A cooktop is designed to be operated either in a cooking operation or in a lighting operation, with the modes of operation not being able to occur together. Within cooking operation, the cooktop controller controls heating devices of the cooktop and light sources of the cooktop in a cooking lighting mode, wherein a luminosity of the light sources is limited to a cooking luminosity below the maximum luminosity in the process. Within lighting operation, the light sources are not controllable by the cooktop controller but can only be controlled by the light controller in an illumination lighting mode, wherein to this end the light controller receives the corresponding commands for the light sources from an external control apparatus by way of a communications device. In this case, a luminosity of the light sources can be maximal.

A temperature sensing device for a heating surface for food products includes a temperature probe configured to be coupled to the heating surface and to generate an electrical signal indicative of a temperature of the heating surface. The device includes a controller in electrical communication with the temperature probe. The device includes a wireless transmitter in electrical communication with the controller. The controller is configured to read the electrical signal from the temperature probe and to provide an output signal to the wireless transmitter. The wireless transmitter is configured to wirelessly transmit a temperature signal to a transceiver based on the output signal. The wireless transmitter is configured to wirelessly receive energy. The controller is configured to be powered by the received energy from the wireless transmitter.

An induction heating type cooktop includes an upper plate coupled to a top side of a case and configured to place an object to be heated on a top of the upper plate, a working coil disposed inside the case to heat the object, a thin film disposed on at least one of a top surface or a bottom surface of the upper plate, an insulator disposed between the bottom surface of the upper plate and the working coil, and a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of at least one of the thin film or the upper plate by a plurality of thermocouples.

A method for assembling an induction heating device includes the steps of interposing at least one ferrite bar between a coil assembly and a support plate, and snap engaging a central polymeric fastening element on the support plate. At least one end of the ferrite bar is inserted in a radial seat of the central polymeric fastening element. The coil assembly is snap engaged with the central polymeric fastening element in order to sandwich the ferrite bars between the support plate and the coil assembly.

Provided is an apparatus and method for protecting against unsafe electric current conditions. An example method includes accessing a selected operating mode for a heating element of the electric grill using at least one user input device of the electric grill, the heating element connected to a voltage line and a neutral line; measuring, using a temperature probe, a temperature of the heating element; estimating an ambient temperature at a location within a cook box of the electric grill spaced apart from the heating element, the estimation of the ambient temperature based on the measured temperature of the heating element; and using the estimated ambient temperature to determine when a target temperature corresponding to the selected operating mode is reached.

A radiant burner for a cooking appliance. The radiant heater includes a heating element residing on or in an insulating base, the insulating base having a recess located in a bottom thereof. The insulating base is housed in a casing that has a recess residing in the recess of the insulating base. A part of the casing that forms the recess includes a guide. A temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature inside the radiant burner is supported by an insulating body. A portion of the insulating body is located inside the insulating base and inside the guide formed by the casing with the insulating body extending vertically through the insulating base and the guide.

A DC powered cooking appliance which uses an induction or a resistance based DC heating element and excludes AC powered heating elements and preferably does not rely on directly connected combustion powered heating elements. Some embodiments include wattage of 1500 watts or less, voltages of 40 or 48 volts or more and are installed on a boat, van, rv or bus such that an inverter of that boat, van, rv or bus is not electrically connected to the cooking appliance.

A wireless power transmission apparatus for determining empty heating is provided. The wireless power transmission apparatus includes at least one processor configured to control a communication interface configured to communicate with a cooking appliance, wherein the communication interface is further configured to receive, from the cooking appliance, a temperature of a bottom surface of the cooking appliance and an internal temperature of the cooking appliance for a first time period during which a heating operation is performed and for a second time period following the first time period, during which the heating operation is stopped, and the at least one processor is further configured to stop the heating operation for the second time period, and determine whether the cooking appliance undergoes empty heating based on a relationship between the temperature of the bottom surface and the internal temperature for the second time period.

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.

Device and method are described for operational control of a knob on a stove or range. In some examples, a safety device, a sensor relay device, and method are described for automatically positioning an operational shaft of a burner to an Off position such that the power supplied to the burner is terminated upon the occurrence of a safety event.