Over temperature condition sensing method and apparatus for a domestic appliance

• US 6,043,461 A
• Filed: 05/17/1995
• Issued: 03/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Holling, Ronald W., Huener, Jerome D., Glotzbach, Patrick J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeffery, John A.
• Application Number:
  US08/443,044
• Time in Patent Office: 1,777 Days
• Field of Search: 219/453, 219/452, 219/451, 219/414, 219/506, 219/481, 219/445.1, 219/446.1, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 340/539, 340/825.36, 340/689, 340/825.16, 236/51, 341/176, 307/651, 307/650, 99/337, 99/338, 99/344, 166/67 R, 166/101
• US Class Current: 219/445.1
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/087 of electric circuits regulating heat
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 25/02 by signalling back receiving station to transmitting station

Abstract

A cooking appliance or an electronic control for a cooking appliance and method of controlling the same including a remote control unit which has a built-in temperature sensor, positional switch and low-battery detection circuit is in two-way intermittent wireless communication with the appliance control unit of the present invention. The appliance control unit includes a switch means for controlling the heating elements of the cooking appliance wherein the switch means for each heating element includes two power switches connected in series and coupled with a redundancy detection circuit for the detection of a failure of one of the two power switches. Two-way communication between the two control units of the present invention is constantly monitored to ensure proper operation of the cooking appliance and to provide a mechanism to report errors to the user or to shut down the cooking appliance, as appropriate, soon after an error is detected. Mechanisms are also provided whereby the wireless communication means of the control units may be diagnosed to ensure the control units are properly communicating with each other.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a cooking appliance, said cooking appliance comprising a control unit adapted to be located remote from said cooking appliance, said control unit having sensor means for sensing an adverse predefined environmental condition adverse to operation of said control unit and warning means operatively connected to said sensor means, said method comprising the steps of:

sensing the predefined adverse environmental condition; and

generating a warning signal upon the occurrence of said predefined environmental condition;

wherein said sensor means comprises a gravity switch and said predefined environmental condition comprises a substantially vertical orientation of said control unit, wherein said control unit further comprises processor means operatively connected to said sensor means for generating an error code in the event said sensor means senses said predefined orientation of said control unit and transmitter means for transmitting an output signal which Way include said error code, and wherein said cooking appliance further comprises receiver means for receiving said output signal from said control unit, a heating element, and element switch means for activating and deactivating said heating element, said element switch means operatively connected to said receiver means and said heating element, said method further comprising the steps of;

transmitting an output signal including said error code from said transmitter means to said receiver means;

deactivating said heating element.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said control unit further comprises a power supply, switch means operatively connected to said power supply for connecting and disconnecting power from said control unit, said switch means operatively connected to said power supply and to said sensor means, said method further comprising the step of:

disconnecting power from said.