Patent ID: 9565721
Date: 2017-02-07
CPC Classifications: H05B

Claim:
1. An induction heating appliance for cooking which comprises: a body; a light transmittable top plate provided atop the body and having a heating area for heating an article to be heated with the latter placed thereon; a heating coil disposed below the top plate in face-to-face relation with the heating area for generating magnetic fields necessary to induction heat the article to be heated, the heating coil having an inner coil and an outer coil surrounding the inner coil; an infrared sensor disposed below the top plate for detecting infrared rays of light from the article to be heated; a light emitting element emitting visible light, which is disposed below the top plate; a light guide portion which is defined by only one light guide tube, the light guide tube having only one longitudinal axis, the light guide portion being configured such that the infrared rays of light from the article to be heated are guided to the infrared sensor along the only one longitudinal axis of the light guide tube, and such that the visible light from the light emitting element is guided to the top plate along the only one longitudinal axis of the light guide tube; and a controller connected between the heating coil and the infrared sensor for controlling an output of the heating coil based on an output signal from the infrared sensor, wherein the light guide portion is positioned between the inner coil and the outer coil so as to be offset from a center of the heating coil, and wherein the top plate is provided with an infrared incident region positioned immediately above an upper opening of the light guide portion to guide the infrared rays of light, emitted from the article to be heated, towards the light guide portion, and the infrared incident region is positioned only at one location inwardly of an outer periphery of the heating coil and on a straight line extending in a forward and rearward direction of the body and passing across the center of the heating coil or its proximity when viewed from above the body, the only one location of the infrared incident region being offset forwardly from the center of the heating coil at a corresponding position of the light guide portion so that rays of light emanating from the light emitting element are emitted within or in proximity to the infrared incident region to allow the rays of light to be noticed within the heating area when viewed from above the body in a condition that the infrared incident region is not covered by the article to be heated.