Rinnai Corporation

Rinnai Corpoartion

Shinichiro Hata

Hiroyuki Yamada

Kazuya Hirota

Atsuhito Gama

A microcomputerof an electronic circuit unitactuates an electric motor (stepping motor)driving a thermal power control valve of a burner during or just after extinguishment of the burner to displace the thermal power control valve to an opening degree position for ignition. In this way, the delay of the start of an ignition process of the burner for an ignition request can be eliminated to start the ignition process promptly.

Gas cooking appliance

A cooking stove that prevents the execution of a process such as ignition of a burner when a touch switch changes from a non-sensing state to a sensing state. In STEP, when a first touch switch, which is one of the touch switches provided in an operation, is turned on from off, the process advances to STEP, where a controller provided in a cooking stove main body starts a 1-second timer. The controller executes a loop composed of STEPand STEP. When a second touch switch, which is one of the touch switches and is different from the first touch switch, is turned on from off in STEPbefore the 1-second timer times up in STEP, the process advances from STEPto STEP. The controller performs 'error reporting' by blinking a display portion and activating a buzzer.

Cooking stove

A cooking stove that prevents a burner from being ignited when a touch switch shifts from a non-sensing to a sensing state. An operation portion having a touch switch is provided on a glass top plate of a cooking stove main body which accommodates burners. The touch switch allowing a user to give instruction on actuation and stoppage of the burners and sensing an object that contacts or approaches the top surface of the glass to plate. Heating control means for determining whether the touch switch is on (a sensing state) or off (a non-sensing state) to control actuation of the heating means. While the burner is at a stop, when the touch switch is turned on and then off again, the heating control means ignites the burner. While the burner is in operation, when the touch switch is turned on, the heating control means extinguishes the burner.

A touch switch which prohibits a child from actuating heating means, while permitting a child to deactivate heating means. A cooking stove including an electrical capacitance operation switchwhich switches the cooking stove between an operation state in which an ignition instruction is enabled and a standby state in which the ignition instruction is disabled; the operation switch is used to instruct the cooking stove to be extinguished. When the cooking stove is inactive, a switch circuitselects a resistance elementoffering a higher resistance to set the cooking stove in a 'lower sensitivity set state' in which the operation switchhas a sensitivity sl. When the cooking stove is active, the switch circuitselects a resistance elementoffering a lower resistance to set the cooking stove in a 'higher sensitivity set state' in which the operation switchhas a sensitivity sh (&#x3e;sl).

A cooking stove which prevents the quantity of heat generated by a gas burner from increasing continuously contrary to the user's expectations, while allowing the user to easily operate the appliance. A cooking stove includes an operation portionhaving touch switches provided on a glass top platecovering a top surface of a cooking stove main bodyaccommodating burnersand, the touch switches allowing a user to give instruction on activation of the burnersand, the touch switches sensing an object that contacts or approaches the top surface of the glass top plate, and a controller for determining whether each of the touch switches is on (sensing state) or off (non-sensing state) to control activation of the burnersandin accordance with the result of the determination. When a thermal power up switch for the burnerin the operation portionis kept on while the burneris in operation, controller increases the thermal power of the burnerby only one level. When a thermal power down switch for the burnerin the operation portionis kept on while the burneris in operation, the controller continuously reduces the thermal power of the burnerby a plurality of levels.

The present invention provides a cooking stove that prevents an instruction from being given using the touch switch owing to a factor different from the user's operation, while hindering the user from having an incongruous or anxious feeling when operating the touch switch. Touch switchestoare provided on a glass top plate covering a top surface of a cooking stove main body accommodating a left burner and a right burner; the touch switchestosense an object that contacts with or approaches the top surface of the glass top plate. When any of the touch switches is turned on and then turned off again, heating controlexecutes a pre-assigned process to the touch switch. When the touch switch is turned on, lighting controlchanges the displays of display sectionstoto ones corresponding to the state of a burner after the process has been executed before executing a pre-assigned process to the touch switch.

When a fluid flow channel is interrupted while an electronic circuit unitincluding a microcomputerand the like receives electric source power, a flow control valve is displaced to a predetermined position closer to a first end of both ends of a motion range of the flow control valve in the fluid flow channel by a stepping motor. When the supply of electric source power is restarted after the supply of electric source power to the electronic circuit unitis stopped, a predetermined number of pulses capable of displacing the flow control valve from the first end to a home position are supplied to the stepping motorto displace the flow control valve to the home position with a second end of both ends of the motion range of the flow control valve being the home position of the flow control valve. Thus, the flow control valve is shifted to the home position while preventing occurrence of a disorder of the stepping motor, abnormal sounds and vibrations, in a simple configuration, without requiring means for detecting arrival of the flow control valve at the home position.

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Shinichiro Hata