The embodiments described and claimed herein relate generally to ignition systems for gas-fired barbecue grills. More specifically, some embodiments relate to corrosion resistant gas collector for a gas burner igniter.
Electronic igniters for barbecue grills are well known in the art. Many prior art igniters, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,1241,817 (“the '817 patent”) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,424 (“the '424 patent), use an electric potential to create a ignition spark which travels between an electrode and a ground surface. The specific devices described in the '817 and '424 patents utilize gas collector boxes, which are disposed in close proximity to a gas burner, for capturing a combustible gas/air mixture for an igniter. The igniters of the '817 patent and '424 patents generally comprise a gas collector box, an insulated electrode and a ground wire which is attached to the collector box, whereby the ignition spark is intended to travel between the electrode and the collector box. The electrodes of the '817 and '424 patents are insulated with a ceramic sleeve which prevents sparks from occurring at unintended locations. The collector boxes of the '817 and '424 patents are constructed from thin-walled sheet metals.
While the prior art ignitions systems, such as those briefly described above, provide an adequate means for igniting barbecue grills, the prior art systems suffer from previously unresolved problems. For example, the prior art collector boxes tend to quickly degrade or rust, as they are subjected to extremely harsh conditions in use. By design, the prior art collector boxes serve as a ground for the igniter and are disposed in close proximity to the burners. As such, the prior art collector boxes are repeatedly subjected to sparks from the electrode and extreme heat from the burner tube.
The various embodiments shown and described herein solve at least some of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art. For example, one embodiment of a gas burner assembly comprises a gas burner, an igniter, an ignition device, and a bracket. The igniter has a ceramic body and electrode. The ignition device is configured to generate a spark between the electrode and a ground. The gas burner includes at least one port for providing a combustible gas. The bracket is configured to position the gas collector portion of the igniter in close proximity to the burner port. The ceramic body of the igniter includes a gas collection portion which is configured to capture at least some of the combustible gas from the burner port.
A second embodiment of a gas burner assembly also includes a gas burner, an igniter, an ignition device, and a bracket. The gas burner provides a combustible gas through at least one port. The igniter includes a body and an electrode. The igniter body is made from a non-conductive and heat and corrosion resistant material and has an insulating sleeve portion and a hood portion, which are integral. The sleeve portion has a first end and a second end and the hood portion depends from the second end of the sleeve portion. The electrode extends through the sleeve portion from the first end to the second end, where the electrode extends outside of the sleeve portion into a partially enclosed volume defined by the hood portion. The insulating portion of the igniter body is configured to prevent sparks at undesired locations and the hood portion is configured to capture at least some of the combustible gas emanating from the burner. The ignition device is configured to generate a spark between the electrode and a ground. The bracket is configured to position the gas collector portion of the igniter in close proximity to the burner port.
A third embodiment of a gas burner assembly comprises a gas burner, an electrode, a ground, a hood, and an ignition device. The gas burner provides a combustible gas through at least one port. The electrode is positioned above the gas burner and is in close proximity to the ground. The hood is disposed at least partially above the electrode and is made from a ceramic material. The hood has at least one wall which at least partially encloses a volume for capturing at least some of the combustible gas. The ignition device generates a spark between the electrode and the ground.
A fourth embodiment of a gas burner assembly is for a barbecue grill. The gas burner assembly includes a gas burner tube, an igniter, an ignition device, a bracket, and a grounded lead wire. The gas burner tube has a plurality of spaced apart ports for providing a combustible gas. The igniter includes a body and an electrode, wherein the body is made from a ceramic material and has an insulating sleeve portion and a hood portion. The hood portion having at least one wall which at least partially encloses a volume. The sleeve portion has a first end and a second end and the hood portion depends from the second end of the sleeve portion. The electrode extends through the sleeve portion from the first end to the second end, where the electrode extends outside of the sleeve portion into the volume defined by the hood portion. The insulating portion of the igniter body is configured to prevent sparks at undesired locations and the hood portion is configured to capture at least some of the combustible gas emanating from the burner. The ignition device is configured to generate a spark between the electrode and a ground. The bracket is configured to position the gas collector portion of the igniter in close proximity to the burner port and includes a first portion for engaging with the igniter and a second portion for engaging with the burner tube. The grounded lead wire is functionally interconnected with the burner tube, whereby the burner tube is the ground.
Some of the embodiments described above include an insulating sleeve and a gas collector which are integrally cast from a ceramic or other non-conductive and heat and corrosion resistant material. Such a construction provides significant advantages as compared to the sheet metal gas collectors of the prior art. For example, the non-conductive and heat and corrosion resistant material provides the gas collector with a much longer life than the metal gas collector boxes of the prior art. Moreover, because at least some igniter assembly designs require a ceramic material for insulating the electrode anyway, the additional cost for integrally molding the gas collector is minimal.
These and other features, aspects, objects, and advantages of the inventions described and claimed herein will become better understood upon consideration of the following detailed description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale and that the embodiments are sometimes illustrated by graphic symbols, phantom lines, diagrammatic representations and fragmentary views. In certain instances, details which are not necessary for an understanding of the embodiments described and claimed herein or which render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the inventions described herein are not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated. Indeed, it is expected that persons of ordinary skill in the art of grill design may devise a number of alternative configurations that are similar and equivalent to the embodiments shown and described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims.
Like reference numerals will be used to refer to like or similar parts from figure to figure in the following description of the drawings.
Referring first to
The body 31 includes an integrally cast gas collector (or hood) portion 32 and sleeve portion 34. The sleeve portion 34 is configured to mate with the apertures 45, 47 of the bracket 40, and includes a stop 36 which is configured to engage with the wing 44 to locate the electrode 38 above the orifices 22, 24. Although the sleeve portion 34 and the apertures 45, 47 as shown have a square cross section, it is contemplated that the sleeve 34 and apertures 45, 47 could comprise other shapes, such as round, square, or any other shape. The gas collector (or hood) portion 32 is positioned directly above the orifices 22, 24 of the burner 20 and includes a single, continuous, generally parabolic wall which at least partially encloses a volume. The gas collector (or hood) portion 32 captures the flammable gas and air thereby forming a combustible mixture for the igniter 30 and covers the electrode thereby protecting it from the elements (gas barbecue grills are intended to be ignited with the cover open; as such, the hood protects the electrode from wind and rain). It is contemplated that the gas collector 32 could comprise other shapes and/or additional walls. For example, the collector portion 32 could comprise a continuous curvilinear wall or multiple planar walls which form a box-like or other shaped gas collector.
As better shown in
At the second end 35 of the sleeve 34, the electrode 38 extends outside of the sleeve 34, whereby a tip 39 of the electrode 38 is disposed generally within a volume defined by the gas collector portion 32. The tip 39 is bent in the direction of the burner 20, thereby reducing the distance a spark must travel when the igniter 30 is activated. To facilitate a spark, it is intended that the electrode 38 be positioned approximately 3/16″ (with a 1/32″ tolerance) from the burner tube, although the device may still work if the spacing criteria is not met.
Referring now to
The particular burner 20 shown in
The igniter assembly 10 generally comprises an igniter 30, a bracket 40 and lead wires 60, 70. The bracket 40 serves to position the igniter 30 in close proximity to the orifices 22, 24 of the gas burner 20. The first embodiment of the bracket 40, as shown in
A second embodiment of the bracket 140 is shown in
A third embodiment of a bracket 240 is shown in
The first and second members 240a, 240b are configured for mating engagement. In the shown embodiment, the first and second members 240a, 240b are configured for sliding engagement. In particular, the second member 240b includes upturned wing members 242a, 242b which form slots for receiving corresponding wing members 243a, 243b of the first member 240a. The first and second members 240a, 240b include locking members 245a, 245b which engage to firmly hold the first and second members 240a, 240b together. In the shown embodiment, the locking members 245a, 245b provide a snap-fit. The locking member 245a is an aperture (as shown) or recessed dimple (not shown) and the locking member 245b is a raised portion or raised dimple which is received by the locking member 245a. The first member 240a includes a stop 247 which abuts the upturned wing member 243b when the first member 240a is properly positioned in mating engagement with the second member 240b.
In
In the shown embodiment, the burner 120 is a tube having a curvilinear, loop configuration, a series of orifices 122 oriented in an upward direction about the entire loop, and a series of three orifices 122a, 122b, 122c. The three orifices 122a, 122b, and 122c are aligned transverse to orifices 122 about a portion of the circumference of the burner 120. It is contemplated, that other sizes, types, and configurations of burners 120 can be used.
The firebowl 80 includes a mounting ledge 82 which extends into a socket 84 for holding and securing the burner 120 and igniter assembly 310. The mounting ledge 82 is configured to receive a common fastener (not shown), such as a nut and bolt, for securing the burner 120 and igniter assembly 310 in place. As shown, the mounting ledge includes an aperture 86, or through hole, for receiving the fastener and is provided with a recessed socket 88 on the underside of the aperture 86. The socket 88 has a shape which corresponds to a nut (not shown) whereby the socket 88 receives and holds the nut to prevent rotation thereof. The nut may be welded in the socket 88. Both the burner 120 and the bracket 340 include flange portions 124, 342, respectively. The flange portions 124, 342 each include apertures or slots 126, 344 that are configured to align with the aperture 86 in an assembled configuration. In the shown embodiment, the burner 120 has a slot to allow the assembler to adjust the position of the burner 120 relative to the igniter assembly 310.
In the assembled position, the hood portion 32 of the igniter 30 is positioned generally above orifices 122a, 122b, 122c, which provide combustion gas to the igniter assembly 310. The hood portion 32 of the igniter extends outward from the bracket 340 to mitigate or prevent the flames from directly impinging upon the bracket 340. Like the previous embodiments, the bracket 340 includes a ground terminal 348. The ground terminal 348 of the fourth embodiment 340, however, is spring loaded to retain the igniter 30 in place.
The brackets 40, 140, 240, 340 are fabricated from a conductive material, such as sheet metal which is stamped and/or formed into shape. As discussed in more detail above, the brackets 40, 140, 240, 340 include push-on type ground terminals 48, 148, 248, 348 which are configured for attachment to a grounded lead wire 70 to ground the bracket. The connections between the burner 20, 120 and the bracket 40, 140, 240, 340 serve to pass the ground from the bracket to the burner 20, 120. In this manner, when the igniter 30 is activated, a spark passes between the igniter 30 and the grounded burner 20 thereby igniting the flammable gas.
Although the inventions described and claimed herein have been described in considerable detail with reference to certain embodiments, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the inventions described and claimed herein can be practiced by other than those embodiments, which have been presented for purposes of illustration and not of limitation. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the embodiments contained herein.
Indeed, it is expected that persons of ordinary skill in the art of grill design may devise a number of alternative configurations for the brackets and igniter that are similar and equivalent to the embodiments shown and described herein. For example, the brackets need not be formed from a conductive material. In such a case, the grounded lead wire could be directly connected to the burner tube. Also, the bracket need not be attached to the burner tube. It is contemplated that the bracket could be attached to other components, whereby the bracket could be configured to position the igniter in close proximity to the gas source. Even further, while the embodiments above describe the bracket and igniter as separate components, it is contemplated that the bracket and the igniter could be integrated into a single component. Even further yet, while the embodiments above describe the burner tube as being grounded whereby the ignition spark travels between the electrode and the burner, it is contemplated that a ground wire could also be embedded in the igniter body. In such a case, a portion of the ground wire (or an extension thereof, such as a plate) would be exposed near the wall of the collection portion of the igniter, whereby the ignition spark would travel between the wall of the collector portion and the electrode. Even further, while the embodiments of the ceramic igniter describe the sleeve portion and collector portion to be integrally cast, it is contemplated that the igniter need not be integrally cast. In fact, the sleeve portion and the collector portion need not be a single component.