Heating circuit and induction cooking hob

Abstract

The invention relates to a heating circuit for induction heating coils of an induction cooking hob and to an induction cooking hob including such a heating circuit. In the heating circuit, there are in each case two auxiliary half bridges interconnected to excite a respective resonant circuit for an induction heating coil such that the resonant circuit is excited by a full bridge. Thereby, lost heat is considerably reduced. Via a connecting device the auxiliary half bridges can be controlled to excite induction heating coils, which are partly or fully covered by a cooking vessel.

Claims

1. An induction cooking hob, comprising: a cooktop hotplate; and a heating circuit for induction heating coils of the induction cooking hob, wherein the heating circuit comprises: a reference half bridge; at least a first and second resonant circuit, each of said at least first and second resonant circuits comprising a first terminal and a second terminal; an induction heating coil is arranged in each of said at least first and second resonant circuit; at least a first auxiliary half bridge and a second auxiliary half bridge; and a switchable connecting device, wherein: each of said first terminals of each of said at least first and second resonant circuits is coupled to said reference half bridge, each of said second terminals of each of said at least first and second resonant circuits is coupled to said switchable connecting device, said switchable connecting device comprises at least a first switch a second switch, and a third switch, said first resonant circuit is assigned to only said first switch, said first switch in a closed condition connects said first resonant circuit to only said first auxiliary half bridge and to said to reference half bridge, said second resonant circuit is assigned to only said second switch and said third switch, said second switch in a closed condition connects said second resonant circuit assigned thereto to only said first auxiliary half bridge and to said reference half bridge, said third switch in a closed condition connects said second resonant circuit assigned thereto to only said second auxiliary half bridge and to said reference half bridge, such that: each of said at least first or second resonant circuits connected to only one of said at least first or second auxiliary half bridges is excitable by a full bridge composed of said at least first or second auxiliary half bridge and said reference half bridge, and each of said at least first and second resonant circuits of said heating circuit comprises one respective induction heating coil which is arranged underneath said cooktop hotplate for establishing a cooking zone.

2. The induction cooking hob according to claim 1, wherein each of said at least first and second switches are relays.

3. The induction cooking hob according to claim 1, wherein each of said at least first and second resonant circuits are series resonant circuits.

4. The induction cooking hob according to claim 1, wherein each of said at least first and second auxiliary half bridges comprises an assigned magnetic transformer for control.

5. The induction cooking hob according to claim 1, wherein each of said induction heating coils are of identical design.

6. The induction cooking hob according to claim 5, wherein each of said at least first and second auxiliary half bridges are of identical design.

7. The induction cooking hob according to claim 1, wherein each of said induction heating coils comprises an assigned current converter for measuring and regulating, respectively, of a power of each of said induction heating coils.

8. The induction cooking hob according to claim 1, wherein said heating circuit is arranged to perform power adjustment by phase shifting of bridge voltages.

9. The induction cooking hob according to claim 1, wherein said switchable connecting device fixedly connects each of said at least first and second resonant circuit to only one of said at least first or second auxiliary half bridges and to said reference half bridge.

10. The induction cooking hob according to claim 1, wherein: a control arranged to control each of said at least first and second auxiliary half bridges and/or said switchable connecting device is provided; and said control is configured to detect one or more saucepans on said cooking plate and to control each of said at least first and second auxiliary half bridges and/or said switchable connecting device such that each of said respective induction heating coils, which are completely or partially covered by a cooking vessel, are excited.

11. The induction cooking hob according to claim 10, wherein: said control is configured to control each of said at least first and second auxiliary half bridges and/or said switchable connecting device such that further each of said induction heating coils, located underneath one single cooking vessel, are commonly connected to only one of said at least first or second auxiliary half bridges and to said reference half bridge, at least if said cooking vessel does not cover more than a predetermined maximum number of each of said induction heating coils.

12. The induction cooking hob according to claim 1, wherein said control is configured to interconnect or excite in parallel each of said induction heating coils to one common cooking zone.

13. The induction cooking hob according to claim 12, wherein said control is configured to interconnect or excite in parallel each of said induction heating coils to said one common cooking zone using the same power adjustment.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated schematically in the drawings and are explained in more detail below. In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a heating circuit;

(3) FIG. 2 shows possible control profiles; and

(4) FIGS. 3 to 7 show possible conditions during power control by phase shifting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) FIG. 1 shows a heating circuit 10 for induction heating coils. The heating circuit 10 has a positive supply input DC+ and a negative supply input DC−, to which a supply voltage for supplying half and full bridges, respectively, can be applied. Furthermore, the circuit includes an additional supply voltage input V, to which an additional supply voltage for supplying magnetic transformers is to be applied.

(6) The heating circuit 10 has a total of four induction heating coils L1, L2, L3, L4 which, in general, are arranged to heat a cooking vessel placed onto a cooktop hotplate (not illustrated) by induction. Each induction heating coil L1, L2, L3, L4 has a respective capacitor assigned, wherein the capacitors are in summary indicated by reference letter C. A respective induction heating coil L1, L2, L3, L4 forms a respective series resonant circuit together with the respective capacitor C thereof.

(7) For exciting the resonant circuits the heating circuit 10 has a reference half bridge 20 and a first auxiliary half bridge 30 and a second auxiliary half bridge 35. The reference half bridge 20 has a first magnetic transformer 21 assigned. The first auxiliary half bridge 30 has a second magnetic transformer 31 assigned. The second auxiliary half bridge 35 has a third magnetic transformer 36 assigned. The magnetic transformers 21, 31, 36 are for controlling the respective half bridges 20, 30, 35.

(8) Each half bridge 20, 30, 35 includes a respective first transistor T1 and a respective second transistor T2. The functional operation of such half bridges is well-known per se, and therefore, there will be no further detailed explanation given.

(9) As is apparent from FIG. 1, a respective terminal in a bottom position of a respective resonant circuit is connected to the reference half bridge 20. On the top side, the respective resonant circuits are connected to a switchable connecting device 40. The connecting device 40 includes a first switch 41, a second switch 42, a third switch 43, a fourth switch 44, a fifth switch 45 and a sixth switch 46.

(10) As is apparent from FIG. 1, the resonant circuit located furthermost to the left, which includes the first induction heating coil L1, and the resonant circuit located furthermost to the right, which includes the fourth induction heating coil L4, are connected to the first switch 41 and to the sixth switch 46, respectively. The switches 41, 46 are each connected only to one auxiliary half bridge 30, 35. Thus, the resonant circuits located at the outer side can merely be connected to a respective auxiliary half bridge 30, 35, or instead be disconnected therefrom. In contrast, the two resonant circuits located at the inner side, wherein the other two induction heating coils L2, L3 are located, are connected to the second, third, fourth and fifth switches 42, 43, 44, 45 in such a manner that both these resonant circuits can be connected selectively to both the auxiliary half bridges 30, 35, or not be connected thereto. What possible wiring connections may result from the embodiment, will be described and demonstrated in more detail further below with reference to FIG. 2. In particular the wiring connections together with the use of four induction heating coils L1, L2, L3, and L4 have proved to be advantageous. This applies in particular for the use of a typical, 16 A fused, domestic mains connection, since with the four induction heating coils L1, L2, L3, L4, there is an optimum utilization of the supplied power obtained.

(11) The heating circuit 10 further includes a total number of four current converters 50, wherein each current converter 50 is assigned to one of the four resonant circuits. By means of the respective current converter 50, a current flowing through the respective induction heating coil L1, L2, L3, L4 can be measured.

(12) The heating circuit 10 further includes an electronic control 60 which in the present case is in the form of a microcontroller. The control 60 is connected to each of the magnetic transformers 21, 31, 36, as shown, and is arranged to control the magnetic transformers 21, 31, 36 and, thereby, also to control the respective half bridges 20, 30, 35. In other words, the control 60 can provide for the feature that respective transistors T1 or T2 are switched to be conducting or non-conducting and, thus, control of a resonant circuit respectively connected to the respective half bridge or even of a plurality of resonant circuits is obtained.

(13) In this context, control is in a manner that two respective half bridges 20, 30, 35 connected to a resonant circuit together form a full bridge and the respective resonant circuit, thus, is excited by a full bridge. As a result, power losses can be reduced considerably.

(14) The control 60 is connected to the connecting device 40 and can switch each of the switches 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46 individually. Thus, any arbitrary configuration of switched connections can be set within the scope of the predetermined possibilities. This will be discussed in more detail further below with reference to FIG. 2.

(15) The current converters 50 are connected to the control 60, as shown, such that the control 60 obtains feedback on a respective current flowing through a resonant circuit and, thus, also on the respective power. This allows an exact power control and power regulation, respectively, of the resonant circuits.

(16) It should be understood that any details apparent in FIG. 1 can be of essential importance for the invention and can be used to distinguish the invention and the claims from the prior art.

(17) FIG. 2 shows a number of different configurations of cooking zones, which can be adjusted by means of the heating circuit 10 according to FIG. 1. In particular the connecting device 40 can be adjusted in a way that such configurations are produced. A total of eleven fields are illustrated in FIG. 2, wherein one or more possible configurations are illustrated in each of them. The configurations are each illustrated by a continuous line or even with a dashed line. The induction heating coils L1, L2, L3, L4 are indicated therein by the reference sign “coil 1”, “coil 2”, “coil 3”, and “coil 4”.

(18) In the first field of FIG. 2, the first and second induction heating coils L1, L2 and the third and fourth induction heating coils L3, L4 are interconnected to respective cooking zones. In the second field, in each case two adjacent induction heating coils, that is, L1 and L2, L2 and L3, or L3 and L4, are interconnected to a respective cooking zone. In the third field, two adjacent induction heating coils are interconnected to one cooking zone, wherein simultaneously one further induction heating coil is operated as a single cooking zone. In the fourth field, the second and third induction heating coils L2, L3 are each connected as independent cooking zones.

(19) In the fifth to ninth field, likewise in each case two induction heating coils are each connected as an independent cooking zone. In the tenth field, three juxtaposed induction heating coils, that is, L1, L2 and L3, or instead L2, L3 and L4 are interconnected to one cooking zone. In the eleventh field, all of the four induction heating coils L1, L2, L3, L4 are interconnected to one cooking zone.

(20) A respective cooking zone is excited in particular by at least one common auxiliary half bridge 30, 35 together with the reference half bridge 20. Thus, there is also common control of the power of all the induction heating coils interconnected to one respective cooking zone.

(21) The FIGS. 3 to 7 show the time curve of voltages on the half bridges 20, 30, 35 and on a resonant circuit at different controlled activations, wherein a voltage connection of 230 VAC, that is, 230 V effective voltage with alternating current, is assumed. Therein, the curve UA indicates the voltage of the first auxiliary half bridge 30, the curve UB indicates the voltage of the second auxiliary half bridge 35, the curve URef indicates the voltage of the reference half bridge 20, and the curve US indicates the voltage over a resonant circuit which is connected between the first auxiliary half bridge 30 and the reference half bridge 20. On the horizontal axis the time is indicated in each case.

(22) As is apparent, in particular different power levels can be adjusted by means of the different controlled activations.

(23) In the condition as illustrated in FIG. 3, a phase angle of 0° is set with a frequency of 28 kHz. As a result, a voltage US is obtained at the resonant circuit, which amounts almost constantly to zero. That is, the resonant circuit is not excited. Also in the conditions as illustrated in the FIGS. 4 to 6, the frequency amounts to 28 kHz.

(24) In contrast thereto, in the condition as illustrated in FIG. 4 a phase angle of 90° is set. As a result, a voltage on the resonant circuit is 115 VAC.

(25) In the condition as illustrated in FIG. 5, there is a phase angle of 180° set and results to a voltage on the resonant circuit of 230 VAC.

(26) In the condition as illustrated in FIG. 6, there is a phase angle of 90° set and results to a voltage on the resonant circuit of 115 VAC and to a further voltage between the second auxiliary half bridge 35 and the reference half bridge 20 of 115 VAC. The latter differential signal is not illustrated.

(27) In the condition as illustrated in FIG. 7, there is a phase angle of 90° set, wherein in contrast to the aforementioned conditions according to FIGS. 3 to 6, the frequency is 48 kHz. As a result, a voltage on the resonant circuit of 115 VAC and a further voltage between the second auxiliary half bridge 35 and the reference half bridge 20 of 115 VAC are obtained. The latter differential signal is not illustrated.

(28) In the ideal case, operation is at or close to the resonance frequency, in order to have a current as low as possible. The effective voltage or RMS voltage (that is true AC) should be kept as low as possible. Thus, losses are less, which can be one aim of the embodiment according to the invention. A further aim can be that the losses are distributed over even more power semiconductors, which leads to a minimization of thermal stress to each power semiconductor.