General Electric Company

Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.

Mingwei Shan

Daniel Vincent Brosnan

Gregory Francis Gawron, Sr

John Michael Kulp, Jr

William Hull Bicknell

Richard Dean Suel, Ii

Eric Kent Watson

Mariano Pablo Filippa

Scott Michael Gelber

Systems and methods of quasi-resonant induction heating are provided. In particular, an induction heating system having a quasi-resonant topology can have a quasi-resonant inverter. The inverter can include an induction heating coil configured to inductively head a load with a magnetic field, and a power supply circuit configured to supply a power signal to the induction heating coil. The inverter can further include a first switching element and a second switching element coupled in parallel with the first switching element. The inverter can further include a resonant capacitor coupled in parallel with the induction heating coil. The inverter can further include one or more control devices configured to control operation of the first and second switching elements to regulate an amount of current provided to the induction coil based at least in part on a desired operating frequency associated with the quasi-resonant inverter.

Systems and methods of quasi-resonant induction heating

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for protecting switching elements in an induction heating system. A switching power loss associated with a switching element of the induction heating system can be calculated and an operating frequency of the induction heating system can be adjusted based upon the switching power loss. According to one aspect, the switching power loss can be classified into one of a plurality of threat zones based upon the magnitude of the switching power loss and the operating frequency can be adjusted based upon the threat zone into which the switching power loss is classified. According to another aspect, the switching power loss can be calculated based at least in part on a duty cycle of an output signal. The duty cycle of the output signal can provide an indication of the proximity of the operating frequency of the induction heating system to resonance.

Method for protecting switching elements in an induction heating system

A method for operating an induction cooktop having multiple induction heating coils includes monitoring a characteristic of the heating coils indicative of audible noise generated by simultaneous operation of multiple induction heating coils. Upon indication of audible noise from the monitored characteristic, an operating characteristic of at least one of the induction heating coils is varied so as to change the audible noise into a pre-defined, stored audible noise pattern that is desirous to a consumer or user of the cooktop.

Audible noise manipulation for induction cooktop

An induction cooktop appliance system and method for controlling the induction cooktop appliance based on a cookware position is provided. A variable power signal can be applied to an induction coil from an inverter. The power signal can be driven at a test frequency and an operating frequency. An electrical signal can be detected across a shunt resistor based on the test frequency and a cookware position can be determined based on the electrical signal. The operating frequency supplied to the induction coil can be modified based on determined cookware position.

Method to detect a position of a cookware utensil in an induction cooktop system

A system and method of controlling an induction cooking appliance based on a feedback signal. A feedback signal sampling time interval may be triggered when a power control signal has a magnitude of zero. The feedback signal sample may be used to calculate a status factor and the appliance may be controlled based on the calculated status factor.

Control method for an induction cooking appliance

A system and method of detecting phase angle in an inverter is provided. A shunt resistor is coupled to a controller which is part of an inverter circuit and a phase angle may be directly derived from the detected voltage across the shunt resistor. The detected shunt voltage may be used to adjust the power delivery from the inverter to the load.

Growing community of inventors

Louisville, KY, United States of America

Mingwei Shan