Provided is an apparatus and method for protecting against unsafe electric current conditions. A protections circuit may be used in a device, such as an electric grill, that has one or more electric loads, such as heating elements. The protection circuit may protect against various failure scenarios, including, without limitation, instances of ground fault, over current, driver failure, and failure of a microprocessor. The microprocessor may further be in wireless communication with a remote device and wirelessly communicate error codes indicative of an error, and receive control signals from the remote device for controlling temperature or turning the grill off. The remote device may also receive operating parameters and create a log of the electric grill's conditions at the time of an error.

A cooktop may include: a main body having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a suction opening; at least one cooking area configured to accommodate a heating element proximate to the top surface; suction means in fluid communication with the suction opening and configured to draw in cooking fumes; a support element connected to the main body; and weight sensing means between the support element and the main body for sensing a weight of objects to be weighed. The support element may at least partially overlap the suction means. The suction means may include: a suction duct in fluid communication with the suction opening; and a housing in fluid communication with the suction duct and configured to receive filters for the cooking fumes. The weight sensing means may be at the suction duct and/or the housing. The suction opening may be on the top surface.

A multi-sensored smart cooking apparatus includes a setting module for setting at least one of a cooking time and a cooking temperature, a sensing module comprising at least one of a temperature sensor, a weight sensor, and a water level sensor, a controller coupled to the setting module and the sensing module, a cooking module coupled to the sensing module and the controller, where the controller is configured to adjust at least one of the cooking time and the cooking temperature in response to one or more sensed signals from the sensing module. The multi-sensored smart cooking apparatus is configured to turn off, when a sensed temperature of the cooking module is above a temperature threshold, when a sensed weight on the cooking module is below a weight threshold, or when a sensed water level is below a water level threshold.

Examples are disclosed herein that relate to a cooking system having multiple heating elements for heating a cooking surface. One example provides a cooking system, comprising a continuous cooking surface comprising a plurality of individually controllable heating zones, and for each heating zone, a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature for the heating zone separately from the temperatures of other heating zones, and a heating element disposed beneath the heating zone and configured to provide heat to the heating zone. The cooking system further comprises a controller configured to individually control the heating element of each heating zone.

A burner element for a cooktop includes a heat source for providing heat to a cooking zone positioned above the heat source and an automatic thermostat switch in communication with the cooking zone and the heat source. The automatic thermostat switch senses an actual temperature of the cooking zone, and when the actual temperature reaches a predetermined maximum temperature the automatic thermostat switch moves to an open position defined by the automatic thermostat switch at least partially impeding the heat source. The open position of the automatic thermostat switch is further defined by a decrease in the actual temperature of the cooking zone from approximately the predetermined maximum temperature to a control temperature. When the actual temperature of the cooking zone reaches the control temperature the automatic thermostat switch defines a closed position, wherein the automatic thermostat switch is substantially free of impeding the heat source.

Heating assemblies for cooktop appliances are provided. In one embodiment, the heating assemblies include a first portion and a second portion. The first portion includes a heat generating component and a first sheath surrounding the heat generating component. The first sheath defines a first support surface. The second portion includes a temperature sensing component and a second sheath surrounding the temperature sensing component. The second sheath defines a second support surface. The first support surface and the second support surface contact a cooking utensil when the cooking utensil is positioned on the heating assembly. The heat generating component may be configured to provide heat to the cooking utensil positioned on the heating assembly, and the temperature sensing component may be configured to sense the temperature of the cooking utensil in order to assist in regulating the temperature of the cooking utensil.

A cooking appliance has a cooktop including a plurality of separately controlled cooking areas. A first heating element and a second heating element are positioned below one of the separately controlled cooking areas. A control switch is electrically coupled to the first heating element and the second heating element and is operable to selectively energize the first heating element with single-phase AC power and selectively energize the second heating element with two-phase AC power.

The present disclosure relates to a loaded-object sensor and an induction heating device including the loaded-object sensor. The loaded-object sensor has a cylindrical hollow body with a sensing coil wound on its outer surface. Further, a receiving space formed inside the body of the loaded-object sensor accommodates a temperature sensor. The loaded-object sensor is concentrically provided in a central region of the working coil. The sensor may measure the temperature of the loaded object while discriminating a type of the loaded object placed on a corresponding position to the working coil.

The present invention makes it possible to easily cook a desired dish by properly controlling heating temperatures of objects to be heated in cookware in accordance with a cooking procedure. The cooking device 10 is provided with: a heating unit 11 for heating cookware C containing objects to be heated such as water, oil, and ingredients; a temperature detection unit 12 for detecting a temperature of the objects to be heated and/or a temperature of a bottom exterior surface of the cookware C; and a control unit 18 for controlling the heating unit 11 on the basis of the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit 12 such that the temperature of the objects to be heated in the cookware C or a surface temperature of a bottom interior surface of the cookware C matches a cooking temperature set in a cooking process included in cooking execution information.