Detection of damaged IR sensor array
AssigneeHaier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
InventorsRichard Brown, Eugenio Gomez, Aaron Zarate
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cooktop appliance includes a cooking panel comprising a heating zone, an infrared (IR) sensor array positioned below the heating zone, the IR sensor array comprising a shielded IR sensor and an IR source, and a controller operatively coupled to the shielded IR sensor and the IR source. The controller is configured to receive a first signal from the shielded IR sensor, energize the IR source to illuminate a pan in the heating zone, receive a second signal from the shielded IR sensor, identify a fault in the IR sensor array based on a comparison between the first signal and the second signal, and generate a fault signal in response to identifying the fault in the IR sensor array.
Claims18
A cooktop appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, each of which is mutually perpendicular, the cooktop appliance comprising:
- a cooking panel comprising a heating zone;
- an infrared (IR) sensor array positioned below the heating zone, the IR sensor array comprising a shielded IR sensor and an IR source;
- a heating element positioned between the cooking panel and the IR sensor array, wherein the shielded IR sensor and the IR source are aligned with a passage through the heating element and positioned with a field of view of the pan in the heating zone;
- and
- a controller operatively coupled to the shielded IR sensor and the IR source, the controller configured to:
- receive a first signal from the shielded IR sensor;
- energize the IR source to illuminate a pan in the heating zone;
- receive a second signal from the shielded IR sensor;
- identify a fault in the IR sensor array based on a comparison between the first signal and the second signal;
- and
- generate a fault signal in response to identifying the fault in the IR sensor array.
A method of determining a damaged IR sensor array in a cooktop appliance, the cooktop appliance comprising a cooking panel comprising a heating zone, an IR sensor array comprising a shielded IR sensor, an IR source, and a heating element positioned between the cooking panel and the IR sensor array, wherein the shielded IR sensor and the IR source are aligned with a passage through the heating element and positioned with a field of view of the pan in the heating zone, the method comprising:
- receiving a first signal from the shielded IR sensor;
- activating the IR source to illuminate a pan in the heating zone;
- receiving a second signal from the shielded IR sensor;
- identifying a fault in the IR sensor array based on a comparison between the first signal and the second signal;
- and
- generating a fault signal in response to identifying the fault in the IR sensor array.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.