Control systems and methods for cooktop appliances
AssigneeHaier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
InventorPaul Bryan Cadima
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Cooktop appliances are provided. A cooktop appliance can include a gas burner; a manifold having a gas input; a primary line extending between the manifold and the gas burner, wherein a gas flow rate in the primary line is controllable by a user selectable interface; and a secondary line extending between the manifold and the gas burner, wherein a gas flow rate in the secondary line is controllable by a flow control valve.
Claims19
A cooktop appliance comprising:
- a gas burner;
- a manifold having a gas input;
- a primary line extending between the manifold and the gas burner, wherein a gas flow rate in the primary line is controllable by a user selectable interface;
- and
- a secondary line extending between the manifold and the gas burner, wherein a gas flow rate in the secondary line is controllable by a flow control valve, and
- wherein the user selectable interface comprises a knob in mechanical communication with a manual valve disposed along the primary line to selectively control the gas flow rate in the primary line between a minimum and a maximum flow rate based on a position of the knob.
A cooktop appliance configured to operate in a manual mode whereby a gas flow rate to a gas burner is controlled by a user selectable interface and an automatic mode whereby a gas flow rate to the gas burner is controlled by a flow control valve, and wherein the cooktop appliance is reconfigurable between different gas types by adjusting a single adjustment point, wherein the single adjustment point comprises an adjustment screw.
A method of using a cooktop appliance comprising a gas burner, a manifold having a gas input, a primary line extending between the manifold and the gas burner, wherein a gas flow rate in the primary line is controllable by a user selectable interface, and a secondary line extending between the manifold and the gas burner, wherein a gas flow rate in the secondary line is controllable by a flow control valve, wherein the user selectable interface comprises a knob in mechanical communication with a manual valve disposed along the primary line to selectively control the gas flow rate in the primary line between a minimum and a maximum flow rate based on a position of the knob, and the method comprising:
- operating the cooktop appliance in a manual mode wherein in the manual mode a gas is supplied to the gas burner of the cooktop appliance through the primary line;
- adjusting the cooktop appliance to an automatic mode;
- in response to being adjusted to the automatic mode, the cooktop appliance:
- adjusting the primary line to be a non-modulated, minimum gas flow line;
- and
- actively modulating a flow control valve on a secondary line in communication with the gas burner.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.