Closed-loop simmer with a gas burner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11262070-B2
Application number	US-201916702794-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2019
Priority date	Dec 4, 2019
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

A method of operating a cooktop appliance includes inputting a temperature measurement and a set temperature into a closed-loop control algorithm. When the output of the closed-loop control algorithm is less than a power level threshold, a first control valve to a gas burner of the cooktop appliance is closed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of operating a cooktop appliance, the cooktop appliance comprising a gas burner, the method comprising:
receiving a user-determined set temperature from a user interface of the cooktop appliance;
activating the gas burner;
receiving a precision mode initiation signal from the user interface;
receiving a temperature measurement from a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature at a utensil heated by the gas burner;
inputting the user-determined set temperature and the temperature measurement into a closed-loop control algorithm, whereby the closed-loop control algorithm produces an output based on the user-determined set temperature and the temperature measurement;
comparing the output of the closed-loop control algorithm to a threshold power level;
closing a first control valve to the gas burner when the output of the closed-loop control algorithm is less than the threshold power level; and
starting a burner OFF time count after closing the first control valve and opening the first control valve when the burner OFF time count is greater than a minimum OFF time and the output of the closed-loop control algorithm is greater than the threshold power level.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising deactivating a re-ignition module of the cooktop appliance when the output of the closed-loop control algorithm is less than the threshold power level, and re-activating the re-ignition module when the burner OFF time count is greater than the minimum OFF time and the output of the closed-loop control algorithm is greater than the threshold power level.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising starting a burner ON time count after opening the first control valve.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising comparing the output of the closed-loop control algorithm to the threshold power level after starting the burner ON time count.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising modulating a second control valve of the cooktop appliance to the power level threshold after comparing the output of the closed-loop control algorithm to the threshold power level when the output of the closed-loop control algorithm is less than the threshold power level and the burner ON time count is less than or equal to a minimum ON time.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising modulating a second control valve of the cooktop appliance to a power level corresponding to the output of the closed-loop control algorithm after comparing the output of the closed-loop control algorithm to the threshold power level when the output of the closed-loop control algorithm is greater than the threshold power level.

7. The method of claim 4 , further comprising closing the first control valve to the gas burner when the burner ON time count is greater than a minimum ON time and the output of the closed-loop control algorithm is less than the threshold power level.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising opening the first control valve when the burner OFF time count is greater than a maximum OFF time.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the closed-loop control algorithm is a PID control loop.

10. A method of operating a cooktop appliance, the cooktop appliance comprising a gas burner, the method comprising:
receiving a user-determined set temperature from a user interface of the cooktop appliance;
activating the gas burner;
receiving a precision mode initiation signal from the user interface;
receiving a temperature measurement from a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature at a utensil heated by the gas burner;
inputting the user-determined set temperature and the temperature measurement into a closed-loop control algorithm, whereby the closed-loop control algorithm produces an output based on the user-determined set temperature and the temperature measurement;
comparing the output of the closed-loop control algorithm to a threshold power level;
closing a first control valve to the gas burner when the output of the closed-loop control algorithm is less than the threshold power level; and
starting a burner OFF time count after closing the first control valve and opening the first control valve when the burner OFF time count is greater than a maximum OFF time.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising deactivating a re-ignition module of the cooktop appliance when the output of the closed-loop control algorithm is less than the threshold power level, and re-activating the re-ignition module when the burner OFF time count is greater than the maximum OFF time.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising starting a burner ON time count after opening the first control valve.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising comparing the output of the closed-loop control algorithm to the threshold power level after starting the burner ON time count.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising modulating a second control valve of the cooktop appliance to the power level threshold after comparing the output of the closed-loop control algorithm to the threshold power level when the output of the closed-loop control algorithm is less than the threshold power level and the burner ON time count is less than or equal to a minimum ON time.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising modulating a second control valve of the cooktop appliance to a power level corresponding to the output of the closed-loop control algorithm after comparing the output of the closed-loop control algorithm to the threshold power level when the output of the closed-loop control algorithm is greater than the threshold power level.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising closing the first control valve to the gas burner when the burner ON time count is greater than a minimum ON time and the output of the closed-loop control algorithm is less than the threshold power level.

17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising opening the first control valve when the burner OFF time count is greater than a minimum OFF time and the output of the closed-loop control algorithm is greater than the threshold power level.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the closed-loop control algorithm is a PID control loop.

Assignees

• Haier Us Appliance Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Billman David William
• Lea Jennifer Nicole
• Blum Michael

Classifications

• F23N2225/16

  burner temperature · CPC title

• F23N5/14

  using thermo-sensitive resistors · CPC title

• F23N2241/08

  Household apparatus · CPC title

• F23N5/10

  using thermocouples · CPC title

• F23N5/203 Primary

  using electronic means · CPC title