Domestic gas appliance with flame control

Abstract

A domestic gas appliance is disclosed. In one implementation the appliance includes a burner and a gas control valve situated to deliver and vary a flow of a gas to the burner. The gas control valve has an actuator that induces an opening and/or closing of the flow control valve dependent on a control signal delivered to the actuator. A control device is electrically coupled to the actuator and is used to control the opening and closing of the gas control valve. The control device is coupled to an audio input and is configured to receive an analog sound signal and to generate the control signal based on the analog sound signal. A method of modulating a flame in a burner of a domestic gas appliance is also disclosed. In one implementation the method includes producing an analog sound signal and subsequently creating a reference signal based on the analog sound signal. A control signal is produced using the reference signal with the relationship between the reference signal and the control signal being linear, logarithmic or potential. The control signal is delivered to an actuator of a gas control valve that is situated to control the flow of gas to the burner, the control signal acting upon the actuator to cause the actuator to open and/or close to modulate the flame in the burner.

1 . A domestic gas appliance comprising:
 a burner,   a gas control valve, when coupled to a gas source, situated to deliver a flow of the gas to the burner, the gas control valve having an actuator that induces an opening and/or closing of the flow control valve; and   a control device electrically coupled to the actuator to control the opening and closing of the gas control valve, the control device coupled to an audio input and configured to receive an analog sound signal and to generate a control signal based on the analog sound signal deliverable to the actuator to cause the actuator to induce a modulation of a flame in the burner.   
     
     
         2 . The domestic appliance according to  claim 1 , wherein the control signal is an analog signal. 
     
     
         3 . The domestic gas appliance according to  claim 1 , wherein the control signal is a digital signal. 
     
     
         4 . The domestic gas appliance according to  claim 1 , further comprising an amplifier that is configured to regulate the gain of the analog sound signal prior to the analog sound signal being received in the control device. 
     
     
         5 . The domestic gas appliance according to  claim 4 , further comprising an adaptation stage that is configured to receive the analog sound signal from the amplifier and to generate a reference signal to be delivered to the control device, the reference signal based on the analog sound signal. 
     
     
         6 . The domestic gas appliance according to  claim 1 , further comprising an adaptation stage that is configured to receive the analog sound signal and to generate a reference signal to be delivered to the control device, the reference signal based on the analog sound signal. 
     
     
         7 . The domestic gas appliance according to  claim 1 , further comprising an input adapted for connection to a sound generating device to receive the analog sound signal. 
     
     
         8 . The domestic gas appliance according to  claim 1 , further comprising an integrated sound generating device that is configured to generate the analog sound signal. 
     
     
         9 . The domestic gas appliance according to  claim 3 , further comprising a driver that is configured to receive the control signal and which generates therefrom a square wave current signal deliverable to the actuator, the opening and closing of the gas control valve being regulated in accordance with the duty-cycle of the square wave current signal 
     
     
         10 . The domestic gas appliance according to  claim 6 , wherein the control device is configurable to act upon the reference signal so that the relationship between the reference signal and the control signal is linear. 
     
     
         11 . The domestic gas appliance according to  claim 6 , wherein the control device is configurable to act upon the reference signal so that the relationship between the reference signal and the control signal is logarithmic. 
     
     
         12 . The domestic gas appliance according to  claim 6 , wherein the control device is configurable to act upon the reference signal so that the relationship between the reference signal and the control signal is potential. 
     
     
         13 . The domestic gas appliance according to  claim 1 , wherein the actuator comprises a voice-coil type actuator that when operated operates at frequencies of about 30 Hz or greater. 
     
     
         14 . The domestic gas appliance according to  claim 1 , wherein the burner comprises a plurality of combustion areas, the appliance comprising a plurality of gas control valves, one gas control valve for each combustion area. 
     
     
         15 . The domestic gas appliance according to  claim 14 , wherein the control device is adapted to generate a separate control signal, one for each of the plurality of gas control valves. 
     
     
         16 . The domestic gas appliance according to  claim 6 , wherein the control device is configured to automatically act upon the reference signal to establish either a linear, a logarithmic or a potential relationship between the reference signal and the control signal. 
     
     
         17 . The domestic gas appliance according to  claim 6 , further comprising a user interface coupled to the control device and selectable between an automatic mode and a manual mode, in the automatic mode the control device configured to automatically act upon the reference signal to establish either a linear, a logarithmic or a potential relationship between the reference signal and the control signal, in the manual mode the control device configured to act upon the reference signal to establish either a linear, a logarithmic or a potential relationship between the reference signal and the control signal based on a manual selection of a user of the gas appliance. 
     
     
         18 . A kit for incorporation into a domestic gas appliance having a burner, the kit comprising:
 a gas control valve connectable between a gas source and the burner, the gas control valve having an actuator that induces an opening and/or closing of the gas control valve; and   a control device electrically coupled to the actuator to control the opening and closing of the gas control valve, the control device coupled to an audio input and configured to receive an analog sound signal and to generate a control signal based on the analog sound signal deliverable to the actuator to cause the actuator to open and/or close for the purpose of inducing a modulation of a flame in the burner.   
     
     
         19 . The kit according to  claim 18 , wherein the control signal is an analog signal. 
     
     
         20 . The kit according to  claim 18 , wherein the control signal is a digital signal. 
     
     
         21 . The kit according to  claim 18 , further comprising an amplifier that is configured to regulate the gain of the analog sound signal prior to the analog sound signal being received in the control device. 
     
     
         22 . The kit according to  claim 21 , further comprising an adaptation stage that is configured to receive the analog sound signal from the amplifier and to generate a reference signal to be delivered to the control device, the reference signal based on the analog sound signal. 
     
     
         23 . The kit according to  claim 18 , further comprising an adaptation stage that is configured to receive the analog sound signal and to generate a reference signal to be delivered to the control device, the reference signal based on the analog sound signal. 
     
     
         24 . The kit according to  claim 18 , further comprising an input adapted for connection to a sound generating device to receive the analog sound signal. 
     
     
         25 . The kit according to  claim 18 , further comprising an integrated sound generating device that is configured to generate the analog sound signal. 
     
     
         26 . The kit according to  claim 20 , further comprising a driver that is configured to receive the control signal and which generates therefrom a square wave current signal deliverable to the actuator, the opening and closing of the gas control valve being regulated in accordance with the duty-cycle of the square wave current signal 
     
     
         27 . The kit according to  claim 23 , wherein the control device is configurable to act upon the reference signal so that the relationship between the reference signal and the control signal is linear. 
     
     
         28 . The kit according to  claim 23 , wherein the control device is configurable to act upon the reference signal so that the relationship between the reference signal and the control signal is logarithmic. 
     
     
         29 . The kit according to  claim 23 , wherein the control device is configurable to act upon the reference signal so that the relationship between the reference signal and the control signal is potential. 
     
     
         30 . The kit according to  claim 18 , wherein the actuator comprises a voice-coil type actuator that when operated operates at frequencies of about 30 Hz or greater. 
     
     
         31 . The kit according to  claim 18 , wherein the burner comprises a plurality of combustion areas, the appliance comprising a plurality of gas control valves, one gas control valve for each combustion area. 
     
     
         32 . The kit according to  claim 31 , wherein the control device is adapted to generate a separate control signal, one for each of the plurality of gas control valves. 
     
     
         33 . The kit according to  claim 23 , wherein the control device is configured to automatically act upon the reference signal to establish either a linear, a logarithmic or a potential relationship between the reference signal and the control signal. 
     
     
         34 . The kit according to  claim 23 , further comprising a user interface coupled to the control device and selectable between an automatic mode and a manual mode, in the automatic mode the control device configured to automatically act upon the reference signal to establish either a linear, a logarithmic or a potential relationship between the reference signal and the control signal, in the manual mode the control device configured to act upon the reference signal to establish either a linear, a logarithmic or a potential relationship between the reference signal and the control signal based on a manual selection of a user of the gas appliance. 
     
     
         35 . A method of modulating a flame in a burner of a domestic gas appliance, the method comprising:
 producing an analog sound signal,   creating a reference signal based on the analog sound signal,   acting on the reference signal to create a control signal, the reference signal being acted upon to establish either a linear, a logarithmic or a potential relationship between the reference signal and the control signal; and   delivering the control signal to an actuator of a gas control valve that is situated to control the flow of gas to the burner, the control signal acting upon the actuator to cause the actuator to open and/or close to modulate the flame in the burner.   
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35 , further comprising regulating the gain of the analog sound signal prior to creating the reference signal.