Wireless control and status monitoring for electric grill with current protection circuitry

A method for wirelessly monitoring a status of an electric grill, the method comprising:

• selecting an operating mode for a heating element using a user input device, the heating element connected to a voltage line and a neutral line via a triac and a latch relay;
• displaying, on a display device, the selected operating mode;
• causing delivery of current associated with the selected operating mode to the heating element via the triac and the latch relay;
• utilizing a temperature sensing device to measure a temperature at a first position inside a cook box of the electric grill, the temperature sensing device positioned on a first side of a plane defined by a grill grate, the heating element positioned on the first side of the plane defined by the grill grate;
• using a microprocessor to estimate an ambient temperature at a second position within the cook box based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensing device, wherein the second position is located on a second side of the plane defined by the grill grate, the second side of the plane opposite the first side of the plane;
• using a current transformer to measure a current difference between the voltage line and the neutral line;
• generating an electric signal indicating the current difference and responding to said current difference by activating a trip controller connected to the latch relay;
• measuring, using a Hall Effect sensor, an electrical current delivered to the heating element;
• detecting a ground fault error condition using a ground fault detection unit connected to the voltage line and the neutral line;
• responding to the ground fault error condition by generating a signal indicative of the ground fault error condition;
• determining, by executing an instruction with a microprocessor, an expected electrical current associated with the selected operating mode, the expected electrical current being electrical current reading expected during normal operating conditions in the selected operating mode;
• detecting, by executing an instruction with the microprocessor, a current mismatch condition by comparing the measured electrical current to the expected electrical current;
• disabling the latch relay to disable the heating element in response to a measured electrical current that is higher or lower than the expected electrical current;
• in response to detecting an error condition, storing an error log in a memory, wherein the error log includes at least a first error code associated with the error condition;
• and
• transmitting the error log, wirelessly, to a remote device.

An electric grill, comprising:

• a housing having one or more user inputs for selecting a high, medium, or low operating mode of a heating element, and a display device to display the selected operating mode, the heating element being connected to a triac and further connected to a voltage line and a neutral line;
• a latch relay connected between the heating element and the voltage line, the latch relay being in communication with a trip controller;
• a ground fault detection unit in communication with the trip controller and configured to activate the trip controller in response to an unbalanced current between the voltage line and the neutral line;
• a temperature sensing device for measuring temperature at a first position within the housing, the temperature sensing device positioned on a first side of a plane defined by a cooking surface, the heating element positioned on the first side of the plane defined by a cooking surface;
• a microprocessor connected to a triac driver, the triac driver being in communication with the triac, wherein the microprocessor is to activate the triac driver to deliver a current associated with the selected operating mode;
• and
• a Hall Effect sensor configured to measure current passing through the triac, the current sensor to communicate a measured current to the microprocessor;
• wherein the microprocessor is to:
• access a memory to retrieve an expected current associated with the selected high, medium, or low operating mode of the heating element;
• calculate an estimated ambient temperature at a second position within the housing based on the measured temperature at the first position, the second position located on a second side of the plane defined by the cooking surface, the second side of the plane opposite the first side of the plane;
• compare the measured current with the expected current for the selected high, medium, or low operating mode;
• disable the latch relay to prevent the flow of current to the heating element in response to a measured current that is higher or lower than the expected current;
• alert a user, via the display, that the flow of current has been disabled;
• and
• cause transmission of an error message to a remote device via a wireless controller.