US 12,464,606 B2
Induction heating apparatus and method for controlling the same
Bada Yoon, Seoul (KR); John Kang, Seoul (KR); and Wongyu Park, Seoul (KR)
Assigned to LG ELECTRONICS INC., Seoul (KR)
Filed by LG ELECTRONICS INC., Seoul (KR)
Filed on Feb. 9, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/667,904.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2021-0018504 (KR), filed on Feb. 9, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0322499 A1, Oct. 6, 2022
Int. Cl. H05B 6/06 (2006.01); H05B 6/04 (2006.01)
CPC H05B 6/065 (2013.01) [H05B 6/04 (2013.01); H05B 2213/05 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An induction heating apparatus, comprising:
a working coil disposed to correspond to a heating zone;
an inverter circuit that includes a plurality of switching elements, and is configured to supply current to the working coil;
a driving circuit configured to supply a switching signal to each of the switching elements;
a current sensor configured to determine a resonance current value, and a magnitude of resonance current flowing in the working coil; and
a controller configured to provide a control signal to the driving circuit, the control signal to adjust a duty ratio and a frequency of the switching signals,
wherein the controller is configured to:
set and adjust the duty ratio and the frequency of the switching signals to perform an operation of detecting a container, and
determine whether the container is on the heating zone after finishing the operation of detecting the container, based on the resonance current value determined by the current sensor,
wherein the controller is configured to:
control the driving circuit to provide a switching signal having a first predetermined reference duty ratio and a first predetermined reference frequency to each of the switching elements, so as to initiate the operation of detecting the container, and
control the driving circuit to increase the duty ratio of the switching signal to a second predetermined reference duty ratio and to decrease the frequency of the switching signal to a second predetermined reference frequency so as to perform the operation of detecting the container.