Method and a device for checking an ideal position of a cooking pot above an induction coil of an induction cooking hob

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9900934-B2
Application number	US-201415025417-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 3, 2014
Priority date	Nov 25, 2013
Publication date	Feb 20, 2018
Grant date	Feb 20, 2018

Abstract

A method for checking an ideal position of a cooking pot above an induction coil of an induction cooking hob is provided. The method includes the steps of: detecting a first parameter related to the power of the electromagnetic field and/or to the position of the cooking pot above the induction coil, detecting a second parameter related to the power of the electromagnetic field and/or to the position of the cooking pot above the induction coil, comparing the detected first and second parameters with a stored relationship between the first and second parameters and the position of the cooking pot above the induction coil, determining a deviation of the position of the cooking pot from the ideal position above the induction coil, and outputting at least one signal corresponding with the deviation of the position of the cooking pot from the ideal position, if the deviation exceeds a minimum value.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for checking an ideal position of a cooking pot above an induction coil of an induction cooking hob, wherein said method includes the following steps:
a) starting the method for checking the ideal position,
b) detecting a first parameter related to the power of an electromagnetic field associated with said coil,
c) detecting a second parameter related to the power of the electromagnetic field,
d) comparing the detected first and second parameters with a stored relationship between said first and second parameters and the position of the cooking pot above the induction coil,
e) determining a deviation of the position of the cooking pot from the ideal position above the induction coil,
f) performing periodic repetitions of the steps b) to e) after a predetermined time, and
g1) outputting at least one signal corresponding with the deviation of the position of the cooking pot from the ideal position, if said deviation exceeds a minimum value, or
g2) outputting at least one signal corresponding with the deviation of the position of the cooking pot from the ideal position, if said deviation falls below a maximum value,
wherein the first parameter is a current through the induction coil and the second parameter is a phase difference between the current through the induction coil and a voltage at said induction coil.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method is started by operating an actuator of a user interface.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of said first and second parameters has a minimum or maximum if the cooking pot is in the ideal position above the induction coil.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined time between subsequent periodic repetitions of the steps b) to e) is between 0.1 s and 1.0 s.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined time between subsequent periodic repetitions of the steps b) to e) is 0.5 s.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the phase difference is detected by measuring the time elapsed between one edge of a square wave voltage and a zero-crossing of the current through the induction coil.

7. An induction cooking hob including a system for checking an ideal position of a cooking pot above an induction coil of the induction cooking hob, wherein said system includes:
a first detection device for detecting a first parameter related to the power of an electromagnetic field associated with said coil,
a second detection device for detecting a second parameter related to the power of the electromagnetic field,
a control unit for comparing the detected first and second parameters with a stored relationship between said first and second parameters and the position of the cooking pot above the induction coil, for determining a deviation of the position of the cooking pot from the ideal position above the induction coil, and for performing periodic repetitions of the detections, comparison and determination after a predetermined time, and
an output device for outputting at least one signal corresponding with the deviation of the position of the cooking pot from the ideal position,
wherein the first detection device detects a current through the induction coil and the second detection device detects a phase difference between the current through the induction coil and a voltage at said induction coil.

8. The induction cooking hob according to claim 7 , wherein the induction cooking hob comprises an actuator for starting a method for checking the ideal position of the cooking pot above the induction coil.

9. The induction cooking hob according to claim 7 , wherein the induction cooking hob comprises a detection device for detecting the power of said electromagnetic field.

10. The induction cooking hob according to claim 7 , wherein the output device includes at least one display, a sound generator and/or a mechanical indicator.

11. The induction cooking hob according to claim 7 , wherein the induction cooking hob includes a user interface, wherein at least one component of the output device is an integrated part of said user interface.

12. The induction cooking hob according to claim 4 , wherein the output device includes at least one seven-segment display, wherein the number of the activated segments corresponds with the deviation of the position of the cooking pot from the ideal position above the induction coil.

Assignees

• Electrolux Appliances AB

Inventors

• Brasseur Jerome
• Haeutle Ulrich
• Klein Gerhard
• Doebel Helmut
• Horbaschek Silke

Classifications

• H05B2213/05

  Heating plates with pan detection means · CPC title

• H05B6/1218

  with arrangements using lights for heating zone state indication · CPC title

• H05B6/062 Primary

  for cooking plates or the like · CPC title

• H05B1/0258

  For cooking · CPC title