A liquid heating appliance for placement on an induction hob includes a liquid vessel, a ferromagnetic heating plate mounted within the vessel by a lifting mechanism, and a thermally sensitive actuator. The lifting mechanism is operable to move the ferromagnetic heating plate upwards within the vessel in response to the thermally sensitive actuator detecting that the heating plate exceeds a predefined temperature.

A power circuit for controlling power to a heating element includes an electric resistive element and a thermal switch assembly in series. The thermal switch assembly includes a first contact connected to the electric resistive element, a second contact, and a bimetal element configured to electrically connect and disconnect the first and second contacts. The bimetal element establishing an electrical connection between the first and second contacts when a temperature of the bimetal element is below a predetermined cut-off temperature, and no longer electrically connecting the first and second contacts when the bimetal element is at or above the predetermined cut-off temperature. A first voltage is applied to the electric resistive element when the bimetal element electrically connects the first and second contacts and a second voltage, lower than the first voltage, is applied to the electric resistive element when the bimetal element electrically disconnects the first and second contacts.

A sensor holder apparatus for a cooktop comprises a body forming an exterior profile configured to extend through a portion of a housing of the cooktop and position a sensor proximate to an interior surface of a panel forming a cooking surface. A first interior passage is formed through the body and configured to receive the sensor in a first configuration or type. At least one second interior passage is configured to receive the sensor in a second configuration or type. The sensor holder is configured to retain and position the sensor in the first configuration or the second configuration in conductive connection with a panel forming a cooking surface of the cooktop.

A cooktop appliance is provided including a top panel, an electric heating element, a drip pan, and a temperature switch. The drip pan may be attached to the top panel and positioned below the electric heating element. A switch bracket may be mounted to the top panel and may include a cantilevered mounting plate that is biased toward or interferes with the drip pan. The temperature switch may be mounted to the mounting plate using two elongated pins passing through two apertures in the mounting plate such that the temperature switch may pivot relative to the mounting plate and self-align with the drip pan. The temperature switch may be operable to limit the power supplied to the electric heating element at a predetermined temperature.

Disclosed herein is an apparatus to facilitate controlling of a heating device. Further, the apparatus may include at least one transducer configured to detect at least one environmental variable associated with an output device of a pre-deployed sensor unit. Further, the apparatus may include at least one actuator coupled to the heating device. Further, the at least one actuator may be configured for controlling an operational state of the heating device. Further, the apparatus may include a processing device communicatively coupled to each of the at least one transducer and the at least one actuator. Further, the processing device may be configured for controlling the operational state of the heating device based on the detection of the at least one environmental variable.

An induction cooktop includes an upper plate glass on which a cooking container is placed, a working coil generating a magnetic field to heat the cooking container, an inverter driven to flow a current through the working coil, an impedance calculation unit calculating the impedance of the cooking container on the basis of a parameter of the inverter, and an overheated state determination unit determining whether the cooking container is overheated, based on the impedance.

An induction heating device according to an embodiment comprises: a working coil which is disposed at a position corresponding to a heating area where an object to be heated is placed, and forms a load together with the object to be heated; a resonant capacitor which forms a resonant circuit together with the working coil; an inverter circuit which includes a plurality of switching elements and supplies a current to the working coil; a first voltage sensor which measures a voltage value applied to the resonant capacitor; a second voltage sensor which measures a supply voltage value supplied to the resonant circuit through the inverter circuit; and a controller which, when the working coil is in operation, calculates at least one of the resistance value of the load and the inductance of the load on the basis of the voltage value of the resonant capacitor and the supply voltage value.

A cooking appliance includes a housing, and a cooking element disposed in the housing and configured to generate energy for cooking food, and a controller coupled to the cooking element and configured to communicate a control signal to selectively actuate a residential heating, ventilation and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system and/or non-cooking device in connection with cooking food with the cooking element.

An induction heating device capable of preventing a fuse breaking phenomenon that occurs when a user preheats an empty vessel by determining whether or not a load is present in the vessel, and a method for controlling an induction heating device. In order to prevent a rapid rise in temperature of a vessel occurring in process during which a user preheats an empty vessel using an induction heating device and a fuse breaking phenomenon resulting therefrom, a controller of the induction heating device may determine whether or not a vessel placed on a working coil is an empty vessel in a vessel heating process, that is, whether or not a load is present in the vessel.

A heating apparatus and a heating method are provided. The heating apparatus includes a coil configured to receive AC power to form a magnetic field that inductively heats a workpiece, a spray unit configured to spray cooling fluid including a liquid to the coil in a form of mist at least during a period in which the AC power is supplied to the coil. Alternatively, the spray unit may be configured to spray the cooling fluid in the form of mist to a heating target portion of the workpiece placed in the magnetic field at least during the period in which the AC power is supplied to the coil.