Gas distribution system and cooking appliance incorporating the gas distribution system

According to one embodiment a gas distribution assembly is provided that includes a gas distribution duct and at least one gas regulating valve mounted on the gas distribution duct. The valve is secured to the duct by use of a support supported on the duct and attachment means for attaching the valve to the support. According to one embodiment the attachment means comprises a screw threaded into a threaded sleeve and also into a threaded hole in the body of the valve. The support includes a through hole through which the sleeve passes and the sleeve includes a flange at one end that rests on the support in an area that surrounds the through hole. An end of the sleeve opposite the flange resides adjacent the threaded hole in the body of the valve.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application relates to and claims the benefit and priority to Spanish Patent Application No. P201630540, file Apr. 27, 2016.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to gas distribution assemblies comprising gas regulating valves mounted on a gas distribution duct, and gas cooking appliances incorporating said gas distribution assemblies.

BACKGROUND

Gas distribution assemblies for gas cooking appliances are known, and they are equipped with rotary-type manually operated gas valves and a duct distributing the gas. The valves are mounted in the duct in fluid communication with said duct, and they are fixed to the duct being attached to a support.

Safety issues due to gas leaks occurring because the attachment means have sustained some sort of mishap, such as breaking, for example, are known.

ES1077154U describes a gas distribution assembly suitable for being mounted in a gas cooking appliance, comprising a gas distribution duct suitable for being connected to a gas connection, at least one gas regulating valve mounted on said gas distribution duct, a support which is associated with said gas regulating valve and supported on said gas distribution duct, and attachment means for attaching each gas regulating valve with the support, the attachment means comprising at least one screw.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

According to some embodiments a gas distribution assembly is provided that comprises a gas distribution duct suitable for being connected to a gas connection, at least one gas regulating valve mounted on said gas distribution duct, a support which is associated with said gas regulating valve and supported on said gas distribution duct, and attachment means for attaching at least one attachment area of each gas regulating valve with at least one attachment area of the respective support. The attachment means comprises at least one screw, one of the attachment areas comprising a through hole which the screw goes through, the other attachment area comprising a threaded hole, and the end of the screw being screwed into said threaded hole.

The attachment means comprises a sleeve with an inner threaded section, the screw being screwed into the inner threaded section of the sleeve, and the sleeve comprising stop means that is supported on the contour of the through hole, that is, an area that surrounds or partially surrounds the through hole.

If for any reason the screw breaks in any area of its length comprised between the gas regulating valve and the support, said valve and said support will continue to be attached and maintain the tightening torque since the threaded section attaching the screw and the sleeve is maintained, and the sleeve cooperates with the contour of the through hole by means of the stop means. The contour being an area that surrounds or partially surrounds the through hole. The safety issues due to gas leaks occurring because one of the screws has broken are thereby prevented. It is a simple, easy-to-implement and low-cost solution.

These and other advantages and features will become evident in view of the drawings and detailed description.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1shows a perspective view of a gas distribution assembly200according to one embodiment.FIG. 2shows an elevational view of the gas distribution assembly200ofFIG. 1, andFIG. 3shows an exploded perspective view of the parts of the gas distribution assembly200ofFIG. 1.

The gas distribution assembly200comprises a gas distribution duct50which is elongated tube having a circular section, suitable for being connected to a gas connection, not shown in the drawings. In other embodiments of the gas distribution assembly, not shown in the drawings, the gas distribution assembly can have other configurations, with square sections or other shapes.

As many gas regulating valves as required are mounted in a linear manner on the gas distribution duct50in the gas cooking appliance, only one gas regulating valve20being shown in the drawings. In other embodiments of the gas distribution assembly, not shown in the drawings, instead of gas regulating valves they can be gas regulating cocks. Each valve has an associated support10which is supported on the gas distribution duct50. The gas distribution assembly200also comprises attachment means100which allow attaching an attachment area A of the gas regulating valve20with an attachment area B of the support10, the gas distribution duct50being arranged between the gas regulating valve20and the support10. In other embodiments of the gas distribution assembly, not shown in the drawings, the gas regulating valves20can be associated with a single support.

In this embodiment of the gas distribution assembly200, the attachment means100comprise a screw30and a sleeve40. The screw30comprises a head31and a shank32with a diameter35comprising a threaded section33projecting from the diameter35of the shank32, the threaded section33starting at one end34of said screw30and ending before the head31. The sleeve40is a hollow plastic cylinder but it can be made of other materials, such as metal, for example, with a body45and a side wall46, comprising an inner threaded section41running along the entire length of the side wall46, but in other embodiments of the sleeve it can run partially along the length of the side wall46. An upper end43of the sleeve40comprises stop means comprising a flange44along a portion or the entire perimeter, extending outwardly from the side wall46of the body45at an angle. In other embodiments of the sleeve40, not shown in the drawings, the flange44extends radially outwards, that is, perpendicular to the side wall46.

When each gas regulating valve20is attached with each support10, first each screw30is attached with each sleeve40by screwing the threaded section33of the screw30all the way into the inner threaded section41of the sleeve40, and one end of the screw30projecting from the sleeve40.

Then, with the screw30incorporating the sleeve40, the gas regulating valve20and the support10are attached, the flange44of the upper end43of the sleeve40being supported on the support10. In other embodiments of the gas distribution assembly, not shown in the drawings, the sleeve40can be supported on the gas regulating valve20.

In the embodiment of the gas distribution assembly200shown, the support10is a flexible tie comprising a hole13at a first end, and at a second end it comprises the attachment area B comprising a through hole11, with a diameter greater than the outer diameter of the body45of the sleeve40, the rest being a surface12. In this embodiment of the support10, said surface12comprises a chamfer14around the through hole11. The gas regulating valve20comprises an arcuate mounting seat for being superimposed on the gas distribution duct50, said mounting seat comprising two ends laterally projecting from the body of the gas distribution duct50, when the gas regulating valve20is mounted on the gas distribution duct50. One of the ends of the mounting seat comprising the attachment area A of the gas regulating valve20has a surface22with a threaded hole21going through it.

FIG. 4shows a partial section view according to line IV-IV ofFIG. 2, the gas regulating valve20being partially shown.FIG. 5shows a front exploded view of the parts of the gas distribution assembly200ofFIG. 1, andFIG. 6shows a front section view of the screw30and of the sleeve40of the attachment means100of the gas distribution assembly200ofFIG. 1.

According to some embodiments the gas distribution duct50comprises one hole for each gas regulating valve20, and each gas regulating valve20also comprises one inlet hole in fluid communication with the corresponding hole of the gas distribution duct50, when the gas regulating valve20is mounted on the gas distribution duct50. The gas distribution assembly200also comprises a smooth sleeve60usually made of metal and a washer70made of elastomer for each attachment of gas regulating valve20and gas distribution duct50. Before mounting the gas regulating valve20and the gas distribution duct50, the smooth sleeve60is mounted in the inlet hole of the gas regulating valve20, and the washer70is mounted around the smooth sleeve60and is housed in a housing of the gas regulating valve20arranged for that purpose. Therefore, when the gas regulating valve20is mounted on the gas distribution duct50, the assembly formed by the smooth sleeve60and the washer70allows preventing gas leaks through said attachment area.

For attaching the gas regulating valve20and the support10and generating a tightening torque between both parts that assures leak-tightness, first the support10engages the gas regulating valve20by introducing the end of the mounting seat of the gas regulating valve20that does not have the threaded hole21into the hole13of the first end of the support10. The screw30with the incorporated sleeve40is introduced at the second end of the support10, in attachment area B, through the through hole11of the support10. The lower end34of the screw30is screwed into the attachment area A in the threaded hole21of the gas regulating valve20, and as it is being screwed in, the flange44of the upper end43of the sleeve40is supported on the contour of the through hole11, said flange44being supported at an angle on the chamfer14of the surface12of the support10which is around the through hole11, said flange44projecting from the chamfer14. The inclination of the flange44of the sleeve40and of the chamfer14of the surface12of the support10are the same, such that said flange44with the chamfer14are supported on an aligned manner.

The head31of the screw30has a contact surface36in its lower part, which in this embodiment of the screw30is at an angle, but in other embodiments not depicted in the drawings, it is flat. When the contact surface36of the screw30, since it is threaded, is supported on the flange44of the sleeve40, which in turn is supported on the surface12of the support10, a tightening torque between the gas regulating valve20and the support10is generated. So if for any reason the screw30breaks in any area of its length comprised between the gas regulating valve20and the support10, for example at the level of the head31or in an intermediate area of the shank32, said valve20and said support10will continue to be attached and the tightening torque maintained, since the threaded section attaching the screw30with the sleeve40always maintains a threaded area, and the sleeve40remains supported on the support10, with the flange44acting as the head31of the screw30. Safety issues due to gas leaks occurring because one of the screws has broken are thereby prevented.

If the tightening torque is not correctly defined and controlled in the application thereof, it can cause problems relating to deformations, and even one of the parts of the gas distribution assembly200could break. To prevent this, the sleeve40of the embodiment of the gas distribution assembly200shown in the drawings has such a length that the lower end42of the sleeve40, opposite the upper end43, is supported on the surface22of the gas regulating valve20where the threaded hole21is located when the defined tightening torque is reached. Therefore, it is the sleeve40itself that exerts a mechanical stop for screwing in the screw30between the gas regulating valve20and the support10. In other embodiments of the gas distribution assembly not shown in the drawings, the sleeve40is not long enough to act as a mechanical stop, in which case the tightening torque is limited by other means, such as using screwing tools with torque control, for example.

In other embodiments of the gas distribution assembly not shown in the drawings, the flange44of the sleeve40does not project from the chamfer14of the surface12, and the contact surface36of the head31of the screw30is supported on said surface12. In other embodiments, the surface12does not present the chamfer14, and the flange44of the sleeve40is radial, the flange44being supported in this case on the surface12, and the contact surface36of the screw30is supported on the flange44. In this final embodiment, the contact surface36of the screw30is an outer annular surface, the inside being hollow, such that said hollow space frees up the flange44, and the contact surface36of the screw30is supported on the surface12. Even in other embodiments of the gas distribution assembly not shown in the drawings, the surface12of the support10has a recess and the flange44of the sleeve40is housed in said recess. Therefore, the head31of the screw30may also be housed in the recess, in which case the contact surface36is supported on the flange44, or it may not be housed therein, in which case the contact surface36is supported on the surface12of the support10.

In other embodiments of the gas distribution assembly as shown inFIG. 7, the two ends of the mounting seat of the gas regulating valve20each comprise an attachment area A comprising the threaded hole21. In that case, the support10also comprises at the first end an attachment area B, with a through hole11like that of the second end. The attachment means100for attaching the gas regulating valve20and the support10comprise two screws30and two sleeves40, each screw30being housed screwed into each sleeve40, each screw30and sleeve40assembly being inserted into the respective through hole11, each screw30being screwed into the respective threaded hole21, and the flange44of each sleeve40being supported on the contour of the respective through hole11. The contour being an area that surrounds or partially surrounds the through hole.