US 8,555,775 B2Granted

Method for operating of a boiler of a device such as a coffee maker

AssigneeKoninklijke Philips N.V.

InventorHaayo Nicolai

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Abstract

A method for operating a boiler of a device, such as a coffee maker, includes initial steps aimed at determining whether the boiler is filled with water or not. In the process, the insight that the thermal behavior of an empty boiler differs from the thermal behavior of a filled boiler is applied. A heating element of the boiler is used to generate heat during a predetermined length of time. As a result, the temperature inside the boiler starts to change. At a certain point, the temperature change over a time interval having a predetermined length is measured. Subsequently, the measured temperature change is compared with a reference temperature change. In case the measured temperature change is larger than the reference temperature change, it is concluded that the boiler is empty and needs to be filled before the heating element is activated again.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A device comprising:

a boiler which comprises a container for containing water, a filler for filling the container with water, and a heating element for heating the water to a predetermined temperature, and a controller which is programmed such as to perform the successive acts of:
activating the heating element of the boiler during a predetermined length of time;
measuring at least one characteristic of the thermal behavior displayed by the boiler as a consequence of the activation of the heating element including recording a first temperature at a first time and recording a second temperature at a second time, wherein the first time is after a first time period after the predetermined length of time, and the second time is after a second time period after the predetermined length of time and the first time;
verifying whether the measured characteristic is in a range associated with thermal behavior of a boiler filled with water or a range associated with thermal behavior of an empty boiler;
only in case the measured characteristic appears to be in the range associated with thermal behavior of an empty boiler, filling the container of the boiler with a predetermined quantity of water using the filler;
and
activating the heating element of the boiler to heat the water in the container of the boiler to the predetermined temperature.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.