Damper position adjusting device and combustion apparatus equipped with the same

Abstract

Provided is a damper position adjusting device allowing adjustment of the position of a damper and capable of detecting any possible rotational abnormality in the damper. The damper position adjusting device is applied to a combustion apparatus such as a boiler 1 , and is provided for a damper 8 for adjusting the amount of air supplied to a burner 2 of the combustion apparatus. The damper position adjusting device is equipped with a stepping motor 23 for rotating the damper 8 about a rotation axis 9 thereof, a detected plate 33 provided so as to be capable of rotating integrally with the rotation axis 9 of the damper 8 , a detector 34 for detecting a slit 35 formed in the detected plate 33 , and a controller 49 . The controller 49 controls the stepping motor 23 such that the damper 8 stops at a specified rotation stop position, and detects rotational abnormality in the damper 8 based on a control signal composed of a drive pulse supplied to the stepping motor 23 and a detection signal composed of a detection pulse obtained through detection of the slit 35 by the detector 34.

1 . A damper position adjusting device provided in a damper for adjusting an amount of air supplied to a burner of a combustion apparatus, comprising: 
 a motor for rotating the damper about a rotation axis of the motor;    a detected plate provided so as to be capable of rotating integrally with the rotation axis;    a detector for detecting a slit formed in the detected plate; and    a controller for controlling the motor so that the damper stops at a specified rotation stop position and for detecting any rotational abnormality of the damper based on a control signal supplied to the motor and a detection signal from the detector.    
   
   
       2 . A damper position adjusting device according to  claim 1 , 
 wherein the motor is a stepping motor, and    wherein the controller detects any rotational abnormality of the damper based on the control signal composed of a drive pulse supplied to the stepping motor and the detection signal composed of a detection pulse obtained through detection of the slit by the detector.    
   
   
       3 . A damper position adjusting device according to  claim 2 , 
 wherein the detected plate is one of a circular plate member and sector-shaped plate member having a slit formation region in which a large number of the slits are formed at equal circumferential intervals,    wherein the controller rotates the motor in one direction until the detector is outside the slit formation region, and then rotates the motor in the reverse direction until the detector detects a slit at the other circumferential end of the slit formation region, using the slit as an origin, and    wherein at the origin, at which the detector detects the slit at the other circumferential end of the slit formation region, the damper totally closes an air supply path leading to the burner, and at the position at which the detector detects a slit at one circumferential end of the slit formation region, the damper totally opens the air supply path leading to the burner.    
   
   
       4 . A damper position adjusting device according to any one of claims  1  through  3 , further comprising one or a plurality of the following sensors: an outside air temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the air supplied to the burner; an exhaust gas temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of an exhaust gas of the combustion apparatus; and a dust sensor, a nitrogen oxide sensor, an oxygen sensor, and a carbon monoxide sensor for detecting the amount of dust, nitrogen oxide, oxygen, and carbon monoxide or carbon monoxide in the exhaust gas, respectively, 
 wherein the controller adjusts the rotation stop position for the damper based on the output of the sensor(s).    
   
   
       5 . A damper position adjusting device provided in a damper for adjusting the amount of air supplied to a burner of a combustion apparatus, comprising: 
 a motor for rotating the damper about a rotation axis of the motor;    a sensor for detecting a temperature of an exhaust gas of the combustion apparatus or the amount of dust, nitrogen oxide, oxygen, or carbon monoxide in the exhaust gas; and    a controller for adjusting the motor based on a detection signal from the sensor to adjust a rotation stop position for the damper.    
   
   
       6 . A damper position adjusting device according to  claim 5 , further comprising one or a plurality of the following sensors: an outside air temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the air supplied to the burner; an exhaust gas temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of an exhaust gas of the combustion apparatus; and a dust sensor, a nitrogen oxide sensor, an oxygen sensor, and a carbon monoxide sensor for detecting the amount of dust, nitrogen oxide, oxygen, and carbon monoxide or carbon monoxide in the exhaust gas, respectively, 
 wherein the controller controls the motor based on a detection signal from the sensor to adjust the rotation stop position for the damper.    
   
   
       7 . A damper position adjusting device according to  claim 6 , wherein the controller controls the motor to adjust the rotation stop position for the damper, according to priorities pre-assigned to the plurality of sensors, giving high priority to a detection signal from a sensor of a higher order of priority.  
   
   
       8 . A damper position adjusting device according to any one of claims  1  through  7 , 
 wherein the damper position adjusting device is applicable to an existing combustion apparatus, and    wherein the damper position adjusting device is mounted thereto by connecting a drive shaft of the damper position adjusting device driven by the motor to the rotation axis of an existing damper.    
   
   
       9 . A damper position adjusting device according to  claim 8 , 
 wherein a plurality of slit formation regions are formed in the detection plate so as to allow application to a plurality of kinds of combustion apparatus, and    wherein a slit formation region corresponding to the combustion apparatus to which the damper position adjusting device is applied is used.    
   
   
       10 . A combustion apparatus comprising a damper position adjusting device as claimed in any one of claims  1  through  9 .