Smart table and method for operating the same

• US 10,727,675 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2019
• Issued: 07/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Nam, Hyeunsik, Kim, Euisung, Choi, Wonchul, Moon, Hyunwook, Park, Byungkyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Omar, Ahmed H
• Application Number:
  US16/579,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20200021114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 309 Days
• Field of Search: 320108
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2200/0009 Plate and dish warming plates embedded in table top
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 31/02 with heating, cooling or ventilating means
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/70 Multimodal biometrics, e.g. combining information from different biometric modalities
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/322 Casino tables, e.g. tables having integrated screens, chip detection means
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• 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 2213/05 Heating plates with pan detection means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/065 using coordinated control of multiple induction coils
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/1245 with special coil arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/1272 with more than one coil or coil segment per heating zone
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers

Abstract

A smart table is disclosed. The smart table includes a plate, an inverter configured to convert direct current (DC) power into alternative current (AC) power and to supply the AC power, a coil unit disposed below the plate and including a plurality of working coils heated by the AC power, a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader configured to recognize an RFID tag of a home appliance placed on the plate and to receive information on the home appliance from the RFID tag, and a processor configured to drive one or more of the plurality of working coils as wireless power transmission coils to perform control to transmit wireless power to the home appliance based on the received information.

Claims

1. A smart table comprising:

a plate;

an inverter configured to convert direct current (DC) power into alternative current (AC) power and to supply the AC power;

a coil unit disposed below the plate and comprising a plurality of working coils configured to be heated by the AC power;

a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader configured to recognize an RFID tag of a home appliance placed on the plate and to receive information on the home appliance from the RFID tag, the RFID reader comprising an antenna disposed adjacent to at least one of the plurality of working coils;

a spacer or an insulator that is disposed between the antenna of the RFID reader and the at least one of the plurality of working coils; and

a processor configured to selectively drive one or more of the plurality of working coils (i) as wireless power transmission coils to perform control to transmit wireless power to the home appliance based on the received information or (ii) as working coils for induction heating to heat one or more objects disposed on the plate.

2. The smart table according to claim 1, wherein the processor identifies a location of the recognized RFID tag and performs control to transmit wireless power to the home appliance through a working coil corresponding to the identified location.

3. The smart table according to claim 1, wherein the received information comprises information on a type and required power quantity of the home appliance.

4. The smart table according to claim 1, wherein:

the RFID reader comprises a plurality of antennas; and

the plurality of antennas have one to one correspondence to the plurality of working coils.

5. The smart table according to claim 1, wherein the antenna of the RFID reader is disposed on at least one of the plurality of working coils.

6. The smart table according to claim 1, wherein the antenna of the RFID reader is disposed between coils that are configured as concentric circles in the at least one of the plurality of working coils.

7. The smart table according to claim 1, wherein the RFID reader polls at a predetermined period.

8. The smart table according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to, upon recognizing the RFID tag, perform control to make at least some of the plurality of working coils enter a wireless power transmission mode.

9. The smart table according to claim 1, further comprising a display,

wherein the processor controls the display to display a message indicating that cooking is currently underway when at least one of the plurality of working coils operates as an induction heating coil.

10. The smart table according to claim 1, further comprising a display,

wherein the processor controls the display to display a message indicating movement of the home appliance upon detecting movement of the home appliance.

11. The smart table according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to, upon detecting movement of the home appliance, change a working coil driven as the wireless power transmission coil according to movement of the home appliance.

12. The smart table according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to, upon detecting decoupling of the home appliance, perform control to turn power supply of the one or more of the plurality of working coils off.

13. The smart table according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of working coils are positioned at predetermined regions below the plate regardless of a purpose of induction heating or wireless power transmission.

14. The smart table according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to drive one or more of the plurality of working coils as the power transmission coils for wireless power transmission and as the working coils for induction heating.

15. The smart table according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to drive, as the working coils for induction heating, one or more of the plurality of working coils that have been driven as the power transmission coils for wireless power transmission.

16. The smart table according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to drive, as the power transmission coils for wireless power transmission, one or more of the plurality of working coils that have been driven as the working coils for induction heating.

17. The smart table according to claim 1, wherein the spacer or the insulator has one surface facing the antenna of the RFID reader and the other surface facing the at least one of the plurality of working coils.

18. The smart table according to claim 1, wherein the spacer or the insulator defines a gap between the antenna of the RFID reader and the at least one of the plurality of working coils.

19. The smart table according to claim 5, wherein the antenna of the RFID reader is disposed vertically above the at least one of the plurality of working coils.