Home appliance with maintop gas control apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9958165-B2
Application number	US-201213449339-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2012
Priority date	Apr 18, 2012
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

A home appliance with maintop gas control includes a gas control apparatus including a pressure regulator for receiving gas from a gas facility and distributing gas within the home appliance, the pressure regulator defining a gas conduit having a gas inlet, at least one gas outlet, and a valve disposed intermediate the gas inlet and at least one gas outlet, the valve including a valve stem configured for movement along an axis to open and close the valve; and a valve actuator including a drive element disposed remotely from the valve, the drive element being a rotary drive element operatively engaged with the valve stem for moving the valve between an open position and a closed position; and a mechanical link assembly disposed intermediate the valve stem and the drive element for converting rotary movement of the drive element into linear movement of the valve stem.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A home appliance fueled at least partially by gas, the home appliance comprising:
a gas control apparatus including:
a pressure regulator for receiving gas from a gas facility and distributing gas within the home appliance as fuel for heating use, the pressure regulator defining a gas conduit having a gas inlet, at least one gas outlet, and a valve disposed intermediate the gas inlet and the at least one gas outlet, the valve including a valve stem configured for movement along an axis to open and close the valve; and
a valve actuator including a drive element disposed remotely from the valve, the drive element being a rotary drive element operatively engaged with the valve stem for moving the valve between an open position and a closed position; and a mechanical link assembly disposed intermediate the valve stem and the drive element for converting rotary movement of the drive element into linear movement of the valve stem, the mechanical link assembly having a first link having a rigid body attached to the drive element for rotational movement therewith; and a second link having a flexible body portion, the second link being flexibly attached to the first link and flexibly attached to the valve stem for inducing linear movement of the valve stem responsive to movement of the first link, the second link facilitating off-axis movement, relative to the valve stem, of the first link while maintaining axial movement of the valve stem during movement of the valve between the open position and the closed position, such that the second link translates the rotational movement of the first link to the linear movement of the valve stem.

2. A home appliance according to claim 1 wherein the second link has a laterally flexible body portion.

3. A home appliance according to claim 1 wherein the regulator is initially configured with an oven gas outlet and a maintop gas outlet with the valve being operatively associated with the oven gas outlet and wherein the regulator is reconfigured with the valve being operatively associated with the maintop gas outlet.

4. A home appliance according to claim 2 wherein the second link is formed as a coil spring flexibly attached to the valve stem and the first link for lateral movement with respect to the valve stem and the first link.

5. A home appliance according to claim 3 and further comprising a third link flexibly attached to the first link and flexibly attached to the second link.

6. A home appliance according to claim 5 wherein the third link is formed as a rigid arm member.

7. A home appliance according to claim 1 and further comprising a switch operatively associated with the drive element for enabling a signal responsive to valve actuator action.

8. A home appliance according to claim 7 wherein the switch includes a switch body and a switch operator, wherein the switch operator projects outwardly from the switch body and the first link is formed with a camming surface for selective engagement with the switch operator to selectively enable a signal representative of valve position.

9. A home appliance according to claim 1 wherein the drive element is an electric motor configured for partial revolution operation, wherein the motor is configured to turn a partial revolution in a first direction to close the valve and the motor is configured to turn a partial revolution in a second direction different from the first direction to open the valve.

10. A home appliance according to claim 1 and further comprising a controller for generating and transmitting a signal to the drive element to operate the valve.

11. A self-cleaning gas-fueled range comprising:
a range body;
a maintop mounted to the range body, the maintop having at least one gas burner;
an oven mounted within the range body, the oven having at least one gas burner; and
a gas control apparatus including:
a pressure regulator for receiving gas from a gas facility and distributing gas within the home appliance as fuel for heating use, the pressure regulator defining a gas conduit having a gas inlet, at least one gas outlet, and a valve disposed intermediate the gas inlet and the at least one gas outlet, the valve including a valve stem configured for movement along an axis to open and close the valve; and
a valve actuator including a drive element disposed remotely from the valve, the drive element being a rotary drive element operatively engaged with the valve stem for moving the valve between an open position and a closed position; and a mechanical link assembly disposed intermediate the valve stem and the drive element for converting rotary movement of the drive element into linear movement of the valve stem, the mechanical link assembly having a first link having a rigid body attached to the drive element for rotational movement therewith; and a second link having a flexible body portion, the second link being flexibly attached to the first link and flexibly attached to the valve stem using a spring hook formed on the second link, the flexible attachment configured to induce linear movement of the valve stem responsive to movement of the first link, the second link facilitating off-axis movement, relative to the valve stem, of the first link while maintaining axial movement of the valve stem during movement of the valve between the open position and the closed position, such that the second link translates the rotational movement of the first link to the linear movement of the valve stem.

12. A self-cleaning gas-fueled range according to claim 11 wherein the second link has a laterally flexible body portion.

13. A self-cleaning gas-fueled range according to claim 12 wherein the second link is formed as a coil spring flexibly attached to the valve stem and the first link for lateral movement with respect to the valve stem and the first link.

14. A self-cleaning gas-fueled range according to claim 12 and further comprising a third link flexibly attached to the first link and flexibly attached to the second link.

15. A self-cleaning gas-fueled range according to claim 14 wherein the third link is formed as a rigid arm member.

16. A self-cleaning gas-fueled range according to claim 11 and further comprising a switch operatively associated with the valve actuator for enabling a signal responsive to valve actuator action.

17. A self-cleaning gas-fueled range according to claim 16 wherein the switch includes a switch body and a switch operator, wherein the switch operator projects outwardly from the switch body and the first link is formed with a camming surface for selective engagement with the switch operator to selectively enable a signal representative of valve position.

18. A self-cleaning gas-fueled range according to claim 11 wherein the motor is an electric motor configured for partial revolution operation, wherein the motor is configured to turn a partial revolution in a first direction to close the valve and the motor is configured to turn a partial revolution in a second direction different from the first direction to open the valve.

19. A self-cleaning gas-fueled range according to claim 11 and further comprising a controller for generating and transmitting a signal to the drive element to operate the valve.

20. A self-cleaning gas-fueled range according to claim 19 wherein the controller is configured to transmit a signal to the motor to close the valve whenever a self-cleaning mode is entered.

21. A self-cleaning gas-fueled range according to claim 19 wherein the co

Assignees

• Collins Gayle
• Gayle James
• Savitz George
• Weimer Charles
• Bsh Home Appliances Corp

Inventors

• Collins Gayle
• Gayle James
• Savitz George
• Weimer Charles

Classifications

• Y10T137/2605

  Pressure responsive · CPC title

• F24C14/025 Primary

  for gaseous fuels · CPC title

• F24C3/12

  Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices · CPC title