THERMOSTAT FOR GAS COOKING APPLIANCES

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a thermostat for gas cooking appliances.

[0002] Thermostats are known for application to gas cooking appliances, and in particular to gas ovens.

[0003] Their purpose is to regulate the flow of gas to the burner installed in the oven, such as to ensure that the temperature inside the oven is maintained around a desired value preset by an adjustment knob. Their operating principle is such that they comprise a thermostatic bulb installed inside the oven and a temperature-sensitive fluid contained in the bulb and operationally connected to a valve disposed inside the thermostat body.

[0004] Thermostats with two exits are also known for feeding two different burners of the oven, namely the main burner and a secondary burner for the grill or the pilot flame of the main burner.

[0005] The document US2509679 describes a thermostat for a gas cooking appliance.

[0006] The characteristic of these known two-exit thermostats is the fact that one of these exits is controlled, hence the flow rate of the delivered gas is variable on the basis of the temperature measured by a suitable sensor, while the other exit has a flow rate which is not temperature-controlled.

[0007] An object of the invention is to provide a two-exit thermostat which enables the gas delivery from both exits to be controlled by a single thermostatic bulb and by a single temperature-sensitive fluid, on the basis of the temperature measured inside the oven.

[0008] Another object of the invention is to be able to make this adjustment in a precise and reliable manner.

[0009] Another object of the invention is to provide a thermostat of simple form at low cost.

[0010] Another object of the invention is to provide a thermostat which, in the specific application to an oven with a double flame ring burner, enables a minimum temperature to be reached which is less than that reachable in ovens in which the burner is controlled by a traditional thermostat.

[0011] All these and other objects which will be apparent from the ensuing description are attained according to the invention by a two-exit thermostat for gas cooking appliances in accordance with claim 1.

[0012] The present invention is further clarified hereinafter in terms of a preferred embodiment thereof provided by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1

is a perspective view of a thermostat according to the invention,

Figures 2a and 2b

are plan views thereof without the cap,

Figure 3

is a section therethrough on the line III-III of Figure 2a,

Figure 4

is a section therethrough on the line IV-IV of Figure 2a,

Figure 5

is a section therethrough on the line V-V of Figure 2a,

Figure 6

is a section therethrough on the line VI-VI of Figure 2a,

Figure 7

is a section therethrough on the line VII-VII of Figure 2b,

Figure 8

is a section therethrough on the line VIII-VIII of Figure 2b,

Figure 9

is a schematic view thereof shown applied to two different burners of an oven,

Figure 10

is a schematic view thereof shown applied to the inner flame ring and to the outer flame ring of a gas oven burner,

Figure 11

shows a graph representing the variation in the temperature inside an oven cavity, with which a thermostat according to the invention is associated, as a function of the angular rotation of the thermostat knob.

[0013] As can be seen from the figures, the thermostat 1 according to the invention comprises a body 2 shaped externally as an approximately irregular parallelepiped, overlaid by an approximately cylindrical cap 4, and provided with a plurality of chambers and passages which will be referred to during the course of the ensuing description.

[0014] More particularly, inside the body 2 there are provided three main chambers, substantially defined by cylindrical cavities which are preferably parallel, and more precisely a pre-chamber 6, housing a safety valve 8 and its control rod 10, a first chamber 14, housing a slider valve 16 (i.e. a valve in which the slider acts as the valving element), and a second chamber 18 housing a distributor 20 comprising a control rod 22.

[0015] Preferably, the first chamber 14 and the second chamber 18 are provided mutually side by side within the body 2, i.e. they are not concentric, with one chamber inside the other; in particular, this is particularly advantageous as it makes their mechanical construction extremely simple.

[0016] As will be more apparent hereinafter, the purpose of the distributor 20 is to deviate, depending on its state, i.e. on the axial position of its control rod 22, the main gas stream, controlled by the slider valve 16, towards two different exits of the thermostat.

[0017] In this respect, the body 2 is provided with two exits 24 and 26, of which the exit 24 is substantially positioned on the prolongation of the second chamber 18 of the distributor 20 and can be connected outside the thermostat to one of the two burners of a gas oven and, if the oven is provided with a burner with two flame rings, in particular with an inner flame ring 28 and an outer flame ring 30, it is connected to its inner flame ring 28 (see Figure 10). The exit 26 is instead connectable to its outer flame ring 30 (see Figure 10) or to a second burner 30' which could for example be a burner which integrates the burner 28' which heats the oven inner cavity (see Figure 9) or the grill burner.

[0018] The upper end of the control rod 10 of the safety valve 8 and the upper end of the control rod 22 of the distributor 20 emerge from the upper base of the parallelepiped body 2, i.e. from the base opposite that in which the two exits 24 and 26 are present, and are housed within the cylindrical cavity 32 defined by the cap 4. They cooperate with different tracks of a control cam 34 which is also housed within the cylindrical cavity 32 and is rigid with a pin 36 which emerges from the base of the cap 4 and is intended to be inserted into a control and adjustment knob 38.

[0019] The pin 36 is rotationally rigid, but free in its axial movements, with respect to a pin 40 which rests on an expandable element 42 provided with an internal cavity communicating, via a capillary, with a bulb intended to be inserted in the oven cavity 44 and generally into that compartment, of which the inner temperature is to be controlled.

[0020] The expanding element 42, the capillary and the bulb contain in their interior a thermally expandable fluid, for example a diathermic oil, as described for example in WO2014/064605.

[0021] In greater detail, the pin 40, which is rotationally rigid with the pin 36, is provided with a cylindrical axial cavity , in which there engages the cylindrical end of another pin 48, rigid with the expanding element 42. The pin 40 has a threaded outer portion which engages in a thread provided in a sleeve 45, fixed with respect to the thermostat body 2. In this manner, the rotations of the knob 38 and of the pin 40 rigid with it, not only cause the control cam 34 to rotate, but also cause the pin 48 to undergo axial movements.

[0022] The expanding element 42 is also connected to the slider 16 by way of an interposed elastic element 50, as described in the said WO2014/064605. In particular, the arrangement of the various parts is such that by rotating the knob 38, the rest position of the expanding element 42 is set, as is the rest position of the slider 16, whereas during operation, the expansions of said expanding element 42 enable the gas flow rate towards the burner to be modified by means of the movement of the slider 16, to control the temperature inside the compartment heated by this.

[0023] The thermostat body 2 is provided, on a lateral wall thereof, with a gas inlet 52 which, by way of a conduit 54 provided inside the body itself, opens into the bottom of the pre-chamber 6, upstream of the valving element 56 of the safety valve 8.

[0024] Within the body 2 a further conduit 58 is also provided which connects that region of the pre-chamber 6 downstream of the valving element 56 to the first chamber 14 housing the slider valve 16.

[0025] This first chamber 14 also has a main outlet 60, which is closable by the slider 16 and communicates via a conduit 62 with the second chamber 18 of the distributor 20, in a region which can be intercepted by this latter.

[0026] The first chamber 14 is also provided on its lateral surface with another outlet 63, which cannot be closed by the slider 16 and which communicates, via a screw 65 with a sized hole and a conduit 64, with a region of the second chamber 18 of the distributor 20, which lies downstream of the distributor itself and therefore cannot be intercepted by this (see Figures 5 and 6). In particular, the outlet 63, the holed screw 65 and the conduit 64 define a first bypass circuit.

[0027] The second chamber 18 is provided with two apertures and, depending on the axial position of the distributor 20, it communicates with either the first exit 24 of the thermostat body (see Figure 6) or, by way of a region 66, with the second exit 26 (see Figure 8).

[0028] Finally, the first chamber 14 is provided on its lateral surface with a third outlet 68, which cannot be closed by the slider 16 and which communicates, in sequence, with a conduit 70, with a screw 72 provided with a sized hole, and with a conduit 67. Moreover, in that portion of the body 2 which upperly bounds the second chamber 18, passages 69 are provided which communicate with the conduit 67 and which, depending on the axial position of the control rod 22 of the distributor 20, can either be in fluidic communication or not be in fluidic communication with the region 66, which is directly connected to the second exit 26. In particular, the outlet 68, the conduit 70, the holed screw 72, the portion 67, the passages 69 and the region 66 define a second bypass circuit, which is controlled by the axial position of the control rod 22 of the distributor 20.

[0029] In consideration of the fact that the flow/path of the gas which enters the body 2 through the inlet 54 and leaves from said body through the exit conduits 24 and 26, it is apparent that the second chamber 18 is positioned downstream of the first chamber 14, which in its turn is positioned downstream of the pre-chamber 6.

[0030] The purpose of the cam 34 is to operate the control rod 10 of the safety valve 8 and the control rod 22 of the distributor 20. More particularly, the cam 34, when rotated, causes the rod 22 to undergo axial movements by virtue of the fact that its upper end rests on a first circumferential track 76, and, when moved axially, causes the rod 10 to undergo axial movements by virtue of the fact that its upper end rests on a second track 74, provided on the lower surface of the cam 34. It should be noted that the first track 76 is concentric with the second track 74.

[0031] The fact that the control rod 22 is axially movable means that a particularly precise and flexible distributor 20 is achieved, in that in order to modify the angular position of the control knob 38, at which the distributor deviates the gas flow from the exit 24 to the exit 26, as apparent hereinafter, it is sufficient to suitably modify merely the track 76.

[0032] In the thermostat according to the present invention, the means 40, 45 for modifying the position of the slider 16 and the means 34, 76 for shifting the distributor 20 are implemented by the same control member, i.e. by the knob 38.

[0033] The thermostat according to the invention operates in the following manner:
When at rest, the knob is maintained in the 0° position, and the safety valve 8 is maintained with its valving element 56 in the closed position by a spring 80, and in this manner prevents the gas, which is present in the conduit 54, from passing through the pre-chamber 6, and reaching the first chamber 14 of the slider valve 16.

[0034] To light the burner 28' (see Figure 9), or its inner flame ring 28 (see Figure 10), the user axially presses the knob 38 while at the same time rotates it to bring it to an angle between 52° and X°. In this manner, the rod 10 acts on the safety valve 8 to open it and cause the gas to pass towards the first chamber 14 of the slider valve 16 and from there, via the first bypass circuit (i.e. through the aperture 63, the holed screw 65 and the conduit 64), to the first exit 24. At the same time, a traditional ignition spark plug (not represented), positioned in proximity to the inner flame ring 28 of the burner, causes the spark to strike and generate the inner flame ring, which hits the thermocouple, also positioned in proximity to the burner inner flame ring 28, and in traditional manner maintains the safety valve 8 open even after releasing the knob 38.

[0035] By virtue of the particular configuration of its track 76, the rotation of the knob 38 enables a spring 82, associated with the rod 22, to maintain the distributor 20, for the entire time of the angular excursion of the knob from 0° to the value X°, in a position such as to maintain the second chamber 18 closed towards the region 66, and hence towards the second exit 26, but open towards the first exit 24.

[0036] Moreover, in this situation, the second bypass circuit is closed, in that the distributor 20 lies in a position such as to interrupt the fluidic connection between the passages 69, provided in the upper portion with respect to the second chamber 18, and the region 66 connected to the second exit 26.

[0037] In this situation, the angular position of the knob between 0° and X° determines the rest position of the slider valve 16 in its seat 14 relative to the main outlet aperture 60 of the seat itself, to hence ensure the outflow from the first thermostat aperture 24, of both the gas stream which passes through the main aperture 60 and the conduit 62, and the gas stream which passes through the first bypass circuit (i.e. through the aperture 63, the holed screw 65 and the conduit 64). The result is that both a main stream controlled by the thermostat and a bypass stream not controlled by the thermostat reach the burner inner flame ring 28 or the burner 28'.

[0038] When the angular value X° of the knob 38 has been exceeded and until the limit value of Y°, the track 76 maintains the rod 22 of the distributor 20 axially pushed such that it maintains the second chamber 18 open towards the region 66 and towards the second exit 26, and closes it towards the first exit 24. Consequently, in this condition, only the first bypass stream passing through the conduit 64 passes through the exit 24 connected to the burner inner flame ring 28 or to the burner 28', whereas the gas originating from the first chamber 14 passes through the second exit 26 and is controlled by the slider 16.

[0039] In this condition, the gas stream also passes through the second bypass circuit, given that the axial position of the distributor 20 is such as to enable the fluid connection between the passages 69 and the region 66 connected to the second exit 26. In greater detail, the gas emerging from the first chamber 14 through the aperture 68 passes in sequence through the conduit 70, the holed screw 72, the portion 67 and the passages 69, it reaches the region 66 and finally leaves from the exit 26 to equally feed the burner outer flame ring 30 or the burner 30'.

[0040] Essentially, during the angular excursion X°-Y°, only the first bypass stream, which is not controlled by the temperature sensitive element 42, passes through the first exit 24, and feeds the inner flame ring 28 or the burner 28', while through the second exit 26 which feeds the outer flame ring 30 or the burner 30', there pass both the main gas stream, controlled by the slider valve 16 and hence by the temperature sensitive element 42, and the second bypass stream, which is not controlled by the temperature sensitive element, but is activated via the distributor 20.

[0041] To also represent graphically the temperature adjustment obtainable by the thermostat according to the invention, reference can be made to the graph of Figure 11, in which the horizontal axis shows the values of the angular excursion of the adjustment knob 38 from the value 0° to the value Y°, while the vertical axis shows the corresponding temperature values inside the oven cavity 44. It can be seen that at the angular excursion value of the knob 38, generally equal to 52° and corresponding to the burner ignition position, there is minimum temperature inside the oven because only the inner flame ring 28 (or only the burner 28') is fed, namely by only the first bypass circuit defined by the path 63, 65 and 64. In the portion from 52° to the value X°, the temperature inside the oven continually increases by virtue of the flow of a gas stream controlled by the slider valve 16 which, together with the gas stream which passes through the first bypass circuit 64, feeds the burner inner flame ring 28. As soon as the position X° has been exceeded, the distributor 20 switches over to cause interruption of the feed to the burner inner flame ring 28 (or to the burner 28') by the gas stream controlled by the slide valve 16, while the feed by the first bypass circuit continues, and at the same time this causes opening of the second bypass circuit (defined by the path 68, 72, 70, 67, 69 and 66), which feeds the burner outer flame ring 30 via the second aperture 26.

[0042] In the portion from X° to the value Y°, the temperature inside the oven increases continuously by virtue of the flow of a gas stream, controlled by the slider valve 16, which feeds the outer burner flame ring 30 (or the burner 30'), together with the gas stream which passes through the second bypass circuit. Advantageously, during the portion from X° to the value Y°, the inner flame ring 28 (or the burner 28') is in any event fed via the first bypass circuit, this enabling particularly high temperatures to be reached inside the oven cavity 44.

[0043] From the aforegoing it is apparent that the thermostat according to the invention is particularly advantageous in that:

• it enables both exits to be temperature regulated; in particular, this enables a considerable energy saving to be achieved, hence improving the energy rating of the oven in which the thermostat according to the invention is installed,
• it enables a gas flow to be controlled such as to provide a particularly high maximum power, related to the facility for activating one of the two main temperature regulated exits and both the bypass circuits,
• it enables the gas flow to be controlled in such a manner as to provide a particularly low minimum power, related to the facility for activating only the bypass circuit associated with the smaller burner (in the thermostat application to two separate burners) or to the inner flame ring of a burner having multiple flame rings (when applying the thermostat to the flame rings of one and the same burner).

Claims

1. A thermostat (1) for gas cooking appliances, comprising a body (2) provided with an inlet (54) fluidically connectable to a gas feed source and with at least a first exit conduit (24) and a second exit conduit (26), and characterised by comprising, inside said body (2):

- a first chamber (14) positioned in fluidic communication with said gas inlet (54) and provided with a main outlet aperture (60),

- a cavity (6) housing a safety valve (8), said cavity (6) being fluidically interposed between said gas inlet (54) and said first chamber (14),

- a second chamber (18) positioned downstream of said first chamber (14) and provided with an inlet aperture (59) in fluidic communication with said main outlet aperture (60) of said first chamber (14),

- a valve (16) housed in said first chamber (14) and provided with a slider axially movable within this latter between a first position in which said main outlet aperture (60) is closed, and a second position in which this latter is totally open,

- a temperature sensitive element (42) mechanically associated with said valve (16) to cause it to undergo its axial movements on the basis of the temperature measured by a bulb applicable to said cooking appliance and against the elastic reaction of elastic means acting in the sense of urging said valve (16) towards said open position,

- means (38, 40, 45) for modifying the position of the slider of said valve (16) relative to the aperture of said main outlet (60) of said first chamber (14) to hence regulate the gas stream which leaves said first chamber (14) via the aperture of said main outlet (60), and enters said second chamber (18) via said inlet aperture (59),

- a distributor (20) housed within said second chamber (18) and movable between a first position, in which said inlet aperture (59) of said second chamber (18) communicates with said first exit conduit (24) but not with said second exit conduit (26), and a second position, at which said inlet aperture (59) of said second chamber (18) communicates with said second exit conduit (26) but not with said first exit conduit (24),

- means (38, 34, 76) for moving said distributor (20) between said first position and said second position,

- at least one circuit (63, 64, 65; 68, 70, 72, 67, 69) which, by bypassing said second chamber (18), puts said first chamber (14) into fluidic communication with a region of one of said exit conduits (24, 26) positioned downstream of said distributor (20),

wherein said means (40, 45) for modifying the position of the slider of said valve (16) and said means (34, 76) for moving said distributor (20) are implemented by the same control member (38).

2. A thermostat as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said circuit (63, 64), which puts said first chamber (14) into fluidic communication with a downstream portion of said distributor (20) of said first conduit (24) or said second conduit (26), comprises at least one secondary outlet (63, 68) which is provided on the wall of said first chamber (14) and communicates, via a sequence of gas passages (65, 64; 70, 72, 67, 69), with a region of said first conduit (24) or said second conduit (26) which is positioned downstream of said distributor (20).

3. A thermostat as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said at least one circuit (63, 64, 65; 68, 70, 72, 67, 69, 66), which puts said first chamber (14) into fluidic communication with a region of one of said exit conduits (24, 26) positioned downstream of said distributor (20), comprises means (38, 74, 22) for selectively causing interruption of said fluidic communication.

4. A thermostat as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said first chamber (14) and said second chamber (18) comprise two corresponding side by side cavities provided inside said body (2).

5. A thermostat as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said control member (38) comprises a control knob (38) which is rotatable about an axis and is axially movable along said axis.

6. A thermostat as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said knob (38, 4) comprises screw means (40, 45) for transforming its rotation into axial movements of the slider of said valve (16) by way of said temperature sensitive element (42).

7. A thermostat as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said distributor (20) comprises a control rod (22) axially movable between said first position and said second position.

8. A thermostat as claimed in claim 5, characterised in that said knob (38, 4) comprises a cam (34) with a first track (76) which cooperates with said distributor (20) to cause this latter to move between said first position and said second position.

9. A thermostat as claimed in claim 5, characterised in that said knob (38, 4) comprises a cam (34) which cooperates with the rod (22) of said distributor (20) to cause said rod (22) to move axially between said first position and said second position, and in that said knob (38, 4) is configured such that, by varying its angular position, the position of the slider of said valve (16) is modified.

10. A thermostat as claimed in claim 8 or in claim 9, characterised in that the cam (34) of said knob (38) comprises a second track (74) which cooperates with a rod associated with said safety valve (8) to cause this to open and close.

11. A thermostat as claimed in one or more of the claims 8-10, characterised in that the first track (76) of said cam (34) cooperates with said distributor (20) to also selectively cause interruption of the fluidic communication within said circuit (68, 70, 72, 67, 69, 66) which connects said first chamber (14) to a region of one of said exit conduits (24, 26) which is positioned downstream of said distributor (20).

12. A thermostat as claimed in one or more of the claims 8-11, characterised in that the cam (34) of said knob (38) is configured such that:

- a first step of rotation of the knob (38) from a position of 0° to X° causes the slider of said valve (16) to move axially from a position of closure of the main outlet aperture (60) of said first chamber (14) to a predetermined position of intermediate opening, and causes the distributor (20) to be positioned such as to put into fluidic communication the inlet aperture (59) of the second chamber (18) with the first exit conduit (24),

- a second step of further rotation of the knob (38) from X° to Y° causes the slider of said valve (16) to move axially from the position of intermediate opening to a position of maximum opening, and causes the distributor (20) to be positioned such as to put into fluidic communication the inlet aperture (59) of the second chamber (18) with the second exit conduit (26).

13. A thermostat as claimed in claim 12, characterised in that, both during the first and during the second step of rotation of the knob (38), said circuit (63, 64, 65) maintains said chamber (14) in fluidic communication with that region of said first conduit (24) positioned downstream of said distributor (20).

14. A thermostat as claimed in one or more of the claims 8-13, characterised in that:

- the cam (34) of said knob (38) is also configured such that, at a certain angular position of the knob (38), the valving element of said valve (16) causes total closure of the main outlet aperture (60) of said chamber (14), whereas said circuit (63, 64, 65) puts said first chamber (14) into fluidic communication with that region of said first conduit (24), or of said second conduit (26), positioned downstream of said distributor (20), and/or

- the cam (34) of said knob (38) is also configured such that, at a certain angular position of the knob (38), the valving element of said valve (16) causes total opening of the main outlet aperture (60) of said chamber (14), while said circuits (63, 64, 65; 70, 72, 67, 66), put said first chamber (14) into fluidic communication with both those regions of said first conduit (24) and said second conduit (26) positioned downstream of said distributor (20).

15. A thermostat as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that

- said first exit conduit (24) is fluidically connectable to a first flame ring of a burner (28), and that said second exit conduit (26) is fluidically connectable to a second flame ring (30) of said burner, or

- said first exit conduit (24) is fluidically connectable to a first burner (28'), and that said second exit conduit (26) is fluidically connectable to a second burner (30').

Ansprüche

1. Thermostat (1) für Gaskochgeräte, umfassend einen Körper (2), der mit einem Einlass (54), der fluidtechnisch mit einer Gaszufuhrquelle verbindbar ist, und mit mindestens einer ersten Austrittsleitung (24) und einer zweiten Austrittsleitung (26) versehen ist, und dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass es im Inneren des Körpers (2) umfasst:

- eine erste Kammer (14), die in fluidtechnischer Verbindung mit dem Gaseinlass (54) positioniert und mit einer Hauptauslassöffnung (60) versehen ist,

- einen Hohlraum (6), der ein Sicherheitsventil (8) aufnimmt, wobei der Hohlraum (6) fluidtechnisch zwischen dem Gaseinlass (54) und der ersten Kammer (14) angeordnet ist,

- eine zweite Kammer (18), die der ersten Kammer (14) nachgelagert positioniert ist und mit einer Einlassöffnung (59) versehen ist, die mit der Hauptauslassöffnung (60) der ersten Kammer (14) in fluidtechnischer Verbindung steht,

- ein Ventil (16), das in der ersten Kammer (14) aufgenommen ist und mit einem Schieber versehen ist, der axial innerhalb der Letzteren zwischen einer ersten Position, in der die Hauptauslassöffnung (60) geschlossen ist, und einer zweiten Position, in der die Letztere vollständig geöffnet ist, bewegbar ist,

- ein temperaturempfindliches Element (42), das dem Ventil (16) mechanisch zugeordnet ist, um zu bewirken, dass es seinen axialen Bewegungen auf Basis der Temperatur, die von einer Thermostatkugel, die an dem Kochgerät anbringbar ist, gemessen wird, und gegen die elastische Reaktion von elastischen Mitteln ausgesetzt ist, die in der Hinsicht wirken, dass sie das Ventil (16) in Richtung der offenen Position zwingen,

- Mittel (38, 40, 45) zum Modifizieren der Position des Schiebers des Ventils (16) in Bezug auf die Öffnung des Hauptauslasses (60) der ersten Kammer (14), um somit den Gasstrom zu regeln, der die erste Kammer (14) über die Öffnung des Hauptauslasses (60) verlässt und in die zweite Kammer (18) über die Einlassöffnung (59) eintritt,

- einen Verteiler (20), der innerhalb der zweiten Kammer (18) aufgenommen ist und zwischen einer ersten Position, in der die Einlassöffnung (59) der zweiten Kammer (18) mit der ersten Austrittsleitung (24), jedoch nicht mit der zweiten Austrittsleitung (26) in Verbindung steht, und einer zweiten Position, an der die Einlassöffnung (59) der zweiten Kammer (18) mit der zweiten Austrittsleitung (26), jedoch nicht mit der ersten Austrittsleitung (24) in Verbindung steht, bewegbar ist,

- Mittel (38, 34, 76) zum Bewegen des Verteilers (20) zwischen der ersten Position und der zweiten Position,

- mindestens eine Schaltung (63, 64, 65; 68, 70, 72, 67, 69), die durch Umgehen der zweiten Kammer (18) die erste Kammer (14) in fluidtechnische Verbindung mit einem Bereich einer der Austrittsleitungen (24, 26) setzt, der dem Verteiler (20) nachgelagert positioniert ist,

wobei die Mittel (40, 45) zum Modifizieren der Position des Schiebers des Ventils (16) und die Mittel (34, 76) zum Bewegen des Verteilers (20) durch das gleiche Steuerelement (38) implementiert sind.

2. Thermostat nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Schaltung (63, 64), die die erste Kammer (14) in fluidtechnische Verbindung mit einem nachgelagerten Abschnitt des Verteilers (20) der ersten Leitung (24) oder der zweiten Leitung (26) setzt, mindestens einen sekundären Auslass (63, 68) umfasst, der an der Wand der ersten Kammer (14) vorgesehen ist und über eine Reihe von Gasdurchgängen (65, 64; 70, 72, 67, 69) mit einem Bereich der ersten Leitung (24) oder der zweiten Leitung (26) in Verbindung steht, der dem Verteiler (20) nachgelagert positioniert ist.

3. Thermostat nach einem oder mehreren der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die mindestens eine Schaltung (63, 64, 65; 68, 70, 72, 67, 69, 66), die die erste Kammer (14) mit einem Bereich einer der Austrittsleitungen (24, 26), der dem Verteiler (20) nachgelagert positioniert ist, in fluidtechnische Verbindung setzt, Mittel (38, 74, 22) zum selektiven Bewirken einer Unterbrechung der fluidtechnischen Verbindung umfasst.

4. Thermostat nach einem oder mehreren der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die erste Kammer (14) und die zweite Kammer (18) zwei entsprechende nebeneinander liegende Hohlräume umfasst, die im Inneren des Körpers (2) vorgesehen sind.

5. Thermostat nach einem oder mehreren der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das Steuerelement (38) einen Steuerknopf (38) umfasst, der um eine Achse drehbar ist und axial entlang dieser Achse bewegbar ist.

6. Thermostat nach einem oder mehreren der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Knopf (38, 4) Schraubenmittel (40, 45) umfasst, um seine Drehung in axiale Bewegungen des Schiebers des Ventils (16) mittels des temperaturempfindlichen Elements (42) umzuwandeln.

7. Thermostat nach einem oder mehreren der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Verteiler (20) eine Steuerstange (22) umfasst, die axial zwischen der ersten Position und der zweiten Position bewegbar ist.

8. Thermostat nach Anspruch 5, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Knopf (38, 4) einen Nocken (34) mit einer ersten Schiene (76) umfasst, die mit dem Verteiler (20) zusammenwirkt, um zu bewirken, dass der Letztere sich zwischen der ersten Position und der zweiten Position bewegt.

9. Thermostat nach Anspruch 5, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Knopf (38, 4) einen Nocken (34) umfasst, der mit der Stange (22) des Verteilers (20) zusammenwirkt, um zu bewirken, dass die Stange (22) sich axial zwischen der ersten Position und der zweiten Position bewegt, und dadurch, dass der Knopf (38, 4) derart ausgestaltet ist, dass durch Variieren seiner Winkelposition die Position des Schiebers des Ventils (16) modifiziert wird.

10. Thermostat nach Anspruch 8 oder Anspruch 9, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Nocken (34) des Knopfs (38) eine zweite Schiene (74) umfasst, die mit einer dem Sicherheitsventil (8) zugeordneten Stange zusammenwirkt, um dieses zum Öffnen und Schließen zu veranlassen.

11. Thermostat nach einem oder mehreren der Ansprüche 8-10, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die erste Schiene (76) des Nockens (34) mit dem Verteiler (20) zusammenwirkt, um auch eine selektive Unterbrechung der fluidtechnischen Verbindung innerhalb der Schaltung (68, 70, 72, 67, 69, 66) zu bewirken, die die erste Kammer (14) mit einem Bereich einer der Austrittsleitungen (24, 26), der dem Verteiler (20) nachgelagert positioniert ist, verbindet.

12. Thermostat nach einem oder mehreren der Ansprüche 8-11, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Nocken (34) des Knopfs (38) derart ausgestaltet ist, dass:

- ein erster Schritt der Drehung des Knopfs (38) von einer Position von 0° zu X° bewirkt, dass der Schieber des Ventils (16) sich axial von einer Schließposition der Hauptauslassöffnung (60) der ersten Kammer (14) in eine vorbestimmte Zwischenöffnungsposition bewegt, und bewirkt, dass der Verteiler (20) derart positioniert wird, dass die Einlassöffnung (59) der zweiten Kammer (18) mit der ersten Austrittsleitung (24) in fluidtechnische Verbindung gesetzt wird,

- ein zweiter Schritt einer weiteren Drehung des Knopfs (38) von X° zu Y° bewirkt, dass der Schieber des Ventils (16) sich axial von der Zwischenöffnungsposition in eine Position von maximaler Öffnung bewegt, und bewirkt, dass der Verteiler (20) derart positioniert wird, dass die Einlassöffnung (59) der zweiten Kammer (18) mit der zweiten Austrittsleitung (26) in fluidtechnische Verbindung gesetzt wird.

13. Thermostat nach Anspruch 12, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass sowohl während des ersten als auch des zweiten Schritts der Drehung des Knopfs (38) die Schaltung (63, 64, 65) die Kammer (14) in fluidtechnischer Verbindung mit dem Bereich der ersten Leitung (24), der dem Verteiler (20) nachgelagert positioniert ist, hält.

14. Thermostat nach einem oder mehreren der Ansprüche 8-13, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass:

- der Nocken (34) des Knopfs (38) auch derart ausgestaltet ist, dass das Ventilelement des Ventils (16) bei einer bestimmten Winkelposition des Knopfs (38) ein vollständiges Schließen der Hauptauslassöffnung (60) der Kammer (14) bewirkt, während die Schaltung (63, 64, 65) die erste Kammer (14) in fluidtechnische Verbindung mit dem Bereich der ersten Leitung (24) oder der zweiten Leitung (26), der dem Verteiler (20) nachgelagert positioniert ist, setzt, und/oder

- der Nocken (34) des Knopfs (38) auch derart ausgestaltet ist, dass das Ventilelement des Ventils (16) bei einer bestimmten Winkelposition des Knopfs (38) ein vollständiges Öffnen der Hauptauslassöffnung (60) der Kammer (14) bewirkt, während die Schaltungen (63, 64, 65; 70, 72, 67, 66) die erste Kammer (14) in fluidtechnische Verbindung mit beiden Bereichen der ersten Leitung (24) und der zweiten Leitung (26), die dem Verteiler (20) nachgelagert positioniert sind, setzen.

15. Thermostat nach einem oder mehreren der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass:

- die erste Austrittsleitung (24) fluidtechnisch mit einem ersten Flammenring eines Brenners (28) verbindbar ist, und dadurch, dass die zweite Austrittsleitung (26) fluidtechnisch mit einem zweiten Flammenring (30) des Brenners verbindbar ist, oder

- die erste Austrittsleitung (24) fluidtechnisch mit einem ersten Brenner (28') verbindbar ist, und dadurch, dass die zweite Austrittsleitung (26) fluidtechnisch mit einem zweiten Brenner (30') verbindbar ist.

Revendications

1. Thermostat (1) pour appareils de cuisson à gaz, comprenant un corps (2) muni d'une entrée (54) pouvant être connectée de manière fluidique à une source d'alimentation en gaz et comportant au moins un premier conduit de sortie (24) et un second conduit de sortie (26) et caractérisé en ce qu'il comprend à l'intérieur dudit corps (2):

- une première chambre (14) placée en communication fluidique avec ladite entrée de gaz (54) et munie d'une ouverture de sortie principale (60),

- une cavité (6) abritant une soupape de sécurité (8), ladite cavité (6) étant interposée de manière fluidique entre ladite entrée de gaz (54) et ladite première chambre (14),

- une deuxième chambre (18) positionnée en aval de ladite première chambre (14) et munie d'une ouverture d'entrée (59) en communication fluidique avec ladite ouverture de sortie principale (60) de ladite première chambre (14),

- une soupape (16) logée dans ladite première chambre (14) et munie d'un curseur coulissant axialement dans cette dernière entre une première position dans laquelle ladite ouverture de sortie principale (60) est fermée et une deuxième position dans laquelle cette dernière est totalement ouverte,

- un élément sensible à la température (42) associé mécaniquement à ladite soupape (16) pour lui faire subir ses mouvements axiaux sur la base de la température mesurée par un bulbe applicable audit appareil de cuisson et contre la réaction élastique de moyens élastiques agissant dans la sens de poussée vers ladite position ouverte de ladite soupape (16),

- moyens (38, 40, 45) pour modifier la position du curseur de ladite soupape (16) par rapport à l'ouverture de ladite sortie principale (60) de ladite première chambre (14) afin de réguler ainsi le courant de gaz qui quitte ladite première chambre (14) par l'ouverture de ladite sortie principale (60) et pénètre dans ladite seconde chambre (18) par ladite ouverture d'entrée (59),

- un distributeur (20) logé dans ladite seconde chambre (18) et mobile entre une première position dans laquelle ladite ouverture d'entrée (59) de ladite seconde chambre (18) communique avec ledit premier conduit de sortie (24) mais pas avec ledit second conduit de sortie (26) et une seconde position dans laquelle ladite ouverture d'entrée (59) de ladite seconde chambre (18) communique avec ledit second conduit de sortie (26) mais pas avec ledit premier conduit de sortie (24),

- des moyens (38, 34, 76) pour déplacer ledit distributeur (20) entre ladite première position et ladite deuxième position,

- au moins un circuit (63, 64, 65; 68, 70, 72, 67, 69) qui, en contournant ladite deuxième chambre (18), met ladite première chambre (14) en communication fluidique avec une région de l'une desdites de sortie (24, 26) positionnés en aval dudit distributeur (20),

dans lequel lesdits moyens (40, 45) pour modifier la position du curseur de ladite soupape (16) et lesdits moyens (34, 76) pour déplacer ledit distributeur (20) sont mis en oeuvre par le même organe de commande (38).

2. Thermostat selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que ledit circuit (63, 64) met ladite première chambre (14) en communication fluidique avec une partie aval dudit distributeur (20) dudit premier conduit (24) ou ledit second conduit (26) comprend au moins une sortie secondaire (63, 68) qui est prévue sur la paroi de ladite première chambre (14) et qui communique via une séquence de passages de gaz (65, 64; 70, 72, 67 , 69), avec une région dudit premier conduit (24) ou dudit second conduit (26) qui est positionnée en aval dudit distributeur (20).

3. Thermostat selon une ou plusieurs des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce que ledit au moins un circuit (63, 64, 65; 68, 70, 72, 67, 69, 66), qui met ladite première chambre (14) en communication fluidique avec une région de l'un desdits conduits de sortie (24, 26) positionnés en aval dudit distributeur (20), comprend des moyens (38, 74, 22) pour provoquer sélectivement une interruption de ladite communication fluidique.

4. Thermostat selon une ou plusieurs des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce que ladite première chambre (14) et ladite seconde chambre (18) comprennent deux cavités correspondantes côte à côte aménagées à l'intérieur dudit corps (2).

5. Thermostat selon une ou plusieurs des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce que ledit élément de commande (38) comprend un bouton de commande (38) qui peut tourner autour d'un axe et qui peut être déplacé axialement le long dudit axe.

6. Thermostat selon une ou plusieurs des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce que ledit bouton (38, 4) comprend des moyens de vissage (40, 45) pour transformer sa rotation en mouvements axiaux du curseur de ladite soupape (16) à travers ledit élément sensible à la température (42).

7. Thermostat selon l'une ou plusieurs des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce que ledit distributeur (20) comprend une tige de commande (22) mobile axialement entre ladite première position et ladite seconde position.

8. Thermostat selon la revendication 5, caractérisé en ce que ledit bouton (38, 4) comprend une came (34) avec une première piste (76) qui coopère avec ledit distributeur (20) pour amener ce dernier à se déplacer entre ledit premier position et ladite deuxième position.

9. Thermostat selon la revendication 5, caractérisé en ce que ledit bouton (38, 4) comprend une came (34) qui coopère avec la tige (22) dudit distributeur (20) pour provoquer le déplacement axial de ladite tige (22) entre ladite première position et ladite deuxième position, et en ce que ledit bouton (38, 4) est configuré de sorte que, en faisant varier sa position angulaire, la position du curseur de ladite soupape (16) soit modifiée.

10. Thermostat selon la revendication 8 ou 9, caractérisé en ce que la came (34) dudit bouton (38) comprend une deuxième piste (74) qui coopère avec une tige associée à ladite soupape de sécurité (8) pour provoquer l'ouverture et la fermeture de ladite soupape (8).

11. Thermostat selon l'une ou plusieurs des revendications 8 à 10, caractérisé en ce que la première piste (76) de ladite came (34) coopère avec ledit distributeur (20) pour provoquer également de manière sélective une interruption de la communication fluidique à l'intérieur de ladite communication fluidique dans ledit circuit (68, 70, 72, 67, 69, 66) qui relie ladite première chambre (14) à une région de l'un desdits conduits de sortie (24, 26) qui est positionné en aval dudit distributeur (20).

12. Thermostat selon l'une ou plusieurs des revendications 8 à 11, caractérisé en ce que la came (34) dudit bouton (38) est configurée de telle sorte que:

- une première étape de rotation du bouton (38) d'une position de 0° à X° provoque le déplacement axial du curseur de ladite soupape (16) à partir d'une position de fermeture de l'ouverture de sortie principale (60) de ladite première chambre (14) dans une position prédéterminée d'ouverture intermédiaire et amène le distributeur (20) à être positionné de manière à mettre en communication fluidique l'ouverture d'entrée (59) de la deuxième chambre (18) avec le premier conduit de sortie (24),

- une deuxième étape de rotation supplémentaire du bouton (38) de X° à Y° provoque le déplacement axial du curseur de ladite soupape (16) de la position d'ouverture intermédiaire à une position d'ouverture maximale, et entraîne le distributeur (20) à être positionné de manière à mettre en communication fluidique l'ouverture d'entrée (59) de la deuxième chambre (18) avec le deuxième conduit de sortie (26).

13. Thermostat selon la revendication 12, caractérisé en ce que, lors de la première et de la deuxième étape de rotation du bouton (38), ledit circuit (63, 64, 65) maintient ladite chambre (14) en communication fluidique avec cette région dudit premier conduit (24) positionnée en aval dudit distributeur (20).

14. Thermostat selon l'une ou plusieurs des revendications 8 à 13, caractérisé en ce que:

- la came (34) dudit bouton (38) est également configurée de telle sorte que, à une certaine position angulaire du bouton (38), l'élément de vannage dudit soupape (16) provoque la fermeture totale de l'ouverture de sortie principale (60) de ladite chambre (14), tandis que ledit circuit (63, 64, 65) met ladite première chambre (14) en communication fluidique avec cette région dudit premier conduit (24) ou dudit second conduit (26), positionnée en aval de ledit distributeur (20), et/ou

- la came (34) dudit bouton (38) est également configurée de telle sorte que, à une certaine position angulaire du bouton (38), l'élément de vannage dudit soupape (16) provoque l'ouverture totale de l'ouverture de sortie principale (60) de ladite chambre (14), tandis que lesdits circuits (63, 64, 65; 70, 72, 67, 66) mettent ladite première chambre (14) en communication fluidique avec les deux régions dudit premier conduit (24) et dudit second conduit (26) positionné en aval dudit distributeur (20).

15. Thermostat selon l'une ou plusieurs des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce que:

- ledit premier conduit de sortie (24) peut être connecté de manière fluidique à un premier anneau de flamme d'un brûleur (28), et que ledit second conduit de sortie (26) peut être connecté de manière fluidique à un second anneau de flamme (30) dudit brûleur, ou

- ledit premier conduit de sortie (24) peut être connecté de manière fluidique à un premier brûleur (28') et que ledit second conduit de sortie (26) peut être connecté de manière fluidique à un second brûleur (30').

Drawing