U.S. patent application number 13/853019 was filed with the patent office on 2013-10-03 for vehicle oven having an optimized water vapor injector.
This patent application is currently assigned to B/E AEROSPACE, INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is B/E AEROSPACE, INC.. Invention is credited to Marcus Michael Cornelis Jaspers, Martijn Klok, Siebe Schootstra, Nicolaas Johannes van Zwieten.
Application Number | 20130259455 13/853019 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49235160 |
Filed Date | 2013-10-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130259455 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Schootstra; Siebe ; et
al. |
October 3, 2013 |
Vehicle Oven Having an Optimized Water Vapor Injector
Abstract
An oven heating element assembly includes a heating element
operable to heat air that flows across the heating element, a fan
operable to cause air to flow across the heating element, and a
water vapor injector. The water vapor injector is operable to
inject mist into the air heated by the heating element to
facilitate the mist being converted to steam by the heated air.
Inventors: |
Schootstra; Siebe;
(Culemborg, NL) ; van Zwieten; Nicolaas Johannes;
(Ravenswaaij, NL) ; Klok; Martijn; (Rijswijk,
NL) ; Jaspers; Marcus Michael Cornelis; (Woerden,
NL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
B/E AEROSPACE, INC. |
Wellington |
FL |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
B/E AEROSPACE, INC.
Wellington
FL
|
Family ID: |
49235160 |
Appl. No.: |
13/853019 |
Filed: |
March 28, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61616812 |
Mar 28, 2012 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
392/394 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F22B 1/287 20130101;
F24C 15/327 20130101; F22B 3/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
392/394 |
International
Class: |
F22B 3/00 20060101
F22B003/00 |
Claims
1. An oven heating element assembly comprising: a heating element
operable to heat air that flows across the heating element; a fan
operable to cause air to flow across the heating element; and a
water vapor injector operable to inject mist into the air heated by
the heating element to facilitate the mist being converted to steam
by the heated air.
2. The oven heating element assembly of claim 1, wherein the water
vapor injector is disposed in a location on an opposite side of the
heating element from the fan whereby heated air flows proximate the
water vapor injector after having flowed across the heating
element.
3. The oven heating element assembly of claim 1, further comprising
a compartment in which the oven heating assembly is installed,
wherein: the heating element is operable to heat air within the
compartment; and the water vapor injector is disposed in a location
of the compartment proximate where heated air flows.
4. The oven heating element assembly of claim 3, the compartment
further comprising a wall at which the heating element, the fan,
and the water vapor injector are installed.
5. The oven heating element assembly of claim 1, wherein the
heating element comprises an electrical heating element that heats
when electrical current is passed therethrough.
6. The oven heating element assembly of claim 5, wherein the
heating element comprises a plurality of electrical heating
elements proximate one another.
7. The oven heating element assembly of claim 5, wherein the
heating element encircles a majority of the fan and the fan blows
air across a majority of the heating element that encircles the
fan.
8. The oven heating element assembly of claim 1, wherein the water
vapor injector comprises a nebulizer.
9. The oven heating element assembly of claim 1, wherein the
heating element heats the air to a temperature above the boiling
point of water.
10. The oven heating element assembly of claim 1, wherein the water
vapor injector is disposed in a location to inject water vapor into
heated air that is at a temperature above the boiling point of
water.
11. A method of injecting water vapor into an oven, the method
comprising: heating a heating element of the oven to a temperature
above the boiling point of water; causing air to flow across the
heated heating element by a fan; heating the air that flows across
the heated heating element by the heating element to a temperature
above the boiling point of water; injecting mist into the heated
air by a water vapor injector; and converting the mist to steam by
the heated air.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein heating the heating element
comprises passing electrical current through the heating
element.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein the heating element is heated
within a compartment of the oven, and the mist is injected into the
heated air in a location of the compartment proximate where heated
air flows.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein the heating element encircles a
majority of the fan, and causing air to flow across the heated
heating element comprises blowing air across a majority of the
heating element that encircles the fan.
15. The method of claim 11, wherein injecting mist into the heated
air comprises generating the mist using a nebulizer.
16. An oven comprising: a compartment; a heating element disposed
in the compartment, the heating element operable to heat air that
flows across the heating element; a fan disposed proximate the
heating element and operable to cause air to flow across the
heating element; and a water vapor injector operable to inject mist
into the air heated by the heating element to facilitate the mist
being converted to steam by the heated air.
17. The oven of claim 16, further comprising a wall at which the
heating element, the fan, and the water vapor injector are
installed.
18. The oven of claim 16, wherein the heating element comprises a
plurality of electrical heating elements proximate one another.
19. The oven of claim 16, wherein the heating element encircles a
majority of the fan and the fan blows air across a majority of the
heating element that encircles the fan.
20. The oven of claim 16, wherein the water vapor injector
comprises a nebulizer, and injecting mist into the heated air
comprises generating the mist using the nebulizer.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the priority benefit of U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 61/616,812 entitled "Vehicle
Oven Having an Optimized Water Vapor Injector" and filed on Mar.
28, 2012, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field
[0003] Embodiments relate to an oven for heating food. More
specifically, embodiments relate to a vehicle oven having an
optimized water vapor injector.
[0004] 2. Related Art
[0005] Conventional ovens for use in vehicles, such as aircraft,
typically have water vapor injectors integrated with the heating
elements. This leads to excessive water usage and chalk
accumulation on the heating element, thereby reducing the lifetime
of the heating element.
SUMMARY
[0006] According to an embodiment, an oven heating element assembly
includes: a heating element operable to heat air that flows across
the heating element, a fan operable to cause air to flow across the
heating element, and a water vapor injector. The water vapor
injector is operable to inject mist into the air heated by the
heating element to facilitate the mist being converted to steam by
the heated air.
[0007] The water vapor injector may be disposed in a location on an
opposite side of the heating element from the fan whereby heated
air flows proximate the water vapor injector after having flowed
across the heating element.
[0008] The oven heating element assembly may further include a
compartment in which the oven heating assembly is installed,
wherein the heating element is operable to heat air within the
compartment, and the water vapor injector is disposed in a location
of the compartment proximate where heated air flows.
[0009] The compartment may further include a wall at which the
heating element, the fan, and the water vapor injector are
installed.
[0010] The heating element may include an electrical heating
element that heats when electrical current is passed
therethrough.
[0011] The heating element may include a plurality of electrical
heating elements proximate one another.
[0012] The heating element may encircle a majority of the fan and
the fan may blow air across a majority of the heating element that
encircles the fan.
[0013] The water vapor injector may include a nebulizer.
[0014] The heating element may heat the air to a temperature above
the boiling point of water.
[0015] The water vapor injector may be disposed in a location to
inject water vapor into heated air that is at a temperature above
the boiling point of water.
[0016] According to another embodiment, a method of injecting water
vapor into an oven includes heating a heating element of the oven
to a temperature above the boiling point of water, causing air to
flow across the heated heating element by a fan, heating the air
that flows across the heated heating element by the heating element
to a temperature above the boiling point of water, injecting mist
into the heated air by a water vapor injector, and converting the
mist to steam by the heated air.
[0017] According to another embodiment, an oven includes a
compartment; a heating element disposed in the compartment, the
heating element operable to heat air that flows across the heating
element; a fan disposed proximate the heating element and operable
to cause air to flow across the heating element; and a water vapor
injector operable to inject mist into the air heated by the heating
element to facilitate the mist being converted to steam by the
heated air.
[0018] While the exemplary embodiments described herein are
presented in the context of an oven for an aircraft galley, these
embodiments are exemplary only and are not to be considered
limiting. The embodiments of the apparatus are not limited to ovens
for use in an aircraft galley. The ovens may be used for various
applications including, but not limited to, cooking or heating
food. Various embodiments may be used in any vehicle, including
aircraft, spacecraft, ships, buses, trains, recreational vehicles,
trucks, automobiles, and the like. Embodiments of the apparatus may
also be used in homes, offices, hotels, factories, warehouses,
garages, and other buildings where it may be desirable to have
increased reliability and lower cost of heating element assemblies.
In general, the embodiments may be used in any location or
application in which it may be desirable to have increased
reliability and lower cost of heating element assemblies.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] Exemplary embodiments will be explained in more detail with
reference to the attached drawings in which the embodiments are
illustrated as briefly described below.
[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a conventional oven
heating element assembly including a water vapor injector.
[0021] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic view of a water vapor
injector installed at a real wall of an oven compartment separately
from a heating element assembly, according to an embodiment.
[0022] FIG. 3 illustrates a method of using a water vapor injector
in heating an oven, according to an embodiment.
[0023] FIG. 4 illustrates a system for heating an oven including a
water vapor injector, according to an embodiment.
[0024] FIG. 5 illustrates a controller for heating an oven using a
water vapor injector, according to an embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0025] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a conventional oven
heating element assembly 100 including a water vapor injector 180.
The heating element assembly 100 includes a first heating element
having a first end 110 and a second end 120, the first end 110 and
the second end 120 being part of a continuous loop. Likewise, the
heating element assembly 100 includes a second heating element
having a first end 130 and a second end 140, the first end 130 and
the second end 140 being part of a continuous loop, and a third
heating element having a first end 150 and a second end 160, the
first end 150 and the second end 160 being part of a continuous
loop. The loops of each of the three heating elements are in close
proximity to one another. The first, second, and third heating
elements may be electric heating elements that couple with an
electric heating element control system (see FIGS. 4 and 5) of an
oven. The heating element assembly 100 may be installed in an oven
compartment 105, for example at a back wall of the oven compartment
105, to heat air within the oven compartment 105. The heating
element assembly 100 may be installed such that the continuous
loops of the first, second, and third heating elements encircle a
fan 190 that causes airflow to flow over the first, second, and
third heating elements in order to heat the interior of the oven
compartment 105.
[0026] The water vapor injector 180 injects water 185 into the oven
compartment in which the heating element assembly 170 is installed
by spraying water 185 onto the fan 190 encircled by the first,
second, and third heating elements. The water 185 may be sprayed at
one of a variety of different locations of the fan 190--three
potential locations are shown in FIG. 1. For example, the water 185
may be sprayed onto a single location of the fan 190 to the right
of the top of the fan 190. The fan 190 then creates water spray 193
from the injected water. Outward airflow from the fan 190 causes
the water spray 193 and any existing liquid water droplets to hit
the first, second, and third heating elements, which convert the
water spray 193 and liquid water droplets into steam 195. The water
spray 193 may hit a different region of the first, second, and
third heating elements, depending upon where the water 185 is
sprayed onto the fan 190 and which direction the fan 190 is
rotating. FIG. 1 illustrates a number of alternative potential
areas of the first, second, and third heating elements that the
water spray 193 may hit. For example, when the water 185 is sprayed
onto the single location of the fan 190 to the right of the top of
the fan 190, and the fan 190 is rotating in the clockwise
direction, the water spray 193 may hit the first, second, and third
heating elements at the upper right portion of the heating element
loop illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0027] Because the water spray 193 and liquid water droplets
physically touch the first, second, and third heating elements of
FIG. 1, mineral residues (e.g., chalk) are deposited on the first,
second, and third heating elements. The mineral residues then
accumulate on the heating elements where the liquid water droplets
touch the heating elements, leading to a reduction in life for the
heating elements. In addition, frequent temperature changes of the
heating elements due to the spray of cold water 185 onto the
heating elements negatively impacts the reliability of the heating
elements. Furthermore, alignment of the water vapor injector 180
with the fan 190 is critical in order for the fan 190 to properly
create and distribute the water spray 193 that the heating elements
convert to steam 195.
[0028] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic view of a water vapor
injector 210 installed at a rear wall 205 of an oven compartment
200 separately from a heating element assembly 220, according to an
embodiment. FIG. 2 also illustrates a fan 290 installed at the rear
wall 205 within a continuous loop created by first, second, and
third heating elements having first and second ends 230 and 240,
250 and 260, and 270 and 280, respectively. In various embodiments,
there may be more or fewer heating elements. For example, there may
be one, two, four, five, or more heating elements. Each of the
heating elements may generally encircle the fan 290 generally along
a plane parallel with the wall 205 of the oven compartment 200 at
which the water vapor injector 220 is installed. There may be an
opening between the ends of the heating elements through which air
blown by the fan 290 does not flow across the heating elements, for
example. In addition, the heating elements may be arranged with
respect to one another along a plane perpendicular with the wall of
the oven compartment 200 at which the heating element assembly 220
is installed, along a plane parallel with the wall 205 of the oven
compartment 200 at which the heating element assembly 220 is
installed, along a diagonal plane in between perpendicular and
parallel to the wall 205 of the oven compartment 200, or other
arrangement that facilitates airflow 295 from the fan 290 passing
across the heating elements to be heated. The fan 290 may be a
rotary fan with a propeller style blade, an axial-flow fan, a
radial fan, a centrifugal fan, a crossflow fan, or other type of
fan as known in the art.
[0029] The water vapor injector 210 may be disposed in a location
on an opposite side of the heating elements from the fan 290
whereby heated air flows proximate the water vapor injector 210
after having flowed across the heating element. In other
embodiments, the water vapor injector 210 may be disposed in a
location on a same side of the heating elements as the fan 290,
such as below, on, or proximate the heating element assembly 220.
The water vapor injector 210 may inject mist 213 into airflow 295
created by the fan 290 and heated by the first, second, and third
heating elements. The mist 213 may be heated in the heated airflow
295 until the mist 213 changes state to the vapor phase to become
steam 215 without the mist 213 physically touching the heating
elements or the fan.
[0030] Although the water vapor injector 210 is illustrated as
being installed to the left of the heating element assembly 220,
this should not be construed as limiting. In various embodiments,
the water vapor injector 210 may be placed in other or multiple
locations independent of the shape or placement of the heating
element assembly 220 to optimize formation and distribution of
steam 215 in the oven compartment 200. In contrast to the water
vapor injector 180, the placement of the water vapor injector 210
is more flexible.
[0031] The water vapor injector 210 may include a nozzle coupled
with a water source such that mist 213 is controllably injected
into the oven compartment 200 using a nebulizer or solenoid powered
valves and the nozzle. The heated airflow 295 from the fan 290
quickly heats the mist 213 injected by the water vapor injector 210
to create steam 215. The mist 213 from the water vapor injector 210
is converted to steam 215 by the heated airflow 295 that flows
across the heating elements in the heating element assembly 220,
rather than by the heating elements directly as in FIG. 1.
[0032] The water vapor injector 210 reduces water usage compared to
the conventional water vapor injector 180, and also prevents chalk
accumulation on the heating elements because the water vapor
injector 210 does not cause mist or water droplets to spray
directly onto the heating elements in contrast to the conventional
water vapor injector 180. Because the fineness of the mist 213
facilitates the mist 213 being converted to steam 215 by the heated
airflow 295 without touching the heating element assembly 220
first, the heating element assembly 220 does not have the problems
of the heating element assembly 170 in this regard. In various
embodiments, other factors that may contribute to prevention of
problems in the heating element assembly 220 similar to those of
the heating assembly 170 include distance between the first,
second, and third heating elements of FIG. 2 and the water vapor
injector 210, and the airflow 295 from the fan 290 sending the mist
213 and any existing liquid water droplets from the water vapor
injector 210 in a direction away from the heating element assembly
220. As a result, the lifetime of the heating element assembly 220
of FIG. 2 is increased in comparison with the heating element
assembly 170 of FIG. 1.
[0033] In addition, the water vapor injector 210 may be more easily
cleaned, serviced, and replaced than the water vapor injector 180
of FIG. 1, because the water vapor injector 210 is not integrated
with the heating element assembly 220. However, in various
embodiments, the water vapor injector 210 may be integrated with
the heating element assembly 220 while still enjoying advantages of
the embodiments of the combination of the heating element assembly
220 and water vapor injector 210 discussed herein. Furthermore, in
embodiments such as that illustrated in which the water vapor
injector 210 is further from the heating elements than the water
vapor injector 180, the water vapor injector 210 is not subjected
to as extreme hot temperatures as the water vapor injector 180. As
a result, more materials may be chosen for constructing the water
vapor injector 210 than the water vapor injector 180. For example,
because of the close proximity of the water vapor injector 180 to
the heating elements in the conventional heating element assembly
170, the material choice for the water vapor injector 180 is
typically limited to stainless steel. In the water vapor injector
210, other materials may be chosen in order to reduce or eliminate
deposition of minerals in the water vapor injector 210. As such,
the lifetime of the water vapor injector 210 may also be extended
and the total cost of ownership of the water vapor injector 210
and/or heating element assembly 220 reduced compared to the water
vapor injector 180.
[0034] FIG. 3 illustrates a method of using a water vapor injector
in heating an oven, according to an embodiment. In a step 310, a
heating element is heated. The heating element may be one or more
of the heating elements having first and second ends 230 and 240,
250 and 260, and 270 and 280, respectively. In the case of an
electrical heating element, the heating element may be heated by
passing electrical current through an electrically resistive
heating element. Other heating elements that are heated by or heat
air using other power sources or fuels may be used in various
embodiments as known in the art, for example, gas, propane, or
kerosene. The heating element may be heated to a temperature at or
above the boiling point of water, which is 100 degrees centigrade
at one atmosphere of pressure under standard conditions. The
boiling point of water is a physical property of water that depends
upon factors such as environmental conditions including atmospheric
pressure. Impurities, such as salt, in the water may increase its
boiling point. Also, in aircraft during flight, the atmospheric
pressure is typically less than one atmosphere of pressure. As a
result, the boiling temperature of water in an aircraft during
flight is typically a lower temperature than it would be at one
atmosphere of pressure. In various embodiments, the heating element
may be heated to 100, 150, 200, 250, or 300 degrees centrigrade, or
more, and may heat the air within a compartment of the oven to a
temperature about the same as the temperature of the heating
element.
[0035] In a step 320, air is blown across the heating element
heated in step 310. The air may be blown by a fan, e.g., fan 290.
The air may be blown in a direction from the fan toward the heating
element whereby the majority of the air blown by the fan is blown
across the heating element. The fan may blow the air outwardly from
the fan and across the heating element that encircles the fan. The
speed and direction of airflow through the fan may be set by a
variably controlled electrical power used to drive a motor of the
fan.
[0036] In a step 330, the heating element heats the air that flows
across the heating element. The air may be heated by an incremental
amount each time the air flows across the heating element as the
air circulates within the oven, raising a temperature of the air
each time the air flows across the heating element. The air may
decrease in temperature as the air circulates through the oven
before returning to the fan. The air that flows between the fan and
the heating element may be at a temperature above the boiling point
of water prior to being incrementally heated by the heating element
during any given air circulation cycle. The amount by which the air
temperature is increased by passing over the heating element may be
determined by how hot the heating element is, which in turn may be
determined by how much electrical current is passing through the
heating element in the case of an electrical heating element.
[0037] In a step 340, mist is injected into the heated air. The
mist may be injected by the water vapor injector 210. The mist may
be injected away from the heating element, whereby the heated air
contacts the mist after the heated air is heated by the heating
element in step 330. The mist may be injected in the form of a mist
or fine water droplets that provide a sufficiently large surface
area relative to volume in order to reduce a time required to be
converted into steam by the heated air to a sufficiently short
duration to prevent the mist or fine water droplets from reaching
the heating element. As such, the mist may be sufficiently fine
such that the mist changes state to the vapor phase prior to
reaching the heating element. A nebulizer or solenoid powered
valves and a nozzle may be used to inject the mist into the heated
air.
[0038] In a step 350, the mist injected into the heated air in step
340 is converted into steam by the heated air. The mist may be
converted into steam quickly based on the fineness of the mist and
the temperature of the heated air. A finer mist and hotter heated
air both reduce a time required to convert the mist into steam. The
mist may be converted into steam by the heated air away from the
heating element, and therefore the heating element may not have any
mineral deposits left behind by the mist when the mist is converted
to steam.
[0039] FIG. 4 illustrates a system 400 for heating an oven
including a water vapor injector 420, according to an embodiment. A
control system 410 may control the water vapor injector 420 to
inject mist into an oven compartment according to the methods
described herein. The control system 410 may include an embodiment
of the controller 500 shown in FIG. 5. The control system 410 may
include sensors and actuators and control the water vapor injector
420, the heating element 430, and/or the fan 440 using the sensors
and actuators. The sensors may include temperature sensors, for
example, that measure temperature of air near the heating element
430, near the water vapor injector 420, near the fan 440, or in
other areas within a compartment of the oven, or that measure
temperature of the heating element 430 and/or the water vapor
injector 420 themselves. The sensors may also include humidity
sensors, for example, that measure temperature of air near the
heating element 430, near the water vapor injector 420, near the
fan 440, or in other areas within a compartment of the oven. The
sensors may additionally include flow sensors that measure an
amount of airflow from the fan 440 or an amount of fluid or water
flow through the water vapor injector 420 and/or water supply
piping that provides water to the water vapor injector 420. The
sensors may also include a pressure sensor that measures the air
pressure within the oven. The sensors further may include a current
sensor that measures how much electrical current flows through the
heating element 430 or a voltage that measures the voltage across
the heating element 430 in the case of an electrical heating
element. The actuators may include a motor that drives the fan 440,
an actuator that controls water flow through the water vapor
injector 420, and an element such as a switch or driver that
controls an amount of electrical current that flows through the
heating element 430 in the case of an electrical heating
element.
[0040] The water vapor injector 420 may be an embodiment of the
water vapor injector 210. The heating element 430 may be an
embodiment of the heating elements having first and second ends 230
and 240, 250 and 260, and 270 and 280, respectively. The fan 440
may be an embodiment of the fan 290.
[0041] FIG. 5 illustrates a controller for heating an oven using a
water vapor injector, according to an embodiment. The controller
500 may be coupled with a control panel 540 via an I/O interface
530. The controller 500 may be included in the oven having the oven
compartment 200 and the control panel 540 may be installed on an
exterior surface of the oven or near an installation location of
the oven. The controller 500 may receive input commands from a user
via the control panel 540 such as turning the oven on or off,
selecting an operation mode, and setting a desired temperature of
the oven compartment 200. The controller 500 may output information
to the user regarding an operational status (e.g., operational
mode, activation of a steam generation cycle, shut-off due to
over-temperature conditions of the oven compartment 205 and/or
components of the oven, etc.) of the oven using the control panel
540.
[0042] The controller 500 may include a processor 510 that performs
computations according to program instructions, a memory 520 that
stores the program instructions and other data used or generated by
the processor 510, and a network interface 550 that includes data
communications circuitry for interfacing to a data communications
network 590 such as Ethernet, Galley Data Bus (GAN), or Controller
Area Network (CAN). The processor 510 may include a microprocessor,
a Field Programmable Gate Array, an Application Specific Integrated
Circuit, or a custom Very Large Scale Integrated circuit chip, or
other electronic circuitry that performs a control function. The
processor 510 may also include a state machine. The controller 500
may also include one or more electronic circuits and printed
circuit boards. The processor 510, memory 520, and network
interface 550 may be coupled with one another using one or more
data buses 580. The controller 500 may communicate with and control
various sensors and actuators 570 of the oven via a control
interface 560. The sensors and actuators of the control system 410
may be embodiments of the sensors and actuators 570 of FIG. 5.
[0043] The controller 500 may be controlled by or communicate with
a centralized computing system, such as one onboard an aircraft.
The controller 500 may implement a compliant ARINC 812 logical
communication interface on a compliant ARINC 810 physical
interface. The controller 500 may communicate via the Galley Data
Bus (e.g., galley networked GAN bus), and exchange data with a
Galley Network Controller (e.g., Master GAIN Control Unit as
described in the ARINC 812 specification). In accordance with the
ARINC 812 specification, the controller 500 may provide network
monitoring, power control, remote operation, failure monitoring,
and data transfer functions. The controller 500 may implement menu
definitions requests received from the Galley Network Controller
(GNC) for presentation on a GNC Touchpanel display device and
process associated button push events to respond appropriately. The
controller 500 may provide additional communications using an
RS-232 communications interface and/or an infrared data port, such
as communications with a personal computer (PC) or a personal
digital assistant (PDA). Such additional communications may include
real-time monitoring of operations of the oven, long-term data
retrieval, and control system software upgrades. In addition, the
control interface 560 may include a serial peripheral interface
(SPI) bus that may be used to communicate between the controller
500 and motor controllers within the oven.
[0044] A user may select a desired temperature for the oven
compartment 200 using the control panel 540. The user may also
select a desired humidity and/or pressure for the oven compartment
200 using the control panel 540. The controller 500 may control a
temperature within the oven compartment 200 at a high level of
precision according to the desired temperature. The controller 500
may also control a humidity within the oven compartment 200 at a
high level of precision according to the desired humidity, and/or
according to a desired pressure. For example, when the pressure
drops below a threshold, additional water vapor may be injected
into the oven compartment to increase the pressure. Therefore,
quality of food cooked within the oven compartment 205 may be
uniformly obtained according to the user-selected operational mode
of the oven.
[0045] All references, including publications, patent applications,
and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to
the same extent as if each reference were individually and
specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set
forth in its entirety herein.
[0046] For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the
principles of the invention, reference has been made to the
embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language has
been used to describe these embodiments. However, no limitation of
the scope of the invention is intended by this specific language,
and the invention should be construed to encompass all embodiments
that would normally occur to one of ordinary skill in the art. The
terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing the
particular embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of
exemplary embodiments of the invention. In the description of the
embodiments, certain detailed explanations of related art are
omitted when it is deemed that they may unnecessarily obscure the
essence of the invention.
[0047] The apparatus described herein may comprise a processor, a
memory for storing program data to be executed by the processor, a
permanent storage such as a disk drive, a communications port for
handling communications with external devices, and user interface
devices, including a display, touch panel, keys, buttons, etc. When
software modules are involved, these software modules may be stored
as program instructions or computer readable code executable by the
processor on a non-transitory computer-readable media such as
magnetic storage media (e.g., magnetic tapes, hard disks, floppy
disks), optical recording media (e.g., CD-ROMs, Digital Versatile
Discs (DVDs), etc.), and solid state memory (e.g., random-access
memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), static random-access memory
(SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory
(EEPROM), flash memory, thumb drives, etc.). The computer readable
recording media may also be distributed over network coupled
computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and
executed in a distributed fashion. This computer readable recording
media may be read by the computer, stored in the memory, and
executed by the processor.
[0048] Also, using the disclosure herein, programmers of ordinary
skill in the art to which the invention pertains may easily
implement functional programs, codes, and code segments for making
and using the invention.
[0049] The invention may be described in terms of functional block
components and various processing steps. Such functional blocks may
be realized by any number of hardware and/or software components
configured to perform the specified functions. For example, the
invention may employ various integrated circuit components, e.g.,
memory elements, processing elements, logic elements, look-up
tables, and the like, which may carry out a variety of functions
under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control
devices. Similarly, where the elements of the invention are
implemented using software programming or software elements, the
invention may be implemented with any programming or scripting
language such as C, C++, JAVA.RTM., assembler, or the like, with
the various algorithms being implemented with any combination of
data structures, objects, processes, routines or other programming
elements. Functional aspects may be implemented in algorithms that
execute on one or more processors. Furthermore, the invention may
employ any number of conventional techniques for electronics
configuration, signal processing and/or control, data processing
and the like. Finally, the steps of all methods described herein
may be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated
herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
[0050] For the sake of brevity, conventional electronics, control
systems, software development and other functional aspects of the
systems (and components of the individual operating components of
the systems) may not be described in detail. Furthermore, the
connecting lines, or connectors shown in the various figures
presented are intended to represent exemplary functional
relationships and/or physical or logical couplings between the
various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or
additional functional relationships, physical connections or
logical connections may be present in a practical device. The words
"mechanism", "element", "unit", "structure", "means", and
"construction" are used broadly and are not limited to mechanical
or physical embodiments, but may include software routines in
conjunction with processors, etc.
[0051] The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language
(e.g., "such as") provided herein, is intended merely to better
illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the
scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. Numerous
modifications and adaptations will be readily apparent to those of
ordinary skill in this art without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
Therefore, the scope of the invention is defined not by the
detailed description of the invention but by the following claims,
and all differences within the scope will be construed as being
included in the invention.
[0052] No item or component is essential to the practice of the
invention unless the element is specifically described as
"essential" or "critical". It will also be recognized that the
terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," "including," "has,"
and "having," as used herein, are specifically intended to be read
as open-ended terms of art. The use of the terms "a" and "an" and
"the" and similar referents in the context of describing the
invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are
to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless
the context clearly indicates otherwise. In addition, it should be
understood that although the terms "first," "second," etc. may be
used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not
be limited by these terms, which are only used to distinguish one
element from another. Furthermore, recitation of ranges of values
herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of
referring individually to each separate value falling within the
range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value
is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually
recited herein.
* * * * *