Layered Grill Heater Control Using Resistive Node Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial cooking grills face challenges in rapidly responding to temperature changes due to their large mass, which results in inefficient energy use and limited real-time temperature control, especially when varying loads are applied, as traditional heating systems lack intimate contact and efficient sensing mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A layered heater system with resistive heating layers and nodes connected via lead wires and a multiplexer, controlled by a controller to adjust power distribution based on resistance differences, allowing for precise temperature control and location-specific heating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a large mass grill is used to reduce temperature variations, then temperature stability is improved, but response time to load changes deteriorates and energy efficiency worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The grill heating system is segmented into multiple independent heating zones with individual heating elements and temperature control. Each zone can be controlled separately based on local temperature sensors, allowing rapid response to load changes in specific areas without requiring the entire grill mass to be heated or cooled, thus improving response time while maintaining overall temperature stability.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the grill are provided with different heating characteristics and control strategies. Temperature sensors and heating elements are distributed throughout the grill surface, enabling localized temperature adjustment. This allows the system to maintain temperature stability in unused areas while rapidly responding to temperature changes in areas with active cooking loads, improving both stability and response time.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a large mass grill is used to maintain temperature, then temperature stability is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The grill is divided into multiple heating zones that can be independently controlled. The control system activates only the heating zones where cooking loads are detected, rather than heating the entire grill surface. This segmentation allows the system to maintain temperature stability in active zones while minimizing energy consumption by leaving inactive zones at lower temperatures.
Solution Approach 2:
Temperature sensors distributed across the grill surface provide continuous feedback to the control system. The controller uses this feedback to dynamically adjust heating element activation and power levels, maintaining temperature stability only where needed. This feedback mechanism eliminates the need to continuously heat the entire grill mass, significantly reducing energy consumption while preserving temperature stability in cooking areas.
3Device complexity
If traditional heating elements are used with spaced intervals, then device complexity is reduced, but heat transfer efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple heating elements are merged into an integrated heating system with distributed sensors and unified control. The heating elements are positioned in close proximity to the cooking surface with minimal spacing, and are controlled as a coordinated system rather than independent units. This merging improves heat transfer efficiency by eliminating gaps in heating coverage while the integrated control system manages the complexity through centralized intelligence.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating system transitions from a one-dimensional array of spaced elements to a two-dimensional distributed network of heating zones with sensors positioned throughout the grill surface area. This dimensional expansion allows for more uniform heat distribution and better heat transfer efficiency across the cooking surface, while the digital control system manages the increased complexity through software algorithms.
4Device complexity
If thermocouples are placed in limited areas, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature sensing system is segmented into multiple distributed sensor nodes positioned across different regions of the grill surface. Each sensor monitors local temperature conditions independently, providing precise measurements of temperature variations in specific zones. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high measurement precision without requiring a single complex sensor system, managing complexity through distributed simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes from using a limited number of thermocouples to employing multiple temperature sensors with different positioning and potentially different measurement ranges. This parameter change in sensor quantity and distribution enables precise temperature mapping across the entire grill surface, capturing local temperature variations that would be missed by fewer sensors, while digital processing manages the complexity of multiple data streams.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution reduces the mass to be heated, enhances response time, and enables accurate temperature control and energy efficiency by providing tailored heat profiles to specific loads, reducing thermal inertia and minimizing energy waste.
Implementation Method 1
a layered heater formed on the heating surface, the layered heater defining at least one resistive heating layer
Implementation Method 2
the resistive heating material defines a positive temperature coefficient material such that when a load is placed on the upper substrate, the resistive heating material provides for an increase in power proximate the load
Data Source
AI summary
A heater system and related methods of heating a surface are provided by the present disclosure that includes, in one form, a substrate defining a heating surface and a layered heater formed on the heating surface. A plurality of nodes are disposed along the heating surface and are in electrical contact with a resistive heating layer of the layered heater, along with a plurality of lead wires connected to the plurality of nodes. In one form, a multiplexer is in communication with the plurality of nodes through the plurality of lead wires, and a controller is in communication with the multiplexer, wherein the multiplexer sequences and transmits resistances from the plurality of nodes to the controller, and the controller controls an amount of power provided to each of the plurality of nodes based on the differences in resistances between the nodes.