The Vollrath Company, LLC

Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.

Andrew Amrhein

Jeremiah Kopiness

Jih-Sheng Lai

Jong-Woo Kim

Moonhyun Lee

An induction warmer station includes a housing, a cooktop coupled to the housing, an induction coil positioned in the housing adjacent the cooktop, and a controller configured to adjust the frequency of a current input to the induction coil based on an indication of a response of an output current from the induction coil to a change in surface area of load material placed on the cooktop.

Induction warmer station

A temperature regulation device for food items includes a food pan, a heating device configured to provide regulated heating of the food pan, a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the food pan, and a control system. The control system is configured to control the heating device in response to at least the temperature of the food pan detected by the temperature sensor by providing a gradual warming control mode in response to the temperature sensor detecting the temperature of the food pan below a minimum preset temperature and providing a normal control mode in response to the temperature sensor detecting the temperature of the food pan above the minimum preset temperature.

Systems and methods for thermal soft start control

The present disclosure describes devices and methods for improving the power efficiency and control of an induction heating system. In particular, the induction heating system includes a series resonant bridge inverter circuit and a control circuit. The inverter circuit includes one or more induction coils that are structured to inductively couple to the cookware to heat the cookware and a current sensor structured to sense a coil current signal across the one or more inductor coils. In particular, the current sensor is structured to generate a positive sensed voltage signal corresponding to a positive portion of the coil current signal and a negative sensed voltage signal corresponding to a negative portion of the coil current. The control signal is structured to control switching of a first and a second set of switches based on the positive and negative sensed voltage signals.

Induction cooking system

A temperature regulation device for warming or maintaining the temperature of food items includes a food pan configured to hold a food item, an induction coil configured to warm the food item via inductive heating of the food pan, a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the food pan, a temperature control system coupled to the induction coil and the temperature sensor. The temperature control system is configured to control the induction coil in response to at least the temperature of the food pan detected by the temperature sensor and initiate a soft start control mode in response to pan placement on the device and detecting the temperature of the food pan below a minimum preset temperature.

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Sheboygan, WI, United States of America

Andrew Amrhein