The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 06, 2006
Filed:
Feb. 21, 2003
Izuo Hirota, Toyonaka, JP;
Atsushi Fujita, Minoo, JP;
Takahiro Miyauchi, Kobe, JP;
Yuji Fujii, Kobe, JP;
Akira Kataoka, Sanda, JP;
Katsuyuki Aihara, Akashi, JP;
Nobuyoshi Makio, Miki, JP;
Izuo Hirota, Toyonaka, JP;
Atsushi Fujita, Minoo, JP;
Takahiro Miyauchi, Kobe, JP;
Yuji Fujii, Kobe, JP;
Akira Kataoka, Sanda, JP;
Katsuyuki Aihara, Akashi, JP;
Nobuyoshi Makio, Miki, JP;
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Osaka, JP;
Abstract
In an induction heating apparatus, in order to decrease the buoyancy exerted on an object to be heated which is made of a material having high electrical conductivity and low magnetic permeability, such as aluminum, an electrical conductor is provided between a heating coil and the object to be heated, thereby increasing the equivalent series resistance of the heating coil. Hence, the current of the heating coil, which is required for obtaining a desired heating output, is decreased, whereby the buoyancy of the object to be heated can be decreased. In addition, the electrical conductor is divided into two halves, and they are arranged in a circular arc form with a clearance provided therebetween and made close contact with the bottom face of a plate, whereby the temperature rise of the electrical conductor can be restricted. Furthermore, the heat of the electrical conductor is transferred and dissipated to the object to be heated, whereby the heating coil and the like are not damaged even if the electrical conductor is heated. An electrical conductor temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the electrical conductor is provided; when the detection temperature becomes a predetermined temperature, the heating output of a drive circuit is decreased, whereby the heat generation of the electrical conductor is decreased and the heating coil and the like are not damaged by heat.