Cooking temperature and power control

• US 8,921,741 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2013
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Inventors: Broders, Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): PASCHALL, MARK H
• Application Number:
  US14/052,833
• Publication Number:
  US 20140033928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 442 Days
• Field of Search: 219/497, 219/492, 219/627, 219/667, 219/621, 219/620, 219/626, 219/294, 219/710, 219/715, 219483-486, 219412-414, 219/507, 993/39
• US Class Current: 219/488
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/321 the electronic control being performed over a network, e.g. by means of a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 3/126 on ranges
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/086 touch control
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/087 of electric circuits regulating heat
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1902 characterised by the use of a variable reference value
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2213/07 Heating plates with temperature control means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/062 for cooking plates or the like

Abstract

A system and method for controlling the power delivered to cookware by a power control system that comprises a heating control user interface that is set by the user to a particular heating control user interface set point within an operating range. A controller derives from the heating control user interface set point a desired cookware temperature set point, and, over at least a first portion of the operating range that encompasses the boiling range, also derives from the heating control user interface set point a maximum limit of power that can be delivered to the cookware to maintain the cookware at the desired cookware temperature set point. The maximum power limit varies monotonically over the first portion of the operating range.

Claims

1. A device configured to operate a cooking system used for heating a cooking utensil, where the cooking system comprises a temperature sensor that senses a temperature of the cooking utensil, and a user-manipulated heating control user interface that is used to establish a user control setting, the device comprising:

a controller that is input with;

(i) the sensed temperature of the cooking utensil, (ii) the user control setting, and (iii) a particular temperature representing the boiling point, where the controller is configured to;

determine, based on all three of the inputs to the controller, a command to control the heating of the cooking utensil; and

output the command to the cooking system.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the controller comprises:

a first temperature servo having as inputs;

(i) the sensed temperature of the cooking utensil, and (ii) the user control setting, the first temperature servo providing an output power command that if applied to a heating element of the cooking system would cause the cooking utensil temperature to follow the user control setting;

a first processing block having the user control setting as an input, the processing block setting a maximum power output that can be applied to the cooking utensil associated with the user control setting; and

a second temperature servo having as inputs;

(i) the sensed temperature of the cooking utensil and (ii) the particular temperature representing the boiling point;

wherein the second temperature servo provides an output power command that if applied to a heating element of the cooking system would cause the temperature of the cooking utensil to follow the particular temperature representing the boiling point.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine a first maximum, the first maximum being determined as the maximum of (i) the output power command of the second temperature servo and (ii) the maximum power output of the first processing block; and

determine a first minimum, the first minimum being determined as the minimum of the (i) the first maximum, and (ii) the output of the first temperature servo;

wherein the output of the first minimum is provided as a command to control the heating of the cooking utensil.

4. The device of claim 1 where the controller is configured to determine, based on all three of the inputs to the controller, a command to control the heating of the cooking utensil and output the command to the cooking system, but only over a first portion of a temperature operating range that is defined by a lowest temperature and a highest temperature, and encompasses 100°

C.

5. The device of claim 4 where there is a second portion of the temperature operating range that encompasses temperatures both above the highest temperature and below the lowest temperature of the first portion of the temperature operating range, and where in this second portion of the temperature operating range the controller is configured to determine, based on the sensed temperature of the cooking utensil and the user control setting, a command to control the heating of the cooking utensil and output the command to the cooking system.

6. The device of claim 4 wherein the command to control the heating of the cooking utensil establishes a maximum limit of power that can be delivered to the cookware, and over the first portion of the temperature operating range the maximum power limit is entirely non-decreasing as the temperature increases.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein over the second portion of the temperature operating range the maximum power limit is full power.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein over at least the second portion of the temperature operating range the controller uses a control law that results in full power being provided to the cookware until the temperature is close to a desired temperature set point that is established based on the user control setting.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the cooking utensil comprises an inner wall that heats contents, a target that comprises an electrically conductive material and that is thermally coupled to the inner wall, and wherein the temperature sensor senses the temperature of one or both of the inner wall and the target.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the heating control user interface is adapted to be turned up and turned down by the user to a particular heating control user interface set point, and wherein the user control setting comprises a desired cookware temperature set point that is derived from the setting of the heating control user interface.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein the particular temperature representing the boiling point is nominally 100°

C.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein the cooking system comprises an induction heating system and the command to control the heating of the cooking utensil comprises a command to control the power delivered to the induction heating system.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein the cooking system comprises a resistive heating system and the command to control the heating of the cooking utensil comprises a command to control the power delivered to the resistive heating system.

14. The device of claim 1 wherein the cooking system comprises a gas heating system and the command to control the heating of the cooking utensil comprises a command to control the flow of gas in the gas heating system.

15. A device configured to operate a cooking system used for heating a cooking utensil, where the cooking system comprises a temperature sensor that senses a temperature of the cooking utensil, and a user-manipulated heating control user interface that is used to establish a user control setting, the device comprising:

a controller that is input with;

(i) the sensed temperature of the cooking utensil, (ii) the user control setting, and (iii) a particular temperature representing the boiling point, where the controller is configured to;

determine, based on all three of the inputs to the controller and only over a first portion of the temperature operating range that is defined by a lowest temperature and a highest temperature, and encompasses 100°

C., a command to control the heating of the cooking utensil, and output the command to the cooking system;

where there is a second portion of the temperature operating range that encompasses temperatures both above the highest temperature and below the lowest temperature of the first portion of the temperature operating range, and where in this second portion of the temperature operating range the controller is configured to determine, based on the sensed temperature of the cooking utensil and the user control setting, a command to control the heating of the cooking utensil and output the command to the cooking system; and

wherein the command to control the heating of the cooking utensil establishes a maximum limit of power that can be delivered to the cookware, and over the first portion of the temperature operating range the maximum power limit is entirely non-decreasing as the temperature increases.

16. A device configured to operate a cooking system used for heating a cooking utensil, where the cooking system comprises a temperature sensor that senses a temperature of the cooking utensil, and a user-manipulated heating control user interface that is used to establish a user control setting, the device comprising:

a user-manipulated user interface for interacting with the cooking system, the user interface adapted to be set by a user to settings over a user interface operating range;

a controller for controlling the power applied to the cooking utensil, where the controller is input with;

(i) the sensed temperature of the cooking utensil, (ii) the setting of the user interface, and (iii) a particular temperature representing the boiling point;

wherein over a first portion of the operating range of settings of the user interface the controller applies power to the cooking utensil based on a difference between the sensed temperature of the cooking utensil and a temperature set point associated with the setting of the user interface, and;

wherein over a second portion of the operating range of settings of the user interface, the controller applies power to the cooking utensil up to a predetermined maximum power level, where the predetermined maximum power level is associated with the setting of the user interface.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein the cooking system comprises an induction heating system and the controller controls the heating of the cooking utensil by controlling the power delivered to the induction heating system.

18. The device of claim 16 wherein the cooking system comprises a resistive heating system and the controller controls the heating of the cooking utensil by controlling the power delivered to the resistive heating system.

19. The device of claim 16 wherein the cooking system comprises a gas heating system and the controller controls the heating of the cooking utensil by controlling the flow of gas in the gas heating system.