Induction cooking
First Claim
1. An induction cooking appliance comprising:
- a cooktop having an upper surface and a lower surface;
one or more electrical coils located just below the lower surface of the cooktop or embedded within the cooktop;
a coil drive system that is located below the cooktop and is operatively connected to the coils such that the coil drive system provides alternating current that directly causes the coils to produce a time-varying electromagnetic field;
a controller that controls the provision of alternating current by the coil drive system to the coils;
a user-operable control that is operationally coupled to the controller;
a divider spaced below the cooktop and below the coils, where a cooling plenum is defined between the lower surface of the cooktop and the divider, and wherein the electrical coils are located within or directly exposed to the cooling plenum;
wherein the coil drive system is located in a volume that is below the cooktop and is separate from the cooling plenum; and
one or more fans that flow air through the cooling plenum and thus over the lower surface of the cooktop and over the coils, to cool both the cooktop and the coils.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An induction cooking system with an induction heating system, a cooktop, and cool touch cookware that has a target that is heated by induction. An absolute cookware temperature is directly sensed at one or more locations of the cookware, for example at the target. A relative cookware temperature can be determined based on the value of an electrical variable of a circuit that includes the target. The cookware can include a layer of thermal insulation directly below and spaced from the target by a gap. The insulation and gap act as the major heat insulating elements to keep the outer surface of the cookware cool. This allows the induction coil to be placed just below the cooktop, without any insulation between the coil and the cooktop. The cooktop can be cooled by placing a cooling chamber just below the cooktop and drawing air through the cooling chamber. The induction coil can be located in the cooling chamber.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. An induction cooking appliance comprising:
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a cooktop having an upper surface and a lower surface; one or more electrical coils located just below the lower surface of the cooktop or embedded within the cooktop; a coil drive system that is located below the cooktop and is operatively connected to the coils such that the coil drive system provides alternating current that directly causes the coils to produce a time-varying electromagnetic field; a controller that controls the provision of alternating current by the coil drive system to the coils; a user-operable control that is operationally coupled to the controller; a divider spaced below the cooktop and below the coils, where a cooling plenum is defined between the lower surface of the cooktop and the divider, and wherein the electrical coils are located within or directly exposed to the cooling plenum; wherein the coil drive system is located in a volume that is below the cooktop and is separate from the cooling plenum; and one or more fans that flow air through the cooling plenum and thus over the lower surface of the cooktop and over the coils, to cool both the cooktop and the coils. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17)
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15. An induction cooking appliance comprising:
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a generally planar, relatively thin cooktop that has an edge along its perimeter, the cooktop having an upper surface and a lower surface; power electronics; a plurality of electrical coils that are separated by and located just below the lower surface of the cooktop; a coil drive system that is located below the cooktop and is operatively connected to the coils such that the coil drive system provides alternating current that directly causes the coils to produce a time-varying electromagnetic field; a controller that controls the provision of alternating, current by the coil drive system to the coils; a user-operable control that is operationally coupled to the controller; a divider spaced below the cooktop and below the coils, where a cooling plenum is defined between the lower surface of the cooktop and the divider and has air inlet openings in or proximate the edge of the cooktop, and wherein the electrical coils are located in the cooling plenum; wherein the coil drive system is located in a volume that is located below the cooling plenum and that is separate from the cooling plenum and; one or more fans that draw air into the cooling plenum and thus over the lower surface of the cooktop and over the coils, to cool both the cooktop and the coils; and wherein the cooling plenum further comprises baffles that span the spaces between the coils, the baffles extending essentially from the lower surface of the cooktop to the divider, so as to inhibit air flow through the plenum other than over the coils and over the bottom of the cooktop. - View Dependent Claims (16, 18, 19)
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Specification