TECHNICAL FIELD
[001] Embodiments herein generally relate to heating devices. More particularly, embodiments herein relate to systems and methods for controlling heating devices using a safety control circuit.
BACKGROUND
[002] Due to an increase in the cost of heating fuels, particularly oil and gas, there has been increasing use of devices and design arrangements for enhancing the efficiency of heating devices such as oil and gas-fired furnaces or boilers.
[003] A current solution for a furnace may include a thermostatic switch to interrupt the energization of the automatic flue damper motor which allows a spring to open the damper. However, this solution still allows continued operation of the burner, and may also result in localized heating or other failures which may not promptly come to the attention of those operating or observing operation of the furnace.
[004] Another condition which may occur is when the furnace is operated for quenching of oil. During setting time, localized heating may occur which may lead to a fire hazard due to the presence of air or oxygen from opening of the rear door. While temperature conditions in the combustion chamber may have been sensed in conventional safety control arrangements, it is difficult to design sensor components to reliably distinguish between normal and abnormal temperature conditions. The safety systems are generally configured to take timely measures to prevent accident. Under normal circumstances, the safety system is static, and passive, without human intervention.

[005] Therefore, there exists a need for systems and methods for controlling a heating device such as furnace through safety control circuits that eliminates the aforementioned drawbacks.
OBJECTS
[006] The principal object of an embodiment herein is to provide systems and methods for controlling a heating device using a safety control circuit.
[007] These and other objects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating embodiments and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[008] The embodiments herein are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following description with reference to the drawings, in which:
[009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for controlling a heating device, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a flowchart depicting a method for controlling a heating device, according to embodiments as disclosed herein; and

[0011] FIG. 3 is an example circuit diagram for controlling a heating device, according to embodiments as disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[0013] The embodiments herein achieve systems and methods for controlling a heating device using a safety control circuit. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 3, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures there are shown embodiments.
[0014] The heating device as disclosed herein can be any device that can be used for heating, such as, but not limited to, a boiler, furnace, oven, and so on. Embodiments herein are explained using a sealed quench furnace as an example of a heating device. However, it may be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art that embodiments as disclosed herein may be used for controller any type of heating device.
[0015] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for controlling a heating device, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. In an embodiment, the system 100 for controlling a heating device 102 includes a furnacel04, at least one pump 106, a stirrer meansl08, at least one interfacel 10, and a controllerl 12.

[0016] The system 100 for controlling the heating device 102 includes the furnace 104. The furnace 104 further includes the pump 106, and the stirrer means 108. The pump 106 used herein is an oil cooling pump which is operated through the controller 112. The pump 106 is operated to cool the furnace after the process. Further, the stirrer means 108 is installed within the furnace to stir the materials inside the furnace 104. The stirrer means 108 is operated by the controller 112. The furnace 104 may further include at least one front door (not shown) and a rear door. The rear door of the furnace is configured to be closed during the quenching process. The door includes at least one sensor selected from a group comprising of a contact sensor, a proximity sensor, a motion sensor, and so on.
[0017] The interface 110 can enable an external entity to communicate with the controller 112 and the heating device 102. The interface 110 can be a wired and/or a wireless means. Examples of the interface 110 can be one or more switches, one or more toggles, one or more touch screen interfaces, one or more displays, a keyboard, a mouse, Human Machine Interface (HMI), Man-Machine Interface (MMI), Operator Interface Terminal (OIT), Local Operator Interface (LOI), Operator Terminal (OT), and so on. Examples of the external entity can be an authorized user, an external device (such as a computer, a server, a data server, a file server, the cloud, and so on), and so on. The interface 110 may receive information from the controller 112and display information on one or more displays. The interface 110 can be used to optimize an industrial process by digitizing and centralizing data. The interface 110 can be further used for at least one of, but not limited to, monitoring and tracking, for performing more operations, like switching machines off or increasing production speed, and so on.

[0018] The controller 112 can be used for controlling the heating device 102. Examples of the controller 112 can be, but not limited to, a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) device, a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), a Programmable Automation Controller (PAC), a soft PLC, an embedded controller, industrial computers, micro controllers, smart relays, and Ethernet I/O modules. The controller 112 can further comprise a memory unit 114, and a processing module 116.
[0019] The controller 112may also be adapted to communicate with the furnace 104, the pump 106, the stirrer means 108 and the door of the furnace 104. Thecontrollerll2 may be adapted to control the heating device 102. The controller 112 facilitates in high reliability control, ease of programming and process fault diagnosis.
[0020] The controller 112 further includes the memory unit 114. The memory unit 114 is configured to store a predetermined data or instructions for operating the heating device 102. The memory unit 114 is adapted to execute the instructions through the controller 112.
[0021] The memory unit 114further includes the processing module 116which is configured to communicate with the furnace 104, the pump 106, the stirrer means 108, the interface 110 and the door of the furnace 104. The processing module 116 may further include a plurality of modules and sub-modules. When the machine readable instructions are executed, the processing module 116 causes the controller 112 to acquire real-time data associated with devices commissioned in the system 100 environment. The real-time data comprises at least one of an input and an output received from at least one of the interface 110 and the devices present in the system 100 environment.

[0022] In an embodiment, each of the components of the system 100 may be connected to each other via a communication network (not shown). The communication network may be a wired (such as a local area network, Ethernet, fiber-optic, cable and so on) or a wireless communication network (such as Bluetooth, Zigbee, Wi-Fi, infrared, and so on). The system 100 may further include a server (not shown) and a database (not shown). In an embodiment, the system 100 may be a cloud computing platform/system. The cloud computing system, such as system 100 can be part of a public cloud or a private cloud. Although not shown, some or all of the devices in the system 100 can be connected to a cloud computing platform via a gateway. Also, the cloud platform can be connected to the heating device 102 located in different geographical locations.
[0023] In an embodiment, the system 100 is configured to receive an input via the interface 110, to switch ON the heating device 102. The system 100 is adapted to determine via the controller 112, based on the received input, a status of at least one of the pump 106 and the stirrer means 108 is corresponding to at least one of an ON condition and an OFF condition. The system 100 is configured to control via the controller 112, the heating device 102, by switching ON, if the at least one of the pump 106 is in OFF condition and the stirrer 108 is in ON condition. The system 100 is configured to control via the controller 112, the heating device 102, by switching OFF, if the at least one of the pump 106 is in ON condition and the stirrer 108 is in OFF condition.
[0024] In another embodiment, the memory unit 114 having the processing module 116 is further configured to determine via the controller 112 based on the received input, if at least one door (such as a rear door) of the heating device 102 is in at least one of an open condition and a closed condition. The system 100 is configured to control via the controller 112,

the heating device 102, by switching ON, if the door of the heating device 102 is in the closed condition. The system 100 is adapted to control via the controller 112, the heating device 102, by switching OFF, if the door of the heating device 102 is in the open condition.
[0025] The diagram of FIG. 1 illustrates functional components of the computer implemented system. In some cases, the component may be a hardware component, a software component, or a combination of hardware and software. Some of the components may be application level software, while other components may be operating system level components. In some cases, the connection of one component to another may be a close connection where two or more components are operating on a single hardware platform. In other cases, the connections may be made over network connections spanning long distances. Each embodiment may use different hardware, software, and interconnection architectures to achieve the functions described.
[0026] FIG. 2 is a flowchart depicting a method 200 for controlling a heating device 102, according to the embodiments as disclosed herein. A method 200 for controlling a heating device 102 is described below.
[0027] At step 202, the method 200 includes receiving an input from the interface 110 to switch ON said heating device 102. At step 204, the method 200 includes determining, by the controller 112, based on said received input, a status of at least one of a pump 106 and a stirrer means 108, is corresponding to at least one of an ON condition and an OFF condition. At step 206, the method 200 includes controlling, by said controller 112, said heating device 102, by switching ON, if said at least one of said pump 106 is OFF and said stirrer means 108 is ON. At step 208, the method 200 includes controlling, by said controller 112, said

heating device 102, by switching OFF, if said at least one of said pump 106 is ON and said stirrer means 108 is OFF.
[0028] In another embodiment, the method 200 may further include, the controller 112 determining, based on said received input, a status of a door of said heating device 102 is in at least one of an open condition and a closed condition, controlling by said controller 112, said heating device 102 by switching ON, if said door of said heating device 102 is in said closed condition, and controlling by said controller 112, said heating device 102 by switching OFF, if said door of said heating device 102 is in said open condition.
[0029] FIG. 3is an example circuit diagram for controlling a heating device, according to the embodiments as disclosed herein. In an embodiment, the system 100 is configured to receive the input via the interface 110 (for example M24 as shown in FIG. 3), to switch ON the heating device 102. The system 100 determines the status of at least one of the pump 106 and the stirrer means 108 if it is corresponding to at least one of the ON condition and the OFF condition based on the input. Then, the system 100 switches ON the heating device 102via the controller 112, if the at least one of the pump 106 is in OFF condition (for example Y70 as shown in FIG. 3) and the stirrer 108 is in ON condition (for example Y9F as shown in FIG. 3), while the system 100 switches OFF the heating device, if the at least one of the pump 106 is in ON condition and the stirrer 108 is in OFF condition.
[0030] In another embodiment, the system 100 determines a status of the door of the heating device 102being at least one of an open condition and a closed condition based on the input received through the controller 112. Then, the system 100 switches ON the heating device 102 if the door(for example X10 as shown in FIG. 3) of the heating device 102 is in

the closed condition, while the system 100 switches OFF the heating device 102, if the door (rear door) of the heating device 102 is in the open condition. For example, the system 100 as shown in the circuit diagrams of FIG. 3 may include the devices as depicted in Table 1.

M24 selection of "ON" push button from the interface
M25 selection of "OFF" push button from the interface
SET
L1071 conditional flag to switch "ON" OIL heater circuit
RStL1071 conditional flag to switch "OFF" OIL heater circuit
Y9F agigator motor "ON" ouput from the controller
Y76 output to switch "ON" Oil Heaters
Y70 Output to switch "ON" Oil Cooling Pump
Table 1
[0031] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.

We claim,
1. A system 100 for controlling a heating device 102, said heating device
102 comprising a furnacel04, at least one pump 106, and at least one
stirrer means 108, said system 100 comprising:
a controllerl 12configured to:
receive an input, from an interface 110, to switch ON said heating device 102;
determine, based on said received input, a status of at least one of said pump 106 and saidstirrermeansl08,is corresponding to at least one of an ON condition and an OFF condition;
switch ON said heating device 102, if said at least one of said pump 106 is OFF condition and said stirrer 108 is ON condition; and
switch OFF said heating device 102, if at least one of said pump 106 is in ON condition and said stirrer 108 is OFF condition.
2. The system 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controller 112 is
further configured to:
determine, based on said received input, if a door of said heating device 102 is in at least one of an open condition and a closed condition;
switch ON said heating device 102, if said door of said heating device 102is in said closed condition; and
switch OFF said heating device 102, if said door of said heating device 102is in said open condition.

3. The system 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controller 112 indicates a conditional flag to switch "ON" said heating device 102 when at least one of said pump 106 is in OFF condition and said stirrer 108 is in ON condition.
4. The system 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controller 112 indicates a conditional flag to switch "OFF" said heating device 102 when at least one of said pump 106 is ON and said stirrer 108 is OFF.
5. A method 200 for controlling a heating device 102, said method 200 comprising:
determining, by a controller 112, based on an input received from an interface 110, a status of at least one of a pump 106 and a stirrer meansl08, is corresponding to at least one of an ON condition and an OFF condition;
switching ON said heating device 102, by said controller 112, if said at least one of said pump 106 is OFF and said stirrer meansl08 is ON; and
switching OFF said heating device 102, by said controller 112, if said at least one of said pump 106 is ON and said stirrer means 108 is OFF.
6. The method 200 as claimed in claim 5, wherein said method 200 further
comprises:
determining, by said controller 112, based on said received input, if a door of said heating device 102 is in at least one of an open condition and a closed condition;
switching ON said heating device 102, by said controller 112, if said door of said heating device 102 is in said closed condition; and

switching OFF said heating device 102, by said controller 112, if said door of said heating device 102 is in said open condition.