Method for Controlling a Gas Burner and a Hob with Several Gas Burners

Abstract

With a method for controlling a gas burner, the latter is supplied with gas by an electronically controllable gas valve, wherein it is supplied with gas by the gas valve in a low power range and in a high power range. Only one of the power ranges is available at any point in time, wherein in each of the power ranges a power from a minimum power to a maximum power can be preset at the gas burner using an operating element. The low power range and the high power range differ here by more than 50%.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONSThis application claims the benefit of German patent DE 10 2010 023 090.1, filed on May 31, 2010, the contents of which are incorporated by reference for all that it teaches.BACKGROUNDThe invention relates to a method for controlling a gas burner and a hob with several gas burners, using which, or on which, the method is performed.It is known from DE 10 2010 005 655.3, dated Jan. 19, 2010 how to set a flame circle of said gas burner depending on a diameter of a cooking pot placed on a gas burner, which flame then corresponds to a certain determined power level. This allows a gas burner to operate in an energy-optimized range.An object underlying the invention is to provide a method as stated at the outset and also a corresponding gas hob for performing said method, where problems arising from the prior art can be eliminated, and in particular, versatile and advantageous operation of a gas burner is possible.SUMMARYThis problem is solved by a me...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

In a further embodiment of the invention, it is possible for the size of a pot placed on the gas burner to be automatically recognized. This recognized size is then compared with a predetermined limit size of the pot, which is defined for this gas burner. Pot size recognition systems of this type are also known for gas burners. An automatic switchover between the two power ranges then takes place, such that with a smaller pot below the limit size of the pot the low power range is selected for operating the gas burner. In the case of a larger pot above the limit size of the pot, the high power range is selected. It is therefore not necessary for an operator make the adjustment of the power range of this gas burner to the pot size, instead the system does this automatically. This prevents the adjustment being forgotten by an operator. Furthermore, an automatic recognition feature can operate optimally and thus possibly also save energy. A control unit can of course provide that an operator can also switch off an automatic mode of this type.

In further embodiment of the invention, a joint operation of two adjacently arranged gas burners is possible with the method in accordance with the invention. It can be provided here that in the case of the gas burners which designed with a slightly different size for slightly different power ranges, changing of the power range adjusts at least one of the two gas burners to the predetermined or set power range of the other gas burner. This is achieved in that the two gas burners then have identical power ranges in the sense that the minimum power and the maximum power are each identical within the power ranges. As a result, two adjacently arranged gas burners can be synchronized with respect to the power they generate. To do so, the gas valves operating the two gas burners are set in this way in respect of the power range. A control unit then operates the two gas valves in the same way or with the same power setting, which is not a problem since when the power ranges are identical, identical power settings also generate the same power at the respective gas burner. It is then possible that a large roasting pan, for example, or the like is evenly heated with two gas burners over which it is placed.

Furthermore, operation by the person can be very greatly simplified when, for example, he sets a required power at only one operating element of one of the two gas burners and when both gas burners are operated with the same power thanks to the adjustment of the power ranges. The other operating element of the other gas burner is then either deactivated or automatically adjusted by the control unit, for example, to indicate to an operator that both gas burners are in use. This is particularly effective with operating elements in the form of touch switches with display elements in the form of seven-segment displays or the like.

Problems solved by technology

These valves can however only be completely shut or completely opened.

Below this power, the flame would not burn reliably or steadily enough, or could even go out.

Images