A low powered system for providing sufficient current to a fuel control mechanism drive. The system may have a fuel control mechanism pick circuit that has an energy storage mechanism for providing a large amount of current for a short time to the fuel control mechanism drive. A safety switch may be enabled with a special signal to let current flow to the fuel control mechanism drive to operate a corresponding fuel control mechanism for controlling fuel to a pilot light or heating element. The pilot light or heating element may provide heat to a thermoelectric source that generates electrical power from the heat. The electrical power may go to a single DC-to-DC converter and voltage clamp for providing a voltage source to a microcontroller and other circuits of the system. The pick circuit may prevent a harmful reverse flow of current from the storage mechanism to the thermoelectric source.

The invention relates to a flame control device for managing the operation of a gas burner apparatus, comprising: an input prepared to receive a supply signal, an output intended to be connected to said gas burner apparatus, a control unit connected to said input to be supplied by the supply signal and to said output to control the operation of said burner by means of at least one output signal, a load configured to be controlled by the control unit so as to absorb power in a varying manner over time when said input is supplied by the supply signal.

A process for producing an analytical aid for the detection of at least one analyte in a sample, such as a body fluid. The analytical aid includes at least one housing and at least one test element including at least one test chemistry. The process includes the following steps: providing the test element; and producing at least one housing part of the housing using at least one shaping process, during which the test element is connected to the housing part.

A water heater may include a water tank, a burner, a pilot for igniting the burner, an ignitor for igniting the pilot, a thermoelectric device in thermal communication with a flame of the pilot, a controller for controlling an ignition sequence of the pilot using the ignitor, and a rechargeable power storage device for supplying power to the ignitor and the controller. The rechargeable power storage device may be rechargeable using the energy produced by the thermoelectric device. The controller is configured to selectively ran only the pilot for at least pan of a heating cycle to increase the recharge lime of the rechargeable power storage device while still healing the water in the water heater.

A locally powered intermittent pilot combustion controller may include an igniter, a thermal electric and/or photoelectric device that produces an electrical signal having power when exposed to a flame, and a local power source for providing power when the thermal electric and/or photoelectric device is not exposed to a flame. In some cases, the intermittent pilot combustion controller may include a memory for storing information about an ignition sequence for igniting a pilot flame, and a controller coupled to the memory. The controller may be configured to initiate the ignition sequence of the pilot flame using information stored in the memory, determine whether the ignition was successful by monitoring the electrical signal produced by the thermal electric and/or photoelectric device, and adjust the information stored in the memory based on whether the ignition sequence completed successfully.

A water heater may include a water tank, a burner, a pilot for igniting the burner, an ignitor for igniting the pilot, a thermoelectric device in thermal communication with a flame of the pilot, a controller for controlling an ignition sequence of the pilot using the ignitor, and a rechargeable power storage device for supplying power to the ignitor and the controller. The rechargeable power storage device may be rechargeable using the energy produced by the thermoelectric device. The controller is configured to selectively ran only the pilot for at least pan of a heating cycle to increase the recharge lime of the rechargeable power storage device while still healing the water in the water heater.

A water heater may include a water tank, a burner, a pilot for igniting the burner, an ignitor for igniting the pilot, a thermoelectric device in thermal communication with a flame of the pilot, a controller for controlling an ignition sequence of the pilot using the ignitor, and a rechargeable power storage device for supplying power to the ignitor and the controller. The rechargeable power storage device may be rechargeable using the energy produced by the thermoelectric device. The controller is configured to selectively run only the pilot for at least part of a heating cycle to increase the recharge time of the rechargeable power storage device while still heating the water in the water heater.

The present invention concerns an indication apparatus and corresponding method to indicate the output level of a pilot flame in a gas appliance provided with a thermocouple suitable to convert the energy generated by a pilot flame, which receives gas from a pilot valve, into electric voltage to power an electro valve of the pilot valve and to keep the latter open. The apparatus comprises a first and a second connector suitable to be coupled with a positive terminal and with a negative terminal of the thermocouple, a voltage measurement circuit connected to the first and the second connector, a lighting device configured to provide a light signal, a controller device coupled with the voltage measurement circuit and with the lighting device and configured to determine the switching on of the lighting device on the basis of the output supplied by the voltage measurement circuit to provide a user with an indication of when the voltage generated by the thermocouple is greater than or equal to a predefined value sufficient to power the electro valve.

A combustible gas heating apparatus includes: a main burner arranged in a combustion chamber of the apparatus, a pilot burner for generating a pilot flame for igniting it, a valve group comprising a main valve arranged on a main duct, and a pilot valve arranged thereon, upstream of the main valve, for supplying gas to the pilot burner, a system for controlling gas to the main and pilot burners, including an electronic control unit operatively associated with the main and pilot valves, a thermal safety device actuable in the presence of inflammable vapors near the apparatus, to safely extinguish the main burner when a predetermined temperature threshold has been exceeded, the pilot burner configured as a continuous pilot burner having a permanent flame, the pilot and main valves being electrically-operated valves, an auxiliary buffer battery configured to power the electronic control.

The present disclosure relates to a gas supply system for a flame module of a spectrometer and a method of controlling a flame module. The gas supply system comprises an oxidant gas supply line for providing a supply of oxidant gas, an oxidant gas flow valve for varying a gas flow rate of an oxidant gas in the oxidant gas supply line, an oxidant gas safety controller configured to control the oxidant gas flow valve, a fuel gas supply line for providing a supply of fuel gas, a fuel gas flow valve configured to control a gas flow rate of a fuel gas on the fuel gas supply line, and a fuel gas safety controller configured to control the fuel gas flow valve. During normal operation, the oxidant gas safety controller is configured to charge an energy storage circuit of the oxidant gas safety controller. In the event of a power failure, a first switch of the oxidant gas safety controller is configured to connect the energy storage circuit to the oxidant gas flow valve, wherein the energy storage circuit is configured to discharge energy to the oxidant gas flow valve to increase the oxidant gas flow rate in order to extinguish a flame of the flame module, and the fuel gas safety controller is configured to close the fuel gas flow valve.