Transparent Orifice Plate Flame Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle heaters require regular maintenance to prevent soot and unburned fuel residues from impairing flame detection and allowing false air to enter the combustion region, leading to unreliable operation and installation tolerances.
Innovation Solution
A burner design with a transparent orifice plate featuring separate air inlet and light openings, ensuring uniform combustion air supply and enhanced flame detection reliability through identical pressure drops and increased tolerance to misalignment, with the light opening having a larger illumination area than air inlet openings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a mica disc is used to cover the light opening to prevent false air entry, then false air prevention is improved, but maintenance requirements increase due to soot accumulation impairing flame detection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the mica disc covering from the light opening, extracting the harmful element that required maintenance. Instead of covering the light opening with a mica disc that accumulates soot, the invention uses the transparent orifice plate itself to provide both structural function and flame detection capability, eliminating the maintenance issue while preserving false air prevention through proper opening geometry design
Solution Approach 2:
The orifice plate is given multiple functions: it serves as a structural component separating combustion regions, provides combustion air supply through integrated openings, and enables flame detection through its transparent property. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate mica disc coverage while maintaining false air prevention capabilities
2Stability of the object's composition
If separate air inlet openings are provided in the orifice plate, then combustion air supply uniformity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into the orifice plate structure itself. The separate air inlet openings and light opening are all integrated into a single component (the orifice plate), allowing uniform combustion air supply through geometric design while maintaining a simple overall device structure. The openings are strategically positioned and sized to achieve flow uniformity without adding complex external components
3Reliability
If the light opening has a larger illumination area than air inlet openings, then flame detection reliability is improved, but false air entry risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different functional qualities to different regions of the orifice plate. The light opening is designed with larger area and specific geometry optimized for flame detection and illumination of the photosensitive sensor, while the air inlet openings are designed with geometries optimized for combustion air flow control. Each opening's local geometry is tailored to its specific function, achieving both reliable flame detection and false air prevention
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a maintenance-free burner with reliable flame detection and prevents false air entry, ensuring consistent combustion air supply and improved installation tolerances, enhancing operational reliability and reducing maintenance needs.
Implementation Method 1
the light opening (28) which also allows light to pass from the inner combustion region (16) to a photosensitive sensor (20) that is arranged in the outer region (18)
Implementation Method 2
the same combustion air quantities flow into the internal combustion region per unit time, respectively, and wherein the orifice plate is transparent and/or the light opening has a shape different from the air inlet openings
Data Source
AI summary
Burner (10), in particular for a vehicle heater (12), having an orifice plate (14) separating an inner combustion region (16) from an outer region (18), wherein a photosensitive sensor (20) is arranged in the outer region (18), wherein at least two separate air inlet openings (22, 24, 26, 28) are being provided in the orifice plate (14), wherein one of the at least two air inlet openings (22, 24, 26, 28) is additionally formed as a light opening (28) which also allows light to pass from the inner combustion region (16) to the photosensitive sensor (20) that is arranged in the outer region (18), wherein the at least two air inlet openings (22, 24, 26, 28) are being shaped such that the same combustion air quantities flow into the internal combustion region (16) per unit time, respectively, and wherein the orifice plate (14) is transparent and/or the light opening (28) has a shape different from the air inlet openings (22, 24, 26) that are not formed as light opening such that an illumination area defined by the light opening (28) is larger than a reference illumination area defined by one of the at least two air inlet openings (22, 24, 26) that are not formed as light opening (28).