The present invention provides a heating apparatus for heating a load. The heating apparatus comprises a heater having a heating element for receiving electrical power and for converting the electrical power into heat to heat a heating surface of the heater. The heating apparatus also comprises a temperature sensor for sensing and outputting a measurement of the temperature of the heating element, a power actuator for providing the electrical power to the heating element of the heater, a power sensor for sensing and outputting a measurement of the power provided to the heating element by the power actuator, and control circuitry for controlling the power actuator to control the power delivered by the power actuator to the heating element. The control circuitry is configured to receive the temperature measurement from the temperature sensor, receive the power measurement from the power sensor, combine the temperature measurement and the power measurement, and control the power actuator in dependence upon the combined temperature measurement and power measurement. This ensures that the temperature of the heating surface is constant throughout a period when the load is applied.

A replacement abstract is included on the final page of this document.

An integrated control device for mounting in electrically heated articles of apparel for controlling power to heating wires secured in the articles of apparel. The control device has a finger-operable switch integrated with electronic circuits mounted on a pcb board. The electronic circuits have a communication circuit to interface with a user person to provide message information to the user person. A waterproof envelope shields at least a portion of the control device. An input electrical connecting port is mounted on the control device and accessible from outside the waterproof envelope. The input electrical connecting port is configured to magnetically receive and retain an external electrical connector having a conductor cable secured thereto to provide power to the electronic circuits from an external electrical power source. The input electrical connecting port, and the external electrical connector positioned therein, exhibit a magnetic coupling force of a predetermined strength permitting rotational planar displacement of the external electrical connector, when a shear force is applied thereto by the conductor cable of the external electrical connector, without separating the magnetic coupling retention force between the magnet retainers.

An aircraft engine nacelle comprising an icing protection system and an icing protection method for such an aircraft engine nacelle. The aircraft engine nacelle comprises an air inlet comprising a lip, a tubular air inlet piece and an icing protection system. The icing protection system comprises an icing prevention means powered continuously by a first electrical energy source and wholly or partly covering the lip, a de-icing means powered by a second electrical energy source covering the tubular air inlet piece and a controller configured to acquire a current total air temperature value, and control the second electrical energy source as a function of the current total air temperature value.

A device for continuously heating foodstuffs includes a channel arranged to receive an electrically conductive liquid. Side walls of the channel include mutually opposite electrodes that are arranged in pairs which are connected to a current source. A first pair of mutually the opposite electrodes is arranged on the side walls of the channel at a distance along the channel. A second pair of mutually opposite electrodes is arranged in electrical contact with the interior of the channel. Each pair of electrodes is electrically connected to a respective one of separate secondary windings of a transformer of the current source. The secondary windings are arranged to be excited by at least one primary winding.

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.

A vehicle seat includes a seat portion having a heating element, such as an electrically conductive wire. A sensing structure having a characteristic that is responsive to a temperature of the heating element is provided adjacent to the heating element, such as by being helically wrapped thereabout or extending parallel thereto. For example, the sensing structure may include an optical fiber, and the characteristic of the sensing structure may be an amount of light transmitted through the optical fiber. A controller is responsive to the characteristic of the sensing structure for determining when the temperature of the heating element exceeds a predetermined value.

Various examples are provided of low power, rapid response on-device heaters and methods of calibrating the device within a linear operating region, which is reached and maintained through control of the on-device heater. A system to be calibrated includes a sensor to measure the temperature and relative humidity of the system, a heater coupled to the sensor, a heater controller coupled to the heater to control the heater to heat the system, and a processor coupled to the sensor and the heater controller. The processor controls the heater based on temperature measured by the sensor to perform a calibration process for the system including calculating a calibration factor, and to determine whether to abort the calibration process based on relative humidity measured by the sensor indicating that the system is outside the linear operating region.

The invention relates to a method for operating a heating element (210), in particular in a food processor (1) for the at least partially automatic preparation of foodstuffs, wherein the following steps are performed: a) detecting an electrical resistance of the heating element (210) such that at least one resistance value is determined, b) performing a heating operation on the heating element (210) based on the at least one determined resistance value to perform the heating operation depending on a temperature of the heating element (210).

The device includes at least the following components: a heating resistor intended for heating a component to be regenerated; a current source; a thermistor connected to the current source and thermally coupled to the heating resistor, the thermistor, through which the current flows, having a voltage Vtemp across its terminals, which voltage reflects the temperature of the heating resistor; an error amplifier, which amplifies the difference between the voltage Vset and the voltage Vtemp and delivers a voltage Vctrl that corresponds to the amplified difference; a switch, which switches the current flowing through the heating resistor; an oscillator, which delivers a voltage Vosc formed with a modulated duty cycle, the duty cycle of the pulses of the voltage Vosc being dependent on the voltage Vctrl, the pulses controlling the opening of the switch.