US Patent 10039289 Conveyor oven apparatus and method

An oven with a sensor positioned to detect an event that will cause a decrease in the internal temperature of a tunnel. The oven includes a controller configured to increase the thermal output of a heating element in anticipation of the upcoming decrease in the internal temperature. In some embodiments, the oven is a conveyor over and the sensor is positioned to detect a food item approach the tunnel on a conveyor. In some embodiments, the amount of current provided to an electric heating element is increased by increasing the target temperature. In some embodiments, the amount of current provided to the electric heating element is increased by a predetermined offset.