U.S. patent application number 12/298139 was filed with the patent office on 2009-04-16 for device for lighting burners in a household appliance, in particular a cooking or barbecue range.
This patent application is currently assigned to ITW INDUSTRIAL COMPONENTS S.R.L. CON UNICO SOCIO. Invention is credited to Daniele Pianezze.
Application Number | 20090098495 12/298139 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38829565 |
Filed Date | 2009-04-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090098495 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Pianezze; Daniele |
April 16, 2009 |
DEVICE FOR LIGHTING BURNERS IN A HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE, IN PARTICULAR
A COOKING OR BARBECUE RANGE
Abstract
A device including high voltage generating means accommodated in
an electrical insulating casing, spark generating means adapted to
be arranged near respective burners of a household appliance to be
ignited and electrical connection means between the high voltage
generating means and the spark generating means; the high voltage
generating means include a single secondary winding of a
transformer provided with a single high voltage output contact and
a single return contact, connectable to ground; the spark
generating means include for each burner a pair of electrodes
reciprocally insulated and arranged side-by-side at a predetermined
distance such that to allow in use the generation of sparks between
the same; the electrical connection means include a single
electrical wire connected to a single output of the high voltage
generating means connecting in series together all the existing
electrode pairs and divided by the electrodes of each pair of a
plurality of segments reciprocally and electrically insulated by
means of the electrodes of each electrode pair, to form a chain of
electrodes coupled two-by-two.
Inventors: |
Pianezze; Daniele; (Cassano
Magnago, IT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LOWE, HAUPTMAN, HAM & BERNER, LLP (ITW)
1700 DIAGONAL ROAD, SUITE 300
ALEXANDRIA
VA
22314
US
|
Assignee: |
ITW INDUSTRIAL COMPONENTS S.R.L.
CON UNICO SOCIO
Milano
IT
|
Family ID: |
38829565 |
Appl. No.: |
12/298139 |
Filed: |
July 9, 2007 |
PCT Filed: |
July 9, 2007 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/IB2007/001925 |
371 Date: |
October 23, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
431/264 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F23Q 3/00 20130101; F24C
3/103 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
431/264 |
International
Class: |
F23Q 3/00 20060101
F23Q003/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 10, 2006 |
IT |
TO2006A000502 |
Claims
1. A device for lighting burners in a household appliance, in
particular a cooking or barbecue range, comprising high voltage
generating means accommodated within an electrically insulating
casing, spark generating means adapted to be arranged near
respective burners of said household appliance to be ignited and
electrical connection means between said high voltage electrical
generators and spark generating means; characterised in that, in
combination: i) said high voltage generating means comprise one
single secondary winding of a transformer provided with a single
high voltage output contact and a single return contact,
connectable to ground; ii) said spark generating means comprising,
for each burner to be ignited, a pair of electrodes reciprocally
and electrically insulated and reciprocally arranged side-by-side
at a predetermined distance such that to allowsparks to be produced
in use between the electrodes of the electrode pair; iii) said
electrical connection means comprise a single electrical wire, a
first end of which is connectable to said single output contact of
high voltage generating means and a second end of which is
connectable to ground; said single electrical wire connecting
together in series all said pairs of existing electrodes and being
subdivided by the electrodes of each pair of electrodes into a
plurality of segments reciprocally and electrically insulated by
the electrodes of each pair of electrodes, to form a chain of
electrodes paired two-by-two.
2. A device according to claim 1, characterised in that said single
secondary winding is dimensioned so as to be adapted to generate a
sufficient voltage to produce sparks between the electrodes of each
predetermined pair of electrodes and equal to the maximum number of
burners applicable to the household appliance.
3. A device according to claim 1, characterised in that said spark
generating means comprise a plurality of ignition assemblies, each
of which includes an electrically insulating body provided with
fastening means to the household appliance; one said pair of
electrodes carried by and accommodated in the electrically
insulating body except for respective bare ends protrudingly
carried side by the side by the insulating body; and a pair of
contacts, each connected to a respective electrode and connected in
series to respective corresponding contacts of said plurality of
ignition assemblies by means of segments of said single electrical
wire.
4. A device according to claim 3, characterised in that one said
ignition assembly arranged farther from said high voltage
generating means presents its first said contact connected in
series to a corresponding opposite contact of an ignition assembly
immediately closer to said high voltage generating means and its
second said contact connected, by means of a terminal segment of
said single electrical wire, to said return contact of the high
voltage generating means.
5. A device according to claim 1, characterised in that each said
ignition assembly consists of a ceramic spark plug carrying at
least partially and internally embedded said electrodes of each
pair of electrodes arranged side-by-side.
6. A burner for a household appliance, in particular for a gas
range, comprising a gas ring and a plate arranged in use over the
gas ring, characterised in that said gas ring presents a radial
recess open towards the plate and accommodating an ignition
assembly according to claim 5 arranged with the electrodes
essentially perpendicular to the plate and in radially innermost
position within the radial recess, so as to be covered in used by
said plate.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a lighting device
particularly suitable for cost-effectively and simply lighting a
plurality of burners in a household appliance, in particular
consisting of a multiple burner cooking or barbecue range.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] It is known that nowadays household appliances provided with
burners fed by a combustible gas (e.g. cooking ranges, barbecue
ranges, gas ovens, etc.) are all essentially equipped with either
manually or automatically controlled electronic ignition devices,
preferably operating on each existing burner.
[0003] The known ignition devices consist in a casing containing
high voltage generating means based on one or more transformer
spools including a plurality of secondary (high voltage) windings,
each of which presents an output contact connected to an ignition
electrode positioned in proximity of a corresponding burner; in
use, the secondary windings apply voltage to the electrodes, which
close the high voltage circuit with the metallic structure of the
burners, which is connected to ground by means of the cooking range
(generally formed by conducting material) thus generating sparks
between electrodes and burners which produce the ignition of the
combustible gas in the meantime fed to the burners, e.g. by means
of valves or solenoid valves.
[0004] The traditional ignition devices of the described type
present the double drawback of being relatively costly, complex and
cumbersome, due to the numerous electrical power wires needed to
connect the electrodes to the corresponding outputs (output
contacts) of the high voltage generating means; and of being needed
to be designed according to the number of burners to be ignited;
therefore a device having the casing with high voltage generating
means provided for igniting, e.g., three burners cannot be used to
ignite a higher number of burners, while, if a lower number of
burners needs to be ignited, the unused output(s) must be somehow
neutralised, e.g. by means of a direct connection to ground.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
[0005] It is the object of the present invention to solve the
aforesaid drawbacks by providing a very simple, low cost and small
size ignition device, which is capable of simply igniting a
plurality of burners, present in variable number within a
predetermined range, so as to be adapted to serve different models
of cooking/barbecue ranges, having a different number of burners to
ignite, essentially without changing any of the basic structure of
the device itself and above all of the high voltage generating
means.
[0006] The present invention thus relates to a device for igniting
the burners of a household appliance, in particular a cooking or
barbecue range, as defined in claim 1.
[0007] In particular, the ignition device according to the
invention comprises high voltage generating means consisting of a
single secondary winding of a transformer provided with a single
high voltage output contact and a single return contact,
connectable to ground; and spark generating means including, for
each burner to be ignited, a pair of electrodes reciprocally and
electrically insulated and reciprocally arranged side-by-side at a
predetermined distance such that to allow the generation of sparks
in use between the electrodes of the electrode pair.
[0008] Finally, the device according to the invention comprises
electrical connection means between the high voltage generating
means and the spark generating means including a single electrical
wire, a first end of which is connectable to the single output
connector of the high voltage generating means and a second end of
which is connectable to ground; such single electrical wire
connects together in series all of the existing electrode pairs and
is subdivided by the electrodes of each electrode pair into a
plurality of segments reciprocally and electrically insulated by
the electrodes of each electrode pair, to form a chain of
electrodes paired two-by-two.
[0009] Furthermore, the single secondary winding is dimensioned so
as to be adapted to generate a sufficient voltage to produce the
generation of sparks between the electrodes of each pair of
electrodes for a predetermined number of pairs of electrodes and
equal to the maximum number of burners applicable to the household
appliance.
[0010] In this manner, the same device again using the same high
voltage generating means, having an appropriately dimensioned
secondary winding, may be used to ignite any number of burners,
i.e. at least in the entire possible range of a same household
appliance, simply by connecting it to an appropriate number of
electrode pairs in series by means of segments of electrical
wire.
[0011] According to an aspect of the invention, such electrode
pairs arranged side-by-side form ignition assemblies, each of which
includes an electrically insulating body provided with fastening
means to the household appliance; one pair of electrodes carried
and accommodated in the electrically insulating body except for
respective bare ends protrudingly carried side by side by the
insulating body; and a pair of contacts, each connected to a
respective electrode.
[0012] The contacts of each ignition assembly are then in use
connected by means of the mentioned wire segments in series
together, in particular a first contact is connected in series to a
corresponding opposite contact of an immediately preceding ignition
assembly, e.g. closer to the high voltage generating means, and a
second contact is connected in series to a corresponding opposite
contact of an immediately following ignition assembly, for example
farther from the high voltage generating means; on the other hand,
the first contact of the ignition assembly closer to the high
voltage generating means will be connected to the single output
contact of the high voltage generating means, while the ignition
assembly farther from the latter will have its second contact
connected, by means of a terminal segment of the single electrical
wire, to the return contact of the high voltage generating
means.
[0013] In the case of gas cooking burners, each ignition assembly
consists of a ceramic spark plug carrying at least partially and
internally embedded the electrodes of each electrode pair arranged
side-by-side.
[0014] In this case, the invention further extends to a burner for
a household appliance comprising a gas ring and a ceramic plate
arranged in use over the gas ring, wherein the gas ring presents a
radial recess open towards the plate and accommodating the ceramic
spark plug, arranged with the pair of electrodes essentially
perpendicular to the plate and in a more internal radial position
within the radial recess, so that the ignition assembly is in use
covered by the plate.
[0015] In this manner, the electrical connections to be made are
hugely simplified, making the assembly of the device of the
invention more rapid and cost-effective and the dimensions are
likewise reduced. Furthermore, the burner provided with an ignition
assembly consisting of a double electrode spark plug is of
particularly appealing appearance.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] Further features and advantages of the present invention
will be apparent from the following description of two
non-limitative embodiments thereof, made with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0017] FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows the layout diagram of an
ignition device made according to the invention;
[0018] FIGS. 2 and 3 respectively show an enlarged detail and a
complete layout of an ignition device according to the invention
for the burners of a barbecue range, shown in perspective view;
and
[0019] FIG. 4 diagrammatically depicts an enlarged detail of a
component of the ignition device in FIG. 1 in the case of a cooking
range burner.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0020] With specific reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, numeral 1
indicates as a whole a device 1 for lighting burners 2, in
particular longitudinal burners 2a, in a household appliance 3, in
particular a barbecue range 3a shown only in part for the sake of
simplicity.
[0021] Device 1 comprises high voltage generating means 4
accommodated within an electrically insulating casing 5, spark
generating means 6 adapted to be arranged near respective burners 2
to be ignited of the household appliance 3 and electrical
connection means 7 between high voltage generating means 4 and
spark generating means 6.
[0022] With specific reference to FIG. 1 and to the non-limitative
embodiment in FIGS. 2 and 3, high voltage generating means 4
comprise one single secondary winding 10 of a transformer 11
provided with a single high voltage output contact 12 and a single
return contact 14, connectable to ground. In practice, these
components, along with the necessary electronic supply board, of
the known type, are accommodated inside casing 5, which defines an
electronic ignition device of the traditional type, except for the
fact that it indeed presents a single high voltage output contact
12, instead of a plurality of contacts 12, one for each burner 2 to
be ignited, as in the traditional electronic ignition devices;
further contacts 16 carried by casing 5 allow the electrical
connection of device 1 to a power source, e.g. the electrical
network.
[0023] According to the main aspect of the invention, spark
generating means 6 comprise, for each burner 2 to be ignited, a
pair of electrodes 20,21 reciprocally and electrically insulated
and reciprocally arranged side-by-side at a predetermined distance
to each other such that to allow the generation of sparks 23 (FIG.
1) in use between electrodes 20,21 of each existing electrode pair;
while electrical connection means 7 include a single electrical
wire 25, a first end 26 of which is connectable to single output
contact or connector 12 of high voltage generating means 4 and a
second end 27 of which is connectable to ground, i.e. to return
contact or connector 21.
[0024] Therefore, single electrical wire 25 connects together in
series all existing electrode pairs 20,21 and is subdivided by
electrodes 20,21 themselves of each existing electrode pair 20,21
into a plurality of segments 30 reciprocally and electrically
insulated by electrodes 20,21 of each electrode pair, to form a
chain of electrodes paired two-by-two, like in the case, for
example, of the known light chains.
[0025] Single secondary winding 10 is dimensioned so as to be
adapted to generate a sufficient voltage to produce sparks 23
between electrodes 20,21 of each electrode pair for a predetermined
number of electrode pairs, in the case in point equal to the
maximum number of burners 2 applicable to/provided for household
appliance 3; for example, in the case of barbecue range 3a, if the
provided models comprise a variable number of burners 2a between a
minimum and a maximum (there are four burners in the case shown),
winding 10 will be dimensioned to serve the maximum number of
burners 2a which may exist.
[0026] For assembly simplicity, spark generating means 6 made
according to the invention in addition to comprising a pair of
electrodes 20,21 for each burner 2, are organised in a plurality of
ignition assemblies 60, each of which (FIG. 2) includes an
electrically insulating body 61 provided with fastening means 62 to
household appliance 3 and a pair of electrodes 20,21 carried by and
accommodated in electrically insulating body 61 except for
respective bare ends 65 protrudingly carried side by the side by
insulating body 61; finally, each assembly 60 comprises a pair of
contacts 66,67, each connected to a respective electrode 20,21 and
connected in series to respective corresponding contacts 66,67 of
the other existing ignition assemblies 60 by means of segments 30
of single electrical wire 25.
[0027] Ignition assembly 60a arranged farther from high voltage
generating means 4 (FIG. 3) presents a first contact 66 connected
in series to a corresponding opposite contact 67 of an ignition
assembly immediately closer to high voltage generating means 4 and
a second contact 67 connected, by means of a terminal segment 30a
of single electrical wire 25 to return contact 14 of high voltage
generating means 4.
[0028] Therefore, as illustrated and described hereto, contacts
66,67 of each ignition assembly 60 are in use connected by means of
the mentioned wire segments 30 reciprocally in series, in
particular a first contact 66 of each assembly 60 is connected in
series to a corresponding opposite contact 67 of an immediately
preceding ignition assembly 60, e.g. closer to high voltage
generating means 4, and a second contact 67 is connected in series
to a corresponding opposite contact 66 of an immediately following
ignition assembly 60, for example farther from high voltage
generating means 4.
[0029] First contact 66 of ignition assembly 60 closer to high
voltage generating means 4 will, on the other hand, be connected to
single output contact 12, while, as previously described, ignition
assembly 60a will have its second contact 67 connected by means of
terminal segment 30a to return contact 14, either directly as in
the example in FIGS. 2 and 3, or by means of the cooking range
itself, i.e. through the ground connection, in the case of a gas
cooking range 3b (FIG. 4), which is formed by metal.
[0030] With reference to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, related to
the application to a gas cooking range 3b known and only
diagrammatically shown, each ignition assembly 60 consists of a
ceramic spark plug 70 carrying contacts 20,21 at least partially
embedded therein.
[0031] In such a case, each existing spark plug 70 is directly
mounted on a burner 71 of cooking range 3b specifically designed
for the use with ignition device 1 according to the invention; as
shown in FIG. 4, burner 71 comprises a gas ring 72 and a plate 73,
e.g. formed by ceramic, arranged in use over gas ring 72; this
presents a radial recess 74 open towards plate 73 and accommodating
an ignition assembly 60, in the case in point consisting of a
double electrode spark plug 70, arranged with electrodes 20,21
essentially perpendicular to plate 73 in a radially more internal
position within radial recess 74, so as to be covered in use by
plate 73.
* * * * *