Grill temperature controller

• US 10,638,881 B1
• Filed: 11/24/2015
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michael W. Holt
• Original Assignee: Michael W. Holt
• Inventors: Holt, Michael W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Akar, Serkan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kirkwood, Spencer H.
• Application Number:
  US14/950,350
• Time in Patent Office: 1,624 Days
• Field of Search: 99330
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 37/0754 with blowers providing forced air circulation

Abstract

A device is provided that may include an attachment component configured to attach the device to a grill. The device may include a temperature sensor configured to detect a grill temperature of the grill and an airflow control component configured to control an airflow into the grill. The airflow control component may be adjustable to permit a plurality of airflow rates into the grill. The device may include one or more processors to set a target temperature for the grill, detect the grill temperature of the grill via the temperature sensor, determine an airflow rate based on the target temperature, the grill temperature, and a value that changes as a function of time. The processor may cause the device to set the airflow control component, based on the airflow rate, to control the airflow into the grill.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a blower configured to blow air into a grill,

the blower being adjustable to operate at a plurality of blower speeds; and

one or more processors to;

set a target temperature for the grill,

detect a grill temperature of the grill,

determine a blower speed, from among the plurality of blower speeds, based on the target temperature, the grill temperature, and an error integrator value that increases as a function of time,

where the error integrator value is determined based on σ

<sub>t−

1</sub>+t*(tarTemp−

grillTemp),

where σ

_t is the error integrator value, t is a time value, tarTemp is the target temperature, and grillTemp is the grill temperature,

where the one or more processors, when determining the blower speed, are to;

when the grill temperature is less than the target temperature, adjust the blower speed based on a first function that uses the error integrator value, and

when the grill temperature is greater than the target temperature, adjust the blower speed based on a second function that is independent of the error integrator value; and

set the blower to the blower speed to control an airflow into the grill.

2. The device of claim 1, where the blower includes a motor, and

where the one or more processors, when setting the blower to the blower speed, are to send a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal to the motor.

3. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors are further to:

compare the blower speed and a maximum blower speed at which the blower is capable of operating; and

set the blower speed to the maximum blower speed when the blower speed is greater than the maximum blower speed.

4. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors are further to:

compare the blower speed and a minimum blower speed at which the blower is capable of operating,

the minimum blower speed being greater than zero; and

turn the blower off when the blower speed is less than the minimum blower speed.

5. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when setting the blower to the blower speed, are to:

continually adjust the blower speed to multiple different blower speeds, of the plurality of blower speeds, based on a difference between the target temperature and the grill temperature.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an attachment component configured to attach the device to the grill; and

a temperature sensor configured to detect the grill temperature of the grill.

7. A method comprising:

setting, by a device, a target temperature for a grill;

detecting, by the device, a grill temperature of the grill;

determining, by the device, a blower speed for a blower configured to blow air into the grill, from among a plurality of blower speeds, based on the target temperature, the grill temperature, and a value that changes as a function of time,

where the value that changes as a function of time is determined based on σ

<sub>t−

1</sub>+t*(tarTemp−

grillTemp),

where σ

_t is the value that changes as a function of time, t is a time value, tarTemp is the target temperature, and grillTemp is the grill temperature,

where the blower is adjustable to operate at the plurality of blower speeds, and

where determining the blower speed includes;

when the grill temperature is less than the target temperature, adjusting the blower speed based on a first function that uses the value that changes as a function of time, and

when the grill temperature is greater than the target temperature, adjusting the blower speed based on a second function that is independent of the value that changes as a function of time;

setting, by the device, the blower to the blower speed to control an airflow into the grill; and

causing, by the device, the blower to blow air based on setting the blower to the blower speed.

8. The method of claim 7, where determining the blower speed includes:

determining whether the grill temperature is greater than the target temperature; and

selectively determining the blower speed based on the first function or based on the second function that is different from the first function.

9. The method of claim 8, where the first function is equal to:

VolInput=K1*(tarTemp−

grillTemp)+K2*σ

_t

where VolInput is an airflow rate, K1 is a first constant, and K2 is a second constant.

10. The method of claim 8, where the second function is equal to:

VolInput=K1*(tarTemp−

grillTemp+1)+K3

where VolInput is an airflow rate, K1 is a first constant, and K3 is a second constant.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

storing association information associating a plurality of different grills with a plurality of different values used to determine the blower speed;

receiving information identifying the grill;

determining a value associated with the grill, from among the plurality of different values, based on the information identifying the grill and the association information;

determining a customized function for the grill that calculates the blower speed based on the value associated with the grill; and

where the determining the blower speed includes;

determining the blower speed based on the customized function for the grill.

12. The method of claim 7, where the blower includes a motor, and

where setting the blower to the blower speed includes:

sending a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal to the motor.

17. The method of claim 10, where K1 is a non-zero value and K3 is a non-zero value,

where K1 and K3 are set based on at least one of:

a volume of the grill,

a size of the grill,

a material of the grill, or

a make or model of the grill.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

set a target temperature for a grill,

detect a grill temperature of the grill,

determine a blower speed for a blower configured to blow air into the grill, from among a plurality of blower speeds, based on the target temperature, the grill temperature, and a value that increases as a function of time,

where the value that increases as a function of time is determined based on σ

<sub>t−

1</sub>+t*(tarTemp−

grillTemp),

where σ

_t is the value that increases as a function of time, t is a time value, tarTemp is the target temperature, and grillTemp is the grill temperature,

where the blower is adjustable to operate at the plurality of blower speeds, and

where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors to determine the blower speed, are to;

when the grill temperature is less than the target temperature, adjust the blower speed based on a first function that uses the value that increases as a function of time, and

when the grill temperature is greater than the target temperature, adjust the blower speed based on a second function that is independent of the value that increases as a function of time; and

set the blower to the blower speed to control an airflow into the grill.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, where the blower includes a motor, and

where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors to set the blower to the blower speed, cause the one or more processors to:

send a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal to the motor.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

compare the blower speed and a maximum blower speed at which the blower is capable of operating; and

set the blower speed to the maximum blower speed when the blower speed is greater than the maximum blower speed.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

compare the blower speed and a minimum blower speed at which the blower is capable of operating,

the minimum blower speed being greater than zero; and

turn the blower off when the blower speed is less than the minimum blower speed.