Electronic grill control

Claim 1

In a barbecue grill of the type employing a containment means with at least one burner disposed therein and an electrically actuable means for igniting said burner, the improvement comprising: flame sensing means disposed adjacent said burner for providing an electronic flame signal indicative of the presence and absence of flame at said burner; electronic ignition and control means coupled to said electrically actuable ignition means and receptive of said flame signal for causing said ignition means to ignite said burner and for monitoring said flame signal for the presence and absence of flame; said electronic ignition and control means having manually actuable means for causing a first ignition event to occur in response to manual actuation whereby said ignition means is actuated; said electronic ignition and control means having automatic means for selectively causing said second ignition event to occur automatically following said first ignition event whereby said ignition means is again actuated; said electronic ignition and control means being responsive to said flame signal for causing said second ignition event to occur when said flame signal indicates the absence of flame subsequent to said first ignition event; said electronic ignition and control means including a microprocessor control system connected to a system ground and an ignition system comprising a pair of spaced apart electrodes for sending and receiving an electrical ignition spark, said electrodes each being isolated from said system ground and being controlled by said microprocessor control system; said flame sensing means comprising impedance bridge means coupled to said electrodes for measuring the relative impedance of the air space between said electrodes, said impedance bridge means being coupled to said microprocessor control system which causes said second ignition event to occur.