The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 29, 1988
Filed:
Sep. 30, 1987
Richard E Hornung, Louisville, KY (US);
General Electric Company, Louisville, KY (US);
Abstract
An improved temperature sensor failure detection arrangement for a temperature controlled heating device of the type having a heater, an electronic controller for controlling the power level applied to the heater, and a temperature sensor. The controller includes an internal heater energy counter, which is incremented and decremented at rates determined as a function of the power level applied to the heater such that the count of the heater energy counter approximately tracks the temperature of the heater. The controller periodically compares temperature information from the temperature sensor with the count of the heater energy counter to check for abnormal operating condition of the temperature sensor. An abnormal condition is detected when the count of the heater energy counter is within a predetermined reference range and the sensed temperature is outside a correlative predetermined reference temperature range, which ranges are selected such that under normal operating conditions, whenever the count is within the predetermined range, the temperature will be within the reference temperature range.