Abstract: A microwave cooking appliance performs controlled beverage warming using a temperature sensor to capture a thermal image of a beverage in a cooking cavity. One or more sensing locations within the thermal image that are suitable for determining the temperature of the beverage are determined in part by ordering temperature readings from the thermal image by temperature to determine a temperature function and then determining locations in the thermal image that correspond to the beverage by calculating a derivative function over at least a portion of the temperature function.

Abstract: An Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) powered apparatus includes an input power receptacle capable of receiving the plug of an EVSE device to power the apparatus using power supplied by the EVSE device, and a user-actuatable control that may be used to transition the EVSE device from a connected but not charging state to a charging state after the plug has been inserted into the input power receptacle to cause the EVSE device to transition to the charging state and supply power through the plug. In some instances, one or more output power receptacles may be provided to enable various external electrically-powered devices to be plugged into the apparatus and powered by the EVSE device, while in other instances, the apparatus itself may be an appliance, tool, or other high power device, such that the apparatus is powered directly from the EVSE device.

Abstract: An undercounter kitchen appliance, for example a dishwasher, includes an enclosure with a top surface that is located near a lower surface of a countertop when the undercounter kitchen appliance is installed, and a wireless power transmitter located near the top surface of the undercounter kitchen appliance, where the power transmitter supplies power to a small kitchen appliance disposed on an upper surface of the countertop.

Abstract: A cooking appliance and method utilize a rotary burner control with a rotary control actuator, a position sensor, and an electronic burner control user interface to control an electromechanical valve unit that regulates gas flow to a gas burner.

Abstract: A cooking appliance that includes: a gas cooking element; an igniter located next to the gas cooking element to ignite the gas cooking element; a gas valve for regulating gas flow to the gas cooking element; a burner control coupled to the gas valve to vary the gas flow to the gas cooking element; and a control circuit coupled to the burner control and for activating the igniter when the burner control is positioned within a predetermined range of positions, where the control circuit detects when the burner control has been moved through the predetermined range of positions in less than a predetermined time, and in response to determining that the burner control has been moved through the predetermined range of positions in less than the predetermined time, generate an alert to a user.

Abstract: A laundry washing machine and method control a time or duration of a drain operation at least in part based upon a type of a load being washed in the laundry washing machine. By doing so, the amount of time in which a drain operation is performed may be customized for different types of loads, and in many instances, may reduce the amount of noise and/or energy consumption associated with draining a wash tub during a wash cycle.

Abstract: A beverage container washing system may be used for rapid washing and/or sanitizing of beverage containers, e.g., for use in a retail environment to wash and/or sanitize customer-provided beverage containers prior to filling the beverage containers with purchased beverages, among other applications. Separate entrance and exit openings may be provided in some instances to minimize employee interaction with unwashed customer beverage containers.

Abstract: A cooking appliance includes: a gas cooking element; an igniter disposed adjacent to the gas cooking element to ignite the gas cooking element; a gas valve for regulating gas flow to the gas cooking element; a burner control mechanically coupled to the gas valve to vary the gas flow to the gas cooking element; a sensor for detecting the positioning of the burner control in an ignition range of positions; and a control circuit coupled to the igniter and the sensor and to activate the igniter in response to detected movement of the burner control into the ignition range of positions, the control circuit further configured to maintain activation of the igniter for a predetermined minimum length of time once activated.

Abstract: A cooking appliance and method control the power consumption of a plurality of electrical loads in response to an ambient temperature sensed by a temperature sensor to maintain a combined power consumption within a temperature-dependent output capability of a low voltage power supply used in the cooking appliance.

Abstract: A leakage current compensation system may be used in an appliance such as a cooking appliance or another device utilizing a sheathed electrical heating element, and may sense a leakage current in one or more phases of a multi-phase power circuit that supplies the appliance or other device using a current transformer and generate a compensating current in a different phase of the multi-phase power circuit to compensate for the leakage current and thereby reduce the likelihood of a false GFCI trip in the multi-phase power circuit.

Abstract: A thermal imaging system for a cooking appliance is capable of being calibrated for any arrangement of cooktop burners disposed on a surface of a cooking appliance. A thermal imaging system can be calibrated by processing a received thermal scan of a surface of a cooking appliance having a particular cooktop arrangement to identify a plurality of cooktop burners on the surface of the cooking appliance for the particular arrangement, determine a number of cooktop burners in the particular arrangement, and determine one or more locations of the cooktop to assign to each of the cooktop burners. Further, the determined one or more locations assigned to each of the cooktop burners can be stored in association with a respective cooktop burner. Once calibrated, the thermal imaging system can calculate a temperature for each of the cooktop burners to be used in performing subsequent control and/or safety functions.

Abstract: A laundry washing machine includes a weight sensing system including a weight sensor positioned to sense at least a portion of a weight associated with a wash tub and configured to output an associated pulse width modulated (PWM) force signal having a duty cycle that varies with applied force on the weight sensor. A controller of the laundry washing machine includes a state change sensing logic circuit coupled to receive the PWM force signal from the weight sensor and execute an interrupt service routine triggered by each state transition to capture a timestamp associated with each state transition such that the duty cycle of the PWM force signal may be determined using the captured timestamps.

Abstract: A cooking appliance and method control the power consumption of a plurality of electrical loads in response to an ambient temperature sensed by a temperature sensor to maintain a combined power consumption within a temperature-dependent output capability of a low voltage power supply used in the cooking appliance.

Abstract: A cooking appliance and method utilize a rotary burner control with a rotary control actuator, a position sensor, and an electronic burner control user interface to control an electromechanical valve unit that regulates gas flow to a gas burner.

Abstract: A microwave cooking appliance and method for operating the same perform an adaptive thermal sensing cycle in which a temperature sensor is used to develop a temperature profile for food being heated or cooked at an intermediate point in the cycle, such that a duration and output level for a subsequent stage of the cycle may be determined at least in part based upon the temperature profile.

Abstract: A charging station for charging an electrically powered vehicle includes a power source that provides recharging power to one or more energy storage devices on the electrically powered vehicle and a charging device that controls energy transfer from the power source to the electrically powered vehicle. The charging device provides a control pilot signal to a vehicle control circuit of the electrically powered vehicle, with the control pilot signal being received by the vehicle control circuit upon connection of the electrically powered vehicle to the charging station. The charging device measures a voltage level of the control pilot signal upon connection of the electrically powered vehicle to the charging station, performs a selected pre-charge testing routine based on the measured voltage level of the control pilot signal, and enables charging of the electrically powered vehicle from the power source upon compliance with the selected pre-charge testing routine that was performed.

Abstract: A microwave oven container may include a body for containing a liquid, an agitator projecting through a bottom wall of the body to agitate the liquid contained in the body, where the agitator includes a first end located in the body and a second end located exterior to the body. The second end of the agitator is able to couple with a turntable drive of a microwave oven to power movement of the agitator in response to rotation of the turntable drive. The container may also include a cage located within the body that substantially surrounds the first end of the agitator and includes a plurality of openings to allow liquid contained in the body to pass through the cage.

Abstract: A thermal imaging system for a cooking appliance is capable of being calibrated for any arrangement of cooktop burners disposed on a surface of a cooking appliance. A thermal imaging system can be calibrated by processing a received thermal scan of a surface of a cooking appliance having a particular cooktop arrangement to identify a plurality of cooktop burners on the surface of the cooking appliance for the particular arrangement, determine a number of cooktop burners in the particular arrangement, and determine one or more locations of the cooktop to assign to each of the cooktop burners. Further, the determined one or more locations assigned to each of the cooktop burners can be stored in association with a respective cooktop burner. Once calibrated, the thermal imaging system can calculate a temperature for each of the cooktop burners to be used in performing subsequent control and/or safety functions.

Abstract: A charging system for charging an electric vehicle includes a charging station and a charging network server, with the charging network server in network communication with the charging station and a mobile device application. The charging station and the charging network server include computing devices programmed to: store an authorization code at each of the network server and the charging station for authorizing charging of the electric vehicle when the charging station is off-line from the charging network server, process a charging authorization request at the charging network server sent from the mobile device application, transmit the authorization code from the network server to the mobile device application responsive to the charging authorization request and when the charging station is off-line, and authorize or deny charging of the electric vehicle based on whether an authorization code input to the charging station matches the authorization code stored on the charging station.

Abstract: A charging station for charging an electrically powered vehicle includes a power source that provides recharging power to one or more energy storage devices on the electrically powered vehicle and a charging device that controls energy transfer from the power source to the electrically powered vehicle. The charging device provides a control pilot signal to a vehicle control circuit of the electrically powered vehicle, with the control pilot signal being received by the vehicle control circuit upon connection of the electrically powered vehicle to the charging station. The charging device measures a voltage level of the control pilot signal upon connection of the electrically powered vehicle to the charging station, performs a selected pre-charge testing routine based on the measured voltage level of the control pilot signal, and enables charging of the electrically powered vehicle from the power source upon compliance with the selected pre-charge testing routine that was performed.