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 method and apparatus for a gas burner head with at least a first burner region and a second burner region, an ignitor located near the gas burner, and a burner drive that is configured to generate relative rotation between the first and second burner regions of the gas burner to transfer a flame between the first and second burner regions during the relative rotation.

A method and apparatus for a gas burner head with at least a first burner region and a second burner region, an ignitor located near the gas burner, and a burner drive that is configured to generate relative rotation between the first and second burner regions of the gas burner to transfer a flame between the first and second burner regions during the relative rotation.

A device is provided for controlling the ignition of gas burners of a domestic cooking appliance. The device includes an electric switch with an insulating casing that carries a pair of fixed electric contacts. A movable body carries a movable electric contact that cooperates with the fixed electric contacts. The movable body is displaceable with respect to the casing between an open position and a closed position. An elastic element elastically pushes movable body toward the open position. A flexible cable has a first end that is anchored to the movable body and a second end that is anchored to a fixed support. A plurality of actuating members is associated with respective gas taps and have movable elements that cooperate with respective sections of the flexible cable. Each actuating member can bend a respective portion of the flexible cable into corrugated shape during the opening of the respective gas tap.

A cooking device is provided. The cooking device includes a frame that forms a cooking chamber; a burner provided inside the frame and having a plurality of gas outlet holes; an ignition unit provided inside the frame to ignite a mixed gas discharged from at least one of the plurality of gas outlet holes; and a fixing device to affix a position of the ignition unit with respect to the burner.

Gas cooking appliance including at least one burner and an ignition device configured to ignite the burner. The ignition device includes a pulse generator configured to send at least one electric pulse for the purpose of generating a spark to ignite the burner. The cooking appliance also includes a flame detector configured to detect the presence/absence of a flame in the burner. The pulse generator is in electrical contact with a part of the burner and the flame detector is connected to ground. The cooking appliance further includes insulating means that insulates the burner with respect to ground, such that when the pulse generator sends at least one electric pulse, an electric spark capable of igniting the burner is generated between the burner and the flame detector.

A switch assembly for controlling the ignition of gas burners of a cooking appliance having one or more gas valves. The switch assembly includes at least one first support member, operably couplable to a first gas valve, a spring biased ignition switch operably mountable to the at least one first support member, and an actuating member, having a longitudinal axis and operably couplable to at least the first gas valve between the at least one first support member and at least a control knob of at least the first gas valve. The actuating member is adapted to move between a first position, actuatingly engaged with the ignition switch, and a second position, actuatingly disengaged from the ignition switch, wherein the actuating member is moved towards the first position by at least the control knob, and back towards the second position by the spring biased ignition switch.

Systems and methods for radiative heat transfer are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, an infrared heater comprises infrared heating elements and a controller. The infrared heating elements correspond to respective heating zones. The controller causes the infrared heating elements to turn on at different time in succession such that respective heating zones are radiatively heated at different times. In some instances, the respective heating zones correspond to different heating zones of a user, and the user feels a heating wave effect as the infrared heating elements are turned on and off at different times.

Hot surface igniter assemblies used in cooktops are shown and described. The hot surface igniters include a silicon nitride ceramic body with an embedded, resistive, heat-generating circuit. When energized, the circuit generates temperatures in excess of 2000° F. in under 4 seconds to ignite cooking gas such as natural gas. To prevent damage to the igniter during use or cleaning, an insulator assembly is provided which protects the distal end of the igniter ceramic body from damage while still exposing it to the cooking gas flow from the burner. In addition, a number of different terminal connection schemes for connecting the igniters to a power source are shown and described.

An igniter assembly for a gas cooking appliance is disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the igniter assembly may have an igniter that can be removed from and/or inserted into an igniter socket through a surface of a cooking appliance without having to remove the surface of the cooking appliance. Accordingly, when the surface is being cleaned after cooking applications, the igniter can be removed from the surface, thereby eliminating any potential damage to the igniter and allowing the surface to be thoroughly cleaned. After cleaning, the igniter can then be re-inserted into the igniter socket through the surface of the cooking appliance without having to remove the surface of the cooking appliance.