General Electric Company

Paul Randall Wilson

Ertugrul Berkcan

Vivek Venugopal Badami

Emilie Thorbjorg Saulnier

Daniel Joseph Brunelle

Thomas L Evans

Eric J Pearce

Stanlee Teresa Buddle

Michael A Zumbrum

Donald Frank Rohr

Jean E Bradt

A system for automatically controlling the temperature of the cooking surface of a cooking surface of a solid-surface cooktop and, consequently, the temperature of the cooking utensil on the cooking surface, by detecting cooking utensil-related properties through the solid-surface cooktop. The cooking utensil-related properties include presence/absence, removal/placement, and other physical properties such as utensil type, size, warpage, and temperature and load size. Automatic control is based on monitoring the heat transfer characteristics from the energy source to the cooktop and the utensil to infer the utensil properties. This is achieved by sensing or inferring a parameter indicative of the temperature of a monitored area that includes at least a portion of the cooktop or of the cooking utensil placed on the upper surface of a cooktop, as well as a parameter indicative of power applied to a controllable heat source, and detecting signal properties using an evolutionary algorithm.

Cooktop control and monitoring system including detecting properties of a utensil and its contents

A monitoring and control system for monitoring the boil states of the contents of a cooking utensil located on a cooking surface of a cooktop, indicating the state to a user, and controlling the energy applied to the cooking surface, which may be a glass ceramic. The system includes at least one controllable heat source located below the lower surface of the cooktop so as to heat the cooktop and cooking utensil, at least one sensor located in proximity to the cooktop, which senses the temperature of at least one of the cooktop and the cooking utensil, at least one power indicative signal, and a signal processing device receiving a temperature signal from the sensor, and the power indicative signal. The signal issued by the sensor is representative of the temperature of either the cooktop, or the cooking utensil. In one embodiment the signal processing device detects a plateau in the sensor and power indicative signals, which is indicative of the boiling of the contents of the cooking utensil, or an increase in the rise of the sensor signal, which is indicative of a boil-dry condition in the cooking utensil. The signal processing device optionally is connected to a control device which automatically reduces the temperature of the heat source upon the occurrence of these conditions, or which provides an indication to the user that such conditions have occurred. Determining the boil states, such as boiling, boil-over and boil-dry for the contents of a cooking utensil on a glass ceramic cooktop is achieved by noting that a characteristic response exists in the signal generated by a temperature indicative sensor or the power indicative signal as the temperature of the contents of a cooking utensil on a glass ceramic cooktop approaches a boiling point.

Monitoring and control system for monitoring the boil state of contents

Macrocyclic polyester oligomer compositions comprising alkylene isophthalate or terephthalate units or the like are prepared by the reaction of a diol with a diacid chloride in the presence of at least one amine characterized by substantially no steric hindrance around the basic nitrogen atom. The reaction is conducted under substantially anhydrous conditions and at a temperature from about -25.degree. to about +25.degree. C. The resulting macrocyclic oligomers may be converted to linear polyesters by contact with catalysts including basic reagents, stannous alkoxides, organotin compounds, titanate esters and metal acetylacetonates.

Polymerization of macrocyclic poly(alkylene dicarboxylate) oligomers

A method is provided for making fumed silica aggregate having an average convex perimeter in the range of about 0.12 micron to about 0.6 micron based on the combustion of a mixture of a silicon compound, such as an organosilane, an oxygen containing gas, such as air and a fuel such as hydrogen. The fumed silica aggregate has been found to enhance properties in heat curable filled silicone compositions.

Method for making fumed silica having a reduced aggregate size and

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Scotia, NY, United States of America

Paul Randall Wilson