ENERGY HARVESTING BURNER FOR COOKTOP

Abstract

A gas burner appliance for recycling wasted heat from a heating process and for distributing heat evenly to a vessel or product. A housing and a plate supported by the housing are provided for directly collecting wasted heat. A burner arm is also supported by the housing and disposed above the plate for receiving and combusting premixed fuel for uniformly distributing heat to the plate. An electric motor or a Stirling engine is supported by the housing and a gearless direct drive mechanism or chain and sprocket connect the motor to the burner arm. A thermal electric generator generates electricity directly from heat of the plate and can provide at least some of the generated electricity to the motor. A cutoff mechanism is operatively connected to the motor and to the thermal electric generator for detecting when no electricity is generated and for cutting off gas flow upon sensing that condition.

Claims

1. A gas burner appliance for recycling wasted heat from a gas-fueled heating process and for distributing heat evenly to a vessel or product, comprising: a) a housing; b) a plate for directly collecting wasted heat, the plate supported by the housing; c) a burner arm supported by the housing and disposed above the plate for receiving and combusting premixed fuel for uniformly distributing heat to the plate; d) a motor supported by the housing; e) drive means operatively connecting the motor to the burner arm; and f) a thermal electric generator for generating electricity directly from heat of the plate and for providing at least some electricity to the motor for the operation thereof.

2. The gas burner appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the drive means comprises a chain and sprocket.

3. The gas burner appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the drive means is a direct drive.

4. The gas burner appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the motor is an electric motor.

5. The gas burner appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the motor is a Stirling engine.

6. The gas burner appliance in accordance with claim 1, further comprising an inlet for providing combustible gas to the gas burner appliance.

7. The gas burner appliance in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a gas/air mixing component operatively connected to the burner arm for premixing fuel prior to the combustion thereof.

8. The gas burner appliance in accordance with claim 1, wherein the gas burner appliance is disposed on a gas stove.

9. The gas burner appliance in accordance with claim 1, further comprising: g) cutoff means operatively connected to the motor and to the thermal electric generator for detecting when no electricity is generated and for cutting off gas flow when that condition is sensed.

10. A gas burner appliance for recycling wasted heat from a gas-fueled heating process and for distributing heat evenly to a vessel or product, comprising: a) a rotatable burner arm for receiving and combusting premixed fuel; b) a plate disposed below the burner arm for directly collecting wasted heat; c) a motor for rotating the rotatable burner arm; and d) a thermal electric generator proximate the plate for generating electricity directly from heat of the plate and for providing at least some electricity to the motor for the operation thereof.

11. The gas burner appliance in accordance with claim 10, wherein the motor is an electric motor.

12. The gas burner appliance in accordance with claim 10, wherein the motor is a Stirling engine.

13. The gas burner appliance in accordance with claim 10, further comprising: e) an inlet for providing combustible gas to the gas burner appliance.

14. The gas burner appliance in accordance with claim 10, further comprising e) a gas/air mixing component operatively connected to the burner arm for premixing fuel prior to the combustion thereof.

14. The gas burner appliance in accordance with claim 10, wherein the gas burner appliance is disposed on a gas stove.

15. The gas burner appliance in accordance with claim 10, further comprising: e) a chain and sprocket linkage between the electric motor and the rotatable burner arm.

16. The gas burner appliance in accordance with claim 10, further comprising: e) an inlet for providing the combustible gas to the gas burner appliance.

17. The gas burner appliance in accordance with claim 10, wherein the gas burner appliance is disposed on a gas stove.

18. The gas burner appliance in accordance with claim 10, wherein the motor is an electric motor.

19. The gas burner appliance in accordance with claim 10, wherein the motor is a Stirling engine.

20. The gas burner appliance in accordance with claim 10, further comprising: g) cutoff means operatively connected to the motor and to the thermal electric generator for detecting when no electricity is generated and for cutting off gas flow when that condition is sensed.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] A complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the accompanying drawings, when considered in conjunction with the subsequent detailed description, in which:

[0030] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross sectional diagram of a burner with housing and mechanical and electrical parts in accordance with the present invention;

[0031] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross sectional diagram of a burner with housing and direct drive in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

[0032] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the burner with housing and direct drive shown in FIG. 2;

[0033] FIG. 4 is another perspective view of the burner with housing and direct drive motor shown in FIG. 2;

[0034] FIG. 5 is a schematic cross sectional diagram of a burner with housing, Stirling engine, and chain and sprocket drive in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

[0035] FIG. 6 is a perspective top view of the housing shown in FIG. 5;

[0036] FIG. 7 is a perspective side view of the housing and chain and sprocket drive shown in FIG. 5;

[0037] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the housing and a gear drive; and

[0038] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a gas burner system including a processor for shutting off gas supply under certain conditions.

[0039] Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0040] Although the following detailed description contains specific details for the purposes of illustration, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that variations and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments of the invention described below are set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claimed invention.

[0041] In accordance with one aspect of this invention, a gas burner appliance is provided for recycling wasted heat from a heating process and for distributing heat evenly to a vessel or product. A housing and a plate supported by the housing are provided for directly collecting wasted heat. An electric motor or a Stirling engine is supported by the housing. A cutoff mechanism is operatively connected to the motor and to the thermal electric generator for detecting when no electricity is generated and for cutting off gas flow upon sensing that condition. In accordance with another aspect of this invention a thermal energy generator (TEG) is used to harvest the heat that is not readily absorbed by the cook vessel or item. This burner is not limited to this specific form of electrical generation and may include metals/alloys or other mechanics of converting forms of energy into electricity.

[0042] Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a schematic block diagram of the burner appliance, generally shown as reference numeral 10, of the present invention. A burner housing 12 attaches to a cooktop, not shown, by one of a variety of means well known to those skilled in the art. Housing 12 contains and supports the components of the burner 10, described in greater detail hereinbelow.

[0043] Disposed below rotating burner arm 16 is a plate 18 constructed of ceramic material in the preferred embodiment, although any suitable heat-conveying material can be used. Burner arm 16 can rotate while it combusts a gas and air mixture, not shown. The rotation of burner arm 16 applies substantially uniform heat directly to plate 18.

[0044] Plate 18 aids in transferring wasted heat to a thermal energy generator (TEG) 20 that produces electricity from wasted heat energy. TEG 20 utilizes heat traveling from one side of the device to a cold side in accordance with the Seebeck thermoelectric effect to create electricity. TEG 20 is shown in FIG. 1 beneath burner arm 16, but TEG 20 may be placed at any appropriate, functionally equivalent location and still be within the scope of the invention. A suitable TEG device sold under the trademark EverGen is available from II-IV Marlow Company in Dallas, Tex.

[0045] A motor 22 is also located in housing 12. In the preferred embodiment, motor 22 is preferably a 3-6-volt DC high torque motor manufactured by Tinkering Supplies Company as Model No. H04469-01J, but motor 22 need not be electric. For example, a Stirling engine, discussed in greater detail hereinbelow with reference to FIG. 5, can be used in an alternate embodiment and is still within the scope of the present invention.

[0046] Connecting motor 22 to burner arm 16 is a linkage 24, preferably a chain and sprocket manufactured by McMaster-Carr Company as Model Nos. 6789K47 and 7142k1. Alternatively, a direct drive 22 and burner arm 16 can be provided to accomplish the same task: rotating burner arm 16 above plate 18 to provide uniform heat thereto. Other linkages can be used, as are well known to those skilled in the art, but a gearless linkage is preferred, as it requires less power to activate than do gears.

[0047] Disposed beneath housing 12, as part of a stove or cooktop, is a gas/air mixing component 26 for mixing fuel and supplying the fuel to burner arm 16, which combusts the fuel for proper operation of burner 10. Supplying gas to gas/air mixing component 26 is a gas inlet 28. Gas/air mixing component 26 is preferably manufactured by CTM-Corp. for this invention.

[0048] Referring now also to FIG. 2, there is shown a schematic cross sectional diagram of burner 10 with housing 12 and direct drive in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Electric motor 22 is a 3-6-volt DC high torque motor in this embodiment, but it should be understood that another suitable electric motor can also be chosen without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0049] Referring now also to FIG. 3, there is shown a perspective view of burner 10 with housing 12 and direct drive shown in FIG. 2. The use of direct drive is relevant to the direct generation of electricity via the heating process and the disclosed design of burner 10. A direct relationship exists between the cooking or heating process and the direct generation of electricity which can directly be utilized by an electrical device.

[0050] Referring now also to FIG. 4, there is shown another perspective view of burner 10 with housing 12 and direct drive motor shown in FIG. 2. The simple direct drive design of this embodiment allows for compact dimensions, the least amount of moving parts, and the most economical manufacturing, negating the need for any gears, chains, or belts.

[0051] Referring now also to FIG. 5, there is shown a schematic cross sectional diagram of burner 10 with housing 12, a Stirling engine 30, and chain and sprocket drive 32 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. A Stirling engine is a heat engine operated by a cyclic compression and expansion of gas at different temperatures, converting heat energy to mechanical work. Stirling engine 30 runs directly on any available heat source 16 and is a viable alternative to an electric motor when a source of electricity is not available at or near the inventive energy harvesting burner apparatus 10. In the preferred embodiment, a miniature Stirling engine 30 is a Model No. DLTD-203 manufactured by the DjuiinoStar Inc.

[0052] Referring now also to FIG. 6, there is shown a perspective top view of housing 12 shown in FIG. 5, demonstrating how this design allows for complete freedom of burner arm 16 to rotate without interference from other objects.

[0053] Referring now also to FIG. 7, there is shown a perspective side view of housing 12 and chain and sprocket drive 32 shown in FIG. 5. Optimally the chain and sprocket drive would be manufactured with low resistance metals that are designed for durability.

[0054] Referring now also to FIG. 8, there is shown a perspective view of housing 10 and a gear drive 34 connecting the output of Stirling engine 30 to plate 16. In the best situation, the housing 12 and gear drive 34 are manufactured with a light and durable metal for long operation.

[0055] In operation, combustible gas (not shown) is introduced into the burner gas inlet 28. As gas rises to gas/air mixing component 26, it is allowed to mix with room air (not shown). The premixed gas/air mixture enters housing 12. When gas/air mixture leaves orifices of burner arm 16, it is combusted and used for heating applications.

[0056] Due to the inefficiencies of the heating process, TEG 20 is utilized. Plate 18, secured above TEG 20, becomes hot, collecting wasted heat. Electricity generated by TEG 20 is applied to electric motor 22, which turns linkage 24 connected to rotating burner arm 16 for rotation thereof.

[0057] Referring now to FIG. 9, there is shown a block diagram of gas burner system 10 including a processor for shutting off gas supply under certain conditions. Specifically, burner 10 generates electricity when heat below the cooking vessel builds up enough to pass through TEG generators and thus generate current. When the cooking vessel is not on the stove, the majority of heat is lost to the environment and hence not passed through TEG generator, so a simple electronic control senses that electricity is being generated (i.e., the burner turns) and senses that electricity is not being produced. A simple 0.25 volt signal generated=on, 0.0 volt signal generated=off. When the electrical control moves from on to off, a signal is sent to gas control and triggers it to close, thus cutting off the gas supply. This is a simple and direct call and response method when processor detects a lack of electrical input and thus produces a shut off of the gas supply.

[0058] It can be appreciated that the inventive technology reduces the amount of gas used by the user, making the burner an energy saver for both home and commercial applications. Since the intent is to reduce the amount of heat delivered to the pan bottom, this rotary burner uses less gas than conventional simmer burners, resulting in cost savings and reduced use of natural resources. In addition, due to the rotating heating body, the burner provides improved evenness of cooking, saving food loss.

[0059] All references throughout this application, for example patent documents including issued or granted patents or equivalents; patent application publications; and non-patent literature documents or other source material; are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties, as though individually incorporated by reference, to the extent each reference is at least partially not inconsistent with the disclosure in this application. (For example, a reference that is partially inconsistent is incorporated by reference except for the partially inconsistent portion of the reference). All patents and publications mentioned in the specification are indicative of the levels of skill of those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. References cited herein indicate the state of the art as of their publication or filing date and it is intended that this information can be employed herein, if needed, to exclude specific embodiments that are in the prior art.

[0060] The terms and expressions which have been employed herein are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed. Thus, it should be understood that although the present invention has been specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments, exemplary embodiments and optional features, modification and variation of the concepts herein disclosed may be resorted to by those skilled in the art, and that such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims. The specific embodiments provided herein are examples of useful embodiments of the present invention and it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be carried out using a great number of variations of the devices, device components, and method steps set forth in the present description. As will be obvious to one of skill in the art, methods and devices useful for the present methods can include a great number of optional composition and processing elements and steps.

[0061] As used herein, “comprising” is synonymous with “including,” “containing,” or “characterized by,” and is inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps. As used herein, “consisting of” excludes any element, step, or ingredient not specified in the claim element. As used herein, “consisting essentially of” does not exclude materials or steps that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristics of the claim. In each instance herein any of the terms “comprising”, “consisting essentially of,” and “consisting of” may be replaced with either of the other two terms. The invention illustratively described herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element or elements, limitation or limitations which is not specifically disclosed herein.

[0062] Since other modifications and changes varied to fit particular operating requirements and environments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention is not considered limited to the example chosen for purposes of disclosure and covers all changes and modifications which do not constitute departures from the true spirit and scope of this invention.

[0063] While only a few exemplary embodiments have been described, those knowledgeable in this science will easily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel and unique advantages of this disclosure. Accordingly, all such modifications and alternative are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. Those skilled in this science should recognize that such modifications and equivalent constructions or methods do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and that they may make various changes, substitutions, and alterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0064] Having thus described the invention, what is desired to be protected by Letters Patent is presented in the subsequently appended claims.