# US 11,343,878 B2 · Method of controlling a cooking appliance, cooking appliance, and heating element > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,343,878 B2 - Document ID: US11343878B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/771,052 - Filed: 2016-10-19 - Published: 2018-11-15 - Granted: 2022-05-24 - Earliest claimed: 2015-10-28 - Assignees: Rational International AG; Rational AG - Applicants: Frima International AG; Rational Aktiengesellschaft - Inventors: Pascal Gluck; Annika Katharina Junghanns; Markus Lingenheil; Pascal Schmidlin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11343878B2 ## CPC - H05B 1/0261: {of food} - H02J 3/26: Arrangements for eliminating or reducing asymmetry in polyphase networks - H05B 3/68: Heating arrangements specially adapted for cooking plates or analogous hot-plates - H02J 2105/42: Home appliances - Y02B 70/30: Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level - Y02B 70/3225: Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving - Y02E 40/50: Arrangements for eliminating or reducing asymmetry in polyphase networks - Y04S 20/222: Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving - Y04S 20/242: Home appliances - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y04S: SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS ## Abstract Described is a method of controlling a cooking appliance which includes at least one electrical load and a controller. The electrical load is variably connected to at least one of a plurality of phases of a power connection. The phase is selected from among the plurality of phases. Furthermore, a cooking appliance and a heating element are described. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of controlling a cooking appliance which includes at least one electrical load and a controller, the electrical load being variably connected to at least one of a plurality of phases of a power connection, the phase being selected from among the plurality of phases, based on a future power demand of the electrical load, wherein the future power demand of the electrical load, which defines whether the at least one electrical load is connected or switched off in the future, is acquired by the controller which accesses an ongoing cooking program in order to determine said future power demand, and depending on said future power demand, the electrical load is connected to a selected one of the plurality of phases of the power connection. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the current phase load of the respective phases of the power connection is acquired by the controller. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein an electrical load which is being connected or has a higher future power demand is connected to the phase of the power connection which has the lowest current phase load. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the allocation of the electrical load to a phase of the power connection is checked by the controller in cycles and, if required, is changed. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the electrical load is variably connected to two phases of the power connection. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein two electrical loads are provided, both of which are variably connected to the same phase of the power connection. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the electrical load is dedicated to two or more phases, the controller selecting at least one of the dedicated phases to variably connect the electrical load to at least one of the dedicated phases of the power connection. ### Claim 8 A cooking appliance comprising at least one electrical load, a controller, and a variable phase switch which variably switches the electrical load with at least one of a plurality of phases of a power connection, the phase being selected from among the plurality of phases, based on a future power demand of the electrical load, wherein the controller is configured to access an ongoing cooking program in order to determine the future power demand of the electrical load, which defines whether the at least one electrical load is connected or switched off in the future and to connect the electrical load depending on said future power demand to a selected one of the plurality of phases of the power connection, via the variable phase switch. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The cooking appliance according to claim 8, wherein the phase switch is connected to all phases of the power connection via at least one interface. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The cooking appliance according to claim 8, wherein the electrical load is a heating device which has at least two heating areas, the heating areas being two heating zones of a heating element or being formed by two separate heating elements. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The cooking appliance according to claim 10, wherein at least one electrical load is dedicated to two or more phases, the controller connecting the electrical load to at least one of the dedicated phases via the variable phase switch. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The cooking appliance according to claim 8, wherein at least one electrical load is dedicated to two or more phases, the controller connecting the electrical load to at least one of the dedicated phases via the variable phase switch. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The cooking appliance according to claim 9, wherein the electrical load is a heating device Which has at least two heating areas, the heating areas being two heating zones of a heating element or being formed by two separate heating elements. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The cooking appliance according to claim 13, wherein at least one electrical load is dedicated to two or more phases, the controller connecting the electrical load to at least one of the dedicated phases via the variable phase switch. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The cooking appliance according to claim 9, wherein at least one electrical load is dedicated to two or more phases, the controller connecting the electrical load to at least one of the dedicated phases via the variable phase switch. ### Claim 16 A method of controlling a cooking appliance which includes at least one electrical load and a controller, the electrical load being variably connected to at least one of a plurality of phases of a power connection by the controller, which controller is configured to access an ongoing cooking program in order to determine a future power demand, the phase having a lowest load being automatically selected from among the plurality of phases of the power connection by the controller, in order to produce a phase load on the individual phases which is as uniform as possible.