INDUCTION HOB

• US 20140076886A1
• Filed: 09/12/2013
• Published: 03/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electrolux Professional SPA (AB Electrolux)
• Original Assignee: Electrolux Professional SPA (AB Electrolux)
• Inventors: STELLA, Gabriele, TOPPANO, Michele, ULIAN, Marco
• Granted Patent: US 9,648,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/625
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2213/03 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 Class Codes: H05B 6/062 for cooking plates or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/065 using coordinated control of multiple induction coils
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/1209 induction cooking plates or the like and devices to be used in combination with them

Abstract

An induction hob (100) is provided. The induction hob comprises a solid plate (105), a plurality of electrically activatable coil members (110₁-110₈) arranged underneath the plate, said coil members defining corresponding cooking zones (115₁-115₈) of the induction hob, and a control unit (135) configured to select power levels for the cooking zones. In the solution according to one or more embodiments of the present invention, upon selection of first (P₁) and second (P₆) power levels for non-adjacent first (115₁) and second (115₆) cooking zones, respectively, the control unit is configured to automatically select for each intermediate cooking zone (115₂-115₅) between said first and second cooking zones a corresponding power level (P₂-P₅) obtained by interpolation of the first and second power levels with a predefined interpolating function.

Claims

1. Induction hob (100) comprising:

a solid plate (105),

a plurality of electrically activatable coil members (1101-1108) arranged underneath the plate, said coil members defining corresponding cooking zones (1151-1158) of the induction hob, and

a control unit (135) configured to control the power level of the cooking zones,

characterized in that

upon selection of first (P1) and second (P6) power levels for non-adjacent first (1151) and second (1156) cooking zones, respectively, the control unit is configured to automatically select for each intermediate cooking zone (1152-1155) between said first and second cooking zones a corresponding power level (P2-P5) obtained by interpolation of the first and second power levels with a predefined interpolating function.

2. Induction hob according to claim 1, wherein the second power level is higher than the first power level and the predefined interpolating function is a monotonically increasing function, thereby the power level selected for each intermediate cooking zone increases monotonically from the first to the second power levels.

3. Induction hob according to claim 1, wherein the first power level is higher than the second power level and the predefined interpolating function is a monotonically decreasing function, thereby the power level selected for each intermediate cooking zone decreases monotonically from the first to the second power levels.

4. Induction hob according to claim 1, wherein the predefined interpolating function is a linear function.

5. Induction hob according to claim 4, wherein the selected power levels of adjacent cooking zones differ from each other by an amount depending on

first and second power levels, and

number of intermediate cooking zones between the first and second cooking zones.

6. Induction hob according to claim 1, further comprising a driving circuit (130) configured to electrically drive the coil members under the control of the control unit.

7. Induction hob according to claim 1, wherein the cooking zones have a rectangular or square shape.

8. Induction hob according to claim 1, wherein the coil members have a rectangular or square shape.

9. Induction hob according to claim 1, wherein an upper region of a top surface (120) of the plate is formed by a group of adjacent cooking zones (1101-1106), and a lower region of the top surface (120) of the plate comprises at least one cooking zone (1107,1108) on each lateral side thereof and a control panel (125) in a central portion thereof, the control panel allowing user selection for operating the induction hob.

10. Induction hob according to claim 1, wherein the solid plate comprises a glass-ceramic material.

11. Method for operating an induction hob (100) comprising:

a solid plate (105),

a plurality of electrically activatable coil members (1101-1108) arranged underneath the plate, said coil members defining corresponding cooking zones (1151-1158) of the induction hob, and

a control unit (135) configured to control the power level of the cooking zones,

characterized in that

upon selection of first (P1) and second (P6) power levels for non-adjacent first (1151) and second (1156) cooking zones, respectively, the method comprises;

interpolating the first and second power levels with a predefined interpolating function, and

automatically selecting for each intermediate cooking zone (1152-1155) between said first and second cooking zones a corresponding power level (P2-P5) based on said interpolation.