Multi-Ring Cooktop Gas Burner With Adjustable Venturi Ducts

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional multi- and dual-ring gas burners for cooktops face issues with complex assembly, unsatisfactory sealing, inaccurate spark-gap positioning, limited flexibility, and high production costs due to multiple components and laborious counterboring operations.

Innovation Solution

A single-piece burner body design with a lower burner body and separate burner bases for central and annular flame rings, allowing for adjustable Venturi ducts and injector placement, reducing the number of components and simplifying assembly, while enabling easy adaptation to different gases and market needs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If traditional multi- and dual-ring gas burners use multiple separate components (injector holder, burner body, burner base, caps), then the burner can be assembled and disassembled for maintenance, but the assembly complexity increases, production costs rise, and sealing reliability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduction costVSAvoidnumber of components
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the injector holder and burner body into a single integrated component. The injector holder is no longer a separate cup-shaped piece but is formed as an integral part of the burner body, eliminating the need for separate assembly and reducing the total number of components. This integration directly addresses the contradiction by reducing device complexity while maintaining manufacturability through single-piece construction or fewer casting operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The burner body is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as the structural support, contains the Venturi ducts for gas mixing, provides mounting locations for injectors, and forms part of the flame distribution system. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized components, thereby reducing overall device complexity and production costs while maintaining all necessary burner functions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If traditional burners use multiple separate components that are coupled together, then the burner can be manufactured in modular sections, but the sealing properties deteriorate and safety risks increase due to multiple coupling interfaces

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing propertyVSAvoidnumber of couplings
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The integration of the injector holder with the burner body eliminates the coupling interface between these two components. By forming them as a single piece, the patent removes the sealing joint that would otherwise be prone to leakage, thereby improving reliability and safety. This merging directly resolves the contradiction by reducing the number of couplings to zero for this interface while maintaining the functional separation of injector mounting and flame distribution zones.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Reliability

If traditional burners require counterboring operations on multiple surfaces of different burner components to ensure sealing, then the sealing quality improves, but the manufacturing complexity and labor costs increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing qualityVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

By integrating the injector holder and burner body into a single component, the patent eliminates the need for counterboring operations at the coupling interface. The sealing surfaces that would otherwise require precise counterboring and coplanarity adjustments are now inherent to the single-piece construction, dramatically reducing manufacturing complexity and labor costs while maintaining sealing quality through design rather than post-processing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Manufacturing precision

If traditional burners have multiple separate components with multiple tolerance accumulations (seat of spark plug, functional height of injector-holder cup, functional height of burner base, coupling clearances), then the burner can be manufactured with standard tolerances, but the spark-gap positioning accuracy deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespark-gap positioning accuracyVSAvoidnumber of tolerance sources
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The integration of the injector holder and burner body eliminates several tolerance sources: the coupling clearance between these components is eliminated, and the functional height of the injector-holder cup becomes an integral dimension of the burner body rather than a separate component tolerance. This reduces the cumulative tolerance stack-up, improving spark-gap positioning accuracy while maintaining manufacturability through standard tolerance ranges.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

5Adaptability or versatility

If traditional burners are designed with fixed configurations for specific market needs, then the burner can be optimized for particular applications, but the adaptability to different gases and market requirements deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveflexibility for different gasesVSAvoidrange of products required
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent incorporates adjustable Venturi ducts that can be repositioned along the gas flow path to optimize performance for different gas types and flow rates. This dynamic adjustability allows a single burner design to adapt to various market requirements and gas specifications, eliminating the need for multiple fixed-configuration products and thereby improving adaptability without increasing overall device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The burner design incorporates universal features such as adjustable Venturi ducts and standardized injector mounting that enable the same burner body to serve multiple applications and gas types. This multi-functionality allows a single product design to meet diverse market needs, reducing the range of different products required while maintaining optimization for specific applications through adjustment rather than redesign.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution reduces production and assembly costs, enhances sealing and safety, achieves precise spark-gap tolerance without high processing accuracy, and increases flexibility and adaptability, making it more efficient and cost-effective.

Implementation Method 1

The burner body, which in certain cases is made in a single piece with the injector holder, comprises one or more Venturi ducts, in which the gas is mixed with primary air dragged by the gas itself

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectVenturi effect: Venturi Effect

Implementation Method 2

a burner of this type may have one or more injectors from which a gas flow is released, the flow rate of which is controlled by a valve which can be actuated by the user by means of a knob

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectGas flow control through valve: Valve

Implementation Method 3

a correct ignition requires an accurate distance between the two, and therefore a minimum tolerance of the spark-gap

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCombustion: Combustion

Implementation Method 4

the distance between the electrode of the spark plug, which is generally applied to the injector holder, and the part of the burner which interacts with the spark plug itself to ignite the spark

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectric spark: Electric Spark

Data Source

PatentEP3353469B1A gas burner with multiple rings of flames for cooking hobs
Publication Date: 2021.02.24 E G O ELEKTRO GERAETEBAU GMBH
  • EP3353469B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3353469B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3353469B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

A multi flame-ring gas burner for cooktops, comprising: - a lower burner body (2), which is applicable to the metal sheet (48) of a cooktop and arranged for the application of at least two injectors (60, 62) facing respective substantially horizontal, linear Venturi ducts (42, 44), also provided in said lower burner body (2), - a first burner base (4) with a first circular cap (8) and with openings (30) for the release of a central flame ring, and a second burner base (6) with a second annular cap (1 0) and with openings (72) for the release of at least one outer annular flame ring, said first and second burner bases (4, 6) being in fluid communication with the respective Venturi ducts (40, 42), characterized in that said lower burner body (2) is made in a single piece, wherein there are obtained: - a seat for mounting a spark plug (32) intended to interact with said first burner base (4), - two cylindrical seats (36, 38) having substantially horizontal and parallel axes, intended to accommodate two tubular elements (42, 44) internally shaped like linear Venturi ducts, and - in a substantially central position and at the upper surface thereof, a substantially tubular portion (28) projecting upward, and in that: - said first burner base (4) is integral with said projecting tubular portion (28) of said lower burner body (2), - at least one injector-holder unit (52) is applicable to said lower burner body (2), being provided with two portions (54, 56) which are removably insertable into corresponding through holes (20, 22), which are obtained in said burner body (2) in a position facing said tubular elements (42, 44) internally shaped like linear Venturi ducts.