GAS LIGHTING DEVICE FOR AN ELECTRIC HOUSEHOLD

APPLIANCE, IN PARTICULAR A COOKING RANGE, HAVING

A QUICK CONNECTION SYSTEM TO THE ELECTRODES

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an electronic gas lighting device, of the type intended to equip an electric household appliance, such as for example a cooking range, for determining the controlled lighting of the burners by supplying a high voltage to electrodes fixable to the cooking range, provided with a quick connection device of the electrodes to the high-voltage outputs of the gas lighting device.

BACKGROUND ART

It is known from EP1101067B1, to the same Applicant, an electronic gas lighting device including a casing formed by electrically insulating material provided with a plurality of high-voltage outputs each defined by a chimney-like housing, integrally obtained with the casing and carrying a corresponding high-voltage contact therein, e.g. a male faston connector. In use, each contact in the chimney-like housings must be connected, by means of an electric wire, to a corresponding spark generating electrode, fixable to the cooking range at a burner. For this purpose, on one end, the electric wire is pre-wired, e.g. crimped or welded, to the electrode and, on the other end, is pre-wired in an identical manner to a female faston connector, which must then be inserted in use onto the male faston connector inside the

chimney-like housing, so as to protect the electric connection with an electrically insulating element (indeed the chimney-like housing of the casing) .

The above-described known device is more than satisfactory. However, the assembly times of the electric wires on the high-voltage outputs of the gas lighting devices are relatively long; furthermore, due to possible incorrect manoeuvres by the assembly operator, the male and female faston connectors may not be correctly coupled, causing even possible deformations of the same. For the same reason, the electric household appliance manufacturer cannot automatically assemble the wires onto the high-voltage outputs of the gas lighting device, because it would be essentially impossible to ensure the correct, simultaneous positioning of all male contacts with all female contacts.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

It is thus the object of the present invention to improve the known gas lighting devices in the part relating to the electric connection of the electrodes to the gas lighting device, by providing .a gas lighting device for an electric household appliance, in particular a cooking range, which is easily and rapidly connectable to the electrodes by means of electric supply wires, so as to avoid errors by the assembly operator, and to allow the electric household appliance manufacturer, if desired, to perform the assembly in an entirely automatic manner/ this all guaranteeing low production and assembly costs, small sizes and high operating reliability.

The present invention thus relates to an electronic

gas lighting device as defined in claim 1.

The invention also relates to a high-voltage output quick connection device in an electronic gas lighting device with corresponding spark generating electrodes fastenable onto an electric household appliance, as defined in claim 9.

In particular, the electronic gas lighting device according to the invention comprises a cup-shaped casing, formed by an electrically insulating material; a plurality of high-voltage outputs carried by the casing and each comprising a chimney-like housing carried by the casing and also formed by an electrically insulating material and a first electric contact carried by the chimney-like housing and arranged therein; and a frame element integrally and protrudingly carrying, on a first face thereof intended in use to face the casing, a plurality of second contacts, in number equal to the high-voltage outputs present on the casing and adapted to couple with the first contacts within said chimney-like housings; the frame element being further provided on a second face thereof, opposite to the first, with a plurality of electric wires each connecting a second contact with a spark generating electrode fastenable to the household appliance; and with snapping fastening means to the casing peripherally arranged on the outside of the frame element, along at least one side of the same .

Each chimney-like housing is provided with an open end for the reception of a corresponding second contact and carries therein a corresponding first contact mounted close to a bottom wall of the chimney-like housing,

opposite to the open end, so as to remain away from the open end and well within the chimney-like housing.

Similarly, the frame element is integrally provided, on the first face thereof and for each second contact, with a longeron-shaped guide element adapted to slidingly couple, for the entire length thereof, within a corresponding chimney-like housing, through the open end of the same, to guide the second contact into electric coupling with the corresponding first contact arranged within the chimney-like housing.

In this manner, the frame element with the second contacts and the electric wires, already pre-wired to the second contacts and to the electrodes, forms a quick connection device of the electrodes to the high-voltage outputs providing as a whole a compact and cost-effective electronic gas lighting device mountable with extreme quickness and simplicity and in which it is not possible for the assembly operator to produce damages at the contacts, because the electric connection of the first contacts with the second ones is totally guided by the longeron-shaped guide elements which slidingly couple with the internal side wall of the chimney-like housings, besides ensuring a much firmer and more secure reciprocal mechanical connection of the first and the second contacts. Finally, this being a pre-wireable device for subassemblies later reciprocally coupled with a single simple movement (the casing with the chimney-like housings and containing the electronics on one side and the frame element with the electric wires and the second contacts on the other) it allows the manufacturer to provide an entirely automatic assembly cycle.

Finally, being the mechanical coupling part between the contacts entirely formed by non-conductive elements, such as the guide elements and the corresponding chimney- like housings, the contacts can be made in a non- traditional manner, e.g. as simple flat terminals, which are in use simply facing each other and arranged at a sufficiently small predetermined distance (thus not necessarily in reciprocal contact) into an insulated environment formed by the chimney-like housings. The aforesaid contacts, indeed, being high-voltage contacts, may transmit electric current in the form of discharge with perforation of the dielectric constituted by the air between the facing contacts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a non- limitative embodiment thereof, with reference to the figures in the accompanying drawings, wherein: - figure 1 shows a front three-quarter perspective view of an electronic gas lighter device made according to the invention, and shown in a use configuration; and figure 2 shows on enlarged scale a section elevation view taken along a plotting plane II-II of the gas lighting device in figure 1.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

With reference to figures 1 and 2, numeral 1 indicates as a whole a gas lighting device for an electric household appliance, a cooking range 2 in this

non-limiting illustrated embodiment, provided with a plurality of burners 3 (only one of which is shown for the sake of simplicity) ; the device 1 comprises a cup- shaped casing 5, formed by an electrically insulating material, e.g. by moulding of a synthetic plastic material, and a plurality of high-voltage outputs 8 carried by the casing 5 and each comprising (figure 2) a chimney-like housing 9 carried by the casing 5 and also formed by an electrically insulating material and an electric contact 10 carried by the chimney-like housing 9 and arranged therein.

The gas lighting device 1 further comprises a quick connection device 11 of the high-voltage outputs 8 of the casing 5 to corresponding spark generating electrodes 12, also belonging to the gas lighting device 1 as a whole and fixable in use in a known manner, each close to a corresponding burner 3 on the cooking range 2 in order to be able to control the lighting in a known manner.

The device 11 comprises a frame element 15 integrally and protrudingly carrying, on a first face 16 thereof (figure 2) intended in use to face the casing 5, a plurality of second contacts 18, in number equal to the high-voltage outputs 8 present on the casing 5 and adapted to couple with contacts 10 inside the chimney- like housings 9. The frame element 15 is further provided, on a second face 19 thereof, opposite to the face 16, with a plurality of electric wires 20 each connecting a contact 18 with a spark generating electrode 12. In the non-limiting embodiment shown, the chimney- like housings 9 are made as a non-integral part of the

casing 5, but instead are independent elements, arranged at least in part within the casing 5 (in which they are embedded and blocked in use by means of resining) and so as to overhangingly protrude, with corresponding open ends 21 thereof, through a mouth 22 of the cup-shaped casing 5, but only immediately over a peripheral edge 23 of the mouth 22; in such a case, the frame element 15 is defined by a plate-shaped lid adapted to couple by resting on the open ends 21 protruding from the mouth 22 to close the same and essentially cover the mouth 22, so as to protect the resining underneath which fills the casing 5 in use.

It is however apparent that the foregoing and the following description is perfectly applicable also to a casing 5 of a more traditional type, in which the chimney-like housings 9 are integrally obtained in one piece with the casing 5 and protrude from the same from a side opposite to the mouth 22.

However, the quick connection device 11 is completed by snapping fastening means 30 of the frame element 15 to the casing 5 peripherally arranged on the outside of the frame element 15, along at least one side of the same.

In particular, the open end 21 of each chimney-like housing 9 allows the reception in the same of a corresponding contact 18 for coupling with the contact 10, because the latter is mounted close to (onto, in this case) a bottom wall 34 (figure 2) of the chimney-like housing 9, opposite to the open end 21, so as to remain away from the open end 21 and well within the chimney- like housing 9.

According to an important aspect of the invention,

the frame element 15 is integrally provided on the face 16 and perpendicularly protrudingly with respect to the same, for each existing contact 18, with a longeron- shaped guide element 26 (figure 2) adapted to slidingly couple, for the entire length thereof, within a corresponding chimney-like housing 9, through the open end 21 of the same, to guide the contact 18 it carries into electric coupling with the corresponding contact 10 arranged within the chimney-like housing 9. In particular, the frame element 15 and the guide elements 36 are formed in a one-piece single part by moulding an electrically non-conducting material, in this case a synthetic plastic material; the contacts 18 are also carried by, and embedded at least in part in, the guide elements 36, so as to be protrudingly carried with respect to the face 16, each at a free end 40 (figure 2) of a corresponding guide element 36.

The contacts 18 are further fastened and connected in a pre-wired manner with the spark generating electrodes 12 by means of the electric wires 20, the opposite ends of which are electrically and mechanically connected, in a pre-wired manner, to the contacts 18 on one side and to the electrodes 12 on the other, e.g. by crimping or soldering. In this case, the ends of the wires 20 are, on the end of the contacts 18 (i.e. on the opposite side of the electrodes 12) , also at least in part embedded in the longeron-shaped guide elements 36 along with the contacts 18.

The guiding elements 36 are shaped so as to display a peripheral profile mating with the inner peripheral profile of the chimney-like housings 9, so that the outer

side surfaces thereof cooperate in use with the inner side surfaces of the chimney-like elements 9; in this manner, a firm mechanical coupling is obtained between casing 5 and frame element 15 already with the simple insertion of the longeron-shaped elements 36 in the housings 9 arranged for them, coupling later completed by the fastening means 30.

However, in virtue of the described conformation of the guide elements 36 and the chimney-like housings 9, the snapping fastening means 30 to the casing 5 may be simplified and consisting of a single elastic fin 41 (instead of, for example, of a plurality of fins) arranged on one single side 42 of the frame element 15, between a pair of guide elements 36, overhangingly protruding from the frame element 15 with respect to both faces 16 and 19, perpendicularly to the same and provided towards the casing 5 with a fastening end 43, in this case slot-shaped, adapted to snappingly couple with a corresponding peg 45, in this case tooth-shaped, integrally obtained with the casing 5 on a side wall 46 of the same.

According to a further preferred aspect of the invention, the contacts 10 are defined by corresponding flat terminals carried just at the bottom walls 34 of the chimney-like housings 9, parallelly to the same and, similarly, the contacts 18 are also defined by corresponding flat terminals (diagrammatically indicated by a dashed line) of size either equal to or lower than that of the flat terminals defining the contacts 10, directly carried at the free ends 40 of the longeron- shaped guide elements 36, intended in use to face the bottom walls 34 of the chimney-like housings 9, as shown

in figure 2 .

In particular, with reference to such a figure, the frame element 15 is provided with abutting means 50 cooperating with the casing 5 (in this case, with the peripheral edge 23 delimiting the mouth 22) for positioning the contacts 18 with the corresponding ends 40 at a distance D predetermined by the contacts 10 with the corresponding bottom walls 34, and facing the latter.

The described gas lighting device 1 is completed by known snapping fastening means 70 to the cooking range 2, shown only in part for simplicity.

In such a manner, it is not necessary in use to mechanically couple the contacts 10 with the contacts 18, and therefore it is no longer even necessary to make the same as male and female, respectively. The mechanical coupling is indeed already ensured by the frame element 15 with the longeron-shaped guide elements 36 thereof, which couple with the chimney-shaped housings 9, coupling which can be made with greater accuracy than a coupling between traditional contacts of the faston-type and which does not require a great positioning accuracy because it is essentially self-positioning. On the other hand, the positioning of the contacts 10 simply close to the contacts 18, without even needing a direct physical contact, being high-voltage operating contacts, however allows the necessary passage of electric current for supplying the sparking on the electrodes 12, also because the current passage occurs in a closed and insulated environment, delimited between the bottom walls 34, the ends 40 and the side walls of the housings 9.