Induction hob and a method for controlling an induction hob

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9693396-B2
Application number	US-201013496273-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 25, 2010
Priority date	Nov 27, 2009
Publication date	Jun 27, 2017
Grant date	Jun 27, 2017

Abstract

The present invention relates to an induction hob with a cooking surface ( 10 ) and a number of induction coils ( 12; 16, 18 ) within said cooking surface ( 10 ). The induction coils ( 12; 16, 18 ) are arranged on the cooking surface ( 10 ) according to predetermined scheme, so that at least two induction coils ( 12; 16, 18 ) can be covered by a standard cooking vessel ( 14 ). Each induction coil ( 12; 16, 18 ) is connected to at least one induction generator being switched or switchable between a high power and a low power. Each induction generator is separately controllable, so that the induction coils ( 12; 16, 18 ) are switched or switchable between the high power and the low power. At least one control unit is provided for controlling the individual induction coils ( 12; 16, 18 ) according to a predetermined time pattern. Further, the present invention relates to a corresponding method for controlling the induction hob.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An induction hob comprising:
a cooking surface ( 10 );
a number of induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ), wherein the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) are arranged on the cooking surface ( 10 ) according to a predetermined scheme, wherein at least two of the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) can be covered by a cooking vessel ( 14 ),
each induction coil ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) is connected to at least one induction generator configured to be switched between a high power and a low power, wherein the low power is between 10% and 20% of the high power,
each induction generator is separately controllable, wherein each of the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) is configured to be separately switched between the high power and the low power, and
at least one control unit is provided for controlling each of the induction generators by switching each of the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) between a high power and a low power according to a predetermined time pattern, wherein the power received by the cooking vessel ( 14 ) is controlled by switching each of the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) below the cooking vessel ( 14 ) between the high power and the low power depending on the required power under the cooking vessel ( 14 ) such that at least one of the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) below the cooking vessel ( 14 ) operates at the high power during a cooking period at the same time as at least one of the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) operates at the low power.

2. The induction hob according to claim 1 , characterized in, that the power of the induction generator corresponds with a frequency, wherein the selection of the frequency of the induction generator determines the power of the corresponding induction coil ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ).

3. The induction hob according to claim 1 , characterized in, that two fixed frequencies are provided for each induction generator.

4. The induction hob according to claim 1 , characterized in, that the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) on the cooking surface ( 10 ) have the same sizes.

5. The induction hob according to claim 1 , characterized in, that the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) on the cooking surface ( 10 ) are arranged in the form of a rectangular matrix.

6. The induction hob according to claim 1 , characterized in, that the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) on the cooking surface ( 10 ) are arranged in the form of a honeycomb.

7. A method for controlling an induction hob including a cooking surface ( 10 ) and a number of induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ), comprising the steps of:
arranging induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) on the cooking surface ( 10 ) according to a predetermined scheme, wherein at least two of the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) can be completely or partially covered by a cooking vessel ( 14 ),
connecting each of the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) to at least one induction generator configured to be switched between a high power and a low power, wherein the low power is between 10% and 20% of the high power,
controlling separately each induction generator, wherein each of the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) is configured to be separately switched between the high power and the low power,
switching separately each of the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) between the high power and the low power according to a predetermined time pattern,
wherein the power received by the cooking vessel ( 14 ) is controlled by switching each of the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) below the cooking vessel ( 14 ) between the high power and the low power depending on the required power under the cooking vessel ( 14 ) such that at least one of the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) below the cooking vessel ( 14 ) operates at the high power during a cooking period at the same time as at least one of the induction coils operates at the low power.

8. The method according to claim 7 , characterized in, that the selection of a frequency of the induction generator determines the power of the corresponding induction coil ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ).

9. The method according to claim 7 , characterized in, that two fixed frequencies are provided for each induction generator.

10. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the cooking period is subdivided into a plurality of identical time cycles equal to the number of the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) below the cooking vessel ( 14 ) and the switching each of the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) according to the predetermined time pattern includes switching each of the induction coils below the cooking vessel ( 14 ) between the high power and the low power for an equal number of the time cycles.

11. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the cooking period is subdivided into a plurality of identical time cycles, each of said identical time cycles comprising a number of time intervals equal to the number of the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) below the cooking vessel ( 14 ), wherein the power received by the cooking vessel ( 14 ) is provided by rotating the switching of each of the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) between the high power and the low power such that each of the induction coils is switched between the high power and the low power for an equal number of time intervals.

12. A method for controlling an induction hob including a cooking surface ( 10 ) and a number of induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ), comprising the steps of:
arranging induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) on the cooking surface ( 10 ) according to a predetermined scheme, wherein at least two of the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) can be covered completely or partially by a cooking vessel ( 14 ),
connecting each of the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) to at least one induction generator configured to be switched between a high power and a low power, wherein the low power is between 10% and 20% of the high power,
controlling separately each induction generator, wherein each of the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) is switched separately between the high power and the low power,
dividing a cooking period into a plurality of identical time cycles, each of said identical cooking cycles comprising a number of time intervals equal to the number of the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) below the cooking vessel ( 14 ),
controlling the power received by the cooking vessel ( 14 ) by rotating the number of the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) that are activated and deactivated under the cooking vessel ( 14 ) during each of the time intervals depending on the required power under the cooking vessel ( 14 ), such that each of the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) is activated and deactivated for an equal number of time intervals during the cooking period,
wherein each of the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) below the cooking vessel ( 14 ) is activated when switched at the high power and each of the induction coils ( 12 ; 16 ; 18 ) below the cooking vessel ( 14 ) is deactivated when switched at the low power.

Assignees

• Jeanneteau Laurent
• Rigolle Thibaut
• Zangoli Massimo
• Christiansen Svend Erik
• Electrolux Home Products Corp Nv

Inventors

• Jeanneteau Laurent
• Rigolle Thibaut
• Zangoli Massimo
• Christiansen Svend Erik

Classifications

• H05B2213/03

  Heating plates made out of a matrix of heating elements that can define heating areas adapted to cookware randomly placed on the heating plate · CPC title

• H05B6/065 Primary

  using coordinated control of multiple induction coils · CPC title