System and method for identifying an emissions control failure in an indoor smoker
AssigneeHaier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
InventorsTomas Garces, Daniel Carballo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An indoor smoker includes a smoking chamber and an air handler for drawing a flow of smoke from the smoking chamber through an exhaust duct. A catalytic converter is positioned in the exhaust duct and includes a catalytic element and catalytic heater for heating the catalytic element to a temperature suitable for regulating emissions from the flow of smoke. A temperature sensor is used to monitor the temperature of the catalytic element, and smoke generation is stopped when the catalyst temperature drops below a temperature threshold or drops at a rate that exceeds a threshold rate, which may be indicative of a failure of the catalyst heater or air handler.
Claims20
An indoor smoker comprising:
- a cabinet defining a discharge vent;
- a smoking chamber positioned within the cabinet and defining a chamber outlet;
- an exhaust duct extending between the chamber outlet and the discharge vent;
- an air handler fluidly coupled with the exhaust duct for urging a flow of smoke from the smoking chamber, through the exhaust duct, and out of the discharge vent;
- a catalytic converter positioned within the exhaust duct, the catalytic converter comprising a catalytic element and a catalyst heater;
- a temperature sensor for detecting a catalyst temperature of the catalytic element;
- and
- a controller in operative communication with the temperature sensor, the controller being configured for:
- measuring the catalyst temperature using the temperature sensor;
- determining that an emissions control failure has occurred based at least in part on the catalyst temperature;
- and
- stopping the flow of smoke in response to determining that the emissions control failure has occurred.
A method of operating an indoor smoker, the indoor smoker comprising an exhaust duct for extracting a flow of smoke from a smoking chamber, a catalytic element positioned within the exhaust duct for lowering volatile organic compounds within the flow of smoke, and a temperature sensor for measuring a catalyst temperature of the catalytic element, the method comprising:
- measuring the catalyst temperature using the temperature sensor;
- determining that an emissions control failure has occurred based at least in part on the catalyst temperature;
- and
- stopping the flow of smoke in response to determining that the emissions control failure has occurred.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.