Patent Abstract:
A gas burner module for a gas cooktop has a gas burner with an ignition and monitoring electrode, and also ignition and control electronics, a flame monitoring device and a gas valve. A burner foot in the form of a base is provided as a supporting element of the gas burner module. These parts of the gas burner module are combined to form a unit and are mechanically connected to one another in such a way that they form a constructional unit which can be handled independently.

Full Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of PCT/EP2009/001315, filed Feb. 25, 2009, which in turn claims priority to DE 10 2008 014 841.5, filed on Mar. 7, 2008, the contents of both of which are incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The invention relates to a gas burner module for a gas cooktop, and a gas cooktop having a plurality of such gas burner modules. Gas cooktops frequently have multiple gas burners, and each gas burner requires a supply of gas to function. Further, each gas burner must be individually controllable, as well as individually ignite gas when turned-on, and detect burning of the gas after it has been turned on. There is a need for a gas burner module that uses common components which facilitates assembly of a gas cooktop comprising said gas burner modules. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     The invention is based on the problem of providing a gas burner module of the type mentioned in the introduction and also a gas cooktop of the type mentioned in the introduction, with which the problems of the prior art can be avoided and, in particular, a gas burner module which can be handled and produced in an advantageous manner can be provided. 
     This problem is solved in one embodiment by a gas burner module or a gas cooktop having the features as claimed herein. Advantageous and preferred refinements of the invention are the subject matter of the further claims and are explained in greater detail in the text which follows. The wording of the claims is incorporated by express reference in the content of this description. The contents of German priority application DE 102008014841.5 of 7 Mar. 2008 in the name of the same applicant is also incorporated by express reference in the content of the present application. 
     In one embodiment, provision is made for the gas burner module having a gas burner with an ignition and monitoring electrode, control electronics and ignition electronics. A flame monitoring means and a gas valve are also provided. According to one embodiment of the invention, these parts of the gas burner module, which are necessary for the functioning of said gas burner module, are combined to form a unit and are mechanically connected or fitted to one another. This unit is designed as a constructional unit such that it can be handled independently, that is to say, it can be incorporated into a gas cooktop, as it were, as a modular unit. Only a connection to a gas supply and an electrical connection have to be made. As a result, it is possible to configure and match the components for the gas burner module and the unit during production to ensure optimum interaction. Furthermore, the manufacturer of the unit or of the gas burner module can thus ensure that assembly is performed correctly and therefore also optimum functioning is ensured with a maximum level of operational reliability. 
     In another development of the invention, the gas burner module can have a gas connection which is directly flange-mounted thereon, and therefore can be connected to a gas pipe, for example a so-called gallery pipe, which runs in the gas cooktop. In this case, the gas connection can advantageously have a fastening clip or be provided with such a fastening clip. Said fastening clip can serve to establish a firm mechanical connection to the gas pipe, so that the gas connection on the gas pipe immutably comprises a secure, gas-tight connection. A fastening clip of this type can engage over the gas pipe, for example on both sides of the gas connection, for uniform, secure fastening. 
     In another embodiment of the invention, the gas connection for the gas pipe is provided on one side of a burner foot, with the burner foot forming, as it were, the base for the gas burner module. In this embodiment, the gas connection is formed in such a way that the gas pipe passes close by the burner foot, and therefore the gas connection, and is held against said burner foot or gas connection by the fastening clip. In this embodiment, the fastening clip can advantageously be fastened to the burner foot. 
     In a further refinement of the invention, a centering pipe can be provided on the gas connection. It can extend, in particular, from the gas connection or the burner foot into the gas pipe in the state in which it is fastened to said gas connection or burner foot. When the gas module is fitted to a gas pipe during assembly of the gas cooktop, provision can then be made for the connection between the burner foot and the gas pipe to be gas-tight. Therefore, a gas supply can pass from the gas pipe, via the centering pipe or the gas connection and then a corresponding line, to the gas valve of the gas burner module, it also being possible for the burner foot to form part of the gas supply in this case. 
     In yet another refinement of the invention, the control electronics can be designed to be connected to a controller of the gas cooktop and, primarily, to be actuated by said controller. To this end, the gas cooktop controller can have an operator control device with operator control elements or can be provided with such an operator control device, with the operator control elements serving as the known interface to a user. Furthermore, the control electronics of a gas burner module can be designed to be connected to and interact with further gas burner modules of the same gas cooktop or with the control electronics of said further gas burner modules which are advantageously all identical. This can advantageously be performed using an internal bus system with corresponding cabling between the gas burner modules and the gas cooktop controller. Furthermore, a power supply unit including a power supply can be provided, the operator control device being connected to said power supply unit. The actuating means for the ignition and monitoring electrode is preferably integrated in the control electronics. 
     The gas valve can advantageously be a proportional valve. It can have a drive which is piezoelectric, magnetic or electromotive. In particular, the gas valve can be operated using a piezo bending beam, specifically generally in accordance with control commands which a user has pre-specified using the above mentioned operator control device using the operator control elements of said operator control device. 
     The abovementioned burner foot can be formed in the manner of a base. It can either carry the gas burner module or said gas burner module can be formed on said burner foot, and said burner foot can also contain the gas valve. The gas valve can therefore be integrated in the burner foot, it preferably being incorporated in the burner foot in a gas-tight manner as an insert. A line for the gas from the gas connection, which is connected to the gas pipe, to the gas valve can be formed either using an integrally projecting short line piece which is provided on the gas connection itself or by using an integrally projecting short line piece which is provided on the gas valve. 
     In another embodiment of the invention, a residual heat indicator can be provided on the gas burner module. To this end, a temperature sensor can be provided, said temperature sensor being mounted on the gas burner module, advantageously close to the gas burner, in order to detect the residual heat. It can even extend as far as a pot which is positioned on the gas burner. Furthermore, a pot detector can be provided, either in the same way as is known with inductive pot detection or even with mechanical pot detection, for example, by using a weight loading on a support on which a pot is placed. Further options are optical scanning from below to check whether there is a pot present over the gas burner. 
     In the case of a gas cooktop according to the embodiment of invention which has already been described above, a single gas pipe or gallery pipe can advantageously be provided. Said pipe can be formed in a peripheral manner in such a way that it passes by the outside of gas burner modules which are arranged flat. Therefore, all the gas burner modules can be supplied with gas. A course for the gas pipe close to the outer periphery of the gas cooktop has the advantage that it can be bent with relatively large radii, this simplifying production and processing thereof. Furthermore, in the case of a gas cooktop with, for example, four distributed gas burner modules, a central area which is produced can be filled with a fifth gas burner module, to which a free end of the gas pipe is routed for supplying gas, or control units or a power supply unit. 
     An operator control device, in particular as a unit or module with an above-mentioned gas cooktop controller, is advantageously likewise provided adjacent to an outer edge of the gas cooktop. The operator control device can also have a power supply unit and a main valve for the gas pipe which can disconnect all the gas burner modules from a gas supply. As an alternative embodiment, the power supply unit and the main valve control means for the main valve can be formed as an assembly which is separate from the pure operator control device, and can be arranged relatively freely and as close as possible to that end of the gas pipe which is provided on the outside in relation to the gas connection. 
     These and further features are described not only in the claims, but also in the description and the drawings, it being possible for the individual features to each be implemented in their own right or in groups in the form of sub-combinations for an embodiment of the invention and in other fields, and to represent advantageous embodiments, worthy of protection in their own right, for which protection is claimed here. The subdivision of the application into individual sections and the intermediate headings do not restrict the generality of the statements made therein. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       An exemplary embodiment of the invention is schematically illustrated in the drawings and will be explained in greater detail in the text which follows. In the drawings: 
         FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate two different oblique views of a gas burner module according to one embodiment the invention from above, 
         FIGS. 3 and 4  illustrate exploded oblique views of the gas burner module according to  FIG. 1 , and 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a gas cooktop with four gas burner modules. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  are oblique illustrations of a fully assembled gas burner module  11 . It has a gas burner  13  which sits on a burner foot  15 , and therefore the burner foot  15  forms a kind of base. A gas connection  17  is provided, said gas connection having a fastening clip  18  which can be removed and screw-mounted, said gas connection and fastening clip forming a cylindrical passage. 
     The gas burner  13  comprises a burner pot  19  and a burner cover  20 , as are known per se from the prior art. A nozzle  22  for the volumetric flow of gas in the gas burner  13  is located beneath said burner pot and burner cover on the burner foot  15 . To this end, there is a gas valve  16  beneath the nozzle  22 , as is described in detail in the introduction. Gas flows with excess pressure from the nozzle  22  into the burner pot  19  from below and exits at lateral bores and is burnt together with the combustion air as a flame. The burner cover  20  which can be held on a burner pot holder  21  in a removable manner and causes the gas stream to be deflected laterally through the bores in the burner pot  19  is provided at the top. 
       FIG. 2  shows that an ignition electrode  24  is provided on the gas burner module  11  on the other side of the gas connection  17 . Said ignition electrode is fastened to the gas burner  13  or on the burner pot holder  21  by means of an insulating holder  25  and is formed such that it both fulfils the function of igniting the gas or mixture and also monitors the flame at the same time. To this end, said ignition electrode can have a high-voltage spark ignition means for the ignition. An ionization flame monitoring means can be used to monitor flames. In alternative embodiments, ignition can be performed by means of a glowing element and flame monitoring can be performed using a thermocouple. A controller  27  is provided on the lower face of the gas burner module  11  or of the burner foot  15 . 
       FIGS. 3 and 4  show exploded illustrations of how the gas burner module  11  is mounted. They also show how the burner pot  19  is positioned on the burner pot holder  21 . Furthermore, these illustrations show the centering pipe  29  on the gas connection  17 , a connection to a gas pipe being established by means of said centering pipe and gas connection. In a similar way, a twin-circuit gas burner can also be formed, specifically as a complete gas burner module. Gas burners which are formed correspondingly differently are to be provided in this case, as are two nozzles and gas valves integrated in the burner foot. An ignition electrode is sufficient. 
       FIG. 5  shows a gas cooktop  30 . It has four gas burner modules  11   a - 11   d  in an arrangement with customary distribution. The gas cooktop  30  has a gas cooktop controller  31  in the front region. This gas cooktop controller  31  can correspond to a conventional control means for a conventional cooktop, for example with a cover and touch switches as operator control elements, in particular with capacitive sensor elements. Furthermore, a power supply unit  32  is illustrated in the right-hand region separately from the gas cooktop controller  31 . It also has the main valve control means for the main valve  35 . 
     A gallery pipe  33  runs along with, or adjacent to, the outer edge of the gas cooktop  30  and in this way leads to all the gas burner modules  11   a - 11   d . In addition, said gallery pipe has, in front of its connection to the first gas burner module  11   d , a main valve  35  which is connected to the main valve control means on the power supply unit  32 . This main valve  35  can be electronically actuated and ensures that the gallery pipe  33  and therefore the gas supply are, as it were, shut off if the gas cooktop  30  is switched off. 
     It is clear how the gas burner modules  11   c  and  11   d  are connected to the gallery pipe  33  by means of the respective gas connections  17  and the fastening clips  18 . In this case, the above-described centering pipes  29  extend through the corresponding openings into the gallery pipe  33 , with this connection being sealed off (gas tight). 
     The control means  27  has the electronic components for ignition, ignition monitoring, gas valve control and communication with a superordinate control means or operator control device  31 . To this end, said control means can have at least one microcontroller, advantageously with class C software. The operator control part, the main valve control means and the gas burner modules  11  communicate by means of a bus connection which is designed to be failsafe. A LIN based protocol is preferably used for this purpose. In order to increase reliability, an additional electrical line is provided between the gas burner modules  11  and the main valve control means  32 , the main valve being supplied with power via said additional electrical line. The main valve can be disconnected from each heating element by series connection of a switching element for each gas burner module. 
     Power is supplied to the gas burner modules  11  and the gas cooktop control means  31  via the power supply unit  32 . The lines required for this purpose are integrated in a bus plug (not illustrated). 
     The gas burner modules  11  are designed such that they can be configured. Various parameters can be programmed via a wire-bound or wireless interface. The parameters include, for example, the geometric position within the gas cooktop  30 , the rated power of the gas burner module  11 , the type of gas, and the valve characteristics. 
     Both the illustration of a single gas burner module  11  and the illustration of an entire gas cooktop  30  according to  FIG. 5  show that a gas cooktop can be designed relatively easily together with a great degree of variability by providing gas burner modules  11  which are prefabricated in the modular manner. Specifically, it is necessary to fasten only one gas burner module  11  to the cooktop  30  and then to connect it to a gas supply by means of the gallery pipe  33  and to provide a control line including an electrical connection to the gas cooktop control means  31 . As a result, a highly variable design of a gas cooktop  30  is possible, primarily without fault sources during assembly, as long as the connection to the gallery pipe  33  is made correctly. It can also be seen that the burner pot  19  and the burner cover  20  are larger in the case of gas burner modules  11   b  and  11   c . This means that they are designed for higher powers and therefore also generate a higher heating power as a result of the combustion of more gas.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5