Cooking apparatus for cooking food by a barbecue grilling method, comprises an outer housing receiving an inner housing which defines a heating volume. A chamber for pressurised air is defined between the outer and inner housings. Apertures in the inner housing allow pressurised air to exit the chamber into the heating volume. At least one burner is located in the inner housing. A combustible fuel/air mixture is supplied to the burner and this is separate from the supply of pressurised air to the chamber. A cooking surface is placed across the top of the heating volume to support food to be cooked.

A knob assembly includes a front panel, a knob located at a front side of the front panel and configured to rotate based on operation by a user, a knob shaft that is coupled to the knob and that extends through the front panel, a supporting pipe that receives the knob shaft and that supports the knob shaft, the supporting pipe being configured to maintain a position relative to the front panel, a valve configured to control supply of gas to the appliance, a valve shaft connected to the valve and configured to control the valve to adjust a flow rate of gas based on rotation of the valve shaft, and a joint that couples the knob shaft to the valve shaft and that is configured to transfer at least one of a rotational motion or a linear motion of the knob shaft to the valve shaft.

A gas burner system has a gas burner with a conduit through which an air-gas mixture is conducted; a variable-speed forced-air device that forces air through the conduit; a control valve that controls a supply of gas for mixture with the air to thereby form the air-gas mixture; and an electrode configured to ignite the air-gas mixture so as to produce a flame. The electrode is further configured to measure a flame ionization current associated with the flame. A controller is configured to actively control the variable-speed forced-air device based on the flame ionization current measured by the electrode so as to automatically avoid a flame harmonic mode of the gas burner. Corresponding methods are provided.

A gas appliance includes a burner, a gas valve, an ignitor, a thermocouple, and a control device, wherein the control device is adapted to execute a control method comprising the following steps: controlling the ignitor to ignite and the gas valve to open; receiving a sensing voltage output from the thermocouple; stop the ignitor from igniting and controlling the gas valve to keep a gas pipe be in an open state when the sensing voltage increases to a first voltage; receiving the sensing voltage output from the thermocouple continuously, and controlling the gas valve to block the gas pipe when the sensing voltage decreases from higher than a second voltage to lower than the second voltage, wherein the second voltage is higher than the first voltage. Whereby, an ignition procedure could be speeded up and the gas could be blocked earlier as the flames are extinguished.

A heater structure includes a heater body including a burner connected to a valve switch. A pilot fire assembly is covered by a protective cover that has ventilation holes. A switch unit includes an ignition switch, a shut-down switch, an ignition operator, and a shut-down operator. The ignition operator and the shut-down operator are structured to provide a swingable arrangement. The ignition operator may be operated to contact and press the fuel gas valve rod and the ignition switch to open the valve switch for supply fuel gas to the burner and to activate an ignition circuit to cause successive shootings of an ignition pin of the pilot fire assembly to set a flame on the burner. The shut-down operator is operated to contact and press the shut-down switch, so as to cut off a signal of the thermocouple and thus cut off the supply of the fuel gas.

A knob assembly includes a front panel, a knob located at a front side of the front panel and configured to rotate based on operation by a user, a knob shaft that is coupled to the knob and that extends through the front panel, a supporting pipe that receives the knob shaft and that supports the knob shaft, the supporting pipe being configured to maintain a position relative to the front panel, a valve configured to control supply of gas to the appliance, a valve shaft connected to the valve and configured to control the valve to adjust a flow rate of gas based on rotation of the valve shaft, and a joint that couples the knob shaft to the valve shaft and that is configured to transfer at least one of a rotational motion or a linear motion of the knob shaft to the valve shaft.

Systems and methods for leak detection and remote, non-intrusive, automatic shutoff in residential regulators are provided. Such systems and methods can include a shutoff device that includes a mounting bracket for mounting on a supply container, a linking device for coupling to a knob of a valve of a regulator of the supply container, and an actuator for, responsive to a control signal, automatically rotating the linking device, which rotates the knob, which rotates the valve from an on position to an off position. In some embodiments, a leak sensor can detect a presence of a fuel leak and, responsive thereto, transmit the control signal to the actuator, and in some embodiments, a position sensor can determine that a current position of the valve is indicative of the on position and, responsive thereto, transmit the control signal to the actuator.

A gas valve unit to be connected to a gas source includes a body having an inlet, a main chamber in the body communicating with the inlet and having a main outlet communicating with the outlet of the gas valve unit, a disc-shaped element in the main chamber with one or more openings putting the main chamber in communication with the main outlet hole and rotatable between a closing position, where the main outlet hole is entirely covered by the disc-shaped element, and at least two opening positions in which the one or more openings face, at least in part, the main outlet hole to enable gas passage from the main chamber to the main outlet hole via the through opening, and a control unit associated causing the snapping rotation of the disc-shaped element between the closing position and an opening position, and between the at least two opening positions.

A fuel supply system for a gas burner assembly includes an eductor for providing a mixed flow of fuel into a fuel chamber of the gas burner assembly. The eductor includes a suction chamber defining a suction inlet, a motive nozzle positioned within the suction chamber, and an eductor outlet positioned proximate an inlet to the fuel chamber. A fuel supply provides a first flow of fuel through a first fuel supply conduit to the suction inlet and a second flow of fuel through a second fuel supply conduit to the motive nozzle. A fuel pump is operably coupled to the second fuel supply conduit for increasing a pressure of the second flow of fuel such that the second flow generates a negative pressure within the suction chamber to increase the first flow of fuel.

A system and a method is described for remotely controlling gas consumption by a power vented gas-fired water heater to reduce consumption of gas by a consumer connected to a gas distribution bank network of a gas provider during overload periods where gas demand is at a peak. The system comprises a consumer controller in communication with the gas provider whereby the controller can operate a modulating gas control valve either directly or through the control of the fan speed of a power vented blower to reduce the supply of gas to the burner of the gas-fired water heater when asked by the provider to do so. Temperature sensors are associated with the water holding tank of the gas-fired water heater to feed water temperature signals to a computer of the controller whereby to enable the controller to execute informed corrective action for the reduction in gas consumption by regulating the gas control valve to reduce the supply of gas to the burner of the water heater.