Method for controlling the output of a heating element from a household cooking appliance and arrangement for carrying it out

摘要

A power control system for operating a heating element in a cooking appliance in response to the selection of one of a plurality of user selectable power settings. Approximate heating element temperature information is provided by a heater energy counter. Each power setting has associated with it a corresponding steady state power level and a corresponding predetermined steady state energy count. The steady state energy count is approximately proportional to the steady state operating temperature of the heating element when operated at its corresponding steady state power level. The energy counter is selectively incremented and decremented to approximately track the heating element temperature when the count is respectively less than or greater than the steady state count for the applied power level. At least certain ones of the power settings have corresponding minimum threshold counts less than the steady state counts and maximum threshold counts greater than the steady state counts. To provide quick response to changes in power setting, the heating element is operated at a power level higher than that corresponding to the selected power setting whenever the heater energy count is less than its minimum threshold count and at a power level less than the power level corresponding to its selected power setting whenever the heater energy count is greater than its maximum threshold count.