A cooking assistant unit is disclosed, the cooking assisting unit having an arrangement including a temperature sensor for detecting heat emanating from the cooktop surface, a time of flight sensor for detecting a level of liquid in a utensil cooking on a heating element of the cooktop and a display for displaying a visual message directly on foodstuff accommodated within the utensil, on the cooktop surface or elsewhere. A determination of where is the current foodstuff preparation with respect to a recipe and the visual message may be made to include instructions on a next step in the recipe as well as countdown to the performance of the next step.

A cooktop appliance apparatus for use in cooking includes a controller for controlling operation of the fan system based on an average power level supplied to a heating system, and based on a temperature measure associated with one or more subsystems. The appliance includes a hardware-implemented safety module having two or more temperature actuated safety circuits. The appliance includes a user interface adapted to receive a user input with respect to operating parameters of the heating system, the user input including a heating control mode and a set temperature. The appliance includes a controller adapted to identify a cooking vessel on an induction cooktop.

An induction system includes a single power inverter, a plurality of power branches coupled to the single power inverter in parallel, and a controller. Each of the plurality of power branches includes an induction coil, a capacitor coupled to the induction coil to form a resonant circuit, and a power switch coupled in series with the resonant circuit. The controller is configured to regulate an output power of the resonant circuit of each of the plurality of power branches by varying a switching frequency of the single power inverter to adjust the output power of the resonant circuit of all of the plurality of power branches and/or selectively transmitting a signal to the power switch of a respective power branch of the plurality of power branches to turn-on and turn-off the power switch of the respective power branch to individually adjust the output power of each of the plurality of power branches.

An induction cooker includes a microcrystal panel and at least three temperature sensors scattered on a bottom surface of the microcrystal panel, and the induction cooker is configured to heat a container to be measured. The method includes: obtaining temperature data collected by the at least three temperature sensors and position data of each temperature sensor relative to the microcrystal panel; obtaining an actual position of the container on the microcrystal panel according to the temperature data and the position data; obtaining a preset temperature curve matching the induction cooker according to the temperature data, and extracting a peak value of the preset temperature curve; and calculating an actual temperature of the container to be measured according to the actual position and the peak value.

An induction heating device includes a case, a working coil, a cover plate, a luminous element, a light guide disposed around the working coil, an input interface that is flush with an upper surface of the cover plate, a first controller configured to control driving of the working coil and the luminous element and to detect a position of one or more objects disposed on the upper surface and an arrangement sequence of the one or more objects placed on the upper surface, and a second controller configured to receive, from the first controller, information on the position and the arrangement sequence of the one or more objects, and control the input interface to display an image corresponding to a heating zone for the one or more objects based on the information on the position and the arrangement sequence of the one or more objects.

A cooking appliance such as a range or stovetop incorporates cooking container sensing for controlling burner ignition and/or triggering events in programmed cooking sequences.

Heating apparatus and methods for forming a part with a non-planar shape include a table formed of a thermally conductive material and defining a table surface. A tool, also formed of a thermally conductive material, has a base surface configured to engage the table surface of the table and a tooling surface opposite the base surface, wherein the tooling surface has a contoured shape that is non-planar. A heating blanket is provided above the table and defines a heating surface. The tooling surface of the tool is configured to engage a first surface of the part and the heating surface of the heating blanket is configured to engage a second surface of the part opposite the first surface of the part. The table and the heating blanket are heated to a processing temperature so that the part at least partially conforms to the tooling surface of the tool.

An induction cooking apparatus includes an induction coil forming a top surface and a bottom surface. The induction coil includes a plurality of conductive windings. A temperature sensor protrudes through the top surface of the induction coil. An electrical circuit is in communication with the temperature sensor. The electrical circuit is disposed on a substrate, which may form a chassis configured to support a plurality of conductive connections. The substrate forms a spring mechanism in connection with the temperature sensor.

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 method for adjusting an appliance heating element power level includes adjusting a heating element to a first power level in response to actuation of a user input to a first level setting and adjusting the heating element from the first power level to a second power level in response to actuation of the user input to a second level setting. The second power level of the heating element is different than the first power level of the heating element, and the second level setting is next to the first level setting within a power level setting sequence. The method also includes adjusting the heating element from the second power level to a third power level in response to actuation of the user input back to the first level setting. The third power level of the heating element is between the first and second power levels of the heating element.