# US 11,910,509 B2 · Method for improving accuracy in load curves acquisition on an induction cooktop > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,910,509 B2 - Document ID: US11910509B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/189,724 - Filed: 2021-03-02 - Published: 2022-09-08 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2021-03-02 - Assignees: Whirlpool Corporation - Applicants: Whirlpool Corporation - Inventors: Andrea Gallivanoni; Cristiano Vito Pastore - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11910509B2 ## CPC - H05B 6/062: {for cooking plates or the like} - H05B 6/065: {using coordinated control of multiple induction coils} - F24C 7/088: {on stoves} - H05B 2213/03: Heating plates made out of a matrix of heating elements that can define heating areas adapted to cookware randomly placed on the heating plate - H05B 2213/05: Heating plates with pan detection means - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL - F24C: DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES (exclusively for solid fuels F24B); DETAILS OF DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES, OF GENERAL APPLICATION ## Abstract A method is provided for controlling average power delivered to coils of a flexible induction cooktop having a plurality of coils that are arranged adjacent to one another in a non-overlapping manner to form an array. The method includes: a) identifying a group of the plurality of coils that are underlying one or more cookware items; b) providing power to at least one coil of the group of coils underlying one or more cookware items; and c) at the same time, not providing power to coils of the group of coils underlying the cookware items that are adjacent to the at least one coil to which power is provided to prevent interaction between adjacent coils of the group of coils. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for controlling average power delivered to coils of a flexible induction cooktop, wherein the coils are smaller than the size of a cookware item and are arranged adjacent to one another in a non-overlapping manner to form a plurality of columns, wherein each of the columns in the plurality of columns comprises a plurality of coils, the method comprising: a) identifying a group of the coils that are underlying one or more cookware items; b) providing power to at least one coil of the group of coils underlying one or more cookware items; and c) at the same time, preventing interaction between adjacent coils of the group of coils by not providing power to coils of the group of coils underlying the cookware items that are adjacent to the at least one coil to which power is provided to. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein coils are determined to be adjacent based on a distance between centers of each pair of coils and comparing the distance to a predetermined threshold. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the distance between each pair of coils is measured along a grid connecting the centers of adjacent coils, and wherein the predetermined threshold is a predefined amount of steps along intersecting points on the grid. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the coils have a rectangular shape with longer sides and shorter sides, and coils may be adjacent one another along either the longer side or the shorter side. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein coils that are adjacent to each other on either a longer side or a shorter side are not powered at the same time. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the coils have a circular shape. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: d) after a predetermined time period, interrupting power to the at least one coil that is powered; and e) preventing interaction between adjacent coils of the group of coils, wherein the power is instead provided to at least one different coil of the group of coils while also not providing power to coils of the group of coils underlying the cookware items that are adjacent to the at least one different coil to which power is provided to. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, further comprising: f) after a predetermined time period, power is interrupted to the at least one different coil that is powered; g) determining whether all of the coils in the group of coils has been powered; and h) repeating steps d) and e) until all of the coils in the group of coils have been powered. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising: i) determining whether a user has shut off the power to the cooktop; and j) repeating steps b) through h) until the user has shut off the power to the cooktop. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) A flexible induction cooktop comprising a controller for executing the method of claim 1. ### Claim 11 A method for controlling average power delivered to coils of a flexible induction cooktop that are arranged adjacent to one another in a non-overlapping manner to form a plurality of columns, wherein each of the columns in the plurality of columns comprises a plurality of coils, the method comprising: a) identifying a group of the of coils that are underlying one or more cookware items; b) providing power to at least one coil of the group of coils underlying one or more cookware items; and c) restricting the coils that can be activated at the same time to be coils whose distance between each pair of the group of coils is larger than a predetermined threshold. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the distance between each pair of coils is measured between the centers of said coils. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the distance between each pair of coils is measured along a grid connecting the centers of adjacent coils, and wherein the predetermined threshold is a predefined amount of steps along intersecting points on the grid. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the coils have a rectangular shape with longer sides and shorter sides, and coils may be adjacent one another along either the longer side or the shorter side. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein coils that are adjacent to each other on either a longer side or a shorter side are not powered at the same time. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the coils have a circular shape. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: d) after a predetermined time period, interrupting power to the at least one coil that is powered; e) providing power instead to at least one different coil of the group of coils while also not providing power to coils of the group of coils underlying the cookware items whose distance between each pair of the group of coils is larger than a predetermined threshold; f) after a predetermined time period, power is interrupted to the at least one different coil that is powered; g) determining whether all of the coils in the group of coils have been powered; h) repeating steps d) and e) until all of the coils in the group of coils have been powered; i) determining whether a user has shut off the power to the cooktop; and j) repeating steps b) through h) until the user has shut off the power to the cooktop. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) A flexible induction cooktop comprising a control system for executing the method of claim 11. ### Claim 19 A method for controlling average power delivered to coils of a flexible induction cooktop that are arranged adjacent to one another in a non-overlapping manner to form a plurality of columns, wherein each of the columns in the plurality of columns comprises a plurality of coils, the method comprising: a) identifying a group of the coils that are underlying one or more cookware items, wherein the coils have a rectangular shape with longer sides and shorter sides, and coils may be adjacent one another along either the longer side or the shorter side; b) providing power to at least one coil of the group of coils underlying one or more cookware items; and c) preventing interaction between adjacent coils of the group of coils wherein the power is not provided to coils that are adjacent to each other on a longer side. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, further comprising: d) after a predetermined time period, interrupting power to the at least one coil that is powered; e) providing power instead to at least one different coil of the group of coils while also not providing power to coils of the group of coils underlying the cookware item that are adjacent to each other on a longer side; f) after a predetermined time period, power is interrupted to the at least one different coil that is powered; g) determining whether all of the coils in the group of coils have been powered; h) repeating steps d) and e) until all of the coils in the group of coils have been powered; i) determining whether a user has shut off the power to the cooktop; and j) repeating steps b) through h) until the user has shut off the power to the cooktop. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, further comprising: d) after a predetermined time period, interrupting power to the at least one coil that is powered; e) providing power instead to at least one different coil of the group of coils while also not providing power to coils of the group of coils underlying the cookware item that are adjacent to each other either on a longer side or on a shorter side; f) after a predetermined time period, power is interrupted to the at least one different coil that is powered; g) determining whether all of the coils in the group of coils have been powered; h) repeating steps d) and e) until all of the coils in the group of coils have been powered; i) determining whether a user has shut off the power to the cooktop; and j) repeating steps b) through h) until the user has shut off the power to the cooktop. ### Claim 22 A method for controlling average power delivered to coils of a flexible induction cooktop that are arranged adjacent to one another in a non-overlapping manner to form a plurality of columns, wherein each of the columns in the plurality of columns comprises a plurality of coils, the method comprising: a) identifying a group of the coils that are underlying one or more cookware items, wherein the coils have a rectangular shape with longer sides and shorter sides, and coils may be adjacent one another along either the longer side or the shorter side; b) providing power to at least one coil of the group of coils underlying one or more cookware items; and c) preventing interaction between adjacent coils of the group of coils wherein the power is not provided to coils that are adjacent to each other either on a longer side or on a shorter side.