Thermal compensation for visible light cooking oven
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsTodd Vincent Graves, Charles Ray Smith, Kevin Farrelly Nolan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A thermal compensation system for an oven including at least one visible light cooking element includes a thermistor in thermal communication with an oven cavity, and a microcomputer coupled to the thermistor and operatively connected to the cooking element from control thereof. When the oven cavity temperature exceeds a minimum threshold prior to cooking operation, the microcomputer reduces a power level of the cooking unit to compensate for latent heat in the oven cavity and avoid overcooking the food.
Claims23
A method for operating an oven to compensate for thermal conditions of the oven prior to cooking operation, the oven including an oven cavity, at least one upper radiant cooking unit and at least one lower radiant cooking unit for cooking food within the oven cavity when energized for a selected time period, at least one thermistor in thermal communication with the oven cavity for monitoring a temperature thereof, and a control panel operatively connected to the radiant cooking unit for user selection of a cooking time, said method comprising the steps of:
- determining the temperature of the oven cavity with the thermistor prior to energizing the cooking units in a cooking operation;
- and
- adjusting the operation of the at least one upper radiant cooking unit relative to the at least one lower radiant cooking unit to compensate for the determined temperature so that the at least one lower radiant cooking unit is energized for a greater period of time than the at least one upper radiant cooking unit.
An oven comprising:
- a cooking cavity;
- a microcomputer;
- at least one upper radiant cooking unit and at least one lower radiant cooking unit for delivering radiant energy to said cooking cavity, each of said upper radiant cooking unit and said lower radiant cooking unit operatively connected to said microcomputer;
- and
- a thermistor in thermal communication with the cooking cavity for determining a temperature thereof and coupled to said microcomputer, said microcomputer operating said at least one upper radiant cooking unit and said at least one lower radiant cooking unit in accordance with a selected cooking time and selected cooking power level and adjusting operation of the upper radiant cooking unit when the determined temperature exceeds a first threshold prior to energizing said upper radiant cooking unit and at least one lower radiant cooking unit in a cooking operation, and so that the at least one lower radiant cooking unit is energized for a greater period of time than the at least one upper radiant cooking unit.
A combination microwave/radiant oven comprising:
- a cooking cavity;
- a microcomputer;
- a thermistor in thermal communication with said cooking cavity for determining a temperature thereof and coupled to said microcomputer;
- a microwave cooking unit for delivering microwave energy to said cooking cavity and operatively connected to the microcomputer;
- at least one upper radiant cooking unit and at least one lower radiant cooking unit for delivering radiant energy to said cooking cavity, each of said upper and lower radiant cooking units operatively connected to the microcomputer;
- a control panel operatively coupled to said microcomputer for accepting a user selected cooking time input and selected cooking power levels for the respective cooking units;
- said microcomputer operating said microwave cooking unit and said at least one of said upper and lower radiant cooking units in accordance with said user selected cooking time and power levels;
- and
- said microcomputer programmed to adjust operation of said at least one upper radiant cooking unit when a temperature of said cooking cavity exceeds a first threshold prior to energizing said upper and lower radiant cooking units in a cooking operation so that said at least one lower radiant cooking unit is energized for a greater period of time than said at least one upper radiant cooking unit.
An oven comprising:
- a cooking cavity;
- a microcomputer;
- at least one radiant cooking unit for delivering radiant energy to said cooking cavity and operatively connected to said microcomputer;
- and
- a thermistor in thermal communication with the cooking cavity for determining a temperature thereof and coupled to said microcomputer, said microcomputer operating said at least one radiant cooking unit in accordance with a selected cooking time and selected cooking power level and adjusting operation of the radiant cooking unit when the determined temperature exceeds a first threshold prior to a cooking operation wherein operation of the at least one radiant cooking unit is adjusted only if the selected cooking time exceeds a minimum cook time.
A method for operating an oven to compensate for thermal conditions of the oven prior to cooking operation, the oven including an oven cavity, a first radiant cooking unit and a second radiant cooking unit for cooking food within the oven cavity when energized for a selected time period, at least one thermistor in thermal communication with the oven cavity for monitoring a temperature thereof, and a control panel operatively connected to the radiant cooking unit for user selection of a cooking time, said method comprising the steps of:
- determining the temperature of the oven cavity with the thermistor prior to entering a cooking mode;
- adjusting the operation of one of the first and second radiant cooking units relative to the other radiant cooking unit when the determined temperature exceeds a first threshold so that the first and second radiant cooking units are energized for unequal time periods;
- and
- adjusting the other of the first and second radiant cooking units when the determined temperature exceeds a second threshold, the second threshold greater than the first threshold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.