A hob device, in particular an induction hob device, includes a variable cooking surface, a user interface and a control unit which in the presence of a heating type divides the cooking surface into a plurality of heating zones in at least one dividing direction, associates heating parameter to each of the heating zones, in a manner dependent on location, for heating at least one cooking pot placed on the heating zone, and forms a cooking zone that is associated with the cooking pot and is heated using the heating parameter. In the event of a request of the heating type for the cooking pot, the control unit is provided to wait for at least one operating action by a user by way of the user interface.

A thermal system includes: a base member including at least one fluid passageway in which a two-phase fluid is disposed; a tuning layer secured to the base member; and a control system. The pressure of the two-phase fluid is controlled such that the two-phase fluid provides at least one of heating and cooling to the base member. The tuning layer includes a plurality of zones. The control system includes a plurality of sets of power lines in communication with the tuning layer, and a plurality of addressable control elements in electrical communication with the power lines and with the tuning layer. The control elements provide selective control of the tuning layer zones.

The present disclosure provides a thermal system that includes an array of heating resistor circuits having first termination ends and second termination ends, and a plurality of nodes connected to the heating resistor circuits at the first and second termination ends. The thermal system further includes power wires to provide power to the heating resistor circuits and signal wires to sense a temperature of each of the heating resistor circuits. Each node is connected to a power wire and to a signal wire, and a number of heating resistor circuits is greater than or equal to a number of power wires and to a number of the signal wires.

A hybrid cooktop includes a case, a cover plate configured to couple to an upper end of the case and configured to seat an object to be heated, a working coil located in the case and configured to heat the object, a heating element located at a lower surface of the cover plate and configured to heat the object, a heat insulation part that is located at the lower surface of the cover plate and that surrounds the heating element, and a spacer located between the working coil and the heat insulation part.

In a method for a cooktop, in particular for producing and/or operating the cooktop, which has at least one variable cooking surface, the cooking surface is partitioned in an operating mode along a partitioning direction into a plurality of heating zones to which at least one heating parameter is assigned in each case in a location-dependent manner in order to heat a cooking utensil that is deposited on the heating zone. In order to ensure flexible production and/or flexible operation of the cooktop, during partitioning of the cooking surface into the heating zones in at least one peripheral region of the cooking surface, at least one cooking utensil characteristic is taken into account.

The invention relates to an assembly unit for an induction hob with at least one induction element has a) at least one carrying element for carrying the circuits and/or devices for supplying the at least one induction element. The at least one carrying element has a base area and side areas protruding upwards from the base area. The at least one carrying element is connectable with at least one further carrying element along a side area. The side areas have connection elements for connection with the at least one further carrying element, preferably at least one power wire slot for inserting at least one power supply wire and/or preferably at least one signal wire slot for inserting at least one signal wire. Furthermore, the invention a method for manufacturing an assembly unit is described.

The invention relates to a method for controlling an induction hob (1), the induction hob (1) comprising a plurality of induction coils (3) and two or more power units (4), each power unit (4) being coupled with one or more induction coils (3), wherein a cooking zone is formed by associating one or more induction coils (3) to a coil group (6.1-6.4), the method comprising the steps of: defining one or more coil groups (6.1-6.4), each coil group (6.1-6.4) being associated with one or more induction coils (3); calculating a relative power value or relative electrical parameter value of each coil group (6.1-6.4) based on a maximum power value or maximum electrical parameter value, the maximum power value being the power value of the coil group with the highest power request, respectively, the maximum electrical parameter value being an electrical parameter value of the coil group (6.1-6.4) with the highest power request; calculating, for each coil group (6.1-6.4), a coil activation number based on the relative power value or relative electrical parameter value, the coil activation number being the number of induction coils (3) to be activated in subsequent steps of a coils activation sequence; establishing a coils activation schedule based on the coil activation number; operating the induction hob (1) according to the coils activation schedule. wherein the power units (4) are operated according to a master-slave configuration, wherein a master power unit is adapted to calculate the coil activation number, establish the coils activation schedule and operate the plurality of induction coils (3) of a master power unit and one or more slave power units according to the coils activation schedule.

An induction module powers one or more induction coils. It includes an induction generator; a controller; and a communication interface for coupling with a user interface. The controller is adapted to operate the induction module according to first and a second configuration modes, wherein in the first configuration mode the induction module is configured to directly communicate with the user interface, and in the second configuration mode, the induction module is adapted to be operated either according to a master module or a slave module configuration. In the master module configuration, the induction module is configured to receive user interface information from the user interface and provide operation information to a slave induction module. In the slave module configuration, the induction module is configured to receive operation information from a master induction module and operate the induction generator according to that operation information.

A hob apparatus includes a configuration unit having at least two input connections for connection to at least two inverters in one-to-one correspondence, at least two output connections for connection to at least two heating elements in one-to-one correspondence, and at least one switch operably connected to a first one of the at least two input connections and operably connected to at least a first one of the at least two output connections. The configuration unit operates the at least two inverters in at least one operating state in parallel to at least one of the at least two heating elements. The configuration unit includes at least one bridging element to connect the first one of the at least two input connections and a second one of the at least two output connections to one another independently of a switching position of the at least one switch.

A pot detection sensor for an induction hob has an air-core coil with at least two turns and has a carrier for the air-core coil. A length of the air-core coil can be at least five times, advantageously ten times, a width of the air-core coil. Diffusor means can be arranged, as a housing, over at least one lighting means for the purpose of equalizing a lighting effect of the one lighting means, wherein a single and continuous diffusor means is provided for all of the lighting means on a carrier. The diffusor means can form a housing over the at least one lighting means and also around the at least one lighting means. The air-core coil is advantageously wound around this housing.