EP3099977A1

EP3099977A1 - Igniter for a gas burner assembly and cooking appliance having the same

Info

Publication number: EP3099977A1
Application number: EP14702804.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Osman AY; Murat Topsakal; Erol Karaer; Mehmet Zihni Gurlek
Original assignee: Arcelik AS
Current assignee: Arcelik AS
Priority date: 2014-01-31
Filing date: 2014-01-31
Publication date: 2016-12-07
Also published as: WO2015113619A1; CN105934632B; CN105934632A

Abstract

The present invention relates to an igniter (1) for use in a gas burner assembly (2), comprises an insulating casing (8), an electrode (9) for generating an ignition spark, wherein the electrode (9) projects out of a tip (10) of the casing (8), a cable (11) for supplying high tension electricity to the electrode (9) and a seating flange (12) which is formed on a periphery of the casing (8).

Description

[Title established by the ISA under Rule 37.2]IGNITER FOR A GAS BURNER ASSEMBLY AND COOKING APPLIANCE HAVING THE SAME

The present invention relates to an igniter for use in a gas burner assembly of a cooking appliance. The present invention particularly relates to a gas burner assembly which has a built-in igniter.
In a gas cooking appliance using flammable gases such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), usually an ignition spark plug (also known as igniter) is utilized to ignite the gas flowing out of a gas outlet of the gas burner assembly. The igniter typically includes a heat resistant insulating casing made of porcelain, an electrode for generating an ignition spark and a cable for supplying high tension electricity to the electrode. The igniter is commonly built into the gas burner assembly at a position close to the gas outlet. The electrode usually projects out of a tip of the casing. The position of the electrode relative to the gas outlet is, however, critical for the gas ignition performance. If the electrode is not sufficiently close to the gas outlet, then the ignition of the gas either retards or completely fails. In case of retardation, particularly in a high capacity gas burner assembly, the gas begins to rapidly accumulate in the vicinity of the gas outlet and causes a violent explosion when it is eventually ignited. Such an explosion poses a risk to the safety and health of a user. Therefore, a proper installation of the igniter is of utmost importance.
WO 03/058126 A1 discloses a cooking device. The cooking device comprises one or more than one burner assembly. Each burner assembly includes a burner chassis having a gas inlet, a burner cap having flame outlet ports and a spark plug having a stopper. A recess has been formed into the burner chassis in the proximity of the flame outlet ports for mounting the spark plug. When installing the burner assembly, the spark plug is first inserted into a through-hole of a connecting piece and subsequently fitted into the recess of the burner chassis. The burner cap is placed on the burner chassis.
A drawback of the above-mentioned cooking device is that the utilization of an auxiliary connecting piece increases the manufacturing steps and incurs additional costs. In general, as the number of pieces to be assembled with each other increases, the risk that a proper installation of the igniter is compromised during the assemblage inevitably grows. Thus, the ignition performance can easily degrade in case of a misalignment.
An objective of the present invention is to provide an igniter for use in a gas burner assembly and a cooking appliance having the same which overcome the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art and which enable a simple and reliable installation of the igniter, and an improved ignition performance.
This objective has been achieved by the igniter according to the present invention as defined in claim 1, the gas burner assembly according to the present invention as defined in claim 4, and the cooking appliance according to the present invention as defined in claim 11. Further achievements have been attained by the subject-matters respectively defined in the dependent claims.
The igniter of the present invention is suitable for use in a gas burner assembly comprising a burner base which includes a through hole for inserting the igniter. The gas burner assembly of the present invention comprises a burner head which is threadably mountable to the burner base. The burner head includes a radially protruding lower rim which is circular-shaped and a radially protruding upper rim which is also circular-shaped. An outer diameter of the upper rim is larger than an outer diameter of the lower rim. The igniter of the present invention has a seating flange whose lower surface is slanted with respect to a longitudinal direction of its casing. In a state when the igniter is inserted into the through-hole and when the burner head is threadably mounted to the burner base, the seating flange abuts with its slanted lower surface flush against a horizontal upper surface of the burner base, an upper periphery of the casing abuts against the upper rim, and the seating flange is partly sandwiched between the lower rim of the burner head and the upper surface of the burner base.
In an embodiment, the seating flange has a lateral flat portion which abuts against a flat wall portion of the burner base when the casing is inserted into the through hole. Thereby, the igniter can be easily prevented from rotating as the burner head is threadably mounted to the burner base.
By the present invention, the need for auxiliary connecting elements such as clips, inserts or the like have been obviated. Also by virtue of the slanted lower surface and the upper rim, a predetermined constant distance between the electrode and the burner head can be correctly established when installing the igniter, and thereby, the ignition performance can be permanently safeguarded. In particular, any deformation such as squeezing that could be caused to the seating flange as the burner head is tightly screwed into the burner base does not lead to a misalignment of the casing since the upper periphery of the casing and the upper rim remain in firm contact and secure an optimal spark gap for the ignition. Thereby, a retardation and failure of the ignition have been both eliminated, and proper operation conditions have been attained.
Additional advantages of the igniter according to the present invention and the gas burner assembly of the present invention will become apparent with the detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:
Figure 1 – is a schematic perspective partial view of a gas burner assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention, prior to threadably mounting a burner head to a burner base;
Figure 2 – is another schematic perspective partial view of the gas burner assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention, after the burner head has been threadably mounted to the burner base;
Figure 3 – is a schematic cross sectional view of the gas burner assembly shown in Fig. 1;
Figure 4 – is a schematic cross sectional view of the gas burner assembly shown in Fig. 2;
Figure 5 – is a schematic cross sectional view of an igniter according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 6 – is a schematic cross sectional view of the burner head according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The reference signs appearing on the drawings relate to the following technical features.

Igniter
Gas burner assembly
Burner base
Through hole
Burner head
1^st Rim
2^nd Rim
Casing
Electrode
Tip
Cable
Seating flange
Lower surface
Upper surface
Upper periphery
Flat portion
Wall portion
Chamber
Gas inlet
Gas outlet
Air inlet
Air outlet
Gas flow passage
1^st Threaded portion
2^nd Threaded portion
Screw hole

The igniter (1) is suitable for use in a gas burner assembly (2) (Figs. 1 to 6).
The igniter (1) comprises an insulating casing (8), an electrode (9) for generating an ignition spark, wherein the electrode (9) is arranged to project out of a tip (10) of the casing (8), a cable (11) for supplying high tension electricity to the electrode (9) and
a seating flange (12) which is formed on a periphery of the casing (8) (Fig. 5).
The gas burner assembly (2) comprises a burner base (3) which includes a chamber (18) for mixing gas and air, a gas inlet (19) for connecting to a gas supply line (not shown) and a gas outlet (20) which opens into the chamber (18), wherein the gas inlet (19) and the gas outlet (20) are in fluid communication, an air inlet (21) for conveying air into the chamber (18) and an air outlet (22) which opens into the chamber (18), wherein the air inlet (21) and the air outlet (22) are in fluid communication and a through-hole (4) for inserting the igniter (1) (Figs. 1 to 6).
The gas burner assembly (2) according to the present invention comprises a burner head (5) for threadably mounting to the burner base (3), wherein the burner head (5) includes a gas flow passage (23) for fluidly connecting the gas outlet (20) and the chamber (18), a radially protruding first rim (6) which is circular-shaped and formed close to a lower end of the burner head (5) and a radially protruding second rim (7) which is circular-shaped and formed close to an upper end of the burner head (5), wherein an outer diameter of the second rim (7) is larger than an outer diameter of the first rim (6) a burner cap (not shown) for seating on the burner base (3) and the burner head (5), wherein the burner cap includes a plurality of flame outlets which are in fluid communication with the chamber (18) and an igniter (1) according to the present invention (Figs. 1 to 6).
In the igniter (1) of the present invention, the seating flange (12) has a lower surface (13) which is slanted with respect to a longitudinal direction (L) of the casing (8) (Fig. 5). In a state when the casing (8) is inserted into the through-hole (4) and when the burner head (5) is threadably mounted to the burner base (3), the seating flange (12) abuts with its slanted lower surface (13) flush against a horizontal upper surface (14) of the burner base (3), an upper periphery (15) of the casing (8) abuts against the second rim (7), and the seating flange (12) is partly sandwiched between the first rim (6) of the burner head (5) and the upper surface (14) of the burner base (3) (Figs. 1 to 6).
In an embodiment, in a state where a longitudinal direction (L) of the casing (8) is made to coincide with a vertical direction (z), the lower surface (13) of the seating flange (12) inclines positively with respect to a horizontal direction (y) through an acute angle α (Fig. 5). The lower surface (13) of the seating flange (12) is a plane surface which matches an upper surface (14) of the burner base (3). When the casing (8) is inserted into the through-hole (4) and when the burner head (5) is threadably mounted to the burner base (3), the seating flange (12) abuts with its slanted lower surface (12) flush against a horizontal upper surface (14) of the burner base (3) such that the igniter (1), in particular the casing (8) aligns obliquely relative to the horizontal upper surface (14) of the burner base (3) (Fig. 4). In a state when the igniter (1) is obliquely aligned, the second rim (7) firmly contacts an upper periphery (15) of the casing (8). Thereby, a constant distance between the electrode (8) and the burner head (5) can be safely established when installing the igniter (1), and the ignition performance can be permanently safeguarded. In the assembled state of the igniter (1), the longitudinal direction (L) of the casing (8) is tilted by an acute angle α relative to a vertical direction (z), and in particular to the rotational axis (Az) of the burner head (5) (Fig. 4). In this embodiment, a tangential line (t) in the y-z plane which connects the first rim (6) and the second rim (7) is positively inclined and makes an acute angle of 90°- α with respect to the horizontal direction (y) (Fig. 6). In this embodiment, also a radial clearance is provided between the casing (8) and an inner surface of the through-hole (4) which enables a sufficient play for the aforementioned oblique alignment of the igniter (1). In the assembly process, as the burner head (5) is threadably mounted to the burner base (3), the second rim (7) gradually pushes the upper periphery (15) of the casing (8) radially outwards, and simultaneously the first rim (6) gradually pushes the seating flange (12) flush against the upper surface (14) of the burner base (3) such that the slanted lower surface (13) eventually abuts flush against a horizontal upper surface (14) of the burner base (3), and the upper periphery (15) eventually abuts against the second rim (6). When the assemblage is finalized, the seating flange (12) firmly abuts with its slanted lower surface (13) flush against a horizontal upper surface (14) of the burner base (3), the casing (8) firmly abuts against the second rim (7), and the seating flange (12) is partly sandwiched between the first rim (6) of the burner head (5) and the upper surface (14) of the burner base (3) (Figs. 1 to 6).
In another embodiment, the burner base (3) includes a flat wall portion (17) configured to abut against a lateral flat portion (16) of the seating flange (12) when the casing (8) is inserted into the through-hole (4) (Figs. 1 and 2). Thereby, the igniter (1) can be prevented from rotating during assemblage of the burner head (5) to the burner base (3).
In another embodiment, the casing (8) has a cylindrical shape (Figs. 1 to 5).
In another embodiment, the burner head (5) includes a first threaded portion (24) which is threadably mountable to a second threaded portion (25) of the gas outlet (20), wherein a rotational axis (Az) of the first threaded portion (24) and the second threaded portion (25) are aligned in the vertical direction (z) (Fig. 4). By virtue of the first threaded portion (24) and the second threaded portion (25) a leak-tight engagement of the burner head (5) and the burner base (3) has been attained (Figs. 2 and 4). During the assemblage, the igniter (1) is fixed onto the upper surface (14) of the burner base (3) as the leak-tight engagement of the burner head (5) and the burner base (3) is simultaneously established. Thereby, the gas burner assembly (2) can be quickly and easily installed in a few steps.
In another embodiment, the gas outlet (20) is centered with respect to the chamber (18) of the burner base (3) (Figs. 1 and 2). Thereby, the outflowing gas uniformly spreads into the chamber (18), and therefrom to the flame outlets (Figs. 1 to 4).
In another embodiment, the burner base (3) includes one or more than one screw hole (26) for fixing the same to a cooking range of a cooking appliance (Figs. 1 and 2).
In another embodiment, the gas burner assembly (2) further comprises a burner ring (not shown) for placing between the burner base (3) and the burner cap.
The present invention also provides a cooking appliance (not shown) which comprises one or more than one gas burner assembly (2) and a power supply unit (not shown) for supplying high tension electricity to each igniter (1) of the gas burner assembly (2).
In the present invention, by virtue of the slanted lower surface (13) and the second rim (7), a constant distance between the electrode (9) and the burner head (5) can be safely established when installing the igniter (1), and thereby, the ignition performance can be permanently safeguarded. Moreover, in the present invention the number of assembly steps has been reduced since the igniter (1) can be simultaneously installed as the gas-tight connection between the burner head (5) and the burner base (3) is established. Thereby, the need of an auxiliary connecting means such as a clip or the like for fixing the igniter (1) has been obviated, and the overall costs have been reduced. Most importantly with the present invention, a retardation and failure of the ignition has been eliminated, and proper operation conditions have been reliably attained.

Claims

An igniter (1) suitable for use in a gas burner assembly (2) comprising a burner base (3) which includes a through-hole (4) for inserting the igniter (1) and a burner head (5) for threadably mounting to the burner base (3), wherein the burner head (5) has a radially protruding first rim (6) which is circular-shaped and formed close to a lower end of the burner head (5), and the burner head (5) has a radially protruding second rim (7) which is circular-shaped and formed close to an upper end of the burner head (5), and wherein an outer diameter of the second rim (7) is larger than an outer diameter of the first rim (6), the igniter (1) comprising

an insulating casing (8),

an electrode (9) for generating an ignition spark, wherein the electrode (9) is arranged to project out of a tip (10) of the casing (8),

a cable (11) for supplying high tension electricity to the electrode (9) and

a seating flange (12) which is formed on a periphery of the casing (8), the igniter (1) being characterized in that

the seating flange (12) has a lower surface (13) which is slanted with respect to a longitudinal direction (L) of the casing (8), and in a state when the casing (8) is inserted into the through-hole (4) and when the burner head (5) is threadably mounted to the burner base (3), the seating flange (12) abuts with its slanted lower surface (13) flush against a horizontal upper surface (14) of the burner base (3), an upper periphery (15) of the casing (8) abuts against the second rim (7), and the seating flange (12) is partly sandwiched between the first rim (6) of the burner head (5) and the upper surface (14) of the burner base (3).
The igniter (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the seating flange (12) has a lateral flat portion (16) which abuts against a flat wall portion (17) of the burner base (3) when the casing (8) is inserted into the through-hole (4).
The igniter (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the casing (8) has a cylindrical shape.
A gas burner assembly (2) suitable for use in a cooking appliance, comprising

a burner base (3) which includes a chamber (18) for mixing gas and air, a gas inlet (19) for connecting to a gas supply line and a gas outlet (20) which opens into the chamber (18), wherein the gas inlet (19) and the gas outlet (20) are in fluid communication; an air inlet (21) and an air outlet (22) which opens into the chamber (18), wherein the air inlet (21) and the air outlet (22) are in fluid communication and a through hole (4) for inserting an igniter (1),

characterized by further comprising

a burner head (5) for threadably mounting to the burner base (3), wherein the burner head (5) includes a gas flow passage (23) for fluidly connecting the gas outlet (20) and the chamber (18), a radially protruding first rim (6) which is circular-shaped and formed close to a lower end of the burner head (5) and a radially protruding second rim (7) which is circular-shaped and formed close to an upper end of the burner head (5), wherein an outer diameter of the second rim (7) is larger than an outer diameter of the first rim (6),

a burner cap for seating on the burner base (3) and the burner head (5), wherein the burner cap includes a plurality of flame outlets which are in fluid communication with the chamber (18) and

the igniter (1) as defined in any one of claims 1 to 3.
The gas burner assembly (2) according to claim 4, characterized in that the burner base (3) includes a flat wall portion (17) configured to abut against the lateral flat portion (16) of the seating flange (12) when the casing (8) is inserted into the through-hole (4).
The gas burner assembly (2) according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the burner head (5) includes a first threaded portion (24) which is threadably mountable to a second threaded portion (25) of the gas outlet (20), wherein a rotational axis (Az) of the first threaded portion (24) and the second threaded portion (25) are both aligned in a vertical direction (z).
The gas burner assembly (2) according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the gas outlet (20) is centered with respect to the chamber (18) of the burner base (3).
The gas burner assembly (2) according to any one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that the burner base (3) includes one or more than one screw hole (26) for fixing the same to a cooking range of a cooking appliance.
The gas burner assembly (2) according to any one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that a radial clearance is provided between the casing (8) and an inner surface of the through-hole (4).
The gas burner assembly (2) according to any one of claims 4 to 9, characterized by further comprising a burner ring for placing between the burner base (3) and the burner cap.
A cooking appliance comprising

one or more than one gas burner assembly (2) as defined in any one of claims 4 to 10 and

a power supply unit for supplying high tension electricity to each igniter (1) of the gas burner assembly (2).