Gas-fired appliance

Abstract

Provided is a gas stove provided with a manual fire adjusting valve (74) and an electric fire adjusting valve (73) on a gas supply path that supplies gas to a stove burner, the gas stove being provided with a linkage mechanism that brings the manual fire adjusting valve to a prescribed ignition fire position between a minimum fire position and a maximum fire position when an ignition operation is performed by an operation member (75), and even if the manual fire adjusting valve is switched from the ignition fire position to the maximum fire position almost simultaneously with the ignition operation, the fire of the burner does not increase. When the ignition operation is performed, the electric fire adjusting valve is brought to a prescribed intermediate fire position between the minimum fire position and the maximum fire position, the intermediate fire position being set at a position at which even if the manual fire adjusting valve is operated from the ignition fire position to the maximum fire position side, the fire of the stove burner can be suppressed from being greater than the fire obtained at the ignition fire position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a gas stove comprising: a stove burner for heating a cooking container placed on a burner on a top plate; a manual operating component for igniting and extinguishing the stove burner; a manual flame control valve disposed on a gas supply line supplying gas to the stove burner and operated manually; and an electric flame control valve disposed in series with the manual flame control valve on the gas supply line and driven by a motor. Background Technology

[0002] Conventionally, it is well known that such gas stoves are equipped with a linkage mechanism that, when ignited by an operating component, positions the manual flame control valve at a predetermined flame position (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the technical description of Patent Document 1, the predetermined flame position is set to the maximum flame position. However, according to this technical description, during ignition, a stray flame is produced, where the flame extends outwards from the bottom of the cooking container, sometimes startling the user.

[0003] Therefore, it is well known that there are technologies that set the ignition position between the minimum and maximum ignition positions, adjusting the burner flame to a medium level to suppress crossfire during ignition (see, for example, Patent Document 2). However, when a user wants to start cooking with a stronger flame, they sometimes switch the manual flame control valve from the ignition position to the maximum flame position almost simultaneously with the ignition operation. In this case, crossfire during ignition cannot be suppressed.

[0004] Existing technical documents

[0005] Patent documents

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-108344

[0007] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-312955 Summary of the Invention

[0008] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention aims to provide a gas stove that can more reliably suppress crossfire during ignition.

[0009] To address the aforementioned issues, the gas stove of the present invention comprises: a stove burner for heating a cooking container placed on a burner on a top plate; a manual operating component for igniting and extinguishing the stove burner; a manual flame control valve disposed on a gas supply line supplying gas to the stove burner and manually operated; and an electric flame control valve disposed in series with the manual flame control valve on the gas supply line and driven by a motor. The gas stove is further characterized by a linkage mechanism that, when ignited by the operating component, positions the manual flame control valve at a predetermined ignition flame position between a minimum flame position and a maximum flame position. The intermediate flame position is set such that, even when the manual flame control valve is operated from the ignition flame position to the maximum flame position, the flame of the stove burner can be suppressed to be larger than the flame obtained at the ignition flame position.

[0010] According to the present invention, even when the manual flame control valve is switched from the ignition flame position to the maximum flame position almost simultaneously with the ignition operation by the operating component, since the electric flame control valve is already in the intermediate flame position during the ignition operation, it is possible to suppress situations where the flame of the stove burner is larger than the flame obtained at the ignition flame position. As a result, crossfire during ignition can be suppressed more reliably.

[0011] Furthermore, in this invention, to prevent ignition of the stove burner when there is no cooking container on the burner support, it is preferable to provide a cooking container monitoring mechanism that monitors the presence or absence of a cooking container on the burner support. When the ignition operation is performed by the operating component, if the cooking container monitoring mechanism detects the absence of a cooking container, the electric flame control valve is fully closed to stop the gas supply to the stove burner. Additionally, it is also considered that when the flameout operation is performed by the operating component, the electric flame control valve is switched to a predetermined standby position and remains in standby until the next ignition operation. In this case, it is sufficient to set the standby position to the intermediate flame position and not drive the electric flame control valve during the ignition operation. However, in this case, if no cooking container is detected during the ignition operation, the electric flame control valve needs to be switched from the intermediate flame position to the fully closed state, and the fuel gas will be released during the time required for this switch.

[0012] To address this, by setting the standby position to or near the fully closed state, and detecting the absence of a cooking container during ignition, the electric flame control valve will immediately close completely, effectively preventing the release of fuel gas. Furthermore, based on this configuration, if the cooking container detection mechanism detects the presence of a cooking container during ignition, the electric flame control valve can be switched from the fully closed or near-fully closed standby position to the intermediate flame position.

[0013] Furthermore, in this invention, preferably, after the ignition operation is performed by the operating component, when the flame monitoring element attached to the stove burner detects ignition of the stove burner, the electric flame control valve is switched from the intermediate flame position to the maximum flame position. Accordingly, after ignition monitoring of the stove burner, instead of using the electric flame control valve to limit the rate, the flame of the stove burner can be increased to the maximum flame using a manual flame control valve.

[0014] Furthermore, when igniting is performed by the operating component, the electric flame control valve is positioned at a predetermined ignition flame position between the minimum and maximum flame positions, thereby suppressing crossfire during ignition. In this case, when igniting is performed by the operating component, the manual flame control valve is positioned at a predetermined flame position using a linkage mechanism. This predetermined flame position is simply set such that, when the electric flame control valve is in the ignition flame position, the flame of the stove burner is not smaller than the flame obtained at the ignition flame position. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a gas stove according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a circuit diagram showing the gas piping of a gas stove according to an embodiment.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional side view of a valve unit for a stove burner installed on a gas stove according to an embodiment.

[0018] Figure 4 It is a cross-sectional side view showing the main parts of the operation of the electromagnetic safety valve and the main valve in the valve unit of the stove burner.

[0019] Figure 5 This is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of a microswitch used for detecting the position of an operating component in a valve unit of a stove burner.

[0020] Figure 6It is a graph showing the changes in fire intensity caused by the manual fire intensity regulating valve installed in the valve unit of the stove burner.

[0021] Figure 7 It is along Figure 3 A top view of the cross section cut along line VII-VII.

[0022] Figure 8 This is an enlarged sectional side view of an electrically operated fire control valve installed in the valve unit of a stove burner.

[0023] Figure 9 It is a graph showing the changes in fire intensity caused by the electrically operated fire control valve installed in the valve unit of the stove burner.

[0024] Figure 10 This is an explanatory diagram that simulates the operation of a cooking container monitoring mechanism installed on a gas stove in an embodiment.

[0025] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating the control procedures of an electrically operated flame control valve in a gas stove according to an embodiment.

[0026] Explanation of symbols in attached drawings

[0027] 2…Top plate; 3…Stove burner; 4…Fire support; 6a…Gas supply line for stove burner (gas supply line that supplies gas to stove burner); 73…Electric flame control valve; 735…Motor; 74…Manual flame control valve; 75…Operating components; 78…Linkage mechanism; 9…Cooking container monitoring mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0028] Figure 1 The gas stove according to the embodiment of the present invention shown includes: a pair of left and right burners 3, 3, facing the openings for the left and right burners (not shown), and the openings for the left and right burners are openings provided on the top plate 2 covering the upper surface of the stove body 1; a pair of left and right burner supports 4, 4, which are mounted on the top plate 2 in a manner that surrounds the openings for the left and right burners; and a grill 5, which is assembled to the stove body 1. The front panel 11 of the stove body 1 is provided with: ignition and extinguishing buttons 12, 12 for the left and right burners, flame adjustment rods 13, 13 for the burners located above these ignition and extinguishing buttons 12, 12 and laterally swingable, ignition and extinguishing buttons 14 for the grill, and a pair of upper and lower flame adjustment rods 151, 152 for the upper and lower burners of the grill 5 located above the ignition and extinguishing buttons 14 and laterally swingable.

[0029] Reference Figure 2The gas supply line 6 is branched into: a pair of gas supply lines 6a, 6a supplying gas to the stove burners 3, 3 on the left and right sides, and a gas supply line 6b supplying gas to the upper burner 51 and lower burner 52 of the grill 5. Each stove burner gas supply line 6a is equipped with a stove burner valve unit 7, which includes: an electromagnetic safety valve 71, a main valve 72, an electric flame control valve 73, and a manual flame control valve 74 linked to the flame control lever 13. A grill gas supply line 6b is equipped with a grill valve unit 8, which includes: an electromagnetic safety valve 81, a main valve 82, a manual upper burner flame control valve 831 linked to the flame control lever 151 for the upper burner 51, and a manual lower burner flame control valve 832 linked to the flame control lever 152 for the lower burner 52.

[0030] Below, refer to Figure 3 The valve unit 7 for the stove burner is described in detail. Furthermore, the structures of the electromagnetic safety valve 81, main valve 82, and manual flame control valves 831 and 832 of the valve unit 8 for the grill are the same as those of the electromagnetic safety valve 71, main valve 72, and manual flame control valve 74 described later in the section on the valve unit 7 for the stove burner; therefore, their descriptions are omitted.

[0031] The valve unit 7 for the stove burner includes a valve housing 70, which has an inlet 70a connected to the upstream portion of the gas supply line 6a for the stove burner and an outlet 70b connected to the downstream portion of the gas supply line 6a for the stove burner. Furthermore, within the valve housing 70, starting from the upstream side, are sequentially assembled the following: an electromagnetic safety valve 71, a main valve 72, an electrically operated flame control valve 73, and a manually operated flame control valve 74.

[0032] The electromagnetic safety valve 71 includes: a valve seat 711, which allows for valves to be operated from the upstream side, i.e., the rear side ( Figure 3 The valve body 712 (left side) is seated on the valve seat 711; the armature 713 is connected to the valve body 712 by means of a rearwardly extending valve shaft 712a; the electromagnet 714 abuts against the armature 713 when the valve body 712 is displaced to a predetermined valve-opening position separated from the valve seat 711; and the valve body 712 is positioned towards the valve seat 711 in a closed position. Figure 3 The valve spring 715 applies force to the valve body 72 at the position shown. The main valve 72 includes: a valve seat 721; a valve body 722 that can be seated rearward on the valve seat 721 and is fixed to the operating lever 76 described later; and a valve body 722 that allows the valve body 722 to be in a closed position (as shown) when seated on the valve seat 721. Figure 3 The valve spring 723 applies force at the position shown.

[0033] Additionally, the valve unit 7 includes a manual operating component 75 that is slidably supported on a guide block 751 along the front-rear direction, and the guide block 751 is mounted on the front end of the valve housing 70. The operating component 75 is forced forward by a spring 752 and abuts against the back of the ignition / extinguishing button 12. Furthermore, the ignition / extinguishing button 12 allows the valve to be turned off from its front end position. Figure 3 The position shown is pressed to the rear ignition position. Furthermore, the operating component 75 is moved to a predetermined combustion position between the ignition and extinguishing positions by a push mechanism 753, which releases the press from the ignition position, and is then locked. It returns to the extinguishing position by releasing the press after the operation in the combustion position. The push mechanism 753 consists of a heart-shaped cam groove 753a and a engaging member 753b.

[0034] Furthermore, the operating lever 76, positioned opposite the rear of the operating component 75, is freely inserted into the valve housing 70 in the forward and backward direction. When the operating component 75 is pressed from the ignition-off position, the operating lever 76 moves rearward, causing the valve body 722 of the main valve 72, fixed to the operating lever 76, to overcome the force of the valve spring 723 and move away from the valve seat 721, thereby opening the main valve 72. When the operating lever 76 moves further rearward, it abuts against the valve body 712 of the solenoid safety valve 71, causing the valve body 712 to overcome the force of the valve spring 715 and be pressed rearward. Moreover, when the operating component 75 is pressed to the ignition position, such as... Figure 4 As shown in (a), the valve body 712 is pressed to the open position where the armature 713 abuts against the electromagnet 714, thereby forcibly opening the electromagnetic safety valve 71. Furthermore, when the pressure is released from the ignition position, the operating component 75 returns to the combustion position via the force of the valve spring 723 and spring 752, as... Figure 4 As shown in (b), although the main valve 72 is maintained in the open position, the rear end of the operating lever 76 will move forward to a position further forward than the valve seat 711 of the solenoid safety valve 71, thereby releasing the forced opening of the solenoid safety valve 71. Furthermore, when the pressing operation in the combustion position is released, and the operating component 75 is returned to the flameout position by the force of the valve spring 723 and the spring 752, the main valve 72 is closed.

[0035] Reference Figure 5 The guide block 751 is equipped with a micro switch 77 for detecting the position of the operating component 75. This micro switch 77 has two contacts, 771 and 772, respectively. When the operating component 75 is in the off position, such as... Figure 5 As shown in (a), the first and second contacts 771 and 772 are disconnected, but when the operating component 75 is in the combustion position, as Figure 5 As shown in (b), the first contact 771 is engaged when pressed by the first cam portion 7541 located on the operating member 75. When the operating member 75 is in the ignition position, as... Figure 5 As shown in (c), the second cam portion 7542 provided on the operating member 75 is pressed so that, in addition to the first contact 771, the second contact 772 is also turned on.

[0036] The on / off signals of the first and second contacts 771 and 772 are input to the control mechanism, i.e., the controller (not shown). When the controller operates the operating member 75 from the flameout position, causing the operating member 75 to reach the combustion position and the first contact 771 to be closed, it begins to energize the electromagnet 714 of the electromagnetic safety valve 71. Then, when the operating member 75 reaches the ignition position and the second contact 772 is closed, a spark discharge is performed through the ignition electrode 31 attached to the burner 3 to ignite the burner 3. After ignition, the spark discharge using the ignition electrode 31 ends when the operating member 75 is returned to the combustion position and the second contact 772 is closed. On the other hand, after the first contact 771 is closed, energizing the electromagnet 714 of the electromagnetic safety valve 71 continues until a predetermined waiting time has elapsed, keeping the electromagnetic safety valve 71 open. During this waiting period, if the electromotive force of the flame monitoring element, i.e., the thermocouple 32, attached to the stove burner 3 rises above a specified level, the controller will continue to energize the electromagnet 714 until the electromotive force of the thermocouple 32 drops below the specified level due to a misfire in the stove burner 3. By returning the operating component 75 to the flameout position and disconnecting the first contact 771, energizing the electromagnet 714 is stopped, causing both the main valve 72 and the electromagnetic safety valve 71 to close.

[0037] The manual fire control valve 74 includes: a valve seat 741 on the upper part of a valve housing 70 with an opening providing a valve hole 741a connected to an outlet 70b; and a needle valve body 742 that can be approached from the upstream side, i.e., the front, from the valve seat 741. An upwardly extending pin 743 is fixed to the front end of the needle valve body 742 that protrudes beyond the valve housing 70. Furthermore, the fire control rod 13 is axially supported by a boss 701 protruding from the upper end face of the valve housing 70, allowing it to swing freely in the lateral direction. Additionally, the fire control rod 13 has an elongated cam hole 131 that is laterally inclined relative to the longitudinal direction. Moreover, a guide plate 702 is fixed to the upper end of the valve housing 70, and a guide hole 702a that is elongated in the longitudinal direction is formed on the guide plate 702, through which the pin 743 engages with the cam hole 131. Accordingly, by swinging the flame adjustment rod 13 laterally, the pin 743 moves forward and backward in the front-back direction through the cam hole 131, that is, the needle valve body 742 moves forward and backward in the front-back direction, thereby adjusting the flame of the stove burner 3.

[0038] Here, the needle valve body 742 has: a needle portion 742a that can be inserted into the valve hole 741a, a sealing portion 742b that can sit on the valve seat 741, and a throttling orifice 742c that allows gas to flow from the upstream side of the valve body 742 to the valve hole 741a when the sealing portion 742b is seated on the valve seat 741. When the sealing portion 742b is seated on the valve seat 741, it is in the minimum flame position of the manual flame control valve 74, and the flame of the stove burner 3 is the minimum flame specified by the throttling orifice 742c. Furthermore, when the needle portion 742a is completely pulled out of the valve hole 741a, it is in the maximum flame position of the manual flame control valve 74. When the electric flame control valve 73 is in the maximum flame position (described later), when the manual flame control valve 74 is changed from the minimum flame position to the maximum flame position, the flame of the stove burner 3 is as follows: Figure 6 Make the changes as shown.

[0039] Furthermore, during the ignition operation of pressing the operating component 75 to the ignition position, the manual flame control valve 74 is positioned at a predetermined ignition flame position between the minimum and maximum flame positions by means of the linkage mechanism 78. Figure 3 (as shown in the image). Figure 7As shown, the linkage mechanism 78 is composed of a pair of blade portions 781, 781 integrated with the flame adjustment rod 13 and a pair of claw portions 782, 782 integrated with the operating component 75. The pair of claw portions 782, 782 are positioned opposite the blade portions 781, 781 from the front. The pair of blade portions 781, 781 are connected to the front of the valve housing 70 via a pivot point 781a that is flexibly supported. When the flame adjustment rod 13 is in a swing position corresponding to the ignition flame position (hereinafter referred to as the ignition swing position), the blade portions 781, 781 are located... Figure 7 The neutral position is shown. When the fire intensity regulating lever 13 is not in the ignition swing position, and the operating component 75 is pressed to the ignition position, the claw portion 782 on one side abuts against the blade portion 781 on one side, pushing the blade portion 781 to the neutral position, and the fire intensity regulating lever 13 is swung to the ignition swing position. Accordingly, the manual fire intensity regulating valve 74 is in the ignition position.

[0040] The electrically operated flame control valve 73 is configured to be freely switchable to a fully closed state, stopping the supply of gas to the stove burner 3. Specifically, the electrically operated flame control valve 73 is configured such that it is forced in the opening direction by a force-applying mechanism 734, and switches to a fully closed state by a direct-acting component 737 that overcomes the force of the force-applying mechanism 734. This direct-acting component 737 is driven by an electric motor 735, such as a stepper motor, and by a motion conversion mechanism 736. (See reference...) Figure 8 To be more specific, the electric fire control valve 73 includes: a valve seat 731, which can move freely in a closing direction toward the valve seat 731. Figure 8 (right side) and the opening direction away from valve seat 731 ( Figure 8 The main valve body 732 (left side) consists of a main valve body 732 and a secondary valve body 733, which is opposite to the main valve body 732 in the opening direction and abuts against the direct-acting member 737. The main valve body 732 has: a needle portion 732a that can be inserted into a valve hole 731a provided in the valve seat 731; a sealing portion 732b made of elastic material that can sit on the valve seat 731; a throttling orifice 732c that allows gas to flow from the upstream side to the downstream side of the main valve body 732 even when the sealing portion 732b is seated on the valve seat 731; and a secondary valve seat 732d that allows the secondary valve body 733 to sit on and makes the throttling orifice 732c open. In order to improve the sealing performance when seated on the secondary valve seat 732d, a gasket 733a made of elastic material is installed on the secondary valve body 733, which is opposite to the secondary valve seat 732d.

[0041] The force-applying mechanism 734 is composed of a first force-applying mechanism 734a that applies force to the main valve body 732 in the opening direction, and a second force-applying mechanism 734b that applies force to the secondary valve body 733 relative to the main valve body 732 in the opening direction using a stronger force than the first force-applying mechanism 734a. Additionally, a stop mechanism 738 is provided to prevent the movement of the secondary valve body 733 relative to the main valve body 732 in the opening direction from moving to a fixed position. This stop mechanism 738 is composed of a window 738a formed in the cylindrical portion 732e of the main valve body 732 surrounding the secondary valve body 733, and a claw portion 738b protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the secondary valve body 733 and inserted into the window 738a with clearance. Furthermore, when the claw portion 738b engages with the opening-direction end edge of the window 738a, the secondary valve body 733 will not move further in the opening direction relative to the main valve body 732.

[0042] The motion conversion mechanism 736 is composed of a feed screw mechanism, which in turn consists of an external thread 736a connected to the output shaft 735a of the electric motor 735, and a sliding member 736b that engages with the external thread 736a and is fixed to prevent rotation. The sliding member 736b abuts against a diaphragm 737a that provides an air seal to the mounting portion of the motion conversion mechanism 736. Furthermore, the direct-acting member 737 is connected to the diaphragm 737a.

[0043] like Figure 8As shown, the sealing part 732b of the main valve body 732 sits on the valve seat 731, and the auxiliary valve body 733 sits on the auxiliary valve seat 732d of the main valve body 732, blocking the throttle orifice 732c. This is the fully closed state of the electric flame regulating valve 73, thereby stopping the supply of gas to the stove burner 3. When the direct-acting member 737 is moved in the opening direction by the electric motor 735 and the motion conversion mechanism 736 from this fully closed state, the auxiliary valve body 733 will follow the direct-acting member 737 and move in the opening direction by the force of the second force application mechanism 734b. Until the movement of the secondary valve body 733 relative to the main valve body 732 in the opening direction is stopped by the stop mechanism 738, the movement of the main valve body 732 in the opening direction is blocked by the force of the second force-applying mechanism 734b, and it is maintained in the state where the sealing part 732b of the main valve body 732 is seated on the valve seat 731. Moreover, the secondary valve body 733 separates from the secondary valve seat 732d, and the throttle orifice 732c is opened. Accordingly, the electric flame control valve 73 is in the minimum flame position that makes the flame of the stove burner 3 the minimum flame specified by the throttle orifice 732c. After the movement of the secondary valve body 733 relative to the main valve body 732 in the opening direction is stopped by the stop mechanism 738, if the secondary valve body 733 is moved further in the opening direction, the main valve body 732 will follow the secondary valve body 733 and move in the opening direction under the force of the first force application mechanism 734a. The sealing part 732b of the main valve body 732 separates from the valve seat 731, and the flame of the stove burner 3 increases. Moreover, the state in which the needle part 732a of the main valve body 732 is completely pulled out from the valve hole 731a is the maximum flame position of the electric flame regulating valve 73. When the manual flame regulating valve 74 is in the maximum flame position, when the electric flame regulating valve 73 is changed from the fully closed state to the maximum flame position, the flame of the stove burner 3 increases. Figure 9 Make the changes as shown.

[0044] The stove burner 3 is equipped with a bottom temperature sensor 33 that contacts the bottom of the cooking container on the burner support 4. Furthermore, when cooking in temperature-controlled mode is selected, the controller performs temperature control as described below: the flame of the stove burner 3 is adjusted between minimum and maximum flame via an electric flame control valve 73 so that the detected temperature by the bottom temperature sensor 33 reaches a predetermined set temperature.

[0045] Furthermore, the gas stove of this embodiment includes a cooking container monitoring mechanism 9 for monitoring the presence or absence of a cooking container on the burner 4. Specifically, the cooking container monitoring mechanism 9 is constructed using a pot bottom temperature sensor 33. Here, the pot bottom temperature sensor 33 is supported so that it can be freely raised and lowered. Therefore, as Figure 10As shown, a micro switch 91 is provided that cooperates with the pressure plate 92. The pressure plate 92 is mounted on a component that moves up and down together with the pot bottom temperature sensor 33. The micro switch 91 and the pressure plate 92 together constitute the cooking container monitoring mechanism 9. When there is no cooking container on the burner 4, as... Figure 10 As shown in (a), the bottom temperature sensor 33 rises, and the microswitch 91 is turned off when there is a cooking container P on the burner 4. Figure 10 As shown in (b), the bottom temperature sensor 33 descends, and the micro switch 91 is pressed against the pressure plate 92, thus turning on.

[0046] To ensure safety, it is necessary to prevent ignition of the stove burner 3 when there is no cooking container on the burner 4. Therefore, when ignition is performed by the operating component 75, if the cooking container monitoring mechanism 9 detects that there is no cooking container, the spark discharge from the ignition electrode 31 is stopped, and the electric flame control valve 73 is switched to a fully closed state so that the fuel gas is not released from the stove burner 3.

[0047] Furthermore, when ignition is performed by the operating component 75, the manual flame control valve 74 is positioned at a predetermined ignition flame position between the minimum and maximum flame positions as described above, via the linkage mechanism 78. This prevents flame spread from the bottom of the cooking container outwards during ignition. However, when the user wants to start cooking with a stronger flame, the manual flame control valve 74 is sometimes switched from the ignition flame position to the maximum flame position almost simultaneously with the operation of the flame control lever 13. In this case, flame spread during ignition cannot be suppressed. Therefore, when igniting is performed by the operating component 75, the electric flame control valve 73 is positioned at a predetermined intermediate flame position between the minimum and maximum flame positions. The intermediate fire position is set such that even if the manual fire control valve 74 is operated from the ignition fire position to the maximum fire position, the fire of the stove burner 3 can be suppressed to be larger than the fire obtained at the ignition fire position. For example, it is set to the same opening degree as the manual fire control valve 74 at the ignition fire position.

[0048] Therefore, even if the manual flame control valve 74 is switched from the ignition position to the maximum flame position almost simultaneously with the ignition operation by the operating component 75, the electric flame control valve 73 is already in the intermediate flame position during the ignition operation. This prevents the flame of the stove burner 3 from being larger than the flame obtained at the ignition position. As a result, crossfire during ignition can be suppressed more reliably.

[0049] The following is for reference Figure 11 This describes the control procedures implemented by the controller for the electric flame control valve 73. Based on the control of the electric flame control valve 73, firstly, in STEP 1, it is determined whether the operating component 75 has performed an ignition operation. Specifically, it is determined whether the operating component 75 has been pressed into the ignition position, thus activating the first and second contacts 771 and 772 of the micro switch 77. Furthermore, when the operating component 75 performs an ignition operation, STEP 2 is entered, and the presence or absence of a cooking container on the burner 4 is monitored by switching the micro switch 91 on and off. If the micro switch 91 is on and a cooking container is detected, STEP 3 is entered, and the electric flame control valve 73 is switched to the intermediate flame position.

[0050] Next, proceed to STEP 4 to determine if the operating component 75 has returned to the combustion position. Specifically, determine if the first contact 771 of the microswitch 77 is on and the second contact 772 is off. When the operating component 75 returns to the combustion position, proceed to STEP 5 to determine if the flame monitoring element, i.e., the thermocouple 32, has detected ignition of the stove burner 3. Specifically, determine if the electromotive force of the thermocouple 32 has risen to the specified level. When ignition is detected, proceed to STEP 6 to switch the electric flame control valve 73 to the maximum flame position. Accordingly, instead of using the electric flame control valve 73 to limit the rate, the flame of the stove burner 3 can be increased to the maximum flame using the manual flame control valve 74. Additionally, although not illustrated, when the temperature control mode is selected, the electric flame control valve 73 is controlled based on the temperature detected by the pot bottom temperature sensor 33.

[0051] Next, in STEP 7, it is determined whether the flameout operation was performed by the operating component 75. Specifically, it is determined whether the operating component 75 returned to the flameout position, causing the first and second contacts 771 and 772 of the micro switch 77 to open. Furthermore, when the flameout operation was performed by the operating component 75, in STEP 8, the electric flame control valve 73 is switched to the specified standby state, and then the process returns to STEP 1 until the next ignition operation, keeping the electric flame control valve 73 in standby mode.

[0052] In STEP 2, if no cooking container is detected while the microswitch 91 remains open, STEP 9 is entered, and the electric flame control valve 73 is switched to the fully closed state. Furthermore, in STEP 10, an error display notifying the user of the absence of a cooking container is executed. Thus, if the electric flame control valve 73 is switched to the fully closed state, even if the solenoid safety valve 71 and main valve 72 are opened during ignition, gas will not be supplied to the burner 3. Next, in STEP 11, it is determined whether the ignition operation performed by the operating component 75 has ended. Specifically, it is determined whether the operating component 75 has been returned to the combustion position by pressing the ignition position, causing the second contact 772 of the microswitch 77 to open. Until the ignition operation ends, STEP 10 is returned, and the error display continues. Moreover, upon completion of the ignition operation, STEP 8 is entered, and the electric flame control valve 73 is switched to the standby position.

[0053] Here, by simply setting the standby position to the intermediate flame position, the electric flame control valve 73 is not driven when the ignition is performed by the operating component 75. However, in this case, if no cooking container is detected during the ignition operation, the electric flame control valve 73 needs to be switched from the intermediate flame position to the fully closed state. Moreover, fuel gas is released during the time required for this switch. Therefore, in this embodiment, the standby position is set to the fully closed state or a position near the fully closed state, for example, at the minimum flame position. Accordingly, if no cooking container is detected during the ignition operation, the electric flame control valve 73 is immediately put into the fully closed state, thereby preventing the release of fuel gas.

[0054] Furthermore, if a cooking container is detected during ignition, the electric flame control valve 73 needs to be switched from a fully closed or near-closed standby position to an intermediate flame position. However, since the electric flame control valve 73 is forced open via the force-applying mechanism 734, almost no load is applied when it is moved open, allowing the motor 735 to rotate at high speed. Therefore, when a cooking container is detected during ignition, the high-speed rotation of the motor 735 can quickly switch the electric flame control valve 73 from a fully closed or near-closed standby position to an intermediate flame position, enabling excellent responsiveness in igniting the stove burner 3.

[0055] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings; however, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, when the ignition operation is performed by the operating component 75, the electric flame control valve 73 is positioned at a predetermined intermediate flame position between the minimum and maximum flame positions, i.e., the ignition flame position (the same position as the intermediate flame position in the above embodiments), thereby suppressing crossfire during ignition. In this case, when the ignition operation is performed by the operating component 75, the manual flame control valve 74 is positioned at a predetermined flame position via the linkage mechanism 78. This predetermined flame position is simply set such that, when the electric flame control valve 73 is in the ignition flame position, the flame of the stove burner 3 is not smaller than the flame obtained at the ignition flame position. Specifically, it is set at an opening of the electric flame control valve 73 equal to or greater than the opening at the ignition flame position; for example, it could also be the maximum flame position.

[0056] Furthermore, although the electric flame control valve 73 in the above embodiment includes a main valve body 732 and a secondary valve body 733, an electric flame control valve with a single valve body can also be used. Additionally, although the cooking container monitoring mechanism 9 in the above embodiment is configured to monitor the presence or absence of a cooking container on the burner 4 by raising and lowering the bottom temperature sensor 33, it can also be configured using other mechanisms such as optical sensors.

[0057] Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to gas stoves that do not have a cooking container monitoring mechanism 9. In this case, the standby position of the electric flame regulating valve 73 can also be set to the intermediate flame position. In addition, although the manual flame regulating valve 74 is operated by a swing-type flame regulating lever 13 in the above embodiment, it can also be made into a regulating valve that is operated by rotating a knob.

Claims

1. A gas stove comprising: a burner for heating a cooking container placed on a burner mounted on a top plate; a manual operating component for igniting and extinguishing the burner; a manual flame control valve disposed on a gas supply line supplying gas to the burner and manually operated; and an electric flame control valve disposed in series with the manual flame control valve on the gas supply line and driven by a motor. The gas stove is equipped with a linkage mechanism that, when ignited by the operating component, positions the manual flame control valve at a predetermined ignition flame position between the minimum and maximum flame positions. Its features are, When the ignition is performed by the operating component, the electric flame control valve is positioned at a predetermined intermediate flame position between the minimum flame position and the maximum flame position. This intermediate flame position is set such that even if the manual flame control valve is operated from the ignition flame position to the maximum flame position, the flame of the stove burner can be suppressed to be larger than the flame obtained at the ignition flame position.

2. The gas stove according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gas stove includes a cooking container monitoring mechanism for monitoring the presence or absence of cooking containers on the burner. When the ignition operation is performed by the operating component, if the cooking container monitoring mechanism detects that there is no cooking container, the electric flame control valve will be fully closed to stop the gas supply to the stove burner. When the flameout operation is performed by the operating component, the electric flame control valve will be switched to the designated standby position and will remain in standby until the next ignition operation. The standby position is set to the fully closed state or a position near the fully closed state. When the ignition operation is performed by the operating component, if the presence of a cooking container is detected by the cooking container monitoring mechanism, the electric flame control valve is switched from the standby position to the intermediate flame position.

3. The gas stove according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, After the ignition operation is performed by the operating component, when the flame monitoring element attached to the stove burner detects that the stove burner has been ignited, the electric flame regulating valve is switched from the intermediate flame position to the maximum flame position.

4. A gas stove comprising: a burner for heating a cooking container placed on a burner mounted on a top plate; a manual operating component for igniting and extinguishing the burner; a manual flame control valve disposed on a gas supply line supplying gas to the burner and manually operated; and an electric flame control valve disposed in series with the manual flame control valve on the gas supply line and driven by a motor. The gas stove is equipped with a linkage mechanism that, when ignited by the operating components, positions the manual flame control valve at a specified flame position. Its features are, When ignition is performed by the operating components, the electric flame control valve is positioned at a predetermined ignition flame position between the minimum and maximum flame positions. The specified fire position of the manual fire control valve is set such that, when the electric fire control valve is in the ignition fire position, the fire of the stove burner is not smaller than the fire obtained in the ignition fire position.

Images