Cooking appliance and controlling method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10165625-B2
Application number	US-201615152282-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2016
Priority date	May 12, 2015
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

Disclosed is a cooking appliance. The present invention includes a plurality of loads connected in parallel with each other, a plurality of load relays configured to be connected in series to a plurality of the loads in order to selectively supply commercial electricity supplied from a power supply unit to a plurality of the loads, respectively and be driven selectively in ON or OFF state, a safety relay configured to be connected in series to a plurality of the loads and be driven selectively in ON or OFF state, a detecting unit configured to sense a voltage applied to both ends of the safety relay by being connected to the safety relay, and a controller configured to control a plurality of the load relays, the safety relay and the detecting unit and determine a presence or non-presence of malfunction of a plurality of the load relays based on a signal from the detecting unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cooking appliance, comprising:
a plurality of loads connected in parallel with each other;
a plurality of load relays configured to be connected in series to a plurality of the loads in order to selectively supply commercial electricity supplied from a power supply to a plurality of the loads, respectively and be driven selectively in ON or OFF state;
a safety relay configured to be connected in series to a plurality of the loads and be driven selectively in ON or OFF state;
a detector configured to sense a voltage applied to both ends of the safety relay by being connected to the safety relay; and
a controller configured to control a plurality of the load relays, the safety relay and the detector and determine a presence or non-presence of malfunction of a plurality of the load relays based on a signal from the detector.

2. The cooking appliance of claim 1 , further comprising a display configured to display the presence or non-presence of the malfunction of the load relay based on a signal from the controller.

3. The cooking appliance of claim 2 , wherein in an operating mode of the cooking appliance, if a preset voltage is sensed by the detector in a relay resting interval having all load relays controlled to be turned off, the controller controls the display to display a malfunction indication.

4. The cooking appliance of claim 3 , further comprising a power supply configured to supply power toward the load and wherein the controller controls the power supply to stop a drive of the power supply after displaying the malfunction indication on the display.

5. The cooking appliance of claim 2 , wherein in a diagnosing mode of the cooking appliance, if a preset voltage is sensed by the detector in an operating state having all load relays controlled to be turned off, the controller controls the display to display a malfunction indication.

6. The cooking appliance of claim 5 , wherein after a control signal for turning off a load relay connected to a specific load has been inputted, if a voltage of 0 V is sensed by the detector in a state that the safety relay is turned off, the controller controls the display to display information on malfunction of the load relay connected to the specific load.

7. The cooking appliance of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the loads and a plurality of the load relays configure a load driving unit, wherein the safety relay is a single safety relay that is connected in series to the load driving unit at a front or rear end of the load driving unit.

8. The cooking appliance of claim 1 , wherein the detector comprises a voltage sensing unit configured to sense a voltage between both ends of the safety relay by being connected in parallel with the safety relay.

9. In a cooking appliance including a plurality of loads connected in parallel with each other, a plurality of load relays connected in series to the corresponding loads, respectively, a single safety relay connected in series to a plurality of the loads, and a detector configured to sense malfunction of a plurality of the load relays by being connected to the safety relay, a method of controlling the cooking appliance, comprising:
a mode inputting step of inputting either an operating mode or a diagnosing mode;
a malfunction determining step of determining a presence or non-presence of malfunction of the plurality of load relays based on the inputted mode; and
a displaying step of selectively displaying the presence or non-presence of the malfunction based on a result of the determination in the malfunction determining step.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein if a specific operating mode is inputted in the mode inputting step, the malfunction determining step comprises a relay operation controlling step of driving at least one of a plurality of the load relays and the single safety relay in the inputted operating mode selectively, a resting interval determining step of determining whether it is a resting interval in which the plurality of load relays and the safety relay are entirely turned off, and a first voltage detection determining step of if the resting interval is determined, determining whether a preset voltage is sensed by the detector.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein if the preset voltage is sensed by the detector in the first voltage detection determining step, information on relay load malfunction is displayed on the display in the displaying step.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the information on the load relay malfunction displayed on the display comprises a relay short-circuit state.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising a drive stopping step of if the information on the relay load malfunction is displayed on the display in the displaying step, stopping a drive of a power supply configured to supply power to the cooking appliance.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein if a diagnosing mode is inputted in the mode inputting step, the malfunction determining step comprises a relay OFF step of turning off the plurality of load relays and the single safety relay and a second voltage detection determining step of determining whether a preset voltage is sensed by the detector.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein if the preset voltage is sensed by the detector in the second voltage detection determining step, information on relay load malfunction is displayed on the display in the displaying step.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the information on the load relay malfunction displayed on the display comprises a relay short-circuit state.

17. The method of claim 14 , the malfunction determining step further comprising:
a load relay ON step of if the voltage sensed by the detector is 0 V in the second voltage detection determining step, inputting a signal for turning on a first load relay among a plurality of the load relays; and
a third voltage detection determining step of determining whether a preset voltage is sensed by the detector.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein if a voltage sensed by the detector is 0 in the third voltage detection determining step, information on relay load malfunction is displayed on the display in the displaying step.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the information on the load relay malfunction displayed on the display comprises a load relay non-actuation state.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein if the preset voltage is sensed by the detector in the third voltage detection determining step, after a signal for turning off the first load relay and turning on the second load relay has been inputted, the third voltage detection determining step is entered.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lim Jaenam

Classifications

• H05B1/0266 Primary

  Cooktops · CPC title

• H05B6/687

  for cooking · CPC title

• H05B1/0258

  For cooking · CPC title

• H05B6/062

  for cooking plates or the like · CPC title

• H05B3/68

  Heating arrangements specially adapted for cooking plates or analogous hot-plates · CPC title