Wall-Mounted Pellet Stove with Side Hopper and Optical Fuel Sensing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pellet stoves require users to physically check the fuel level by opening the hopper, which disrupts the auger and combustion process, reducing efficiency and increasing emissions, and their large footprint limits their application compared to direct vent natural gas or propane heaters.
Innovation Solution
A wall-mountable biomass or wood pellet stove with a side-mounted hopper featuring a sight glass for fuel level indication and an electronic fuel level monitoring system, allowing continuous combustion without opening the hopper and reducing the stove's depth to minimize space usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If users physically check fuel level by opening the hopper, then they can see the fuel level, but the auger stops and combustion is constricted, reducing efficiency and increasing emissions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical action of opening the hopper lid to check fuel level with an optical sensing system. Light emitters and light receivers detect fuel level through the hopper walls, allowing continuous monitoring without mechanical intervention, thus maintaining auger operation and combustion efficiency while providing accurate fuel level information
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces light emitters and light receivers as intermediary sensing elements that transmit information about fuel level without requiring direct physical access to the hopper interior. This intermediary system allows users to obtain fuel level data while the hopper remains closed and operational
2Productivity
If biomass and wood pellet stoves are made with traditional footprint, then combustion airflow is maximized, but they stand several feet from the wall and take up valuable floor space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the hopper from a traditional floor-standing configuration to a wall-mounted arrangement. By utilizing vertical wall space and mounting the hopper at the side of the combustion chamber rather than above it, the stove eliminates the need for deep floor space clearance while maintaining proper combustion airflow paths
3Quantity of substance
If the hopper is located above and behind the combustion chamber, then fuel storage capacity is maximized, but the stove requires significant depth from the wall
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the hopper position from above/behind the combustion chamber to the side of the combustion chamber. This lateral positioning allows the hopper to extend horizontally along the wall rather than projecting deeply into the room, reducing the stove's depth while maintaining adequate fuel storage capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the stove into distinct functional modules: the combustion chamber and the hopper positioned separately at the side. This modular arrangement allows independent optimization of each component's position and size, enabling the hopper to be placed in a space-efficient location while maintaining its fuel storage function
4Duration of action of stationary object
If the stove is designed with large hopper for sustained operation, then fuel storage duration is increased, but the weight of fuel plus furnace requires floor capable of supporting the weight
Solution Approach 1:
By mounting the hopper laterally at the side of the combustion chamber rather than positioning it above, the patent redistributes the weight distribution. The hopper weight is supported by the wall mounting structure rather than concentrating all weight on the floor, enabling larger fuel capacity without increasing floor load requirements
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
Enables continuous operation without interrupting the auger feed, reduces emissions, and allows for more flexible placement in rooms, improving efficiency and user convenience while reducing the stove's footprint.
Implementation Method 1
The at least one light emitter is on a first interior surface of the hopper near a top of the hopper, and the light emitter is operable to emit light. The array of vertically aligned light receivers is on a second interior surface of the hopper opposite the first interior surface of the hopper. Each light receiver of the array of vertically aligned light receivers is operable to provide an output signal indicative of whether the light receiver is receiving the emitted light from the at least one light emitter.
Data Source
AI summary
A wood pellet stove operable to mount to a wall includes a combustion chamber, a combustion chamber door, and a hopper. The combustion chamber has a front, back, and side. The combustion chamber door is in the front of the combustion chamber. The hopper is mounted at the side of the combustion chamber. The bottom of the hopper is below a top of the combustion chamber, and a top of the hopper is substantially coplanar with the top of the combustion chamber. The stove may also include a sight glass or fuel level monitoring system for determining a fuel level of the hopper without opening the hopper.