Metal cast cooking unit having a temperature sensitive control sensor

Claim 2

The combination of a food cooking surface of a metal cast cooking unit, means for heating the cooking unit to cook food on the surface, a temperature sensitive control sensor cast in the cooking unit during the casting thereof for sensing the temperature of the cooking surface, and a current sensitive controller operating said heating means in response to said sensor, said sensor comprising metal sheath means, a temperature sensitive resistance element having a lead at each end, terminal wire means extending from the sheath means and electrically connected to said element, and ceramic insulant material packed between the terminal wire means and sheath means by swaging of said sheath means.

Claim 3

The combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said element includes a ceramic core, a temperature sensitive resistance wire wound on said core, said wire having a high coefficient of resistance change with temperature increase, means electrically connecting said leads to opposite ends of said resistance wire and said leads having a low coefficient of resistance change with temperature, and an electrically non-conductive heat resistive coating over the entire element except the ends of the leads.

Claim 4

The combination as defined in claim 2, wherein the wire is spatially wound on said core.

Claim 5

The combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said sheath means includes two side-by-side sheath assemblies including sheaths having terminals extending therethrough and protruding from opposite ends, ceramic insulant material between the sheaths and terminals and packed by swaging of the sheaths, means electrically connecting the leads of said element to adjacent ends of said terminals at one end of the sheaths, ceramic insulating means encapsulating the element, leads, and terminal ends, and rigid cover plates secured over the element and to the sheaths.

Claim 6

The combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said terminal wire means include a terminal wire connected to each lead of said element having a low coefficient of resistance change with temperature.

Claim 7

The combination as defined in claim 5, and resilient conductors between the element leads and said terminal wires to compensate for elongation of the sheath means during swaging.

Claim 8

The combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said sheath means includes a single continuous sheath, said terminal wire means including terminals extending from said sheath and inwardly from opposite ends and terminating short of each other, ceramic insulant material packed between the terminals and the sheath by swaging of the sheath in the area of the terminals, said resistance element being disposed within the sheath between the adjacent ends of the terminals, resilient conductor means in the form of coil springs connected between thE terminals and the leads of said elements, and said sheath being U-shaped.

Claim 9

The combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said sheath means includes a straight continuous sheath, said terminal wire means including a single terminal extending from the sheath and inwardly from one end and terminating short of the other end, ceramic insulant material packed between the terminal and sheath by swaging of the sheath in the area of the terminal, said resistance element being disposed within the sheath adjacent the inner end of the terminal and the adjacent end of the sheath, means connecting one lead of the element to the sheath, resilient conductor means in the form of a coil spring connecting the other lead to the terminal, and said terminal wire means including a second terminal connected to the exterior of said sheath.