Toaster with controlled conveyor speed

1. An oven comprising:

a housing defining a cook chamber;

a heating element positioned adjacent the cook chamber;

a controller programmed, upon a change in a heat power setting of the heating element, to control a cook time based upon a current predicted cooking ability of the oven, wherein the current predicted cooking ability is calculated by the controller using a formula that is a function of a heat power input during a previous time period, a predicted cooking ability from a previous time period, and a heat time constant that represents the estimated rate at which a change in the heat power input causes a change in cooking ability.

2. An oven as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the predicted cooking ability from a previous time period is multiplied by the heat time constant.

3. An oven as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the current predicted cooking ability comprises a current estimate temperature that is calculated according to a formula comprising:

ET=(ET previous *HTC)+(HP previous *(1−HTC),

wherein ET=current estimated temperature,

ET previous =estimated temperature from a previous time period,

HTC=heat time constant, and

HP previous =heat percentage from a previous time period.

4. An oven as claimed in claim 3 , further comprising:

a conveyor positioned to move food product through the cook chamber; and

a motor coupled to the conveyor, wherein the controller is programmed to control a speed of the conveyor.

5. An oven as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the controller is programmed to control the speed of the conveyor based upon speed modification that is calculated according to a formula comprising:

MOD heat =1+((ET top −HS top )/HS top )+((ET bot −HS bot )/HS bot ),

wherein MOD heat =speed modification,

ET top =estimated temperature of the top element,

HS top =heat setting of the top element,

ET bot =estimated temperature of the bottom element, and

HS bot =heat setting of the bottom element.

6. An oven comprising:

a housing defining a cook chamber;

a heating element positioned adjacent the cook chamber;

a presence sensor positioned to sense the presence of food in the cook chamber; and

a controller programmed to control a cook time based upon a product loading condition determined by the controller, wherein the product loading condition is calculated by the controller using a formula that is a function of an amount of a product sensed by the presence sensor to be in the cook chamber over a period of time and a time constant that predicts how much cooking ability the amount of product placed in the cook chamber will remove from the cook camber.

7. An oven as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the presence of food in the oven is determined by a presence sensor.

8. An oven as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the calculation is an eye calculation that is a function of a previous eye calculation.

9. An oven as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the eye calculation is a function of the previous eye calculation and an eye time constant.

10. An oven as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising a product sensor providing an eye reading, wherein the eye calculation is calculated according to a formula comprising:

EC=(EC previous *ETC)+(Reading*(1−ETC))

wherein EC=eye calculation,

EC previous =previous eye calculation,

Reading=eye reading, and

ETC=eye time constant.

11. An oven as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising:

a conveyor positioned to move food product through the cook chamber; and

a motor coupled to the conveyor; wherein the controller is programmed to control a speed of the conveyor.