Latent heat toaster control
AssigneeMarmon Foodservice Technologies, Inc.
InventorsSteven Shei, Benjamin Slotarski, Nicholas R. Mandarino, Jason Pittenger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a latent heat controlled toaster and process of toasting, the toaster includes at least one heating element. A controller receives electrical measurements including at least one of a voltage or a current and calculates a power delivered to the at least one heating element. The controller iteratively accumulates a system energy from the calculated power over time. The controller compares the accumulated system energy to a target energy and ends the toasting process when the accumulated system energy reaches the target energy.
Claims20
A method of toasting control, the method comprising:
- energizing at least one heating element at a start of a toasting process;
- calculating an initial energy at the start of the toasting process, the initial energy representing heat retained from a previous toasting process;
- iteratively acquiring a voltage across the at least one heating element;
- iteratively acquiring a current to the at least one heating element;
- adding the initial energy into an accumulated system energy that is iteratively accumulated based on the iteratively acquired voltage and current;
- and
- ending the toasting process, with a controller, when the accumulated system energy;
- reaches a target energy.
A method of toasting control in a toaster that comprises at least one heating element, a power supply, a power sensing circuit comprising a voltmeter and an ammeter, and a controller, the method comprising:
- energizing at least one heating element with the power supply at a start of a toasting process;
- iteratively acquiring a voltage across the at least one heating element with the voltmeter of the power sensing circuit;
- iteratively acquiring a current to the at least one heating element with the ammeter of the power sensing circuit;
- receiving the voltage and the current at the controller from the power sensing circuit;
- calculating, with the controller, an initial energy at the start of the toasting process, the initial energy representing heat retained from a previous toasting process;
- combining the initial energy into an accumulated system energy that is iteratively accumulated based on the iteratively acquired voltage and current;
- and
- ending the toasting process, with the controller, when the accumulated system energy reaches a target energy.
A method of toasting control, the method comprising:
- energizing at least one heating element at a start of a toasting process;
- iteratively acquiring a voltage across the at least one heating element;
- iteratively acquiring a current to the at least one heating element;
- receiving an ambient temperature exterior of a toaster comprising the at least one heating element from an ambient temperature sensor of the toaster;
- using the ambient temperature in calculating an energy loss over time during the toasting process;
- reducing the accumulated system energy based upon the calculated energy loss over time;
- and
- ending the toasting process, with a controller, when an accumulated system energy, that is iteratively accumulated based on the iteratively acquired voltage and current, reaches a target energy
- receiving an ambient temperature exterior of a toaster comprising the at least one heating element from an ambient temperature sensor of the toaster;
- using the ambient temperature in calculating an energy loss over time during the toasting process;
- and
- reducing the accumulated system energy based upon the calculated energy loss over time.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.