Induction Cooker Coil Segmentation for Convection and Burn Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing induction heating cookers fail to efficiently generate convection in large pots and often burn the bottom during prolonged simmering, lacking user-selectable heating patterns suitable for various cooking menus.
Innovation Solution
An induction heating cooker with a ring-shaped main heating coil and sub-heating coils arranged around it, allowing for automatic selection between 'water-boiling' and 'boiling' modes, where the sub-heating coils can cooperate with the main coil to accelerate convection and prevent bottom burning, and featuring a specific configuration to ensure efficient heating and even preheating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single heating coil is used for induction heating, then the device structure is simple, but the heating uniformity and convection generation are insufficient for large pots
Solution Approach 1:
The heating coil is divided into multiple independent coils (first heating coil, second heating coil, third heating coil) arranged in different spatial positions. Each coil can be independently controlled to heat different regions of the pot, enabling uniform heating across the entire pot surface and generating effective convection currents for better cooking performance.
2Productivity
If multiple heating coils are operated simultaneously at high power, then heating speed is improved, but bottom burning occurs during prolonged simmering
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit implements periodic switching of heating coil operations. During prolonged simmering, the system alternates between activating multiple coils for rapid heating and reducing power to individual coils to maintain temperature without causing bottom burning. This periodic action allows the pot contents to convect and distribute heat evenly, preventing localized overheating.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating system dynamically adjusts the power distribution to different coils based on real-time cooking conditions. The control unit can switch between different heating patterns (e.g., all coils active, selective coil activation, reduced power mode) to adapt to varying cooking stages, ensuring both rapid heating when needed and gentle simmering to prevent burning.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If heating power is reduced for simmering, then bottom burning is prevented, but heating efficiency and convection generation are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the heating function across multiple coils, the system can maintain overall high heating efficiency during simmering by activating specific coils in sequence or combination, rather than reducing total power. The segmented coil activation ensures continuous heat input for convection while distributing the thermal load to prevent bottom burning.
4Device complexity
If a fixed heating pattern is used, then the control system is simple, but it cannot adapt to various cooking menus and pot sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit dynamically selects and switches between multiple heating patterns based on detected pot size, shape, and desired cooking menu. The system can adaptively adjust which coils are activated, their power levels, and the timing sequences to optimize heating for different cooking scenarios (e.g., rapid boiling, gentle simmering, uniform heating), providing high versatility without requiring complex manual configuration.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables efficient heating of large pots with accelerated convection and prevents bottom burning, improving usability and cooking performance by automating preheating and maintaining necessary heating power across different cooking modes.
Implementation Method 1
induction-heats a target object... by a heating coil
Implementation Method 2
heating coil... supply high-frequency electric power to the individual heating coils
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3(A)~3(B)
AI summary
[Solution] A main heating coil, a plurality of flat-shaped sub-heating coils that are arranged around the main heating coil, inverter circuits that supply induction-heating electric powers to the main heating coil and the sub-heating coils, and a conduction control circuit that issues to each of the inverter circuits a conduction pattern corresponding to a cooking menu are included. The conduction control circuit has at least a "water-boiling mode" and a "boiling mode" as a cooking mode that can be selected by a user. In the case where the target object is heated in the "water-boiling mode" and the "boiling mode", the conduction control circuit is capable of automatically determining heating only by the main heating coil or heating by the main heating coil and the sub-heating coils in cooperation with each other. In the "boiling mode", the conduction control circuit automatically determines the heating power ratio of the main heating coil to the sub-heating coils, and performs a conduction pattern in which driving for heating is repeated at specific time intervals.