INDUCTION HEATER

• US 20100187222A1
• Filed: 02/22/2008
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Won Tae, Ryu, Seung Hee
• Granted Patent: US 8,426,781 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/632
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2206/022 Special supports for the induction coils
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/1263 using coil cooling arrangements

Abstract

Provided is an induction heater which induces an electric current in a metal utensil (e.g., a cooking utensil) using an electromagnetic force and can thus heat the metal utensil, and more particularly, an induction heater which can prevent electric devices sensitive to temperature from being overheated by forcefully blowing air to the front and the rear of an inverter circuit board. The induction heater is easy to be miniaturized, and a considerable number of devices can be integrated into the induction heater.

Claims

1. An induction heater, comprising:

an inverter body;

an inverter circuit board provided within the inverter body; and

an inverter heat dissipater configured to blow air to a front and a rear of the inverter circuit board.

2. The induction heater of claim 1, wherein the inverter heat dissipater comprises an inverter heat dissipation blower configured to blow air into at least one of a first inverter heat dissipation space and a second inverter heat dissipation space,

wherein the first inverter heat dissipation space is provided between a top surface of the inverter circuit board and the inverter body, and wherein the second inverter heat dissipation space is provided between a bottom surface of the inverter circuit board and the inverter body.

3. The induction heater of claim 2, wherein a first portion of an outlet of the inverter heat dissipation blower is configured to blow air into the first inverter heat dissipation space, and a second portion of the outlet of the inverter heat dissipation blower is configured to blow air into the second inverter heat dissipation space.

4. The induction heater of claim 3, further comprising an outlet divider which divides the outlet of the inverter heat dissipation blower into the first and second portions.

5. The induction heater of claim 4, further comprising a heat sink provided on the top surface of the inverter circuit board, wherein the heat sink dissipates heat from the inverter circuit board, and

wherein the outlet divider divides the outlet of the inverter heat dissipation blower so that more air is blown into the first inverter heat dissipation space than into the second inverter heat dissipation space.

6. The induction heater of claim 2, wherein the inverter body comprises a plurality of inverter body outlets configured to allow passage of air blown by the inverter heat dissipation blower, the inverter body outlets comprising a first inverter body outlet configured to blow air into the first inverter heat dissipation space and a second inverter body outlet configured to blow air into the second inverter heat dissipation space.

7. The induction heater of claim 2, wherein the inverter body comprises an inverter body outlet configured to allow passage of air blown by the inverter heat dissipation blower, the inverter body outlet comprising a first portion configured to blow air into the first inverter heat dissipation space and a second portion configured to blow air into the second inverter heat dissipation space.

8. The induction heater of claim 1, wherein the inverter heat dissipater comprises an inverter guide provided between the inverter body and the inverter circuit board,

wherein the inverter guide is configured to guide air, blown by the inverter heat dissipation blower, to the inverter circuit board.

9. The induction heater of claim 8, wherein the inverter guide is configured to support the inverter circuit board.

10. The induction heater of claim 2, wherein the inverter heat dissipater comprises an inverter guide configured to guide air, blown by the inverter heat dissipation blower, into the second inverter heat dissipation space.

11. The induction heater of claim 2, wherein the inverter body has a substantially rectangular inner space, and the inverter heat dissipation blower is provided at a corner of the rectangular inner space of the inverter body.

12. The induction heater of claim 2, wherein the inverter body comprises:

an inverter body inlet which is provided on a bottom surface of the inverter body, wherein the inverter body inlet is configured to allow passage of the air blown by the inverter heat dissipation blower into the inverter body; and

an inverter body outlet provided on a side of the inverter body, wherein the inverter body outlet is configured to allow passage of the air blown by the inverter heat dissipation blower to an outside of the inverter body.

13. The induction heater of claim 1, wherein the inverter circuit board comprises both a first inverter circuit board and a second inverter circuit board provided within the inverter body, and the induction heater further comprises a first heat sink provided on the first inverter circuit board, wherein the first heat sink is configured to dissipate heat from the first inverter circuit board and a second heat sink provided on the second inverter circuit board, wherein the second heat sink is configured to dissipate heat from the second inverter circuit board, the first and second heat sinks being provided in a space between the first inverter circuit board and the second inverter circuit board proximate each other.

14. The induction heater of claim 13, wherein the inverter heat dissipater comprises:

a first inverter heat dissipation blower configured to blow air to the first inverter circuit board, wherein the first inverter heat dissipation blower corresponds to the first heat sink; and

a second inverter heat dissipation blower configured to blow air to the second inverter circuit board, wherein the second inverter heat dissipation blower corresponds to the second heat sink.

15. The induction heater of claim 13, wherein the inverter heat dissipater comprises an inverter heat dissipation blower configured to blow air to the first and second inverter circuit boards, wherein the first heat dissipation blower corresponds to both the first and second heat sinks.

16. The induction heater of claim 14, wherein the inverter heat dissipater further comprises:

a first inverter guide configured to guide the air blown by the first inverter heat dissipation blower to the first inverter circuit board, but not to the first heat sink; and

a second inverter guide configured to guide the air blown by the second inverter heat dissipation blower to the second inverter circuit board, but not to the second heat sink.

17. The induction heater of claim 1, further comprising one or more induction coils provided on the inverter body, wherein the induction coils generate an induction field.

18. An induction heater comprising:

an inverter circuit board;

an inverter body which defines a space configured to receive the inverter circuit board; and

an inverter heat dissipater configured to blow both a main air stream to a first portion of the inverter circuit board and a sub-air stream to a second portion of the inverter circuit board.

19. The induction heater of claim 18, wherein the first portion of the inverter circuit board comprises a front of the inverter circuit board, and the second portion of the inverter circuit board comprises a rear of the inverter circuit board.

20. The induction heater of claim 19, wherein the inverter heat dissipater is configured to support the inverter circuit board.