Oven with independently controllable slit jet reattachment nozzle

Abstract

An apparatus for baking or drying a product comprises: a tunnel oven (100, 200), the tunnel oven comprising one or more zones; one or more heaters (210), the one or more heaters being coupled to the zone of the tunnel oven; a slit jet reattachment (SJR) nozzle (220a, 220b), the slit jet reattachment nozzles (220a, 220b) being positioned at each of the zones; and a controller (240), the controller being operably coupled to the tunnel oven. Each SJR nozzle (220a, 220b) contains an electrical heating element (220) and is coupled to at least one sensor (224). The controller is configured to set a temperature of air to be generated by the one or more heaters (210), independently set a temperature of air to be generated by each electrical heating element (220) coupled to each of the SJR nozzles (220a, 220b), and obtain a reading from at least one sensor (224) of any one of the SJR nozzles (220a, 220b), to determine if the temperature of the air to be generated by the electrical heating element (220) of one of the SJR nozzles has been reached.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to dried / baked foods, and more specifically to a tunnel oven that utilizes an independently controllable slot jet reattachment nozzle for air convection. Background Technology

[0002] Conventional convection ovens typically have 4 to 8 heating zones. Each heating zone has multiple orifices / nozzles for air convection. In a conventional tunnel oven, all nozzles in a given heating zone are set to the same temperature, while nozzles in different heating zones are set to different temperatures. As a result, the transition temperature between adjacent zones is uncontrollable due to the temperature difference between them. This is even more pronounced when the temperature difference between adjacent heating zones is significant. Furthermore, this can lead to inconsistent temperature ramp-ups and ramp-downs within the oven. Additionally, since each zone of the oven typically requires a different preset temperature, the oven will usually need an independent gas burner and fan system for each zone. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application generally relates to a system / method for baking or drying products, the system / method comprising a tunnel oven having one or more heating zones and a plurality of independently controllable slit jet reattachment nozzles positioned in each zone and comprising an electric heating element and coupled to one or more sensors, including but not limited to temperature sensors, humidity sensors, etc.

[0004] In some embodiments, an apparatus for baking or drying food includes: a tunnel oven comprising one or more zones, the tunnel oven being configured to bake dough blocks placed on a conveyor belt passing through the tunnel oven to prepare baked or dried food; one or more heat sources coupled to one or more air ducts configured to supply air heated by the one or more heat sources to the one or more zones of the tunnel oven; a plurality of slit jet reattachment nozzles positioned at each of the one or more zones, each slit jet reattachment nozzle including an electric heating element and coupled to at least one sensor; and a control. A controller comprising a programmable processor and operably coupled to a tunnel oven; the controller is configured to: set the temperature of air to be generated by one or more heat sources; set the temperature of air to be generated by an electrically heated element coupled to each slit jet reattachment nozzle in the slit jet reattachment nozzles, wherein the controller and the electrically heated element coupled to each slit jet reattachment nozzle in the slit jet reattachment nozzles are configured such that the controller can independently control the temperature of the air generated by the slit jet reattachment nozzles; and obtain readings from at least one sensor of any one of the slit jet reattachment nozzles to determine whether the temperature of the air to be generated by the electrically heated element of one of the slit jet reattachment nozzles in the slit jet reattachment nozzles has been reached.

[0005] The electric heating element of the slit jet reattachment nozzle can be configured to generate air at a temperature 10℉ to 150℉ higher than the temperature of the air to be generated by one or more heat sources.

[0006] In some aspects, slit jet reattachment nozzles are grouped into groups comprising two or more reattachment nozzles, each group of two or more slit jet reattachment nozzles is coupled to at least one sensor, and a controller and an electrically heated element coupled to each slit jet reattachment nozzle are configured such that the controller can independently control the temperature of the air to be generated by the electrically heated element of the slit jet reattachment nozzle in each of the two or more groups of slit jet reattachment nozzles. In some embodiments, each zone of a tunnel oven comprises at least two groups of two or more slit jet reattachment nozzles, and wherein the controller is configured to set each group of two or more slit jet reattachment nozzles in any one zone of the tunnel oven to a different temperature.

[0007] In some embodiments, one or more heat sources are gas burners or electric heaters, and each zone of the tunnel oven contains a single heat source. In one embodiment, the apparatus also includes a heat recovery device located between one or more heat sources of the tunnel oven and one or more zones of the tunnel oven.

[0008] In some embodiments, the controller is communicatively coupled to at least one electronic database and configured to: obtain data representing the characteristics of the dough block from the at least one electronic database, and data representing target characteristics of the baked or dried product to be prepared from the dough block in the tunnel oven; and based on the data obtained from the at least one electronic database, set the temperature of the air to be generated by an electric heating element coupled to each of the slit jet reattachment nozzles in each of one or more zones of the tunnel oven. The controller may also be configured to: generate a first set of baking parameters for the tunnel oven based on the obtained data representing the characteristics of the dough block and the data representing the target characteristics of the baked or dried product to be prepared from the dough block in the tunnel oven, the first set of baking parameters being predicted by the controller to cause the tunnel oven to produce a baked or dried product with the target parameters from the dough block entering the tunnel oven; and control the tunnel oven to operate according to the first set of baking parameters.

[0009] The device may further include: at least a first sensor configured to detect characteristics of dough entering the tunnel oven; at least a second sensor configured to detect characteristics of baked or dried product leaving the tunnel oven; and at least a third sensor configured to detect settings of the tunnel oven and environmental conditions inside the tunnel oven. In some embodiments, if the controller detects a mismatch between the target characteristics of the baked or dried product leaving the tunnel oven and the characteristics of the baked or dried product leaving the tunnel oven, the controller is configured to modify a first set of baking parameters based on a trained machine learning model to generate a second set of baking parameters predicted by the controller, so that the tunnel oven produces baked or dried product with the target parameters from the dough entering the tunnel oven.

[0010] In some embodiments, a method for controlling the baking or drying of food products includes: baking or drying dough blocks in a tunnel oven comprising one or more zones to provide a baked or dried product; heating air via one or more heat sources coupled to one or more air ducts configured to supply the heated air to the one or more zones of the tunnel oven; providing a plurality of slit jet reattachment nozzles positioned at each of the one or more zones, each slit jet reattachment nozzle including an electric heating element and coupled to at least one sensor; and providing a controller including a programmable processor and operable. The method is coupled to a tunnel oven; the method further includes a controller: setting the temperature of air to be generated by one or more heat sources; setting the temperature of air to be generated by an electrically heated element coupled to each slit jet reattachment nozzle in the slit jet reattachment nozzles, wherein the controller and the electrically heated element coupled to each slit jet reattachment nozzle in the slit jet reattachment nozzles are configured such that the controller can independently control the temperature of the air generated by the slit jet reattachment nozzles; and obtaining a reading from at least one sensor of any one of the slit jet reattachment nozzles to determine whether the temperature of the air to be generated by the electrically heated element of one of the slit jet reattachment nozzles in the slit jet reattachment nozzles has been reached. Attached Figure Description

[0011] This document discloses an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus and method relating to the drying and baking of products in a tunnel oven using independently controllable slit jet reattachment nozzles, these independently controllable slit jet reattachment nozzles being coupled to a heating element and one or more sensors that detect conditions inside the slit jet reattachment nozzles. This specification includes accompanying drawings, in which:

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a conventional tunnel oven;

[0013] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a tunnel oven based on some implementation schemes;

[0014] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a conventional slit nozzle used in a tunnel oven;

[0015] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a conventional slit jet reattachment nozzle used in a tunnel oven; and

[0016] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the controller for a tunnel oven according to some implementation schemes; and

[0017] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of an exemplary method for baking or drying food in a tunnel oven according to some implementation schemes. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The following description is not intended to be restrictive, but rather to illustrate the general principles of exemplary embodiments only. Throughout this specification, references to “an embodiment,” “a particular embodiment,” or similar language mean that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Therefore, the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” and similar language appearing throughout this specification may, but not necessarily all, refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, it should be understood that the various features described with reference to a particular embodiment can be used interchangeably with one or more other embodiments described herein.

[0019] Generally, the apparatus, methods, and systems described herein relate to ovens equipped with slit jet reattachment (SJR) nozzles positioned throughout the oven's heating zone. The ovens described herein do not require separate gas burners or electric heaters for each heating zone. Not wishing to be theoretically limited, the capacity of the central burner and fan (or central electric heater) of the tunnel ovens described herein does not need to be very large, as the airflow required by the slit jet reattachment nozzles is far lower than that required by conventional drying nozzles used in conventional ovens. In some embodiments, each SJR nozzle of the exemplary tunnel ovens described herein is equipped with a heating element to achieve independent temperature control for each SJR nozzle, thereby providing consistent and reliable temperature ramp-up and ramp-down. The significant increase in the number of independent temperature controls in the exemplary ovens described herein results in consistent and improved quality properties of foods dried / baked in the tunnel oven. Furthermore, as described in more detail herein, the combination of numerous SJR nozzles, a reduced number of burner and fan systems, and independent temperature controls with electric heating elements results in lower gas consumption and lower CO2 emissions.

[0020] Figure 1An exemplary conventional tunnel oven 100 is shown. The tunnel oven 100 is typically used for heating and / or drying dough blocks 190 to form a final food product. The tunnel oven 100 includes one or more conveyor belts or belts 102, each containing a product propulsion surface 104 that supports the dough block 190 as it is carried by the conveyor belts 102 through heating / drying zones 1 to 5 of the tunnel oven 100. The conveyor belts 102 of the tunnel oven 100 can be operatively coupled to a control unit 130 configured to start the conveyor belts 102, deactivate the conveyor belts 102, and control the speed of the conveyor belts 102. The control unit 130 can receive control signals from a controller 140 via a wired or wireless connection, which can, for example... Figure 1 The exterior of the tunnel oven 100 shown, or the structure incorporated into the tunnel oven 100.

[0021] The conveyor belt 102 may be metallic (e.g., steel, etc.) and may have a mesh structure (e.g., open mesh material, wound mesh material, etc.), and may be used to bake / dry dough blocks 190 from above or below in a tunnel oven 100 (to form final food products such as biscuits, crackers, cookies, etc.) because the conveyor belt 102, made of metallic mesh material, allows convective air to pass through it to heat the bottom of the food 190 located on the product advance surface 104 of the conveyor belt 102.

[0022] Figure 1 An exemplary conventional tunnel oven 100 is shown as having five heating zones, namely zone 1, zone 2, zone 3, zone 4, and zone 5; however, it should be understood that the tunnel oven 100 may have more than five zones or fewer than five zones, depending on its intended use. Figure 1 In this configuration, each of heating zones 1 to 5 includes a separate heating device 110 (e.g., a heater, such as a burner / fan / exhaust heater, electric heater, etc.) that generates heated air and directs it to the upper and lower air collection chambers 112 and 114 of the corresponding zone in zones 1 to 5. Figure 1 In the tunnel oven 100 shown, each heating zone 1 to heating zone 5 includes an upper nozzle 120a in fluid communication with the upper air chamber 112 and a lower nozzle 120b in communication with the lower air chamber 114.

[0023] exist Figure 1In the tunnel oven 100, the heating devices 110 of heating zones 1 to 5 are all set to different exemplary temperatures, namely, zone 1 is 370℉, zone 2 is 410℉, zone 3 is 365℉, zone 4 is 330℉, and zone 5 is 275℉ (however, it should be understood that the heating devices 110 can all be set to other temperatures, which can all be different or all the same). Figure 1 In the tunnel oven 100, the temperature difference between zones 1 and 2 is 40℉, between zones 2 and 3 is 45℉, between zones 3 and 4 is 35℉, and between zones 4 and 5 is 55℉. Due to the temperature differences between adjacent zones of the tunnel oven 100 (i.e., zones 1 and 2, zones 2 and 3, zones 3 and 4, and zones 4 and 5), the transition temperature between adjacent zones of the tunnel oven 100 (indicated by the left and right block arrows) is uncontrollable. This means that the temperature ramp-up and ramp-down are inconsistent, and this in turn may lead to inconsistent baking / drying of the dough blocks 190 as they advance through the product advance surface 104 of the conveyor belt 102 through this conventional tunnel oven 100.

[0024] Figure 2 An exemplary tunnel oven 200 according to some embodiments described herein is shown. The tunnel oven 200 can be used to heat (e.g., bake, grill, etc.) and / or dry dough blocks 290 to form a final baked / dried food product (e.g., dough-based foods, foods other than dough-based foods, etc.). However, it will be understood that the tunnel oven 200 is not limited to baking and drying foods and can be used to dry products other than food products. The tunnel oven 200 includes one or more conveyor belts or belts 202, which include a product propulsion surface 204 that supports the dough blocks 290 as they are carried by the conveyor belts 202 through heating / drying zones 1 to 5 of the tunnel oven 200.

[0025] In some embodiments, the conveyor belt 202 is metallic (e.g., steel, etc.) and has a mesh structure (e.g., open wire mesh material, wound wire mesh material, etc.), and can be used to bake / dry dough blocks 290 from above or below in a tunnel oven 200 to form final food products (e.g., cookies, crackers, biscuits, etc.) because the conveyor belt 202, made of a metallic mesh material, allows convective air to pass through it to heat the bottom of the dough blocks 290 located on the conveyor belt 202. However, it will be understood that the conveyor belt 202 of the tunnel oven 200 does not necessarily have to have a mesh structure, and in some embodiments, the conveyor belt 202 is a solid (non-mesh) metal belt. In some embodiments, the conveyor belt 202 of the tunnel oven 200 is operatively coupled to a control unit 230, which starts the conveyor belt 202, stops the conveyor belt 202, and controls the speed of the conveyor belt 202. In one embodiment, the control unit 230 receives control signals from a controller 240 via a wired or wireless connection, which can be as follows: Figure 2 It is shown either outside the tunnel oven 200 or in the structure incorporated into the tunnel oven 200.

[0026] according to Figure 2 The tunnel oven 200 of the illustrated embodiment is shown as having five heating zones, namely zone 1, zone 2, zone 3, zone 4, and zone 5. However, it should be understood that the tunnel oven 200 may have more than five zones or fewer than five zones, depending on the intended use of the tunnel oven 200. Figure 1 The tunnel oven 100 shown differs from the one in which each of the heating zones 1 to 5 contains a separate heat source (e.g., a gas burner, an electric heater, etc.) 110. Figure 2 An exemplary tunnel oven 200 includes a heater 210 (e.g., a burner / fan / exhaust heater, an electric heater, etc.) that produces heated air and directs it to one or more upper air chambers 212 and one or more lower air chambers 214 that are communicatively connected to one or more of the heating zones 1 to 5. It should be understood that in some embodiments, two or more (or all) of the heating zones 1 to 5 of the tunnel oven 200 may contain separate gas burner-type or electric heaters 210.

[0027] In some embodiments, the tunnel oven 200 may include one or more heat recovery devices 215 positioned between the heater 210 of the tunnel oven 200 and zones 1 to 5. In other words, although... Figure 2The exemplary tunnel oven 200 is shown as including one heat recovery unit 215, but the tunnel oven 200 may have two, three, four, or five heat recovery units 215. Not wishing to be theoretically limited, the heat recovery unit 215 is configured to use waste heat from the burner 210 to heat one or more of the heating zones 1 to 5 of the tunnel oven 200, thereby eliminating the need for a separate burner for each of the heating zones 1 to 5 of the tunnel oven 200, and improving the efficiency of the tunnel oven 200 while reducing its complexity and overall cost. It is worth noting that while the heat source 210 and the heat recovery unit 215 are... Figure 2 The heating element is shown as being located in the third heating zone 3 of the tunnel oven 200, but it should be understood that the heating source 210 and the heat recovery device 215 may be located in any of the heating zones 1 to 5 of the tunnel oven 200.

[0028] In the illustrated embodiment, similar to tunnel oven 100, each of the heating zones 1 to 5 of tunnel oven 200 includes an upper nozzle 220a and a lower nozzle 220b. However, unlike tunnel oven 100, which includes conventional upper slit nozzles 120a and lower slit nozzles 120b, tunnel oven 200 includes an upper slit jet reattachment (SJR) nozzle 220a in fluid communication with an upper gas collection chamber 212 and a lower slit jet reattachment (SJR) nozzle 220b in fluid communication with a lower gas collection chamber 214.

[0029] Unwilling to be limited by theory, the airflow required by the SJR nozzles 220a to 220b used in the tunnel oven 200 is significantly lower than that required by the conventional dry slit nozzles 120a to 120b used in the conventional oven 100. Therefore, as described above, in some embodiments, the tunnel oven 200 does not need to provide a burner / heater for each heating zone, but instead includes only one heating source (e.g., a gas burner, electric heater, etc.) 210 to supply convective air to all five heating zones 1 to 5. Advantageously, since the tunnel oven 200 uses only SJR nozzles 220a to 220b, the heating source 210 can be configured to heat the air to a temperature significantly lower than the temperature of the air output from the SJR nozzles 220a to 220b.

[0030] Figure 3 and Figure 4 The differences between a conventional slit nozzle 320 and a conventional slit jet reattachment nozzle 420 are schematically illustrated, demonstrating the superiority of the conventional slit jet reattachment nozzle 420 over the conventional slit nozzle 320. In particular, Figure 3This illustrates that a conventional slit nozzle 320 requires a high airflow input (which necessitates generating more energy from the gas burner / electric heater) and outputs airflow at a moderate velocity. Conversely, Figure 4 The conventional slit jet reattachment nozzle 420 is shown to require only a moderate airflow input (which requires relatively little energy to be generated by a gas burner / electric heater) and outputs airflow at a high velocity. In other words, the conventional slit jet reattachment nozzle 420 is significantly more efficient than the conventional slit nozzle 320.

[0031] Figure 2 Each of the exemplary SJR nozzles 220a to 220b shown is different Figure 4 The conventional slit jet reattachment nozzle 420 is shown. Specifically, Figure 2 Each SJR nozzle 220a to 220b shown includes (or is operatively coupled to) an electric heating element 222. As used herein, the term "electric heating element" may refer to heating elements including, but not limited to, inductive heating elements, infrared heating elements, quartz heating elements, etc. The electric heating element 222 of each of the SJR nozzles 220a to 220b allows the SJR nozzles 220a to 220b to deliver heated air received from heater 210 not simply at the temperature initially heated to by heater 210, but to further heat the air received from heater 210 to a higher temperature, such that the convective air released by the SJR nozzles 220a to 220b and applied to the dough block 290 moving through the tunnel oven 200 can be at a temperature significantly higher than the temperature set by controller 240 (via wired or wireless connection) to heater 210 and the temperature initially heated to by heater 210.

[0032] In some embodiments, each electric heating element 222 of the tunnel oven 200 is configured to independently receive a control signal from a controller 240 (e.g., via a wired or wireless connection). For this purpose, each electric heating element 222 can be coupled to a transceiver configured to receive control signals from the controller 240. Thus, the controller 240 can send a control signal via a wired or wireless connection to any one of the electric heating elements 220 of any of the SJR nozzles 220a to 220b to independently activate, deactivate, or set the selected heating element 222 to a specific temperature. In some embodiments, the SJR nozzles 220a to 220b can be grouped into groups comprising two or more SJR nozzles 220a to 220b, and a single sensor (e.g., a temperature sensor) 224 is coupled to each group of two or more SJR nozzles 220a to 220b. In such embodiments, the controller 240 is able to obtain temperature readings indicating the temperature generated by two or more SJR nozzles 220a to 220b in a group, and independently control the temperature of the air to be generated by the electric heating elements of the SJR nozzles 220a to 220b in each of the groups of two or more SJR nozzles 220a to 220b. In some embodiments, the controller can independently set the heating element 222 of each SJR nozzle 220a to 220b in a single group of SJR nozzles 220a to 220b to a different temperature.

[0033] When the selected electric heating element 222 of the slit jet reattachment nozzles 220a to 220b is set to a specific temperature by a control signal sent by the controller 240 to the electric heating element 222, the electric heating element 222 responds by heating the convective air entering the slit jet reattachment nozzles 220a to 220b to the temperature defined by the control signal received by the electric heating element 222 from the controller 240. In other words, the exemplary tunnel oven 200 is configured such that the controller 240 is allowed to independently control the temperature of the air generated by each of the electric heating elements 222 of each of the slit jet reattachment nozzles 220a to 220b.

[0034] exist Figure 2In the illustrated embodiment, each SJR nozzle 220 includes or is operatively coupled to a sensor 224 (e.g., a temperature sensor, humidity sensor, etc.), which, for example, measures the temperature of the air received or generated by each SJR nozzle 220. As shown, an exemplary tunnel oven 200 includes five heating zones (i.e., zones 1 to 5), wherein each of heating zones 1 to 5 includes sixteen SJR nozzles 220a to 220b, each SJR nozzle including a corresponding electric heating element 222 and a temperature sensor 224. In other words, Figure 2 An exemplary tunnel oven 200 includes 80 SJR nozzles, 80 heating elements 222, and 80 temperature sensors 224. Not wishing to be limited by theory, the numerous independent temperature controls of the tunnel oven 200 advantageously enable the controller 240 of the tunnel oven 200 to precisely control the convective air temperature across each of the heating zones 1 to 5, thereby not only ensuring consistent and improved quality properties of the food prepared from dough blocks 290 in the tunnel oven 200, but also reducing the gas and / or electricity consumption of the tunnel oven 200 and reducing CO2 emissions from the tunnel oven.

[0035] In some embodiments, the controller 240 is configured (e.g., via a wired or wireless connection) to acquire data representing readings from one or more sensors 224 coupled to any of the slit jet reattachment nozzles 220a to 220b. This data enables the controller 240 to determine whether the temperature of the air to be generated by the electrically heated element 222 of any of the slit jet reattachment nozzles 220a to 220b has been reached, or whether the settings of the electrically heated element 222 need to be adjusted.

[0036] exist Figure 2 In the example shown, the tunnel oven 200 includes a heating source 210 (which may be a gas burner, an electric heater, etc.) set to a temperature of 265℉. Because Figure 2 Each of the SJR nozzles 220a to 220b in the tunnel oven 200 can be independently controlled by the controller 240, so that the SJR nozzles 220a to 220b in each of the heating zones 1 to 5 can be independently set to different temperatures (either automatically set by the controller 240 or manually set by the user). This allows the controller 240 to more precisely control the temperature across each of the heating zones 1 to 5, and is not limited to setting all the SJR nozzles 220a to 220b in a given heating zone to the same temperature.

[0037] For example, when the heater 210 of the exemplary tunnel oven 200 is set to 265℉, the heating elements 222 of some SJR nozzles 220a to 220b in heating zone 1 can be set to 375℉, the heating elements 222 of other SJR nozzles 220a to 220b in heating zone 1 can be set to 385℉, the heating elements 222 of other SJR nozzles 220a to 220b in heating zone 1 can be set to 395℉, and the heating elements 222 of other SJR nozzles 220a to 220b in heating zone 1 can be set to 405℉. Figure 2 In zone 2 of the tunnel oven 200 shown, the heating elements 222 of some SJR nozzles 220 can be set to 415℉, some SJR nozzles 220 can be set to 405℉, and some SJR nozzles 220 can be set to 395℉. Figure 2 In zone 3 of the tunnel oven 200 shown, the heating elements 222 of some SJR nozzles 220 can be set to 385℉, some SJR nozzles 220 can be set to 375℉, some SJR nozzles 220 can be set to 365℉, and some SJR nozzles 220 can be set to 355℉. Figure 2 In zone 4 of the tunnel oven 200 shown, the heating elements 222 of some SJR nozzles 220 can be set to 345℉, some SJR nozzles 220 can be set to 335℉, some SJR nozzles 220 can be set to 325℉, and some SJR nozzles 220 can be set to 315℉. Figure 2 In zone 5 of the tunnel oven 200 shown, the heating elements 222 of some SJR nozzles 220 can be set to 305℉, some SJR nozzles 220 can be set to 295℉, some SJR nozzles 220 can be set to 285℉, and some SJR nozzles 220 can be set to 275℉.

[0038] In some embodiments, the tunnel oven 200 allows the controller 240 to control the baking / drying conditions in each of the heating zones 1 to 5 by moving the upper SJR nozzle 220a and the lower SJR nozzle 220b closer, respectively, to the upper and lower surfaces of the dough block 290. In other words, while in some embodiments the SJR nozzles 220a to 220b are fixed in place and do not move, in other embodiments the upper SJR nozzle 220a is mounted within its respective zone 1 to zone 5 such that the upper SJR nozzle 220a is allowed to move in at least two directions, for example, toward the upward-facing surface of the dough block 290 traveling on the conveyor belt 202, and in the opposite direction, for example, away from the upward-facing surface of the dough block 290 traveling on the conveyor belt 202. For the same reason, in some embodiments, the lower SJR nozzle 220b is mounted in its respective zones 1 to 5, such that the lower SJR nozzle 220b is allowed to move in at least two directions, for example, toward the downward-facing surface of the dough block 290 traveling on the conveyor belt 202, and away from the downward-facing surface of the dough block 290 traveling on the conveyor belt 202.

[0039] In one aspect, the upper SJR nozzle 220a and the lower SJR nozzle 220b may be movably mounted in their respective zones 1 to 5, such that, in response to a control signal transmitted by the controller 240, each of the upper SJR nozzle 220a and / or lower SJR nozzle 220b of one or more zones selected by the controller in zones 1 to 5 may be moved in a direction toward the dough block 290 traveling on the conveyor belt 202. In one aspect, for example, each of the eight upper SJR nozzles 220a of zone 1 may be coupled to a common movable actuator configured to move in response to receiving a control signal from controller 240, such that in response to receiving a control signal from controller 240, the common movable actuator causes each of the eight upper SJR nozzles 220a coupled thereto to move in a direction toward (or away from) the upward-facing surface of the dough block 290 traveling on conveyor belt 202. Similarly, each of the eight lower SJR nozzles 220b of zone 1 can be coupled to a common movable actuator (which can be the same actuator coupled to the upper SJR nozzle 220a of zone 1, or a second separate actuator), which is configured to move in response to receiving a control signal from controller 240, so that each of the eight lower SJR nozzles 220b coupled thereto moves toward (or away from) the downward-facing surface of the dough block 290 traveling on conveyor belt 202.

[0040] In some respects, the first movable common actuator of each of the eight upper SJR nozzles 220a coupled to zone 1 and the second movable common actuator of each of the eight lower SJR nozzles 220b coupled to zone 1 can be independently controlled and moved by the controller 240. Therefore, a control signal sent by the controller 240 to the first movable common actuator can cause all eight upper SJR nozzles 220a to move in either direction without causing any movement of the second movable common actuator that controls the movement of the eight lower SJR nozzles 220b (i.e., all eight lower SJR nozzles 220b will remain stationary while all eight upper SJR nozzles 220a will move, and vice versa). It is worth noting that the movable common actuators can be mounted within the tunnel oven 200 in various ways. For example, in one embodiment, a single movable actuator may be configured to receive a signal from controller 240 and, in response, simultaneously move all upper SJR nozzles 220a and lower SJR nozzles 220b in one, two, three, four, or all five heating zones 1 to 5. In other words, in one aspect, tunnel oven 200 includes an actuator that simultaneously moves all eighty SJR nozzles 220a to 220b mounted in tunnel oven 200. In some embodiments, tunnel oven 200 may include five independently controllable upper actuators, each configured to independently and simultaneously move all eight upper SJR nozzles 220a in its respective zone 1 to 5; and five independently controllable lower actuators, each configured to independently and simultaneously move all eight lower SJR nozzles 220a in its respective zone 1 to 5.

[0041] Unwilling to be limited by theory, the ability of the controller 240 to independently move one or more upper SJR nozzles 220a and lower SJR nozzles 220b in one or more heating zones 1 to 5 toward and away from the outer surface of the dough block 290 moving on the conveyor belt 202 allows the controller 240 to more precisely control the heat applied to any segment of the dough block 290 in any zone 1 to 5, thereby more precisely controlling the texture of the final food leaving the tunnel oven 200 after preparation by the dough block 290. Of course, as mentioned above, the upper SJR nozzles 220a and lower SJR nozzles 220b are not necessarily configured to move toward and away from the conveyor belt 202 in response to signals transmitted by the controller 240, and in some embodiments, they may be fixedly mounted at a predetermined distance relative to the conveyor belt 202 and immovable relative to the conveyor belt 202.

[0042] For example, in one embodiment, a single movable actuator may be configured to receive a signal from controller 240 and, in response, simultaneously move all the upper SJR nozzles 220a and lower SJR nozzles 220b in one, two, three, four, or all five heating zones 1 to 5. In other words, in one aspect, tunnel oven 200 includes an actuator that simultaneously moves all eighty SJR nozzles 220a to 220b mounted in tunnel oven 200.

[0043] Typically, the first heating zone (i.e., zone 1) of the tunnel oven 200 can be set to a temperature designed to promote the fermentation and proofing of the dough block 290 traveling on the conveyor belt 202. The second and third zones (i.e., zones 2 and 3) of the tunnel oven 200 can be set to temperatures designed to promote the removal of moisture from the dough block 290 traveling on the conveyor belt 202. The fourth and fifth zones (i.e., zones 4 and 5) of the tunnel oven 200 can be set to temperatures designed to promote the color and flavor development of the dough block 290 traveling on the conveyor belt 202. It is worth noting that although the exemplary tunnel oven 200's heating zones 1 to 5 are... Figure 1 The diagram shows SJR nozzles 220a to 220b having the same size and number, but it should be understood that zones 1 to 5 may have different lengths and widths.

[0044] Figure 2 The tunnel oven 200 also includes at least one sensor 260, which is located upstream of (or at) the entrance of zone 1 of the tunnel oven 200 and is configured to detect characteristics or properties (e.g., moisture, weight, height, thickness, roundness, color, flavor note, etc.) of dough blocks 290 entering the tunnel oven 200. Figure 2 The tunnel oven 200 also includes at least one sensor 270, which is configured to detect characteristics or properties (e.g., moisture, weight, height, thickness, roundness, color, flavor, etc.) of the final product prepared from dough blocks 290 and exiting the tunnel oven 200. It is worth noting that, although Figure 2 An exemplary tunnel oven 200 is shown, which has a sensor 270 only in zone 3 of the tunnel oven 200; however, it should be understood that each of zones 1 to 5 may contain a sensor 270.

[0045] Figure 2The tunnel oven 200 also includes at least one sensor 280, which is configured to detect the settings, operating parameters, or conditions (e.g., current, power, torque, temperature (e.g., ambient temperature, tunnel oven temperature, etc.), heat (e.g., oven top heat, oven bottom heat, etc.), air recirculation rate and pressure, relative humidity, etc. in the tunnel oven 200) of components and / or heating zones of the tunnel oven 220 used for baking / drying / preparing dough blocks 290. In some aspects, each of the sensors 260, 270, and 280 (which may be a single sensor or a group of multiple sensors) is configured to communicate with the controller 240 (via a wired or wireless connection), such that each of the sensors 260, 270, and 280 can transmit the characteristics / conditions detected by the sensors 260, 270, and 280 (via a wired or wireless network) to the controller 240.

[0046] As described above, the tunnel oven 200 includes a controller 240 configured to communicate (via wired or wireless connection) with a heater 210, one or more first sensors 260, one or more second sensors 270, one or more third sensors 280, and one or more heating elements 222 and / or temperature sensors 224 of one or more SJR nozzles 220a to 220b. Generally, communication between the various electronic devices of the tunnel oven 200 can be via hardwired, wireless, cellular, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth networking components. In some aspects, one or more electronic devices of the tunnel oven 200 may include cloud-based features.

[0047] Typically, the controller 240 can be a fixed or portable electronic device, such as a desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, mobile phone, or any other electronic device containing control circuitry (i.e., control unit) 242 (which can be standalone or integrated into the overall structure of the tunnel oven 200), the control circuitry containing a programmable processor. The controller 240 can be configured for data input and processing, as well as for communication with other devices of the tunnel oven 200 (e.g., Figure 2 (The electronic device shown) communicates.

[0048] Reference Figure 5An exemplary controller 240 configured for use in the exemplary tunnel oven 200 and method described herein may include control circuitry 242, which includes a programmable processor (e.g., a microprocessor or microcontroller) electrically coupled to a memory 244 via a connection 243 and electrically coupled to a power supply 246 via a connection 245. Control circuitry 242 may include a fixed-purpose hardwired platform or may include some or all of a programmable platform, such as a microcontroller, application-specific integrated circuit, field-programmable gate array, etc.

[0049] Control circuitry 242 may be configured (e.g., by using corresponding programming stored in memory 244, as will be well understood by those skilled in the art) to perform one or more of the steps, actions, and / or functions described herein. In some embodiments, memory 244 may be integrated into processor-based control circuitry 242, or may be physically separated from control circuitry 242 (in whole or in part), and configured to non-transitory store computer instructions that, when executed by control circuitry 242, cause control circuitry 242 to behave as described herein. (As used herein, this reference to "non-transitory" will be understood to mean the non-transitory state of the stored content (and therefore excludes the case where the stored content constitutes only a signal or wave) rather than the volatile nature of the storage medium itself, and therefore includes both non-volatile memory (such as read-only memory (ROM)) and volatile memory (such as erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM)). Therefore, memory 244 and / or control circuitry 242 may be referred to herein as non-transitory media or non-transitory computer-readable media.)

[0050] exist Figure 5 In the exemplary embodiment shown, the control circuit 242 of the controller 240 is also electrically coupled to an input / output terminal 248 via a connection 247. This input / output terminal can receive signals from, for example, sensors 224, 260, 270, and 280 of the tunnel oven 200, electronic database 235, etc. The input / output terminal 248 of the controller 240 can also send signals to other devices of the tunnel oven 200 (e.g., heating element 222, control unit 230, electronic database 235) (e.g., to store and update a multivariate predictive data control model associated with the operating parameters of the tunnel oven 200, the characteristics of the dough block 290 entering the tunnel oven 200, and the properties of the baked product leaving the tunnel oven 200 after being baked / dried / prepared by the dough block 290 in the tunnel oven 200).

[0051] Figure 5The exemplary processor-based control circuitry 242 of the illustrated controller 240 is electrically coupled to a user interface 250 via a connection 249. This user interface may include a visual display or screen 252 (e.g., an LED screen) and / or button inputs 254, providing the user interface 250 with the ability for the operator of the controller 240 (e.g., a worker responsible for controlling and / or monitoring the tunnel oven 200) to manually control the controller 240 by inputting commands via a touchscreen and / or buttons and / or voice commands. Possible commands may, for example, cause the controller 240 to transmit control signals to the heating element 222 of the tunnel oven 200 via a wired or wireless connection, to preset or adjust operating parameters (e.g., heat, humidity, etc.) inside the tunnel oven 200 in real time as the dough block 290 is baked / dried.

[0052] In some aspects, manual control of the controller 240 by the operator may be via user interface 250, via the operator's electronic device (e.g., a mobile phone, tablet computer, etc.) (which is configured to communicate with the controller 240 via a wired or wireless connection), or via another user interface and / or a switch. In one aspect, user interface 250 may be configured to include options for modifying / updating a multivariate predictive data model associated with: (1) operating parameters of the tunnel oven 200; (2) characteristics of the dough block 290 entering the tunnel oven 200; and (3) properties of the final baked product produced by the dough block 290 in the tunnel oven 200. In some embodiments, user interface 250 of the controller 240 may also include a speaker 256 providing audible feedback (e.g., an alarm) to the operator of the controller 240. It should be understood that the execution of such functions by the control circuitry 242 of the controller 240 is operator-independent, and the control circuitry 242 may be programmed to perform such functions without an operator present. In some implementations, controller 240 is programmed as described in U.S. Application No. 18 / 035,919 (filed May 8, 2023, as the national phase of International Application No. PCT / US2021 / 057521 (now published as WO 2022 / 103611), each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0053] Reference Figure 2An exemplary tunnel oven 200 can be coupled to an electronic database 235. In some embodiments, the electronic database 235 and the controller 240 can be implemented as two separate physical devices. However, it should be understood that in some embodiments, the controller 240 and the electronic database 235 can be implemented as a single physical device. In some aspects, the electronic database 235 may be stored, for example, on a non-volatile storage medium (e.g., a hard disk drive, flash drive, or removable optical disk) inside or outside the controller 240 or on a computing device other than the controller 240. In some embodiments, the electronic database 235 may be cloud-based.

[0054] generally, Figure 2 An exemplary electronic database 235 is configured to store electronic data associated with the preparation of baked products from dough block 290. Some exemplary electronic data that may be stored in electronic database 235 include, but are not limited to: (1) electronic data indicating the ingredients and relative amounts of the food to be prepared from dough block 290; (2) electronic data corresponding to the environmental conditions (e.g., relative humidity, temperature, etc.) at the location of tunnel oven 200; (3) sensor data generated by any sensor of tunnel oven 200 (e.g., 224, 260, 270, 280); (4) predictive data control models associated with the operating parameters of tunnel oven 200; (5) predictive data control models associated with the characteristics of dough block 290 entering tunnel oven 200; and (6) predictive data control models associated with the properties of dough block 290 leaving tunnel oven 200 as a final baked / dried product.

[0055] In some embodiments, the control circuit 242 of the controller 240 is configured to obtain data from at least one electronic database 235 and / or sensors 224, 260, 270, 280 of the tunnel oven 200 representing at least one of the following: characteristics of the dough block 290 entering the tunnel oven 200, target characteristics of the baked or dried food to be prepared from the dough block 290 in the tunnel oven 200, and settings / conditions inside (and outside) the tunnel oven 200. Based on the obtained data, the control circuit 242 of the controller 240 is programmed to independently set the temperature of the air to be generated by the electric heating element 222, which is coupled to each of the slit jet reattachment nozzles 220a to 220b in each of zones 1 to 5 of the tunnel oven 200.

[0056] Specifically, in some embodiments, the processor of the control circuit 242 of the controller 240 is programmed to correlate the acquired data to generate a first set of baking parameters for the tunnel oven 200 based on a predictive control model (which includes, but is not limited to, the target moisture content, weight, stacking height, flavor profile, and color of the final food prepared from the dough block 290), the first set of baking parameters being predicted by the control circuit 242 of the controller 240, so that the tunnel oven 200 produces a final baked / dried food from the dough block 290 entering the tunnel oven 200, the final baked / dried food having characteristics / attributes that match as closely as possible to the target parameters of the commercially desired baked / dried food.

[0057] In one approach, controller 240 is programmed to transmit (e.g., via its input / output terminal 248) control signals to heating elements 222 of SJR nozzles 220a to 220b via a wired or wireless connection to control the tunnel oven 200 to operate a first set of baking parameters (generated by the processor of control circuit 242 of controller 240 based on the correlation of the aforementioned electronic data obtained by controller 240) before dough block 290 enters tunnel oven 200 or during baking / drying of dough block 290 in tunnel oven 200. In other words, based on the first set of baking parameters generated by controller 240 and applied to tunnel oven 200, the baking / drying of dough block 290 in tunnel oven 200 is predicted by controller 240 to produce a baked / dried product from initial dough block 290 that matches the model target parameters of a commercially desirable baked / dried food product to be sold to consumers.

[0058] In some implementations, the controller 240 continuously receives readings from a third sensor 280 (e.g., via a wired or wireless connection) to continuously monitor the operating parameters of the tunnel oven 200, ensuring that the tunnel oven 200 operates according to a first set of target parameters transmitted to the tunnel oven 200 in a control signal by the controller 240. Therefore, during the movement of the dough block 290 through the tunnel oven 200, the baking / drying of the dough block can be continuously monitored / controlled by the controller 240 by continuously receiving sensor data from one or more sensors 280 and continuously controlling (e.g., adjusting) the operating parameters of the tunnel oven 200.

[0059] It should be understood that, in some aspects, the controller 240 is configured to monitor and / or control the operating parameters of the tunnel oven 200 (i.e., via sensor data obtained from the sensor 280) not only continuously but also intermittently (i.e., at predetermined periodic intervals) and / or responsively (e.g., in response to determining that sensor data obtained from the sensor 280 indicates that the operating parameters of the tunnel oven 200 are outside the expected range of operating parameters). In one method, if the controller 240 determines that the operating parameters and / or environmental conditions of the tunnel oven 200 have deviated from a set of target parameters transmitted to the tunnel oven 200 by the controller 240 during the baking / drying of dough blocks 290 to produce the final food product, then the control circuit 242 of the controller 240 is programmed to transmit a second control signal to the tunnel oven 200 to adjust the operating parameters of the tunnel oven 200 such that the adjusted operating parameters of the tunnel oven 200 satisfy the first set of operating parameters initially determined to be optimal by the controller 240 and transmitted to the tunnel oven 200 by the controller 240.

[0060] In some embodiments, the predictive control model used by controller 240 predicts operating parameters of the tunnel oven 200 based on the properties of the dough block 290 entering the tunnel oven 200 (e.g., moisture content, texture, etc.), environmental conditions, and parameters of the target (i.e., commercially desirable) final baked / dried food product prepared from the dough block 290 (e.g., moisture content, texture, stacking height, color, flavor profile, etc.). These operating parameters are most likely to transform the dough block 290 entering the tunnel oven 200 on conveyor belt 102 into the commercially desirable final baked / dried product, which most closely matches the target characteristics associated with the commercially desirable baked / dried product. In some embodiments, for example, the processor of controller 240 may be programmed to interpret the color value of the final (i.e., baked / dried) product leaving the tunnel oven 200 and sensed by a third sensor 270 (which may be located at the exit of the tunnel oven 200 or downstream of the tunnel oven 200) to reflect the flavor characteristics of the final product.

[0061] As described above, in some embodiments, the (e.g., real-time) measurement of controllable variables of the tunnel oven 200 (e.g., temperature, humidity, pressure, damper, exhaust, fan, gaps in the baking holes, speed of the conveyor belt 202, throughput, etc.) is transmitted by sensor 270 to controller 240 via a wired or wireless connection. The controller is configured to control the process of baking / drying the final baked / dried product from dough blocks 290 in the tunnel oven 200, wherein the variability of key quality attributes of the final product (e.g., moisture content, weight, stack height, color, flavor profile, etc.) is always low, while potentially maximizing the baking throughput of the tunnel oven 200.

[0062] As noted above, in some embodiments, the controller 240 is programmed to generate a first set of operating parameters (e.g., individual temperature settings for each heating element in heating element 222 of each SJR nozzle 220a to 220b) for at least one zone of the tunnel oven 200, based on an optimal set point based on a predictive control model, with the aim of achieving a final baked / dried product with target (i.e., commercially desirable) key quality properties from the initial material (i.e., the dough block 290 entering the tunnel oven 200).

[0063] As described above, in some aspects, controller 240 is configured to obtain readings from one or more second sensors 270 after the final baked product leaves the tunnel oven 200. In some aspects, the processor of controller 240 is programmed to analyze the readings generated by the second sensors 270 to determine whether a first set of operating parameters generated by controller 240 based on a control model used by controller 240 actually results in a final baked / dried product with target characteristics, which are predicted by controller 240 based on the aforementioned analysis using a predictive control model.

[0064] In one aspect, if controller 240 determines that the final characteristics (e.g., moisture, texture, stacking height, color, flavor profile) of the final food leaving tunnel oven 200 deviate from the target characteristics predicted by controller 240 based on the predictive control model (i.e., a mismatch relative to the target characteristics), then the processor of controller 240 is programmed to modify (i.e., retrain) the control model and / or generate a second set of baking parameters for the tunnel oven 200 for dough blocks 290 based on the detected deviation. Given the detected predictive inaccuracies regarding the final product attributes in one or more batch runs, such adjustments to the control model will be expected to increase the predictive accuracy of controller 240 regarding the association between the operating parameters of tunnel oven 200 and the attributes of the final product in subsequent batch runs.

[0065] Reference Figure 6 A method 600 for controlling the baking or drying of dough blocks 290 to form the final baked / dried food (e.g., biscuits, cookies, crackers, etc.) will now be described. Figure 6 Step 610 of the exemplary method 600 shown includes baking or drying dough blocks 290 in a tunnel oven 200 including one or more heating zones 1 to 5 to provide baked or dried food.

[0066] As described above, prior to step 610, one or more first sensors 260 located at or upstream of the entrance of zone 1 of the tunnel oven 200 can detect at least one physical characteristic (e.g., consistency, thickness, viscosity, etc.) of the dough block 290 entering the tunnel oven 200. Subsequently, the control circuit 242 of the controller 240 can acquire sensor data generated by the sensor 260 and, based on the known physical properties of the initial dough block 290, the known target (i.e., commercially desirable) parameters (e.g., moisture content, weight, stack height, color, flavor profile, etc.) of the final baked / dried food to be made from the dough block 290 in the tunnel oven 200, and the known settings of the tunnel oven 200 and / or the environmental conditions at the location of the tunnel oven 200 (e.g., temperature, humidity, etc.), generate a first set of settings and conditions for the tunnel oven 200 (e.g., temperature independently generated by each heating element 222 of each SJR nozzle 220a to 220b), which are most likely to transform the dough block 290 into a final food with the target characteristics.

[0067] In some respects, after the first set of baking / drying parameters for the tunnel oven 200 is generated in step 610, the processor of the control circuit 242 of the controller 240 is programmed to transmit control signals to the tunnel oven 200 (e.g., to the heating source 210, to the heating elements 222 of the SJR nozzles 220a to 220b, etc.) to control the tunnel oven 200 to operate the first set of baking parameters generated by the processor of the control circuit 242 of the controller 240, while the dough block 290 is baked / dried via the SJR nozzles 220a to 220b of the tunnel oven 200 as it passes through the heating zones 1 to 5 of the tunnel oven 200 on the product advance surface 204 of the conveyor belt 202. Figure 6 Step 620 of the exemplary method 600 includes heating air via one or more heat sources 210 coupled to one or more air ducts configured to supply air heated by the heaters 210 to one or more zones 1 to 5 of the tunnel oven 200.

[0068] Furthermore, the exemplary method 600 also includes: providing a plurality of slit jet reattachment nozzles 220a to 220b, the plurality of slit jet reattachment nozzles including an electric heating element 222 and coupled to a temperature sensor 224 and positioned at each of one or more zones 1 to 5 of the tunnel oven 200 (step 630); and providing a controller 240 including a programmable processor and operatively coupled to the tunnel oven 200 (step 640). As described above, the controller 240 of the tunnel oven 200 performs various functions designed to consistently transform dough blocks 290 entering the tunnel oven 200 into a final food product having target / model characteristics pre-programmed into the controller 240, which are associated with commercially desirable food products suitable for consumer consumption.

[0069] to this end, Figure 6 The exemplary method 600 shown includes a controller 240 of a tunnel oven 200 performing the following functions: setting the temperature of air to be generated by one or more heat sources 210 of the tunnel oven 200; independently setting the temperature of air to be generated by each electric heating element 222 of each slit jet reattachment nozzle 220a to 220b coupled to the tunnel oven 200; and obtaining a temperature reading from a temperature sensor 224 of any one of the slit jet reattachment nozzles 220a to 220b to determine whether the temperature of the air to be generated by the electric heating element 222 of each of the respective slit jet reattachment nozzles 220a to 220b has been reached (step 650).

[0070] The exemplary embodiments described above of the apparatus and methods for controlling the manufacture of baked cookie products advantageously provide a scalable solution for the repetitive and efficient production of multiple batches of baked / dried products in a tunnel oven, wherein there is consistent low variability between the key quality attributes of the final baked / dried food (e.g., moisture content, weight, stack height, color, flavor profile, etc.) and the target key quality attributes of the baked / dried product that are commercially expected by the model. Therefore, the tunnel oven and methods described herein provide precise and effective baking / drying oven control based on predictive control models, resulting in improved baking efficiency and significant cost savings.

[0071] Those skilled in the art will recognize that many other modifications, alterations, and combinations can be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the scope of the present invention, and such modifications, alterations, and combinations will be considered to fall within the scope of the inventive concept.

Claims

1. An apparatus for baking or drying food, the apparatus comprising: A tunnel oven, comprising one or more zones, configured to bake blocks of dough placed on a conveyor belt passing through the tunnel oven to prepare baked or dried food. One or more heat sources, said one or more heat sources being coupled to one or more air ducts, said one or more air ducts being configured to supply air heated by said one or more heat sources to said one or more zones of said tunnel oven; Multiple slit jet reattachment nozzles, the multiple slit jet reattachment nozzles being positioned in each of the one or more zones, each of the slit jet reattachment nozzles including an electrically heated element and coupled to at least one sensor. A controller, comprising a programmable processor and operatively coupled to the tunnel oven, is configured to: Set the temperature of the air to be generated by the one or more heat sources; The temperature of the air to be generated by the electric heating element coupled to each of the slit jet reattachment nozzles is set, wherein the controller and the electric heating element coupled to each of the slit jet reattachment nozzles are configured such that the controller can independently control the temperature of the air generated by the slit jet reattachment nozzles. as well as Readings are obtained from at least one sensor in any of the slit jet reattach nozzles to determine whether the temperature of the air to be generated by the electric heating element of the slit jet reattach nozzle has been reached.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the electric heating elements of the slit jet reattachment nozzle is configured to generate air at a temperature 10℉ to 150℉ higher than the temperature of the air to be generated by the one or more heat sources.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The slit jet reattachment nozzles are grouped into groups comprising two or more of the reattachment nozzles; Each of the groups of the two or more slit jet reattachment nozzles is coupled to the at least one sensor; and The controller and the electric heating element coupled to each of the slit jet reattachment nozzles are configured such that the controller can independently control the temperature of the air to be generated by the electric heating element of each of the two or more groups of slit jet reattachment nozzles.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each zone of the tunnel oven comprises at least two groups of the two or more slit jet reattachment nozzles, and wherein the controller is configured to set each group of the two or more slit jet reattachment nozzles in any zone of the tunnel oven to a different temperature.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more heat sources are gas burners or electric heaters, and wherein each zone of the tunnel oven contains a single heat source.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a heat recovery device positioned between the one or more heat sources of the tunnel oven and the one or more zones of the tunnel oven.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is communicatively coupled to at least one electronic database and is configured to: Data representing the characteristics of the dough block, and data representing the target characteristics of the baked or dried product to be prepared from the dough block in the tunnel oven, are obtained from the at least one electronic database; and Based on the data obtained from the at least one electronic database, the temperature of the air to be generated by the electric heating element is set, the electric heating element being coupled to each of the slit jet reattachment nozzles in each of the one or more zones of the tunnel oven.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to: Based on the obtained data representing the characteristics of the dough block and the data representing the target characteristics of the baked or dried product to be prepared from the dough block in the tunnel oven, a first set of baking parameters for the tunnel oven is generated, the first set of baking parameters being predicted by the controller, so that the tunnel oven produces the baked or dried product having the target parameters from the dough block entering the tunnel oven; and Control the tunnel oven to run the first set of baking parameters.

9. The device according to claim 8, further comprising: At least a first sensor, configured to detect characteristics of the dough block entering the tunnel oven; At least a second sensor, configured to detect the characteristics of the baked or dried product leaving the tunnel oven; and at least a third sensor, configured to detect the settings of the tunnel oven and the environmental conditions inside the tunnel oven.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein, in the event that the controller detects a mismatch between the target characteristic of the baked or dried product leaving the tunnel oven and the characteristic of the baked or dried product leaving the tunnel oven, the controller is configured to modify the first set of baking parameters based on a trained machine learning model to generate a second set of baking parameters predicted by the controller, such that the tunnel oven produces the baked or dried product having the target parameters from the dough block entering the tunnel oven.

11. A method for controlling baked or dried food, the method comprising: Baking or drying dough blocks in a tunnel oven that includes one or more zones to provide baked or dried food products; Air is heated by one or more heat sources coupled to one or more air ducts, the one or more air ducts being configured to supply the air heated by the one or more heat sources to the one or more zones of the tunnel oven; Provides a plurality of slit jet reattachment nozzles located in each of the one or more zones, each of the slit jet reattachment nozzles comprising an electrically heated element and coupled to at least one sensor; A controller is provided, the controller including a programmable processor and being operatively coupled to the tunnel oven; as well as Through the controller: Set the temperature of the air to be generated by the one or more heat sources; The temperature of the air to be generated by the electric heating element coupled to each of the slit jet reattachment nozzles is set, wherein the controller and the electric heating element coupled to each of the slit jet reattachment nozzles are configured such that the controller can independently control the temperature of the air generated by the slit jet reattachment nozzles. as well as Readings are obtained from at least one sensor in any of the slit jet reattach nozzles to determine whether the temperature of the air to be generated by the electric heating element of the slit jet reattach nozzle has been reached.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating air at a temperature 10℉ to 150℉ higher than the temperature of the air to be generated by the one or more heat sources through each of the electrically heated elements of the slit jet reattach nozzle.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The slit jet reattachment nozzles are grouped into groups comprising two or more of the reattachment nozzles; Each of the groups of the two or more slit jet reattachment nozzles is coupled to the at least one sensor; as well as The controller independently controls the temperature of the air generated by the electrically heated element of the slit jet reattachment nozzle in each of the groups of two or more slit jet reattachment nozzles.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein each zone of the tunnel oven comprises at least two groups of the two or more slit jet reattachment nozzles, and the method further comprises setting each group of the two or more slit jet reattachment nozzles in any zone of the tunnel oven to a different temperature via the controller.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more heat sources are gas burners or electric heaters, and wherein each zone of the tunnel oven contains a single heat source.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the tunnel oven further comprises a heat recovery device positioned between the one or more heat sources of the tunnel oven and the one or more zones of the tunnel oven.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the controller is communicatively coupled to at least one electronic database, and the method further comprises a controller: Data representing the characteristics of the dough block, and data representing the target characteristics of the baked or dried product to be prepared from the dough block in the tunnel oven, are obtained from the at least one electronic database; and Based on the data obtained from the at least one electronic database, the temperature of the air to be generated by the electric heating element is set, the electric heating element being coupled to each of the slit jet reattachment nozzles in each of the one or more zones of the tunnel oven.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising using the controller: Based on the obtained data representing the characteristics of the dough block and the data representing the target characteristics of the baked or dried product to be prepared from the dough block in the tunnel oven, a first set of baking parameters for the tunnel oven is generated, the first set of baking parameters being predicted by the controller, so that the tunnel oven produces the baked or dried product having the target parameters from the dough block entering the tunnel oven; and Control the tunnel oven to run the first set of baking parameters.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the tunnel oven further comprises: At least a first sensor, configured to detect characteristics of the dough block entering the tunnel oven; At least a second sensor, configured to detect the characteristics of the baked or dried product leaving the tunnel oven; and at least a third sensor, configured to detect the settings of the tunnel oven and the environmental conditions inside the tunnel oven.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising, in response to detecting a mismatch between the target characteristic of the baked or dried product leaving the tunnel oven and the characteristic of the baked or dried product leaving the tunnel oven, modifying the first set of baking parameters based on a trained machine learning model to generate a second set of baking parameters predicted by the controller, such that the tunnel oven produces the baked or dried product having the target parameters from the dough block entering the tunnel oven.

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