A cooking apparatus includes a base including a lower heating plate an upper heating unit including an upper heating plate and a cleaning structure configured to move a cleaning blade along at least one of the lower heating plate and the upper heating plate. The apparatus also includes a control circuit configured to control movement of the cleaning blade across the one of the lower heating plate and the upper heating plate.

A baking pan oiling device includes a housing, a conveyor mechanism, an oil supply, a nozzle fluidly coupled to the oil supply configured to intermittently spray the oil onto baking pans. A first sensor configured to sense a presence of movement of oil through the oil supply and to sense an absence of movement of oil through the oil supply during the pan oiling operation. A control unit communicatively coupled to the first sensor configured to receive sensor data corresponding to the presence of the movement of oil or the absence of the movement of oil during the pan oiling operation. Upon receiving the sensor data corresponding to the absence of the movement of oil during the pan operation, the control unit ceases the pan oiling operation.

A baking pan oiling device includes a housing, a conveyor mechanism, an oil supply, a nozzle fluidly coupled to the oil supply configured to intermittently spray the oil onto baking pans. A first sensor configured to sense a presence of movement of oil through the oil supply and to sense an absence of movement of oil through the oil supply during the pan oiling operation. A control unit communicatively coupled to the first sensor configured to receive sensor data corresponding to the presence of the movement of oil or the absence of the movement of oil during the pan oiling operation. Upon receiving the sensor data corresponding to the absence of the movement of oil during the pan operation, the control unit ceases the pan oiling operation.

A greasing system comprising a lubricant; pressurized air; a spray nozzle assembly in communication with the lubricant and the pressurized air having a spray nozzle manifold that further includes a valve bar assembly having a lubricant reservoir in communication with the lubricant; a plurality of proportional solenoid valves in communication with the lubricant reservoir; a plurality of lubricant passages in communication with the proportional solenoid valves; a plurality air passages in communication with the source of pressurized air; and a plurality of valves positioned in-line between the pressurized air and each air passage; and a nozzle bar assembly detachably connected to the valve bar assembly that further includes lubricant passages in communication with the lubricant passages in the valve bar assembly; air passages in communication with the air passages in the valve bar assembly; chambers in communication with corresponding lubricant passages in the nozzle bar assembly and corresponding air passages in the nozzle bar assembly, wherein lubricant is deposited in each chamber through the lubricant passage; and a spray nozzle in communication with each chamber, wherein the pressurized air is used to propel droplets of lubricant from the nozzle.

A greasing system comprising a lubricant; pressurized air; a spray nozzle assembly in communication with the lubricant and the pressurized air having a spray nozzle manifold that further includes a valve bar assembly having a lubricant reservoir in communication with the lubricant; a plurality of proportional solenoid valves in communication with the lubricant reservoir; a plurality of lubricant passages in communication with the proportional solenoid valves; a plurality air passages in communication with the source of pressurized air; and a plurality of valves positioned in-line between the pressurized air and each air passage; and a nozzle bar assembly detachably connected to the valve bar assembly that further includes lubricant passages in communication with the lubricant passages in the valve bar assembly; air passages in communication with the air passages in the valve bar assembly; chambers in communication with corresponding lubricant passages in the nozzle bar assembly and corresponding air passages in the nozzle bar assembly, wherein lubricant is deposited in each chamber through the lubricant passage; and a spray nozzle in communication with each chamber, wherein the pressurized air is used to propel droplets of lubricant from the nozzle.

A baking pan oiling device includes a housing for receiving a plurality of baking pans therethrough during a pan oiling operation, an oil supply fluidly coupled to a plurality of nozzles, and a pump for causing the nozzles to spray oil into at least one orifice of each of the baking pans. A sensor arranged downstream of the nozzles generates signals corresponding to a sensed presence or absence of oil in the baking pan, and a control unit determines the pan oiling device requires attention based on such signals, including causing the pan oiling operation to be stopped, transmitting a message, and/or causing an indicator to be actuated. The sensor may additionally sense pan type and/or color, oil spray pattern on the pan, spray amount on the pan, and so on, and in response, the control unit may generate control signals to facilitate operations of the pan oiling device.

A baking pan oiling device includes a housing for receiving a plurality of baking pans therethrough during a pan oiling operation, an oil supply fluidly coupled to a plurality of nozzles, and a pump for causing the nozzles to spray oil into at least one orifice of each of the baking pans. A sensor arranged downstream of the nozzles generates signals corresponding to a sensed presence or absence of oil in the baking pan, and a control unit determines the pan oiling device requires attention based on such signals, including causing the pan oiling operation to be stopped, transmitting a message, and/or causing an indicator to be actuated. The sensor may additionally sense pan type and/or color, oil spray pattern on the pan, spray amount on the pan, and so on, and in response, the control unit may generate control signals to facilitate operations of the pan oiling device.

A baking pan oiling device includes a housing, a conveyor mechanism, an oil supply, a nozzle fluidly coupled to the oil supply configured to intermittently spray the oil onto baking pans. A first sensor configured to sense a presence of movement of oil through the oil supply and to sense an absence of movement of oil through the oil supply during the pan oiling operation. A control unit communicatively coupled to the first sensor configured to receive sensor data corresponding to the presence of the movement of oil or the absence of the movement of oil during the pan oiling operation. Upon receiving the sensor data corresponding to the absence of the movement of oil during the pan operation, the control unit ceases the pan oiling operation.

A baking pan oiling device includes a housing, a conveyor mechanism, an oil supply, a nozzle fluidly coupled to the oil supply configured to intermittently spray the oil onto baking pans. A first sensor configured to sense a presence of movement of oil through the oil supply and to sense an absence of movement of oil through the oil supply during the pan oiling operation. A control unit communicatively coupled to the first sensor configured to receive sensor data corresponding to the presence of the movement of oil or the absence of the movement of oil during the pan oiling operation. Upon receiving the sensor data corresponding to the absence of the movement of oil during the pan operation, the control unit ceases the pan oiling operation.

The invention relates to an improved system, device and method for optimized, high volume cleaning of pans, related brush modules, and methods of operating and processing same A pan cleaning system having one or more modular swing arms for cleaning a flow of pans is provided. The system having a frame with a mounting point for each of the modular swing arms and the swing arm pivots about a pivoting element freely motivated by a swing arm actuator and controlled with a swing arm limiter coupled to one or more controllers. The modular swing arm is positioned by the one or more controllers by activating the swing arm actuator to position and to engage a dirty pan from the flow of pans at a pressure range exerted by the actuator and limited by the swing arm limiter such that the pan is cleaned. On one of the modular swing arms, a cleaning module mounting a staggered set of two or more brush heads is provided in offset rows provides overlap during cleaning to overcome compression issues in the brush heads during movement of the pan. Each of the brush heads also having bristles specifically spaced and angled so that they provide consistent contact without laying over one another when compression does occur. Each of the brush heads also rotating so that the rotational moments of each of the brush heads in the two or more brush heads is offset by the equal or paired rotating brush heads. Finally, the controller is provided so that it can sense numerous conditions in the cleaning process, including things like pan height, pan type, the amount of contaminants on the pan, the size of the pan, how much agitation or pressure to apply to the pan, when the pan is passing the cleaning module, whether a jam may be occurring under the module, and similar variables during the cleaning process.