Induction Heating Appliance Infrared Sensor Light Guide

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing induction heating appliances struggle to accurately control the temperature of cooking containers in environments exposed to solar light, as infrared rays from the environment interfere with the detection of infrared rays emitted by the cooking container, leading to inaccurate temperature control.

Innovation Solution

An induction heating appliance equipped with a quantum type infrared sensor, a light guide portion, a filter with light shielding characteristics, and a side wall to block ambient light, allowing only infrared rays within a specific wavelength range to reach the sensor, ensuring accurate temperature detection and control.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If an infrared sensor is used to detect the temperature of the cooking container, then the thermal response is improved and temperature control without time lag is achieved, but in environments receiving solar light, infrared rays from solar light interfere with the detection, making it difficult to accurately detect the temperature

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetemperature detection accuracyVSAvoidinterference from solar light infrared rays
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a light guide portion as an intermediary component that selectively guides infrared rays from the cooking container to the infrared sensor while blocking infrared rays from solar light. The light guide portion acts as a mediator that filters and directs only the desired infrared radiation, preventing interference from external solar light sources while maintaining accurate temperature detection capability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by creating a specific optical path through the light guide portion that has different transmission properties for different directions and wavelengths. The light guide portion is designed to be transparent to infrared rays from the cooking container while being opaque to infrared rays from solar light, creating localized optical filtering properties at the sensor input

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Adaptability or versatility

If the infrared sensor detects all infrared rays reaching it, then the detection range is maximized, but solar light infrared rays are also detected, causing inaccurate temperature measurement

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetection rangeVSAvoidtemperature measurement accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The light guide portion serves as a selective intermediary that maintains broad detection range for infrared rays from the cooking container while filtering out infrared rays from solar light. It acts as an optical mediator that preserves the desired detection signals while blocking unwanted external infrared radiation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the optical parameters of the detection system by introducing a light guide portion with specific wavelength-dependent transmission characteristics. The light guide portion is designed to transmit infrared rays within a specific wavelength range while blocking others, effectively filtering the detected infrared radiation based on wavelength parameters

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP2117282B1Induction heating appliance for cooking
Publication Date: 2013.11.13 PANASONIC HOLDINGS CORP
  • EP2117282B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2117282B1 patent drawingFigure 2~4
  • EP2117282B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

An induction heating appliance for cooking includes a top plate for placing a cooking container P thereon, and a heating coil 6 for generating a high frequency magnetic field to heat the cooking container P. The induction heating appliance for cooking also includes an infrared sensor 10 for detecting infrared rays emitted from the cooking container P through the top plate 4, a control means 24 for calculating a temperature of the cooking container P from an output of the infrared sensor 10 and controlling a power supplied to the heating coil 6 based on a calculated temperature, a filter 14 disposed above the infrared sensor 10 to block light below a predetermined wavelength, and a side wall 16 disposed around the filter 14. The infrared sensor 10 is covered with the filter 14 and the side wall 16 so that the infrared sensor 10 may be less susceptible to influence of solar light L or the like.