# US 11,906,171 B2 · Control systems and methods for cooktop appliances > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,906,171 B2 - Document ID: US11906171B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/502,139 - Filed: 2021-10-15 - Published: 2023-04-20 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2021-10-15 - Assignees: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. - Applicants: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. - Inventors: Paul Bryan Cadima - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11906171B2 ## CPC - F24C 3/126: {on ranges} - F23D 14/46: Details - F23K 5/005: {from a central source to a plurality of burners} - F23N 1/002: {using electronic means (F23N1/04 - F23N1/10 take precedence)} - F23N 5/022: {using electronic means (F23N5/04 - F23N5/14 take precedence)} - F23N 2235/12: Fuel valves - F23N 2237/02: two or more burners - F23N 2241/08: Household apparatus - F24C: DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES (exclusively for solid fuels F24B); DETAILS OF DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES, OF GENERAL APPLICATION - F23D: BURNERS - F23K: FEEDING FUEL TO COMBUSTION APPARATUS (fuel feeders specially adapted for fluidised bed combustion apparatus F23C10/22) - F23N: REGULATING OR CONTROLLING COMBUSTION (control devices specially adapted for combustion apparatus in which combustion takes place in a fluidised bed of fuel or other particles F23C10/28; condition responsive controls for regulating combustion in domestic stoves with open fires for solid fuel F24B1/187) ## 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. ## Claims ### Claim 1 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. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The cooktop appliance of claim 1, further comprising a control system comprising: a sensor configured to detect a temperature corresponding to the gas burner; and a controller regulating the flow control valve in response to the detected temperature. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The cooktop appliance of claim 2, wherein the control system further comprises a user input configured to set a desired temperature, and wherein the controller controls the flow control valve in response to the desired temperature and the detected temperature. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The cooktop appliance of claim 3, wherein the user input comprises a rotatable dial, and wherein the rotatable dial is coaxial with the user selectable interface. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The cooktop appliance of claim 1, wherein the cooktop appliance is selectively operable in a manual mode or an automatic mode, wherein: in the manual mode, the gas burner is controlled only by the primary line; and in the automatic mode, the gas burner is controlled by both the primary line and the secondary line. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The cooktop appliance of claim 5, wherein, in the automatic mode, the primary line operates as a non-modulated, minimum gas flow line and the secondary line operates as a modulated gas flow line. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The cooktop appliance of claim 1, wherein the primary and secondary lines are in fluid communication with one another at a junction, and wherein the junction is fluidly coupled to the gas burner through a sum line. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The cooktop appliance of claim 1, wherein the flow control valve is an electronically controlled valve. ### Claim 9 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. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The cooktop appliance of claim 9, wherein the cooktop appliance further comprises: 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 the 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 the flow control valve, wherein adjusting the single adjustment point affects the primary line. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The cooktop appliance of claim 10, wherein: in the manual mode, the gas burner is controlled only by the primary line; and in the automatic mode, the gas burner is controlled by both the primary line and the secondary line. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The cooktop appliance of claim 9, wherein the cooktop appliance further comprises a control system configured to control the gas burner when the cooktop appliance is in the automatic mode, and wherein the control system comprises: a sensor configured to detect a temperature at corresponding to the gas burner; and a controller configured to regulate the flow control valve in response to the detected temperature. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The cooktop appliance of claim 9, wherein the flow control valve is an electronically controlled valve, and wherein the electronically controlled valve is only used to modulate the gas flow rate when the cooktop appliance is in the automatic mode. ### Claim 14 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. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein operating the cooktop appliance in the manual mode comprises adjusting a gas flow rate in the primary line using a user selectable interface. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein adjusting the cooktop appliance to the automatic mode is performed by adjusting the user selectable interface to a setting corresponding with the automatic mode. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein actively modulating the flow control valve comprises adjusting a gas flow rate through the secondary line in response to a desired temperature and a detected temperature of the gas burner. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising detecting the presence of a cooking implement at the gas burner, and actively modulating the flow control valve only when the cooking implement is present. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the cooktop appliance comprises a control system comprising a sensor configured to detect a temperature corresponding to the gas burner, and a controller configured to actively modulate the flow control valve in response to the detected temperature.