Patent Grant
11525575
Examples of the present disclosure relate generally to controller systems for burner appliances and, more specifically, to controller systems for increasing efficiency of water heating appliances in various environmental conditions.
Burner systems, for example gas-fired furnaces or water heaters, are common appliances used in both residential and commercial settings. The prevalence of these types of systems means they are sold and installed all over the world. A manufacturer in the Southeastern United States, for example, can expect their manufactured appliance to be installed and operated in the mountains of the Western United States, the beaches of Hawaii, the European Plain, or any other place in the world. As one having skill in the art should realize, operating the same model of burner in differing environments and at differing altitude can introduce operating inefficiencies. For example, a burner system manufactured to operate at or above a particular efficiency in Kansas may not provide sufficient efficiency when operated in the Rocky mountains, which is generally at a higher elevation than Kansas.
Further, it may not be practicable or possible for a manufacturer to preemptively adjust the settings of a given burner system for use in a particular environment. For example, the manufacturer will likely not know who the end user will be for a given burner system, and even if the manufacturer did have such information, it would likely be difficult, time-consuming and expensive for the manufacturer to track and adjust each individual burner system to have custom operational settings. What is needed, therefore, are systems and methods for adjusting the operational settings of a burner system to account for environmental variations, among other factors.
These and other problems can be addressed by the technologies described herein. Examples of the present disclosure relate generally to controller systems for burner appliances and, more specifically, to controller systems for increasing efficiency of water heating appliances in various environmental conditions.
The present disclosure provides a control system for a burner appliance. The control system can include a byproduct sensor disposed within an exhaust flue. The byproduct sensor can detect a level of combustion byproducts in the exhaust flue. For example, and not limitation, the byproduct sensor can detect oxygen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and/or the like within the exhaust flue. The control system can also include a barometric pressure sensor. The barometric pressure sensor can detect an environmental pressure at the burner appliance. The control system can also include a controller. The controller can be in electrical communication with both the byproduct sensor and the barometric pressure sensor and receive byproduct-sensor data and/or barometric-pressure data from the respective sensor. Using this data, the controller can transmit a signal to adjust blower speed and/or fuel rate to increase the efficiency of the burner appliance.
The control system can also include a burner to receive fuel and oxygen, combust the fuel and oxygen mixture, and produce heat for water in a water tank. The water tank can include a temperature sensor that can also provide feedback to the controller. The controller can transmit a signal to adjust at least one of the blower speed or the fuel rate based on the temperature data from the temperature sensor. When the system includes a burner, the controller can also transmit a signal that specifically adjusts the heat provided to the water tank, for example by adjusting the blower speed and/or the fuel rate.
The barometric pressure sensors described herein can be used to determine the altitude at which the burner appliance is installed, i.e., the environmental pressure can be indicative of altitude. In these examples, the barometric pressure sensor can be sensitive to altitude changes of as small as a few feet to as large as several thousand feet. If the burner appliance is to be installed on the second or third floor of a building, for example, the barometric pressure sensor can be able to sense altitude changes of as little as 20 feet. Alternatively, the barometric pressure sensor can be less sensitive, such that only large variations in altitude (i.e., thousands of feet) cause the control system to calculate a change in the blower speed and/or fuel rate. The environmental pressure can be indicative of weather changes. To this end, the barometric pressure sensor can have a sensitivity threshold as small as 1.00 mmHg, thereby enabling the control system to adjust the blower speed and/or fuel rate based on small changes to the weather.
The present disclosure also describes the controller in greater detail and provides methods of controlling heat of a burner appliance. These and other aspects of the present disclosure are described in the Detailed Description below and the accompanying figures. Other aspects and features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reviewing the following description of specific examples of the present disclosure in concert with the figures. While features of the present disclosure may be discussed relative to certain examples and figures, all examples of the present disclosure can include one or more of the features discussed herein. Further, while one or more examples may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of such features may also be used with the various other examples of the disclosure discussed herein. In similar fashion, while examples may be discussed below as devices, systems, or methods, it is to be understood that such examples can be implemented in various devices, systems, and methods of the present disclosure.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate multiple examples of the presently disclosed subject matter and serve to explain the principles of the presently disclosed subject matter. The drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the presently disclosed subject matter in any manner. In the drawings:
Typical control systems for burner appliances (e.g., a gas-fired, storage-tank commercial water heater) do not adjust the combustion system subsequent to the combustion system being set during manufacturing of the burner appliance at a factory. This can cause loss of capacity at high altitudes due to decreased supply of combustible air. In some instances, the burner appliance may have trouble initiating combustion and sustaining steady heat due to inherent inefficiencies at higher altitude of a combustion system adjusted at sea-level (or near-sea level) environmental conditions. This can be a significant problem for burner appliances, as a rise in altitude of approximately 5000 feet can derate the burner appliance's efficiency as much as 20-25%. For illustration, a customer purchasing a 100,000 BTU/hour-rated appliance in Denver, Colo., may expect that they are actually receiving an 75,000 BTU/hour appliance due to the environmental conditions of use.
To date, one way to increase the volume of combustible air is to increase the volume of air by increasing the default blower speed of the system. This process, however, has a number of problems. First, merely increasing the blower speed by default does not take into consideration other variables that go into combustion efficiency. For example, merely increasing blower speed does not take into consideration the quality or quantity of fuel being provided to the burner. To account for variable fuel quality, the customer or technician may also need to manually adjust the fuel rate, for example. Another limitation that comes with manually raising the blower speed (or air volume) is the inability to change operational control boundaries for blower speed. When a burner appliance is manufactured, the manufacturer can calibrate a minimum blower speed and a maximum blower speed to achieve combustion. The system operates within this control band to both increase efficiency and to ensure the system does not operate with unnecessarily high or unnecessarily low blower speeds, which could negatively impact the overall system. Typically, customers or technicians are unable to adjust existing blowers to operate outside its pre-calibrated control band.
The present disclosure, however, provides a solution to previous systems' environmental derate by monitoring the state of the system and automatically adjusting the combustion inputs, e.g., blower speed, fuel rate, etc. This can be achieved by providing a byproduct sensor and/or a barometric pressure sensor in combination with a controller that can process the data from the sensors and update the burner appliance. The barometric pressure sensor can sense the altitude and/or atmospheric pressure of the burner appliance and adjust the combustion inputs accordingly. A byproduct sensor can be placed downstream of the burner (e.g., in an exhaust flue) so as to sense what types and concentrations of gasses are escaping the combustion.
Various systems and methods are disclosed for increasing efficiency of burner appliances in various environmental conditions, and exemplary systems and methods will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures.
The burner appliance 100 can include a fuel inlet 106 to provide fuel to the burner 104. The fuel inlet 106 can be tubing, piping, and/or the like that is capable of providing the fuel to a fuel supplier 108. The fuel inlet 106 can provide gaseous or liquid fuel to the burner 104 via a fuel supplier 108.
The fuel supplier 108 can be a variable-flow fuel valve that can be adjusted according to the fuel-input parameters described herein, for example the barometric-pressure data and/or byproduct-sensor data. The fuel supplier 108 can include a stepper-motor-controlled gas valve, a regulator, a fuel injection nozzle, a solenoid valve, and/or the like. In the case of a liquid fuel, for example, an injection pressure can be applied to the fuel at the fuel supplier 108, and the fuel can be sent to the burner 104 via a solenoid valve. Once the fuel passes the fuel supplier 108, therefore, the fuel can be vaporized such that the vaporized fuel can combine with the air from the blower 102 to provide an air/fuel mixture 110 to the burner 104. In liquid fuel applications, the fuel can be preheated. For example, the fuel inlet 106 can include a heating element to heat the fuel, and the preheated fuel can be more-effectively vaporized by the fuel supplier 108. In other applications, the fuel supplier 108 can provide the burner 104 a gaseous fuel, such as natural gas or propane. The fuel supplier 108 can provide the fuel to the blower 102 such that the blower 102 combines the air and fuel and provides the air/fuel mixture 110 to the burner 104. Alternatively, the fuel supplier 108 and the blower 102 can be placed in parallel, such that the air and fuel is mixed downstream from the fuel supplier 108 and the blower 102. The combined air/fuel mixture 110 can then be combusted in the burner 104.
After the air is provided by the blower 102 and the fuel is provided by the fuel supplier 108, the air/fuel mixture 110 can be combusted in a burner 104. It will be understood that the present systems and methods can apply to any type of burner technology. For example, the present systems and methods can apply equally to pre-mix burner systems, rich/lean burner systems, and/or the like. After combustion, the combustion byproducts, such as oxygen (O2), CO, CO2, unburned fuel, and/or the like, can be removed from the system as exhaust 112 through an exhaust port or flue 114.
The burner appliance 100 can include a byproduct sensor 116 disposed near or within the exhaust flue 114. The byproduct sensor 116 can detect levels (or concentrations) of combustion byproduct in the exhaust flue 114. For example, the byproduct sensor 116 can detect levels of (O2), CO, CO2, unburned fuel, and/or the like. Although
The burner appliance 100 can include a controller 118 that can be in electrical communication with the byproduct sensor 116 such that, for example, the controller 118 can receive byproduct-sensor data from the byproduct sensor 116. For example, the controller 118 can include a processor 120 that receives the byproduct-sensor data from the byproduct sensor 116 and calculates the appropriate O2 and/or fuel that is required to adjust the combustion to a desired efficiency (for example, according to the stoichiometric ratios shown in
The controller 118 and/or processor 120 can use the byproduct-sensor data received from the byproduct sensor 116 to adjust the blower speed of the blower 102 and/or the fuel rate supplied by the fuel supplier 108. The controller 118 and/or processor 120 can send instructions to the blower 102 and/or fuel supplier 108 to make the necessary adjustments to the air supply or the fuel supply to maintain at least a minimum threshold efficiency of the burner 104. The controller 118 and/or processor 120 can generate the instructions based at least in part on the byproduct-sensor data received from the byproduct sensor 116. These adjustments can be completed by any of the processes described herein that enables the blower 102 and/or the fuel supplier 108 to have variable speeds (i.e., variable rates).
The burner appliance 100 can include a barometric pressure sensor 122. The barometric pressure sensor 122 can be used to detect an environmental pressure at the burner appliance 100. As will be described in greater detail below, this barometric-pressure data can be used to determine the amount of oxygen to be supplied by the blower 102 and/or determine the control band in which to calibrate the blower 102. The barometric pressure data can also be used to determine the amount of fuel to be supplied by the fuel supplier 108. The barometric pressure sensor 122 can be in electrical communication with the controller 118 such that, for example, the processor 120 can receive barometric-pressure data from the barometric pressure sensor 122. The controller 118 and/or processor 120 can send instructions to the blower 102 and/or fuel supplier 108 to make the necessary adjustments to the inputs based on the barometric-pressure data. The controller 118 and/or processor 120 can generate the instructions based at least in part on the barometric-pressure data received from the barometric pressure sensor 122.
The barometric pressure sensor 122 can detect an environmental pressure at the burner appliance 100. The detected environmental pressure can be used by the controller to, for example, calculate an altitude at which the burner appliance 100 is installed. The controller can be configured to calculate or determine the altitude of the burner appliance 100 based on one or more environmental pressure readings detected by the barometric pressure sensor 122. The burner appliance 100 can include multiple barometric pressure sensors 122, which can, inter alia, be used to verify or average environmental pressure readings. Barometric pressure sensors 122 can be sensitive to altitude changes of as small as several feet. For example, existing barometric pressure sensors 122 can sense changes of as small as 20 feet or less, and at sea level, the change in barometric pressure by raising 20 feet in elevation is approximately 0.662 mmHg. To this end, the barometric pressure sensor 122 can enable a system to be specifically calibrated for different floors of a building. If a burner appliance 100 is installed on the third floor of a building, for example, data from the barometric pressure sensor 122 and/or data from the byproduct sensor 116 can be used by the controller 118 to adjust the appropriate parameters for a burner appliance 100 having an altitude corresponding to the third floor of the building at that particular geographic location. Further, barometric pressure sensors 122 may become increasingly accurate such that the settings or parameters of the burner appliance 100 can be adjusted based on an altitude difference of a single building story or less. Alternatively, the barometric pressure sensor 122 can be less sensitive, for example it can be sensitive to changes in altitude of several hundred or several thousands of feet. This can enable the burner appliance 100 to be calibrated based on where in the world (e.g., at what elevation) the burner appliance 100 is installed.
The barometric pressure sensor 122 can detect an environmental pressure that is indicative of weather changes. A storm front that produces rain can decrease the environmental pressure as much as 1.00 mmHg, for example. To this end, if less oxygen is in the air due to a low-pressure weather front, the blower 102 may not be providing the desired concentration of oxygen for combustion (see, for example,
The burner appliance 100 can include a memory 124. The memory 124 can be in communication with the one or more processors 120. The memory 124 can include instructions, for example a program 126 or other application, that causes the processor 120 and/or controller 118 to complete any of the processes described herein. For example, the memory 124 can include instructions that cause the controller 118 and/or processor 120 to receive byproduct-sensor data, barometric-pressure data, temperature data, and/or the like. The instructions included in the memory 124 can also cause the controller 118 and/or processor 120 to modify the blower speeds and/or fuel rates, as described herein. The memory 124, processor 120, and any of the sensors described herein can be a single control unit including all of those features. In other examples, any of those components can be separate devices that are in wired or wireless communication with each other. The memory 124 can include, in some implementations, one or more suitable types of memory (e.g., volatile or non-volatile memory, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, floppy disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash memory, a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), and the like), for storing files including an operating system, application programs, executable instructions and data.
The burner appliance 100 can include a water tank 128. Although
The water tank 128 can include a temperature sensor 132 to detect a temperature of water within the water tank 128. The temperature sensor 132 can be, for example, a thermometer, a thermistor, a thermocouple, a resistance thermometer, or any other temperature measuring device. The temperature sensor 132 can be in communication with the controller 118 and/or processor 120 such that the controller 118 can receive temperature data from the temperature sensor 132 to adjust the blower speed and/or the fuel rate. The temperature data from the temperature sensor 132 can be used alone or in combination with the byproduct data and/or the barometric-pressure data to calculate the required amount of oxygen or fuel (see
The temperature data can be of added importance when the burner appliance 100 is installed and used at altitude. At altitude, the boiling temperature of water is decreased. Accordingly, if the burner appliance 100 is to provide a heat output 130 to a water tank 128 sufficient to bring the water to near-boiling, boiling, or above boiling temperatures, the controller 118 can utilize the temperature data along with the biometric-pressure data to adjust that desired heat output 130 (e.g., by adjusting blower speed and/or fuel supply) based on the altitude. The temperature data from the temperature sensor 132 can also be used to prevent scalding water at lower altitudes. At lower altitudes, for examples, the boiling temperature of water is increased as compared to higher altitudes. Thus, the heat output 130 provided to the water tank 128 could be higher without causing the water in the water tank to boil 128 as compared to higher altitudes. Accordingly, the controller 118 can adjust the desired heat output 130 (e.g., by adjusting blower speed and/or fuel supply) to lower the heat output 130 at lower altitudes.
The controller 118 can be an integrated hardware device that includes the processor 120 and/or the barometric pressure sensor 122, as shown in
At block 308, the process includes measuring the combustion byproducts found in the exhaust with a byproduct sensor 116. The combustion byproducts can include, but are not limited to, unburned O2, unburned fuel, CO, and/or CO2 in the exhaust.
At block 310, the system (for example the controller 118 of the system) can calculate the concentrations of the byproducts to determine if the byproduct parameters are correct. The byproduct parameters, of course, can be found to be correct by calculating the desired stoichiometric ratio (see
At block 416, the process includes measuring the barometric pressure at the burner appliance 100 via a barometric pressure sensor 122. The barometric pressure sensor 122, for example, can be used to determine the environmental pressure at the burner appliance 100. As described above, the environmental pressure can be indicative of altitude and/or weather changes.
At block 418, the system can calculate whether adjustments are needed to increase the oxygen (O2) in the burner 104. This calculation can, for example, be performed by the controller 118 and/or processor 120 and can be based in part on barometric formulas to calculate O2 concentration in relation to atmospheric pressure, as will be appreciated. For example, and not limitation, the O2 concentration in air at sea level (750 mmHg pressure) is approximately 20.9%; O2 concentration in air at 1000 feet (727.6 mmHg pressure) is approximately 20.1%; O2 concentration in air at 5000 feet (611.3 mmHg pressure) is approximately 17.3%. The known concentrations of O2 in air can be used by the controller 118 and/or processor 120 to calculate the required increase in blower speed. In other words, if the barometric pressure sensor 122 detects a pressure of 611.3 mmHg, for example, the volume of air may need to be increased by approximately 17.2% to achieve the same O2 levels in the burner 104. The controller 118 and/or processor 120 can transmit a signal to the blower 102 to adjust the blower speed according to this barometric-pressure data. This example is shown at block 420, where the blower speed is adjusted to account for measured barometric pressure.
If the barometric-sensor data indicates that no adjustments are needed to increase the O2, for example if the blower 102 has already been calibrated according to the altitude, the blower speed can remain unadjusted, and the process can continue to block 408 where the system measures the combustion byproducts via the byproduct sensor 116.
A benefit of the present systems and methods is the ability to independently increase the volume of O2 (e.g., increase the blower speed) provided for combustion, i.e. because the blower 102 can be a variable-speed blower. Because of this, the air intake can be adjusted independently from the fuel supply. This is not possible with most combustion appliances or devices. Referring to a car's internal combustion engine for illustration, if a car is operated at high altitudes or in otherwise lower-pressure areas, the car will inherently run less efficiently. This is because the car only increases the fuel rate supplied for combustion, without independent increasing the amount of air (or oxygen) provided for combustion. The ability to adjust (1) the air-intake (blower speed) based on barometric-pressure data and (2) air-intake and fuel rate based on byproduct-sensor data enables the system to be specifically tuned to the environmental conditions in which the burner appliance 100 is installed.
The process in
At block 508, the process includes measuring the barometric pressure at the burner appliance 100. At block 510, the barometric-pressure data can be used to adjust the fuel rate and/or blower speed of the system. As described above, the concentration of oxygen in the air can be used to determine the blower speed needed to provide the required oxygen for combustion.
Merely increasing the oxygen, however, may not be sufficient to heat the system efficiently. The burner appliance 100 may be heating a water tank 128, for example. If the burner appliance 100 is to provide a heat output 130 to a water tank 128 sufficient to bring the water to near-boiling, boiling, or above boiling temperatures, temperature data along with the biometric-pressure data can be used to calculate that desired heat output 130. At block 512, a temperature sensor 132 in the water tank 128 can determine whether the water is heating properly. This temperature data can be received by the controller 118 and/or the processor 120, and, along with the barometric-pressure data, the heat can be adjusted to properly heat the water. For example, the controller 118 can receive the barometric-pressure data and the temperature data. If the temperature data indicates the water is not heating, the controller 118 can determine that the fuel rate and/or the blower speed should be adjusted. At block 514, the controller 118 can transmit instructions to the blower 102 to adjust the blower speed. At block 516, the controller 118 can transmit instructions to the fuel supplier 108 to adjust the fuel rate. The steps shown at block 514 and block 516 are not mutually exclusive, meaning that one of or both of the fuel rate and the blower speed can be adjusted based on the temperature data. If the temperature data indicates the water is heating at block 512, the controller 118 can continue to monitor the barometric pressure at block 508 and can leave the blower speed and/or fuel rate unadjusted (e.g., if the received data indicates no change or adjustment is needed).
At block 606, the controller 118 and/or processor 120 can receive the barometric-pressure data and transmit a signal to the blower 102 to recalibrate the minimum and/or maximum blower speed of the control band. As described above, the blower 102 can be calibrated with a specific control band during manufacturing. At block 606, this control band can be overridden based on the barometric-pressure data. This overriding of the control band can be completed a single time, for example when the burner appliance 100 is installed at the particular altitude. In other examples, the minimum and/or maximum blower speed of the control band can be adjusted periodically. For example, the atmospheric pressure where the burner appliance 100 is installed can change hourly or daily (e.g., to account for weather changes), can change weekly or monthly (e.g., to account for weather and/or seasonal changes), can change monthly or quarterly (e.g., to account for seasonal changes), and the like. To illustrate, the atmospheric pressure in an area may be significantly lower during winter months than in summer months. To this end, it is contemplated that the recalibration of the control band in block 606 can be completed at any predetermined time, for example every minute, hourly, daily, monthly, quarterly, yearly, etc. The recalibration can be performed manually, i.e., an owner of the burner appliance 100 and/or a technician can manually request recalibration of the control bands. In other examples, the controller 118 and/or processor 120 can be programmed to automatically receive barometric-pressure data at the predetermined time and to automatically recalibrate the control bands.
At block 608, fuel is provided through the fuel supplier 108, similar to the steps described above in blocks 302, 402, and 502. At block 610, oxygen is provided (for example by blowing air) through a blower 102. Block 610 is similar to the steps described in blocks 304, 404, and 504, but in block 610 the blower speed is calibrated with the adjusted minimum and maximum blower speed from block 606.
The process can proceed through blocks 612, 614, 616, 618, and 620, which are similar to blocks 308, 310, 312, and 314 described above in reference to
It is to be understood that the processes described above in reference to
At step 720, the instructions can cause the controller to receive a second set of data from a barometric pressure sensor (e.g., barometric pressure sensor 122). The barometric pressure sensor can detect an environmental pressure at the burner appliance. The environmental pressure can be indicative of altitude and/or weather conditions, as described herein.
At step 730, the instructions can cause the controller to calculate, with one or more processors (e.g., processor 120), a first blower speed for a blower (e.g., blower 102). The calculation of the first blower speed can be based at least in part on the first set of data and/or the second set of data.
At step 740, the instructions can cause the controller to calculate a first fuel rate to supply fuel via a fuel supplier (e.g., fuel supplier 108). The calculation of the first fuel rate can be based at least in part on the first set of data and/or the second set of data.
Using the data from step 730 (i.e., the calculated first blower speed), at step 750, the instructions can cause the controller to transmit instructions to the blower to adjust the blower to operate at the first blower speed. Using the data from step 740 (i.e., the calculated first fuel rate), at step 760, the instructions can cause the controller to transmit instructions to the fuel supplier to adjust the fuel supplier to supply the fuel at the first fuel rate. Step 750 and step 760 can both be performed by the controller, although only one of steps 750 or 760 may be needed to improve the efficiency of the burner appliance (i.e., the heat of the combustion). To this end, depending on the circumstances, only one of steps 750 or 760 may be performed by the controller although the controller can be configured to perform both of steps 750 and 760.
The process 700 can end after one of steps 750 or 760. Alternatively, other processes can be completed according to the systems and methods described herein. For example, the burner appliance can be a water-heating appliance including a water tank, and the water tank can be heatable by the burner. The controller can also be in communication with a temperature sensor measuring the temperature of the water, and the controller can transmit a signal to adjust the blower speed and/or the fuel rate based on the temperature data from the temperature sensor.
At step 820, the method 800 can include receiving a second set of data from a barometric-pressure sensor that is configured to detect an environmental pressure at the location of the burner appliance.
At step 830, the method 800 can include receiving a third set of data from a temperature sensor, and the third set of data can be indicative of a water temperature within a water tank.
At step 840, the method 800 can include calculating a first blower speed for a blower, and the first blower speed can be based at least in part on the first set of data, the second set of data, and/or the third set of data.
At step 850, the method 800 can include calculating a first fuel rate at which to supply fuel via a fuel supplier, and the first fuel rate can be based at least in part on the first set of data, the second set of data, and/or the third set of data.
At step 860, the method 800 can include transmitting instructions to the blower to operate at the first blower speed. At step 870, the method 800 can include transmitting instructions to the fuel supplier to supply fuel at the first fuel rate. Step 860 and step 870 can both be performed in the method 800. Alternatively, only one of steps 860 or 870 may be needed to improve the efficiency of the burner appliance. To this end, in some examples, only one of steps 860 or 870 may be performed in the method 800, although the method 800 can include the performance of both of steps 860 and 870.
The method 800 can end after one of steps 860 or 870. Alternatively, other method steps can be completed according to the systems and methods described herein. For example, the blower speed and/or the fuel rate can be adjusted based on heat required to warm water in the water tank.
Certain examples and implementations of the disclosed technology are described above with reference to block and flow diagrams according to examples of the disclosed technology. It will be understood that one or more blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and flow diagrams, respectively, can be implemented by computer-executable program instructions. Likewise, some blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams do not necessarily need to be performed in the order presented, can be repeated, or do not necessarily need to be performed at all, according to some examples or implementations of the disclosed technology. It is also to be understood that the mention of one or more method steps does not preclude the presence of additional method steps or intervening method steps between those steps expressly identified. Additionally, method steps from one process flow diagram or block diagram can be combined with method steps from another process diagram or block diagram. These combinations and/or modifications are contemplated herein.
It should also be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. References to a composition containing “a” constituent is intended to include other constituents in addition to the one named.
Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” or “approximately” or “substantially” one particular value and/or to “about” or “approximately” or “substantially” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, other exemplary embodiments include from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value.
Herein, the use of terms such as “having,” “has,” “including,” or “includes” are open-ended and are intended to have the same meaning as terms such as “comprising” or “comprises” and not preclude the presence of other structure, material, or acts. Similarly, though the use of terms such as “can” or “may” are intended to be open-ended and to reflect that structure, material, or acts are not necessary, the failure to use such terms is not intended to reflect that structure, material, or acts are essential. To the extent that structure, material, or acts are presently considered to be essential, they are identified as such.
While the present disclosure has been described in connection with a plurality of exemplary aspects, as illustrated in the various figures and discussed above, it is understood that other similar aspects can be used, or modifications and additions can be made, to the described aspects for performing the same function of the present disclosure without deviating therefrom. For example, in various aspects of the disclosure, methods and compositions were described according to aspects of the presently disclosed subject matter. However, other equivalent methods or composition to these described aspects are also contemplated by the teachings herein. Therefore, the present disclosure should not be limited to any single aspect, but rather construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the appended claims.
The components described hereinafter as making up various elements of the disclosure are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many suitable components that would perform the same or similar functions as the components described herein are intended to be embraced within the scope of the disclosure. Such other components not described herein can include, but are not limited to, for example, similar components that are developed after development of the presently disclosed subject matter. Additionally, the components described herein may apply to any other component within the disclosure. Merely discussing a feature or component in relation to one embodiment does not preclude the feature or component from being used or associated with another embodiment.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20130045451 | Shellenberger et al. | Feb 2013 | A1 |
| 20150211738 | Schneider | Jul 2015 | A1 |
| 20210317987 | King | Oct 2021 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20210317988 A1 | Oct 2021 | US |
