SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO CONTROL HEAT DISTRIBUTION FOR A COOKING DEVICE

1 . A cooking device comprising:

a vessel operable to receive a cooking liquid;

one or more burners disposed below the vessel; and

a fuel control system for providing fuel to the one or more burners and a corresponding heat distribution to a bottom portion of the vessel, the fuel control system including:

a heat sink in contact with a wall surface of the vessel;

a capillary tube, containing a fluid, coupled to the heat sink; and

a fuel valve operable to provide fuel to the one or more burners, the fuel valve controlled by a pressure of the fluid in the capillary tube caused by the heat sink, such that an amount of fuel provided to the one or more burners is responsive to heat conducting from the heat sink.

2 . The cooking device of claim 1 , wherein the heat sink converts a heat of the cooking liquid into the heat conducting from the heat sink to create the pressure in the capillary tube which pushes on a diaphragm of the fuel valve.

3 . The cooking device of claim 1 , further comprising a dial for providing a set-point temperature value to the fuel control system, the fuel valve is operable to provide the fuel to the one or more burners responsive to a measured temperature value being less than the set-point temperature value.

4 . The cooking device of claim 1 , further comprising a heat distribution ring disposed around a bottom portion of the vessel.

5 . The cooking device of claim 4 , wherein the heat distribution ring includes an exterior wall spaced apart from the bottom portion of the vessel by an upper rim.

6 . The cooking device of claim 5 , wherein the upper rim includes a non-vertical surface circumscribing the vessel.

7 . The cooking device of claim 6 , wherein the non-vertical surface includes a plurality of vent openings.

8 . The cooking device of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of vent openings have an even spacing on a first portion of the non-vertical surface, and a second portion of the non-vertical surface where the heat distribution ring is traversed by the capillary tube omits a vent opening.

9 . The cooking device of claim 4 , further comprising a stand assembly including one or more legs, the vessel operable to receive the cooking liquid is securely fixed to the stand assembly such that the vessel is immovable relative to the stand assembly.

10 . The cooking device of claim 9 , wherein the stand assembly includes a plurality of legs securely fixed to a heat distribution surface disposed around the bottom portion of the vessel.

11 . A cooking device comprising:

a vessel operable to receive a cooking liquid;

one or more burners disposed below the vessel; and

a fuel control system for providing fuel to the one or more burners and a corresponding heat distribution to a bottom portion of the vessel, the fuel control system including:

a fuel valve operable to provide fuel to the one or more burners from a fuel source; and

a capillary tube, containing a fluid, coupled to a heat sink in contact with a wall surface of the vessel, such that the heat sink conducts heat from the cooking liquid into the capillary tube to create a pressure on the fuel valve.

12 . The cooking device of claim 11 , wherein the pressure on the fuel valve causes an amount of fuel provided to the one or more burners to be responsive to heat conducting from the heat sink.

13 . The cooking device of claim 12 , further comprising the cooking liquid, the cooking liquid being a frying oil or water.

14 . The cooking device of claim 11 , wherein the one or more burners include a burner array operable to generate a flame panel below the vessel.

15 . The cooking device of claim 11 , further comprising a digital control system including a processor, a memory device, and computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the fuel control system to perform operations including:

receiving a set-point temperature value from a user input;

determining whether a real-time temperature value measured by one or more temperature sensors is above the set-point temperature value; and

determining whether to close the fuel valve based on the real-time temperature value being above the set-point temperature value.

16 . The cooking device of claim 15 , further comprising a secondary burner, and the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the fuel control system to close the fuel valve while continuing to provide fuel to the secondary burner.

17 . The cooking device of claim 16 , wherein the secondary burner is a pilot light, and further comprising a heat distribution shield disposed over the pilot light to distribute heat from the pilot light onto the bottom portion of the vessel.

18 . A method of heating a cooking liquid, the method including:

receiving a set-point temperature value at a fuel control system of a cooking device;

heating a heat sink with heat from a cooking liquid held by a vessel of the cooking device, the heat sink being in contact with a wall surface of the vessel;

transferring the heat from the heat sink to a capillary tube to cause an expansion of a fluid inside the capillary tube; and

adjusting a fuel valve of the fuel control system using the expansion of the fluid inside the capillary tube to apply pressure on a diaphragm fluidly coupled to one or more burners disposed below the vessel, an amount of fuel provided to the one or more burners by the fuel valve being responsive to heating the heat sink.

19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

detecting, with one or more sensors thermally coupled to the cooking liquid, a real-time temperature value of the cooking liquid;

determining that the real-time temperature value is greater than the set-point temperature value;

closing the fuel valve of the fuel control system in response to the real-time temperature value being greater than the set-point temperature value; and

continuing to provide fuel to an ignited secondary burner while closing the fuel valve.

20 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

detecting, with one or more sensors thermally coupled to the cooking liquid, a real-time temperature value corresponding to the cooking liquid;

retrieving a predetermined threshold value, the predetermined threshold value being between 375° and 450° Fahrenheit;

determining whether the real-time temperature value is above the predetermined threshold value; and

closing the fuel valve in response to determining whether the real-time temperature value is above a predetermined threshold value, the predetermined threshold value being between 375° and 450° Fahrenheit.