Performance of a gas-fired appliance by use of fuel injection technology

Abstract

A water heater including a tank configured to hold a fluid, a burner configured to manipulate a temperature of the fluid within the tank, one or more sensors configured to sense one or more characteristics of the burner, a fuel injector position upstream of the burner, and a controller. The controller includes an electronic processor and a memory. The controller is configured to receive one or more signal from the one or more sensors corresponding to the one or more characteristics, and control the fuel injector based on the one or more signals.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A water heater comprising:
 a tank configured to hold a fluid;   a burner configured to manipulate a temperature of the fluid within the tank;   one or more sensors configured to sense one or more characteristics of the burner;   a fuel injector positioned upstream of the burner; and   a controller having an electronic processor and a memory, the controller configured to
 receive one or more signals from the one or more sensors corresponding to the one or more characteristics, and 
 control the fuel injector based on the one or more signals. 
   
     
     
         2 . The water heater of  claim 1 , wherein the controller controls the fuel injector in order to maintain a substantially constant air/fuel ratio in the combustion chamber. 
     
     
         3 . The water heater of  claim 1 , wherein the controller controls the fuel injector using a pulse-width modulated signal. 
     
     
         4 . The water heater of  claim 1 , further comprising a fuel injector array. 
     
     
         5 . The water heater of  claim 4 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the first and second fuel injectors in order to maintain a substantially constant air/fuel ratio in the combustion chamber. 
     
     
         6 . The water heater of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors include at least one from a group consisting of an air mass flow sensor, an oxygen sensor, and an air/fuel ratio sensor. 
     
     
         7 . The water heater of  claim 1 , further comprising a blower. 
     
     
         8 . The water heater of  claim 7 , wherein the blower is configured to provide an air/fuel mixture to the burner. 
     
     
         9 . A method of operating a water heater, the method comprising:
 manipulating, via a burner, a temperature of a fluid;   sensing, via a sensor, a characteristics of the burner;   injecting, via a fuel injector, a fuel upstream the burner;   supplying, via a blower, an air/fuel mixture to the burner; and   controlling, via a controller, the fuel injector based on the characteristic.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising
 controlling, via the controller, a blower to provide an air/fuel mixture to the burner.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the step of controlling the fuel injector includes controlling an opening time and a closing time of the fuel injector. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the characteristics includes at least one selected from the group consisting of an air flow, an oxygen level, and an air/fuel ratio. 
     
     
         13 . A gas-fired appliance comprising:
 a burner configured to manipulate a temperature of the fluid within the tank;   a fuel injector configured to inject fuel upstream of the combustion chamber;   a blower configured to provide an air/fuel mixture to the burner;   a sensor configured to sense a characteristic of the burner; and   a controller having an electronic processor and a memory, the controller configured to receive a signal from the sensor corresponding to characteristic of the burner, and control the fuel injector and the blower based on the signal.   
     
     
         14 . The gas-fired appliance of  claim 13 , wherein the burner is configured to manipulate a temperature of a fluid. 
     
     
         15 . The gas-fired appliance of  claim 14 , wherein the fluid is contained within a tank. 
     
     
         16 . The gas-fired appliance of  claim 13 , wherein the controller controls the fuel injector and the blower in order to maintain a substantially constant air/fuel ratio in the combustion chamber. 
     
     
         17 . The gas-fired appliance of  claim 13 , wherein the controller controls the fuel injector using a pulse-width modulated signal. 
     
     
         18 . The gas-fired appliance of  claim 13 , further comprising a fuel injector array. 
     
     
         19 . The gas-fired appliance of  claim 18 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the first and second fuel injectors in order to maintain a substantially constant air/fuel ratio in the combustion chamber. 
     
     
         20 . The gas-fired appliance of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more sensors include at least one from a group consisting of an air mass flow sensor, an oxygen sensor, and an air/fuel ratio sensor.