Control operation system of gas cooking utensil

Abstract

The invention relates to a control operating system (100) of a gas cooking appliance (10), comprising: a control panel (122), which has at least one opening (11) for the passage of a control shaft (21) of a gas cock (2) arranged behind the control panel (122); an operating element (3) having a connection portion (31) with a shaft (311) connected to a control shaft (21) of the gas cock (2) to actuate the control shaft, and an actuation portion (32) having a front region (321) and a skirt (322) extending around the shaft (311) from the front region (321) in a direction towards the control panel (122), the control operating system (100) also has an elastic sealing gasket (6) arranged at the periphery of the opening (11). In order to have a safer control operating system, the control operating system (100) comprises at least one cap (4) and at least one detachable connection system (5) between the cap (4) and the operating element (3), which connection system has at least one form-fitting connection element (51) such that the cap (4) can be connected to the operating element (3), whereby the operating element (3) is completely covered such that when the cap (4) is actuated, the cap (4) can be connected to the operating element (3). A control shaft (21) of the gas cock (2) is actuated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a control operating system for a gas cooking appliance, which has: a control panel having at least one opening for a control shaft of a gas cock disposed behind the control panel to pass through; an operating element having a connecting portion with a shaft and an actuating portion, the shaft being connected to the control shaft of the gas cock to actuate the control shaft, the actuating portion having a front region and a skirt, the skirt extending around the shaft from the front region in a direction towards the control panel, wherein the control operating system further has an elastic sealing gasket disposed at the periphery of the opening, the elastic sealing gasket having a neck protruding towards the operating element within the skirt around the shaft. Background Art

[0002] Control operating systems for gas cooking appliances are known, wherein the operating element is made in such a way that it can be connected to the control shaft of the gas cock to control the gas cock and can be disassembled to facilitate cleaning of the top plate of the gas appliance. In addition, these systems have a sealing gasket disposed at the orifice of the top plate through which the control shaft of the gas cock extends to avoid or reduce dust penetration into the appliance. Background Art

[0004] The object of the present invention is in particular to provide an improved control operating system which relates to the safety of the gas cooking appliance in which the system is installed. According to the present invention, this object is achieved by the features of claim 1, and advantageous configurations and developments of the present invention can be derived from the dependent claims. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention relates to a control operating system for a gas cooking appliance, which has: a control panel having at least one opening for a control shaft of a gas cock disposed behind the control panel to pass through; an operating element having a connecting portion with a shaft and an actuating portion, the shaft being connected to the control shaft of the gas cock to actuate the control shaft, the actuating portion having a front region and a skirt, the skirt extending around the shaft from the front region in a direction towards the control panel, wherein the control operating system further has an elastic sealing gasket disposed at the periphery of the opening, the elastic sealing gasket having a neck protruding towards the operating element within the skirt around the shaft. The control operating system includes at least one cap and at least one detachable connection system located between the cap and the operating element, the connection system having at least one form-fitting connection element such that the cap can be connected to the operating element, and the operating element is thereby completely covered such that when the cap is actuated, the control shaft of the gas cock is actuated.

[0006] A gas cooking appliance can be a gas stove, in which a control panel with operating elements is part of a horizontal support plate at which a gas burner is located, or of the type of a gas cooker in which the control panel is arranged vertically on the front of the appliance. The interior of the gas cooking appliance is delimited by a housing and a support plate, which can be made of glass, metal, etc. Gas pipes for guiding gas from a collecting pipe to a gas cock and from the cock to a gas burner are arranged inside the appliance. And the gas cock is controlled by a shaft extending through the control panel by means of an operating element. The operating element needs to be ergonomic so as to be grasped by a user and rotated by applying a force to the shaft of the gas cock. The operating element has a connecting part and an actuating part. By means of the connecting part, the operating element is linked to the shaft of the gas cock. The actuating part, which can be integrally linked to the connecting part, is the own body of the operating element, which can be manipulated by the user and, when viewed in the direction of the shaft of the gas cock, has an overall outer shape consisting of a front area and a skirt extending from the front area around the shaft towards the control panel.

[0007] In this type of gas cooking appliance, the operating elements need to be designed to comply with current safety rules. Therefore, they must be approved in accordance with the requirements specified by the rules. Thus, if the aesthetic appearance of the appliance is changed by changing the operating elements, the new operating elements also need to be approved and thus the cost increases. To reduce the cost of the control operating system of a household appliance, a cap is provided which can be connected to the operating element by means of a connecting system.

[0008] It is provided that the connecting system is detachable so that different caps can be replaced with the operating element when needed. The connecting system between the cap and the operating element has form-fitting connecting elements. In a preferred embodiment, at least a part of the connecting system is arranged between the skirt and the cap skirt, preferably, the connecting system is arranged between the skirt and the cap skirt. And in another feasible embodiment, at least a part or the whole of the connecting system is arranged between the front area and the interior area of the cap.

[0009] Using a connection system, the cap is fixedly connected to the operating element without any relative movement therebetween, thereby forming an operating unit such that when the cap is manipulated, the shaft of the gas cock is directly manipulated. In this way, if a new aesthetics of the appliance is desired, it is not required to approve a new operating element because the operating element remains the same operating element and only by changing the cap, the external shape itself is changed. This reduces costs but also gives diversity to the aesthetic variation of the appliance because when the cap is mounted on the operating element, the cap has a cap inner region located inside the cap and a cap skirt surrounding the skirt of the operating element. In addition, the form-fitting connection element is arranged between the front region of the operating element and the cap inner region in such a way that when the cap is rotated by the user about the axis of rotation, it in turn pulls and rotates the operating element. To ensure the correct position of the cap on the operating element, it is provided that the form-fitting connection element between the front region and the cap inner region has an anti-misassembly function. However, to facilitate the separation of the cap and the operating element, the form-fitting connection element does not restrict the connection between the cap and the operating element in the direction of the control axis. This means that the form-fitting connection element does not restrict the linear pull-out movement of the cap in the direction away from the operating element, but will restrict the rotational movement. To restrict the separation movement between the operating element and the cap, it is provided that the detachable connection system between the cap and the operating element has a magnetic connection element that forces the connection between the cap and the operating element in the direction of the control axis, thereby exerting an attractive force therebetween. This attractive force is strong enough to attract them, but does not prevent them from being separated by the force applied by a user without tools.

[0010] The control operating system also has a sealing gasket arranged at the periphery of the opening to prevent liquid or dust on the top surface of the plate of the gas cooking appliance from flowing through the opening, wherein the sealing gasket has a neck projecting towards the operating element within the skirt around the axis. In this way, since the sealing gasket having a neck extending in this way provides an overflow-safe closure of the opening, the safety of the appliance is increased. In a preferred embodiment, the end of the neck is always in contact with the operating element around the axis, even when the gas cooking appliance is not in use. Preferably, an interference between the neck and the operating element is achieved when the gasket neck has a length exceeding the distance to the operating element by 0.5 mm and more preferably exceeding 1 mm. In this way, if a liquid spill occurs at any time, the opening is completely sealed by the sealing gasket and the operating element.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the operating element has a size smaller than the size of the opening. When stating that the operating element has a size smaller than the size of the opening, it refers to the fact that the area of the opening is larger than the maximum cross-section of the operating element in a plane parallel to the plane of the opening, which is preferably 10% smaller than the area of the opening, more preferably 30% smaller, and even more advantageously 50% smaller. This configuration is highly advantageous because the small operating element does not impede access to the top surface of the control panel for cleaning it, and even allows access to the largest part of the sealing gasket if required. Additionally, since the operating element is smaller than the opening, the elastic sealing gasket can be separated from the opening perimeter to access the gas cock if needed. And furthermore, if required, the support plate can be removed from the gas cooking appliance without having to remove the operating elements because these operating elements can extend through the openings in the control panel. For very small operating elements, such as when the cross-section of the operating element is 50% smaller than the area of the opening, the cleaning of the appliance is greatly facilitated because when the cap is removed from the operating element, the entire surface of the control panel remains free up to its own opening and even a part of the sealing gasket. Additionally, although the operating element is small relative to the opening, an important advantage is that the gas cooking appliance can be operated by the user even without the cap attached to the operating element because the gas cock can be actuated by means of the small operating element without any problems.

[0012] In another very interesting embodiment, it is provided that the operating element can be disassembled with a tool. "Disassemblable with a tool" means that it cannot be removed with the normal force applied by hand and especially the force specified in the standard. This is important for increasing the safety of the control operating system and the gas cooking appliance because for operating elements that can only be removed with a tool, the risk that an unprofessional user separates it from the appliance is reduced, and even a warning may be included in the user manual stating that the operating element is not removable and only the cap can be separated. In this way, it will only be very convenient for the technical service operator to remove it for repairing the appliance in case of any malfunction. Additionally, with this configuration, when the operating element cannot be disassembled, the sealing gasket will always be arranged in its position, and the neck of the gasket surrounds the shaft and is surrounded by the skirt of the operating element, and it will better avoid the penetration of dust or even cleaning products when cleaning the appliance.

[0013] To facilitate user control of the gas cooking appliance, it is provided that the front area of the operating element has a gripping area to facilitate gripping the operating element, while the cap may or may not have a cap gripping area covering the gripping area. This is relevant if it is intended to change the appearance of the appliance control in a more or less noticeable way. In this case, it is also provided that the connection system is at least partially or entirely arranged between the gripping area and the cap gripping area.

[0014] Furthermore, it is stipulated that the operating element is made of only one plastic part, wherein the connecting and actuating parts are injection molded or formed in the same process and may have a decorative or functional coating, which can also be applied during or after the same injection process. The functional coating can emit light autonomously, such as by emitting cold light, or have antibacterial properties, or be conductive for a specific function of the appliance. This also applies to the cap. Furthermore, the operating element can have a light guide or be a light guide itself to guide the light emitted by an external light source or by the coating to a specific position of the operating element. The cap can have a channel for the light guide such that the light emitted by the operating element can be seen through the channel for the light guide in the cap.

[0015] In another aspect of the present invention, a cap is provided that cooperates with the operating element of the control operating system of the present invention, and another aspect relates to a set of gas cooking appliances having at least one cap that can be connected to one or more operating elements of the appliance.

[0016] Other advantages result from the following description of the drawings. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings. The various figures, the description, and the claims contain features that can be combined. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] These figures show:

[0018] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a gas cooking appliance having the control operating system of the present invention,

[0019] Figure 2 is an exploded view of the control operating system of the present invention,

[0020] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the control operating system of the present invention,

[0021] Figure 4 is a perspective view of the operating element in the working position, and

[0022] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the control operating system of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Similar to Figure 1The gas cooking appliance 10 shown has an appliance housing 16 and a support plate 12, which in this case is made of toughened glass, but which could also be made of metal, ceramic material, etc. The support plate 12 is rectangular, and in the area of its perimeter near one side, there is a control panel 122, on which three operating units with three operating elements 3 are arranged to control a gas cock 2 (not visible), which controls the gas and flame flow in three gas burners 13. The gas burners 13 rest on the top surface 121 of the support plate 12. Two pot supports 14 are also removably rested on the top surface 121 of the support plate 12 and extend over the gas burners 13. In this case, the two pot supports 14 cover almost the same area of the support surface, but the left pot support is arranged on one gas burner 13, and the right pot support 14 covers two gas burners 13. The pot supports 14 of the burners can be independent of one gas burner 13 or cover more than one gas burner 13.

[0024] All the gas conduits required to guide the gas from outside the gas cooking appliance 10 through internal pipes upwards to the gas burners 13 and past the gas cocks 2 are arranged inside the gas cooking appliance 10 defined by the support plate 12 and the appliance housing 16. Each gas cock 2 has a control shaft 21 that extends through a corresponding opening 11 in the control panel 122. The operating elements 3 are press-fitted onto each control shaft 21 of each gas cock 2 by means of their connecting parts 31 and can be manipulated by the user, as they can be grasped at their actuating parts 32. The actuating parts 32 have a front area 321 and a skirt 322, the front area 321 having a gripping area 33, and the skirt 322 extending around the connecting part 31 and the control shaft 21 of the gas cock 2 towards the control panel 122. The operating elements 3 are made of translucent plastic, so the operating elements 3 are also light guides 34, such that it can guide light through its entire structure, and when the cap 4 is placed on the operating element 3, the light can flow through the channel for the light guide 44 in addition to emitting light from the operating element 3 towards the sealing washer 6.

[0025] On the leftmost operating element 3 of the gas cooking appliance 10, and forming an operating unit, there is connected a cap 4, which has a cap front area 41 with a cap gripping area 43 and a cap skirt 42 that extends around the control shaft 21 of the gas cock 2 towards the control panel 122. On the top surface of the cap gripping area 43, there is a channel for the light guide 44, which allows the light emitted by the light guide 34 of the operating element 3 covered by it to pass through. The centrally arranged operating unit has a cap 4 on the operating element 3, which has a different appearance from the cap 4 of the left operating unit. On the rightmost one of the three, the operating element 3 is not covered by any cap.

[0026] Figure 2 A perspective exploded view of a control operating system 100 is shown, the control operating system 100 having a gas valve or gas cock 2, the gas cock 2 having a control shaft 21 of the gas cock 2 located below a control panel 122 of a support plate 12. A sealing gasket 6 with a gasket neck 61 is located above a top surface 121 of the support plate 12. An operating element 3 having its form-fitting connecting element 51 and its magnetic connecting element 52 is arranged further upwards, and on it, a cap 4 formed by a cap inner region 41 and a cap gripping region 43 has other magnetic connecting elements 52 of a connecting system 5.

[0027] Figure 3 A cross-section of the support plate 12 in the region of the control panel 122 is shown at the level of the leftmost operating unit in the Figure 1 formed by the operating element 3 and the cap 4. The gas cock 2 is arranged inside a gas cooking appliance 10 on one side of the control panel 122. The gas cock 2 is controlled by a control shaft 21 which extends through an opening 11 through the control panel 122. The operating element 3 is connected to the control shaft 21 by means of a shaft 311 which is part of a connecting portion 31. On the gas cock 2, there is a control board which has a light source 7 emitting towards the shaft 311 of the connecting portion 31 of the operating element 3. In this embodiment of the invention, the entire operating element 3 is a light guide 34, although the light guide can be made part of the operating element 3.

[0028] The connecting portion 31 is integrally joined to an actuating portion 32 which has a front region 321 which has a gripping region 33 which allows a user to grip the operating element 3. A skirt 322 surrounding the shaft 311 of the connecting portion 31 extends from the front region 321. The sealing gasket 6 made of an elastic material is inserted into the periphery of the opening 11 so as to completely seal it. The sealing gasket 6 extends with the gasket neck 61 towards the shaft 311 and into the skirt 322 of the operating element 3 and remains in contact with it. The neck 61 is so thin that when the operating element 3 is moved towards the gas cock 2, it bends without losing contact with the operating element 3.

[0029] The actuating part 32 has a magnetic connecting element 52, which forms part of a connecting system 5 between the operating element 3 and the cap 4. In this case, the magnetic connecting element 52 is made as a permanent magnet arranged in the actuating part 32 of the operating element 3 and is made of a counter-pole permanent magnet arranged in the cap 4. However, it is also possible to use a magnet and a ferromagnetic element attracted by the magnet or any combination thereof. By using permanent magnets with the same magnetic poles, an anti-misassembly function can also be carried out to avoid placing the cap 4 in the wrong position on the operating element 3. A form-fitting connecting element 51 is also present in the actuating part 32, which is not visible in this figure and is a geometry that fits into the inner region 41 of the cap.

[0030] The cap 4 is connected to the operating element 3, and its inner cap region 41 is in form-fitting connection with the form-fitting connecting element 51 of the operating element 3. The cap 4 also has a cap gripping region 43 on its front part, and a cap skirt 42 surrounding the skirt 322 of the operating element 3 extends from this region towards the top surface 121 of the control panel 122. As already explained before, the connecting elements 51 and 52 of the connecting system 5 are present in the cap 4 and are complementary to the operating element 3. On the top surface of the cap front region 43, there is a channel for the light guide 44, and the light emitted by the light guide 34 of the operating element 3 flows through this channel.

[0031] Figure 4 A perspective view of the operating element 3 mounted on the control shaft 21 of the gas cock 2 of the gas cooking appliance 10 is shown. There is an opening 11 in the control panel 122 of the support plate 12, and this opening 11 has a periphery into which the sealing gasket 6 is fitted. The sealing gasket 6 has a neck 61 extending in the upward direction on the top surface 121 of the support plate 12. The operating element 3 is made of a piece of translucent plastic and has a connecting part 31 with a shaft 311 and an actuating part 32 with a front region 321, in which there is a gripping region 33 and a skirt 322 (not shown in the figure) extending around the shaft 311 of the connecting part 31 of the operating element 3. The neck 61 of the sealing gasket 6 is inserted between the skirt 322 and the shaft 311 of the operating element 3. The magnetic connecting element 52 and the form-fitting connecting element 51 corresponding to the connecting system 5 of the operating element 3 are arranged in the connecting part 31. The magnetic connecting element 52 is made as two disc-shaped permanent magnets, which are inserted into the side recesses made in the actuating part 32 of the operating element 3 for this purpose. The form-fitting connecting element 51 is made as a stepped cutout on the periphery of the actuating part 32. The connecting elements 51, 52 of the connecting system 5 that cooperate with the connecting elements of the operating element 3 seen in Figure 4 are present in the cap 4 (not shown in the figure). On the top surface of the gripping region 33 of the operating element 3, there is a light guide 34, and the light generated by the light-emitting coating on the surface of the light guide 34 or the light generated by an external lighting source that guides the light upwards to the light guide 34 is emitted through this light guide.

[0032] Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the control operating system 100, in which the cap 4 is connected to the operating element 3 from Figure 4 to form an operating unit. The cap 4 has a cap inner region 41, a cap grip region 43, and a cap skirt 42 that are connected to the operating element 3 by means of a connection system 5. On the top surface of the cap grip region 43, there is a channel for the light guide 44 through which the light from the light guide 34 of the operating element 3 can flow.

[0033] Reference numerals

[0034] 10 Gas cooking appliance

[0035] 11 Opening

[0036] 12 Support plate

[0037] 121 Top surface

[0038] 122 Control panel

[0039] 13 Gas burner

[0040] 14 Pot support

[0041] 16 Appliance housing

[0042] 2 Gas cock

[0043] 21 Control shaft

[0044] 3 Operating element

[0045] 31 Connection part

[0046] 311 Shaft

[0047] 32 Actuating part

[0048] 321 Front region

[0049] 322 Skirt

[0050] 33 Grip region

[0051] 34 Light guide

[0052] 4 Cap

[0053] 41 Cap inner region

[0054] 42 Cap skirt

[0055] 43 Cap grip region

[0056] 44 Channel for light guide

[0057] 5 Connection system

[0058] 51 Form-fitting connection element

[0059] 52 Magnetic connection element

[0060] 6 Sealing washer

[0061] 61 Neck

[0062] 7 Light source

[0063] 100 Control operating system

Claims

1. A control operating system (100) for a gas cooking appliance (10), comprising: a control panel (122) having at least one opening (11) for a control shaft (21) of a gas cock (2) disposed behind the control panel (122) to pass through; an operating element (3) having a connecting portion (31) with a shaft (311) and an actuating portion (32), the shaft being connected to the control shaft (21) of the gas cock (2) to actuate the control shaft, the actuating portion having a front region (321) and a skirt (322) extending from the front region (321) in a direction towards the control panel (122) around the shaft (311), wherein, The control operating system (100) also has an elastic sealing gasket (6) arranged at the periphery of the opening (11), which has a neck (61) protruding towards the operating element (3) within the skirt (322) around the shaft (311). Characterized in that the control operating system (100) includes at least one cap (4) and at least one detachable connection system (5) between the cap (4) and the operating element (3), the connection system having at least one form - fit connection element (51), such that the cap (4) can be connected to the operating element (3), and the operating element (3) is thereby completely covered, so that when the cap (4) is actuated, the control shaft (21) of the gas cock (2) is actuated.

2. The control operating system according to claim 1, wherein The size of the operating element (3) is smaller than the size of the opening (11).

3. The control operating system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The operating element (3) can be disassembled by a tool.

4. The control operating system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, When the cap (4) is mounted on the operating element (3), the cap (4) has a cap inner region (41) in contact with the front region (321) and a cap skirt (42) surrounding the skirt (322).

5. The control operating system according to claim 4, characterized in that The form - fit connection element (51) is located between the front region (321) of the operating element (3) and the cap inner region (41) of the cap (4), such that when the cap (4) is rotated by the user about the axis of rotation defined by the control shaft (21), it pulls and rotates the operating element (3).

6. The control operating system according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that The form - fit connection element (51) has an anti - misalignment fitting function.

7. The control operating system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The form - fit connection element (51) does not restrict the connection between the cap (4) and the operating element (3) in the direction of the control shaft (21) to separate them.

8. The control operating system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The detachable connection system (5) between the cap (4) and the operating element (3) has a magnetic connection element (52), and the magnetic connection element (52) forces the cap (4) and the operating element (3) to be connected in the direction of the control shaft (21), thereby exerting an attractive force between them.

9. The control operating system according to any one of the foregoing claims, characterized in that The front region (321) has a gripping region (33) to facilitate gripping the operating element (3), and the cap (4) has a cap gripping region (43) covering the gripping region (33).

10. The control operating system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The neck (61) of the sealing gasket (6) has an end in contact with the operating element (3).

11. The control operating system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The operating element (3) is integrally made of plastic and may have an optical waveguide (34).

12. The control operating system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The cap (4) has a channel for the optical waveguide (44) for light from the optical waveguide (34).

13. A cap (4) for a control operating system (100) according to any one of the preceding claims.

14. A set of gas cooking appliances (10) and at least one cap (4) according to claim 13.

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