Heating device comprising a gas sensor and method for operation thereof

Abstract

A heating device as well as a method for the operation thereof. The heating device has an outer housing that surrounds an installation space. The components of heating device are arranged inside or on the outer housing, particularly a burner unit, a fan, a fuel valve and as an option a circulation pump. At least one of these units comprises at least one electrical and/or electronic component. On one or more of the anyway present electrical and/or electronic components at least one gas sensor is arranged on the outer housing and/or inside the installation space, particularly on a support or a circuit board of the respective electrical and/or electronic component. The at least one gas sensor is configured to create a sensor signal that describes the presence and/or concentration of at least one gas component in the atmosphere. Based thereon leakages, faults, undesired backflow, etc. can be determined. Thereupon a respective measure can be initiated, e.g. the output of a warning message and/or suction of the atmosphere by means of fan.

1 . A heating device, comprising:
 an outer housing that surrounds an installation space;   a burner unit comprising a burner and a burner housing and being arranged on the outer housing and/or inside the installation space;   a fuel valve being arranged on the outer housing and/or inside the installation space and being arranged in a fuel line and being configured to influence supply of fuel via the fuel line into a mixing area;   a fan being arranged on the outer housing and/or inside the installation space that is configured to create a flow of an oxidizing agent and/or a mixture of fuel and oxidizing agent into the mixing area;   at least one control device; and   at least one gas sensor being arranged on an electrical and/or electronic component of the heating device (on the outer housing and/or inside installation space and being configured to create a sensor signal that describes an atmosphere surrounding the outer housing and/or present inside the installation space and being configured to provide the sensor signal to the at least one control device that is configured to initiate a measure, if it is determined based on the sensor signal that the atmosphere deviates from an allowable condition.   
     
     
         2 . The heating device according to  claim 1 , wherein the electrical and/or electronic component comprises a support on which the at least one gas sensor is arranged. 
     
     
         3 . The heating device according to  claim 2 , wherein the at least one gas sensor is wirelessly connected with the electrical and/or electronic component. 
     
     
         4 . The heating device according to  claim 2 , wherein the electrical and/or electronic component is arranged inside the installation space. 
     
     
         5 . The heating device according to  claim 1 , wherein the electrical and/or electronic component is part of the at least one control device. 
     
     
         6 . The heating device according to  claim 1 , wherein the electrical and/or electronic component is part of the fan. 
     
     
         7 . The heating device according to  claim 1 , wherein the electrical and/or electronic component is part of the fuel valve. 
     
     
         8 . The heating device according to  claim 1 , wherein further comprising a circulation pump, wherein the electrical and/or electronic component is part of the circulation pump. 
     
     
         9 . The heating device according to  claim 1 , wherein the fan comprises a main rotor for producing the flow of the oxidizing agent and a cooling rotor for producing a cooling flow for an electrical and/or electronic component of the fan. 
     
     
         10 . The heating device according to  claim 9 , wherein the at least one gas sensor of the provided gas sensors is arranged in the cooling flow or the flow of the oxidizing agent. 
     
     
         11 . The heating device according to  claim 10 , wherein the at least one gas sensor is arranged in the flow of the oxidizing agent produced by the fan and the at least one control device is configured to evaluate a quality of the oxidizing agent. 
     
     
         12 . The heating device according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one control device is configured to switch on the fan or keep the fan switched on prior to and/or during measurement of the atmosphere by means of the at least one gas sensors, independent from whether the burner is in operation. 
     
     
         13 . The heating device according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one control device is configured to output a warning message as a measure in case of an unallowed condition of the atmosphere. 
     
     
         14 . The heating device according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one control device is configured to operate the fan as measure in case of an unallowed condition of the atmosphere in order to create a sucking flow of atmosphere out of the installation space into an exhaust channel. 
     
     
         15 . The heating device according to  claim 1 , wherein the fan comprises a fan housing that surrounds a flow path through fan and that comprises at least one housing part made of plastic. 
     
     
         16 . A method for operating a heating device, wherein the heating device comprises an outer housing surrounding an installation space, a burner unit having a burner and a burner housing, a fan, a fuel valve, at least one control device and at least one gas sensor that is arranged on an electrical and/or electronic component of the heating device on the outer housing and/or inside the installation space, wherein the method comprises:
 creation of a sensor signal by means of the at least one gas sensor that characterizes an atmosphere surrounding the outer housing and/or an atmosphere present inside the installation space;   providing the sensor signal (to the at least one control device; and   evaluating the sensor signal by means of the at least one control device and initiating a measure, if it is determined based on the sensor signal that the atmosphere deviates from an allowed condition.   
     
     
         17 . The heating device according to  claim 3 , wherein the electrical and/or electronic component is arranged inside the installation space. 
     
     
         18 . The heating device according to  claim 17 , wherein the electrical and/or electronic component is part of the at least one control device. 
     
     
         19 . The heating device according to  claim 18 , wherein the electrical and/or electronic component is part of the fan. 
     
     
         20 . The heating device according to  claim 19 , wherein the electrical and/or electronic component is part of the fuel valve.