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  Overheat prevention apparatus and gas range having the overheat prevention apparatusUSPTO Application #: 20060166154Title: Overheat prevention apparatus and gas range having the overheat prevention apparatus Abstract: An overheat prevention apparatus, in which if the user forgets to turn off a gas range, fire of a burner is automatically extinguished after an operating time set by a user in advance lapses, thereby preventing accidents from occurring. The overheat prevention apparatus includes a thermocouple, which is installed at the burner of the gas range; a magnetic opening/closing unit, which generates a magnetic force due to the thermoelectromotive force of the thermocouple so as to selectively open or close a gas supply passage; and a timer switch, which is installed between an output terminal of the thermocouple and an input terminal of the magnetic opening/closing unit, electrically disconnects circuits the two terminals in an “OFF” status and an end-of-set status, and electrically connects the two terminals while a time setup is maintained. (end of abstract) Agent: Cantor Colburn, LLP - Bloomfield, CT, US Inventor: Jin-Ha Park USPTO Applicaton #: 20060166154 - Class: 431086000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Combustion, Timer, Programmer, Retarder Or Condition Responsive Control, By Manually Started Timer Or Retarder, Or By Time Of Day Device The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060166154. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to an overheat prevention apparatus and a gas range including the same, and more particularly, to an overheat prevention apparatus, in which a timer switch is combined with a magnetic opening/closing unit using a thermocouple so as to ignite a burner only after a time is set using the timer switch; a gas range including the overheat prevention apparatus; an electronic overheat prevention apparatus, which opens a magnetic opening/closing unit when a burner fire is sensed and closes the magnetic opening/closing unit when elapse of a predetermined time or extinction of the burner fire is detected; and a gas range including electronic overheat prevention apparatus. [0002] It can be said that human civilization has been developed with use of fire. With the development of human civilization, fuel used by human beings has been developed. Recently, apparatuses directly using gas (for example, liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and butane gas) as fuel for cooking or heating have been continuously developed. [0003] Such gas fuel has superior thermal efficiency to oil or coal fuel, is easy to treat, and has environmental affinity since it does not cause air pollution. However, gas fuel involves the danger of exploding or causing a fire due to even a small spark. Accordingly, gas ranges are legally obligated to be provided with various safety apparatuses, and products, which are safe against even a user's carelessness, have been developed. Hereinafter, a gas range is defined as including apparatuses, such as a gas range for cooking, a gas stove, and a portable gas range, which are used for cooking or heating using gas as fuel. [0004] In conventional gas ranges, when fire of a burner is extinguished because of overflow of food, strong wind, or user's erroneous use, unburned gas flows out and may cause an accident such as a fire. Conventional gas ranges are designed such that a gas supply passage is maintained open during operation. As a result, gas continuously flows out even if fire of a burner is extinguished during operation. Accordingly, if a user does not turn off gas with a gas control knob, unburned gas continuously flows out through the burner. In this situation, when the user reignites the burner using the gas control knob, it is highly possible that an accident such as an explosion or a fire breaks out due to the gas that has flowed out. BACKGROUND ART [0005] In order to prevent an accident from occurring, a gas range including a magnetic opening/closing unit using a thermocouple has been developed In such a gas range, a thermocouple is installed near a burner. When the burner is ignited, a thermoelectromotive force is generated in the thermocouple. The magnetic opening/closing unit is supplied with the thermoelectromotive force and generates a magnetic force so as to maintain a gas supply passage open. Accordingly, when a user opens the gas supply passage by pressing a gas control knob, gas is supplied to the burner so as to ignite the burner. Thereafter, the magnetic force of the magnetic opening/closing unit, which is generated due to the thermoelectromotive force generated by the thermocouple, replaces the user's pressure so as to maintain the gas passage open. Consequently, when there is fire in the burner, the gas supply passage is maintained open by the magnetic force of the magnetic opening/closing unit even after the user stops pressing the gas control knob. However, when the fire of the burner is extinguished, the thermoelectromotive force of the thermocouple is gone, and thus the magnetic force of the magnetic opening/closing unit is also gone. As a result, the gas supply passage is blocked, and an outflow of gas is prevented. [0006] However, when a user carelessly leaves a gas range, which includes a gas opening/closing unit using a thermocouple, turned on for a long period of time, overheating may cause a fire. For example, when a user forgets to turn off the gas range after turning it on because he/she is absorbed in doing other affairs, food is overheated or burned, which may cause a fire. In order to overcome this problem, conventional technology provides a method using a timer. In the method, a user can selectively set the timer, and a gas supply passage is blocked after time set in the timer lapses. [0007] However, even the method using a timer selectively cannot be completely safe from a user's carelessness. For example, it frequently happens that a user goes out or takes a nap without setting the timer after turning on a gas heater, which causes a fire. [0008] In addition, in a gas opening/closing unit using a thermocouple, even when a burner is ignited, it takes some amount of heating time for the thermocouple to generate a sufficient thermoelectromotive force to allow a magnetic opening/closing unit to maintain a gas supply passage open. When a user stops pressing a gas control knob before this heating time lapses, the gas supply passage is blocked, and fire of a burner is extinguished. This happens frequently. [0009] Moreover, a user needs to visually check fire of a burner in a gas range employing a magnetic opening/closing unit using a thermocouple. However, this checking is very troublesome when the gas range is installed at a much lower place than the normal height of the user's eyes. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION [0010] The present invention provides an overheat prevention apparatus, through which a timer switch is installed in a gas range including a magnetic opening/closing unit using a thermocouple so as to allow the gas range to operate only after time is set using the timer switch, and a gas supply passage is blocked after the time lapses, thereby preventing accidents such as explosion and fire from occurring due to user's carelessness, and a gas range including the overheat prevention apparatus. [0011] The present invention provides an electronic overheat prevention apparatus, which intercepts the supply of gas after predetermined time has lapsed since burner fire was sensed regardless of user's operation, thereby preventing accidents, and which provides a sufficient electromotive force to allow a magnetic opening/closing unit to maintain a gas supply passage open immediately after burner fire is sensed and allows the burner fire to be easily checked outside, and a gas range including the electronic overheat prevention apparatus. [0012] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an overheat prevention apparatus including a thermocouple, which is installed at a burner of a gas range and generates a thermoelectromotive force due to burner fire; a magnetic opening/closing unit, which generates a magnetic force due to the thermoelectromotive force of the thermocouple so as to selectively open or close a gas supply passage; and a timer switch, which is installed between one output terminal of the thermocouple and one input terminal of the magnetic opening/closing unit, electrically disconnects circuits the two terminals in an "OFF" status and an end-of-set status, and electrically connects the two terminals while a time setup is maintained. [0013] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gas range including a burner, which generates fire by burning gas; and an overheat prevention apparatus. The overheat prevention apparatus includes a thermocouple, which is installed at the burner and generates a thermoelectromotive force due to burner fire; a magnetic opening/closing unit, which generates a magnetic force due to the thermoelectromotive force of the thermocouple so as to selectively open or close a gas supply passage through which the gas is supplied to the burner; and a timer switch, which is installed between one of two output terminals of the thermocouple and one of two input terminals of the magnetic opening/closing unit, electrically disconnects circuits the two terminals in an "OFF" status and an end-of-set status, and electrically connects the two terminals while a time setup is maintained. [0014] The gas range may be a gas range for cooking, which uses liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG) as fuel. The gas range for cooking may include a plurality of burners; a plurality of thermocouples for the respective burners; and a plurality of magnetic opening/closing units corresponding to the plurality of thermocouples, respectively. The timer switch may includes a plurality of switches, each of which electrically connects or disconnects one of two output terminals of each thermocouple and one of two input terminals of a magnetic opening/closing unit corresponding to the thermocouple, the timer switch turning off all of the switches in the "OFF" status and the end-of-set status and turning on all of the switches while the time setup is maintained. [0015] The gas range may be a gas stove using LPG or LNG as fuel. [0016] The gas range may be a portable gas range using portable butane gas as fuel. [0017] According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic overheat prevention apparatus for safely opening or closing a gas supply passage of a gas range including at least one burner. The electronic overheat prevention apparatus includes a power supply unit, which supplies direct current (DC) power having a predetermined electromotive force; at least one thermal sensor, which senses heat of a corresponding burner and generates a thermoelectromotive force; an input button unit, which receives an operating time control signal for each burner from a user; at least one magnetic opening/closing unit, which maintains a gas supply passage to a corresponding burner when a electromagnetic force is maintained and closes the gas supply passage when the electromagnetic force is lost; a digit display unit, which displays an operating time for each burner in digits; and a control circuit unit, which controls a electromagnetic force to be supplied to each magnetic opening/closing unit when a thermoelectromotive force of a thermal sensor corresponding to the magnetic opening/closing unit exceeds a predetermined threshold value, controls the electromagnetic force supplied to the magnetic opening/closing unit to be intercepted when an operating time lapses or when the thermoelectromotive force of the thermal sensor does not exceed a predetermined threshold value, and controls and manages an operating time of each burner, which is generated by adjusting a predetermined reference operating time according to the operating time control signal, as time flows. When the operating time control signal for a burner is not received from the input button unit, the control circuit unit controls a electromagnetic force, which is supplied to a magnetic opening/closing unit corresponding to the burner, to be intercepted after the predetermined reference operating time lapses. [0018] According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gas range including a gas supply unit, which supplied gas; at least one burner, which generates fire by burning the supplied gas; and an electronic overheat prevention apparatus. The electronic overheat prevention apparatus includes a power supply unit, which supplies DC power having a predetermined electromotive force; at least one thermal sensor, which senses heat of a corresponding burner and generates a thermoelectromotive force; an input button unit, which receives an operating time control signal for each burner from a user; at least one magnetic opening/closing unit, which maintains a gas supply passage to a corresponding burner when a electromagnetic force is maintained and closes the gas supply passage when the electromagnetic force is lost; a digit display unit, which displays an operating time for each burner in digits; and a control circuit unit, which controls a electromagnetic force to be supplied to each magnetic opening/closing unit when a thermoelectromotive force of a thermal sensor corresponding to the magnetic opening/closing unit exceeds a predetermined threshold value, controls the electromagnetic force supplied to the magnetic opening/closing unit to be intercepted when an operating time lapses or when the thermoelectromotive force of the thermal sensor does not exceed a predetermined threshold value, and controls and manages an operating time of each burner, which is generated by adjusting a predetermined reference operating time according to the operating time control signal, as time flows. When the operating time control signal for a burner is not received from the input button unit, the control circuit unit controls a electromagnetic force, which is supplied to a magnetic opening/closing unit corresponding to the burner, to be intercepted after the predetermined reference operating time lapses. [0019] The control circuit unit may include a thermoelectromotive amplifier, which amplifies a thermoelectromotive force received from each thermal sensor and turns on a thermal detection signal when the amplified thermoelectromotive force exceeds a predetermined threshold value; a clock oscillator, which generates a clock signal; a microcomputer, which turns on a burner control signal in order to control a electromagnetic force to be supplied to a magnetic opening/closing unit corresponding to the thermal sensor when the thermal detection signal is turned on, gradually decreases the reference operating time or the operating time of each burner according to time information managed by the clock signal of the clock oscillator, and turns off the burner control signal in order to control the electromagnetic force, supplied to the magnetic opening/closing unit, to be intercepted when the reference operating time or the operating time reaches 0 or when the thermal detection signal is turned off; and a digit formation signal generator, which receives reference operating time data or operating time data of each burner from the microcomputer, generates a digit formation signal corresponding to the received data, and transmits the digit formation signal to the digit display unit. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0020] FIG. 1 illustrates the structure of an overheat prevention apparatus of a gas range, according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Continue reading... Full patent description for Overheat prevention apparatus and gas range having the overheat prevention apparatus Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Overheat prevention apparatus and gas range having the overheat prevention apparatus patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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