A cooking device and method that conserves power consumption. The cooking device includes a controller that runs a program that controls the cooking device to changeover from a cook mode to an idle mode when food products are being cooked. The cooking device has a conveyor that conveys food products
A cooking device and method that conserves power consumption. The cooking device includes a controller that runs a program that controls the cooking device to changeover from a cook mode to an idle mode when food products are being cooked. The cooking device has a conveyor that conveys food products along a cooking passageway between an inlet and an outlet. A sensing device provides an output indicative of the presence and/or absence of food products on the conveyor. The controller responds to the output to lower the power consumption of the cooking device during the idle mode by operating heating devices and/or fans with lower power.
대표청구항▼
What is claimed is: 1. A cooking device comprising: a housing having an inlet and an outlet; a conveyor assembly comprising a conveyor disposed to convey food products that enter said housing via said inlet along a passageway toward said outlet; one or more heating devices disposed to provide heat
What is claimed is: 1. A cooking device comprising: a housing having an inlet and an outlet; a conveyor assembly comprising a conveyor disposed to convey food products that enter said housing via said inlet along a passageway toward said outlet; one or more heating devices disposed to provide heat to cook said food products while being conveyed along said passageway; a controller that controls any one or more of said conveyor assembly and said heating devices to operate and consume power in a cook mode and an idle mode based on a presence and an absence of said food products on said conveyor, respectively, and wherein power consumption in said cook mode and said idle mode is high and low, respectively; and a device that detects a change in a parameter indicative of said presence or said absence of food products on said conveyor, wherein said controller responds to said detected change to change from one of said cook mode and said idle mode to the other, and wherein said parameter is selected from the group consisting of: temperature and duty cycle of a heater. 2. The cooking device of claim 1, wherein said controller responds to said detected change to controls said power consumption of any one or more of said conveyor assembly and said heating devices by changing between said cook mode and said idle mode. 3. The cooking device of claim 2, wherein said detected change is indicative of a variation of cooking temperature to which said controller responds to change from said cook mode to said idle mode. 4. The cooking device of claim 2, wherein said controller changes from said cook mode to said idle mode when a predetermined time has elapsed since said presence of said food products was last detected. 5. The cooking device of claim 4, wherein said predetermined time is equal to or greater than a travel time of a food product from a point of detection of said presence on said conveyor to said outlet. 6. The cooking device of claim 2, further comprising a fan driven by a fan motor to provide an air stream toward said conveyor in said passageway, wherein said one or more heating devices comprise an air heater that heats said air stream, and wherein said controller also controls a power consumption of said fan motor to change between said cook mode and said idle mode. 7. The cooking device of claim 6, wherein said one or more heating devices further comprise a radiant heater disposed to provide radiant heat to said conveyor in said passageway. 8. The cooking device of claim 2, wherein said device is either a temperature sensor or an optical sensor. 9. The cooking device of claim 1, wherein said one or more heating devices comprises a heater that heats convection air and that in said cook mode is operated with a duty cycle that seeks to maintain a predetermined temperature of said convection air, and wherein said detected change comprises a variation of said duty cycle indicative of said absence of said food products to which said controller responds to change from said cook mode to said idle mode. 10. The cooking device of claim 1, wherein said controller comprises a processor and a power consumption program that when run by said processor controls said power consumption of any one or more of said conveyor assembly and said heating devices by changing between said cook and idle modes based on said presence and absence of said food products on said conveyor. 11. A method of controlling a cooking device that comprises a housing having an inlet and an outlet, a conveyor assembly comprising a conveyor disposed to convey food products that enter said housing via said inlet along a passageway toward said outlet, and one or more heating devices disposed to provide heat to cook said food products while being conveyed along said passageway; said method comprising: controlling any one or more of said conveyor assembly and said heating devices to operate and consume power in a cook mode and an idle mode based on a presence and an absence of said food products on said conveyor, respectively, and wherein power consumption in said cook mode and said idle mode is high and low, respectively, and detecting a change in a parameter indicative of said presence or said absence of food products on said conveyor, wherein said controller responds to said detected change to change from one of said cook mode and said idle mode to the other, and wherein said parameter is selected from the group consisting of: temperature and duty cycle of a heater. 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising sensing food products on said conveyor and providing a sensor output indicative of said changed parameter, and wherein said controlling step controls said power consumption of any one or more of said conveyor assembly and said heating devices by changing between said cook mode and said idle mode in response to said sensor output. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein said sensor output is indicative of a variation of cooking temperature to which said controlling step responds to change from said cook mode to said idle mode. 14. The method of claim 12, wherein said controlling step changes from said cook mode to said idle mode when a predetermined time has elapsed since said presence of said food products was last detected. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein said predetermined time is equal to or greater than a travel time of a food product from a point of detection of said presence on said conveyor to said outlet. 16. The method of claim 12, wherein said cooking device further comprises a fan driven by a fan motor to provide an air stream toward said conveyor in said passageway, wherein said one or more heating devices comprise an air heater that heats said air stream, and wherein said controlling step also controls a power consumption of said fan motor to change between said cook mode and said idle mode. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein said one or more heating devices further comprise a radiant heater disposed to provide radiant heat to said conveyor in said passageway. 18. The method of claim 12, wherein said sensing step uses a temperature sensor or an optical sensor. 19. The method of claim 11, wherein said one or more heating devices comprises an air heater that heats convection air, wherein said controlling step during said cook mode operates said air heater with a duty cycle that seeks to maintain a predetermined temperature of said convection air, and wherein said detected change comprises a variation of said duty cycle indicative of said absence of said food products to which said controlling step responds to change from said cook mode to said idle mode. 20. The cooking device of claim 11, wherein said cooking device further comprises a controller that includes a processor and a power consumption program that when run by said processor performs said controlling step.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (9)
Edward R. Cook, Combination high speed infrared and convection conveyor oven and method of using.
Schjerven, Sr., William S.; Wiker, John H.; Van Camp, Richard H.; Chmiola, Theodore James; Sieron, Mark A., Apparatus and method for controlling a conveyor oven.
Schjerven, Sr., William S.; Wiker, John H.; Van Camp, Richard H.; Chmiola, Theodore James; Sieron, Mark A., Apparatus and method for controlling a conveyor oven.
Wiker, John H.; Panicker, Mohan K.; Van Camp, Richard H.; Chmiola, Theodore James; Schjerven, Sr., William S.; Albert, Magdy A., Conveyor oven apparatus and method.
Wiker, John H.; Panicker, Mohan K.; Van Camp, Richard H.; Chmiola, Theodore James; Schjerven, Sr., William S.; Albert, Magdy A., Conveyor oven apparatus and method.
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