein above, the ignition means for igniting hydrogen or other types of combustible gas is embodied as a spark plug 140. However, the present disclosure is not so limited. Alternatively, an auxiliary burner or pilot light (not shown) may be utilized for this purpose, both of which should be construed as examples of what constitutes a "spark plug" (or "ignition means") within the context of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the technical principles described herein above of the operation and function of the spark plug 140 are generally applicable to such auxiliary burners or pilot lights as well. In particular, UV or visible light emitted by such auxiliary burners or pilot lights may be detected by a UV or optical sensor 120, and the resulting sensor signal values ​​are further processed as described herein above.

[0074] Thus, the scope of protection is determined exclusively based on the limitations of the attached independent claims, which may in some jurisdictions encompass obvious alternatives to the features of the independent claims. Other variations in the specifically described elements, components, and functionality that may be embodied in the attached claims of the present disclosure may be considered to be at least suggested in the description of the above embodiments, or that the skilled person may consider these variations within the scope of his / her general knowledge. This illustrative reference to alternative embodiments demonstrates that any limitations to any particular features not defined as limitations in the independent claims are unjustified.

Claims

1. 1. A burner control system comprising: A controller; a burner connectable to a combustible gas supply and comprising a controllable valve coupled to said controller; an optical sensor disposed on the burner and coupled to the controller; The controller is configured to determine an operating state of the burner from a group of operating states including at least an ignition state based on a measurement signal of the optical sensor indicating a light level corresponding to the operating state, and to selectively control the controllable valve in accordance with the operating state of the burner.

2. 2. The burner control system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the load of the burner based on the measurement signal of the optical sensor and a known combustible gas-air ratio of the combustible gas emitted by the burner.

3. 2. The burner control system of claim 1, further comprising a UV sensor, and wherein the controller is configured to determine whether the measurement signal indicative of a UV light level of the UV sensor is above a predetermined threshold indicative of the presence of a hydrogen flame.

4. A burner control system as described in claim 3, wherein the optical sensor is the UV sensor.

5. 4. The burner control system of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to execute a safety procedure if the measurement signal indicative of the UV light level is below the predetermined threshold indicative of the presence of the hydrogen flame in a combustion condition.

6. 2. The burner control system of claim 1, wherein the group of use conditions further includes a combustion condition, and the controller is configured to determine whether the measurement signal indicative of the light level is above a predetermined threshold indicative of the presence of a flame.

7. 7. The burner control system of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to execute a safety procedure if the measurement signal indicative of the light level is below the predetermined threshold indicative of the presence of a flame in the combustion condition.

8. a spark plug coupled to the controller and configured to selectively emit a spark to ignite combustible gases emitted by the burner; a spark detection sensor coupled to the controller; The group of use states further includes a pre-ignition state, and the controller: controlling said spark plug to selectively emit a spark to thereby ignite a combustible gas; receiving a spark detection signal from the spark detection sensor indicative of the pre-ignition condition; The burner control system of claim 1 , configured to control the controllable valve of the burner to release combustible gas based on the spark detection signal.

9. The burner control system of claim 8 , wherein the spark detect signal indicative of the pre-ignition condition comprises a fluctuating spark detect signal.

10. the spark detection sensor is the optical sensor; 9. The burner control system of claim 8, wherein the spark detection signal obtained via the spark detection sensor is indicative of light from a spark emitted by the spark plug.

11. 9. The burner control system of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to determine whether the spark detection signal indicative of the pre-ignition condition is above a predetermined threshold indicative of the pre-ignition condition and below the predetermined threshold indicative of the presence of a flame.

12. The controller: performing a zero level signal measurement using the optical sensor when the burner is inactive, the zero level signal measurement indicating a background level of light; The burner control system according to claim 1 , configured to determine the usage state of the burner based on the zero level signal.

13. The controller: closing the controllable valve of the burner; stopping operation of the fan configured by the burner control system; and performing a safety shutdown of the burner control system, based on the measurement signal of the optical sensor.

14. 13. A burner control system according to any one of claims 8, 10 or 12, wherein the optical sensor is a UV sensor.

15. A method for controlling a burner control system of or for a heating system comprising a controller, a burner connectable to a combustible gas supply and comprising a controllable valve coupled to said controller, and an optical sensor disposed on said burner and coupled to said controller, comprising: obtaining a measurement signal of said optical sensor indicative of a light level; determining an operating state of the burner from a group of operating states including at least an ignition state based on the obtained measurement signals corresponding to said operating states; and selectively controlling the controllable valve of the burner control system in response to the usage state of the burner.

16. The heating system further includes a spark plug coupled to the controller; and a spark detection sensor coupled to the controller; controlling the spark plug of the burner control system to selectively emit a spark to thereby ignite combustible gas; receiving a spark detection signal from the spark detection sensor of the burner control system; controlling the controllable valve of the burner to release combustible gas based on the spark detection signal; 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining whether the spark detection signal indicative of the pre-ignition condition is above a predetermined threshold indicative of the ignition condition and below a predetermined threshold indicative of a combustion condition.

17. The heating system includes a UV sensor; 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining a load on the burner based on the measurement signal of the UV sensor and a known hydrogen gas air ratio of hydrogen gas emitted by the burner.

18. 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining a load on the burner based on the measurement signal of the optical sensor and a known combustible gas-air ratio of the combustible gas emitted by the burner.

19. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the group of use conditions further includes a combustion condition, and the method further includes determining whether the measurement signal indicative of the light level is above a predetermined threshold indicative of the presence of a flame in the combustion condition.

20. 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: executing a safety procedure if the measurement signal indicative of the light level is below a predetermined threshold indicative of the presence of a flame.

21. The method comprises: using the optical sensor to generate a zero level signal indicative of a background level of light; 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining the usage state of the burner based on the zero level signal.

22. performing the safety procedures, closing the controllable valve of the burner; stopping operation of the fan configured by the burner control system; and performing a safe shutdown of the burner control system.

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