System and method for controlling an induction heating process
First Claim
1. An induction heating system for fabricating a part by heating and forming the part, the induction heating system comprising:
- a susceptor including a susceptor material defining a cavity configured to receive the part, said susceptor material configured to respond to electromagnetic flux applied thereto by generating heat so as to increase a temperature of the part in the cavity;
a coil positioned in proximity to the susceptor and capable of generating the electromagnetic flux when supplied electrical power; and
a temperature controller having a power supply and a controlling element, said power supply operably connected to the coil to supply an amount of the electrical power thereto, said controlling element configured to measure trends in output of the power supply and further configured to change the amount of electrical power being supplied so as to control the temperature of the part in the cavity during fabrication based upon the measured trends.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An induction heating system for fabricating a part by heating and forming the part. The induction heating system comprises a smart susceptor that includes a susceptor material that responds to an electromagnetic flux by generating heat and a cavity defined by the susceptor material that is configured to hold the part. An induction coil of the induction heating system is supplied with electrical power so as to generate the electromagnetic flux necessary for the susceptor to generate heat. A temperature controller includes a power supply that supplies electrical power to the induction coil. A controlling element of the temperature controller monitors trends in the electrical power supplied and changes the amount of electrical power being supplied so as to control the temperature of the part during fabrication.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. An induction heating system for fabricating a part by heating and forming the part, the induction heating system comprising:
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a susceptor including a susceptor material defining a cavity configured to receive the part, said susceptor material configured to respond to electromagnetic flux applied thereto by generating heat so as to increase a temperature of the part in the cavity;
a coil positioned in proximity to the susceptor and capable of generating the electromagnetic flux when supplied electrical power; and
a temperature controller having a power supply and a controlling element, said power supply operably connected to the coil to supply an amount of the electrical power thereto, said controlling element configured to measure trends in output of the power supply and further configured to change the amount of electrical power being supplied so as to control the temperature of the part in the cavity during fabrication based upon the measured trends. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for controlling an induction heating process for fabricating a part by heating and forming the part, the method comprising:
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supplying electrical power to an induction coil using a power supply;
generating an electromagnetic flux field with the induction coil;
generating heat with a susceptor positioned in the electromagnetic flux field and heating the part held in a cavity defined by the susceptor;
sensing trends in an amount of electrical power supplied by the power supply with a controlling element; and
controlling, with the controlling element, a temperature of the part by controlling the amount of electrical power supplied by the power supply. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for determining when a part held in a cavity defined by a susceptor has reached a desired forming temperature, said method comprising:
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generating an electromagnetic flux about the susceptor using an inductor;
detecting a step rise in voltage across the inductor due to a change in magnetic permeability of the susceptor; and
correlating a Curie temperature of the susceptor with the step rise in voltage across the inductor to determine a temperature of the susceptor and the part held therein. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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Specification