US 11,706,847 B2
Method for automatically correlating at least one cooktop utensil with at least one cooking zone of an inductive cooktop, inductive cooktop, cooktop utensil and system for carrying out the method
Niels Ohrmann, Guetersloh (DE); Volker Ennen, Enger (DE); and Daniel Ebke, Bielefeld (DE)
Assigned to MIELE & CIE. KG, Guetersloh (DE)
Filed by Miele & Cie. KG, Guetersloh (DE)
Filed on Aug. 14, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/540,095.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2018 119 965.1 (DE), filed on Aug. 16, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2020/0059995 A1, Feb. 20, 2020
Int. Cl. H05B 6/12 (2006.01); H05B 6/06 (2006.01); H05B 6/44 (2006.01)
CPC H05B 6/062 (2013.01) [H05B 6/1236 (2013.01); H05B 6/44 (2013.01)] 44 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for automatically correlating at least one cooktop utensil with at least one cooking zone of an inductive cooktop having a plurality of cooking zones which are inductively heated by at least one respective heating coil, the method comprising:
providing the cooktop with a cooktop controller configured to drive the at least one respective heating coil with a correlation signal;
providing the at least one cooktop utensil with an induction coil inductively couplable with the at least one respective heating coil of the cooktop and a transmitter unit;
supplying the transmitter unit with an operation power when a voltage is induced by at least one of the at least one respective heating coil into the induction coil of the cooktop utensil that is placed on the cooking zone associated with the at least one of the at least one respective heating coil;
transmitting, by the transmitter unit of the cooktop utensil, by the operating power, a response signal that identifies the cooktop utensil and correlates with the correlation signal induced into the induction coil of the cooktop utensil by the at least one of the at least one respective heating coil associated with the cooking zone to a receiver unit of the cooktop controller or of a third device that is in signal communication with the cooktop controller;
comparing the response signal, in an evaluation unit of the cooktop controller or of the third device, which evaluation unit is connected in signal communication with the receiver unit, to the correlation signal of the at least one respective heating coil of the cooking zone; and
correlating the identified cooktop utensil with the cooking zone as a function of the comparison,
wherein the correlation signals of the at least one respective heating coil of the individual cooking zones, which are generated by respective driving operations, differ from each other, and
wherein the correlation signals of the at least one respective heating coil of the individual cooking zones, which are generated by a driving thereof, each have encoded therein a different delay time, the transmitter unit of the cooktop utensil placed on a particular cooking zone delaying the transmission of the response signal to the receiver unit as a function of the encoded delay time of the at least one respective heating coil of the particular cooking zone.