Abstract:
A method of optimizing performance of a cooktop with a plurality of adjacent heating zones includes indicating a point for each heating zone; placing a cooking vessel on the cooktop, the cooking vessel being sufficiently large to cover at least two of the points simultaneously; and adjusting the cooking vessel so that the cooking vessel covers the maximum number of the points possible for the size of the cooking vessel. A cooktop includes at least three induction heating elements; and a persistent indicator for each heating element. The cooktop is adapted to instruct a user to cover a maximum possible number of the at least three persistent indicators with a cooking vessel to optimize use of the cooktop.

Description:
FIELD OF THE TECHNOLOGY 
       [0001]    The present technology relates to a method of optimizing performance and associated cooking appliance. More particularly, the present technology relates to a method of optimizing performance of a cooktop including a plurality of adjacent heating zones. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    In the modern kitchen, one common appliance is a cooktop, which may be a stand-alone unit or part of a larger appliance such as a stove. Most cooktops include multiple heating units, and some heating units are designed to be used in conjunction with one another to heat a single cooking vessel large enough to span multiple heating units. 
         [0003]    The heating units can employ any known method of heating such as burners, resistive heaters and inductive heaters. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY 
       [0004]    Although cooktops with heating units used in conjunction with one another are known, there is a problem in that there is not a way for the user to efficiently and knowingly optimize use of multiple heating units, especially considering cooking vessels take on a number of different sizes and shapes. Also, known cooktops do not provide instructions for users to optimize the use of multiple heating units. 
         [0005]    In fact, some user manuals for commercial cooktops include instructions that can lead a user away from efficient use of the cooktops. For example, some user manuals instruct that cooking vessels should be placed as close to the back edge of a cooktop as possible, while still remaining on the cooking unit. Although such instructions may address safety concerns, such as providing a cooking environment where cooking vessels are less likely to be knocked off of the cooktop and result in serious injury, such instructions can result in inefficient use of the heating units. This may be of particular relevance for electric heating units generally, and more relevant to induction heating units. 
         [0006]    For example, with induction heating units, a plurality of induction heating units can be used together with a single cooking vessel, but if the cooking vessel does not cover the induction heating units in an efficient manner, one or more of the heating units may be wasting energy, the cooking vessel may be unevenly heated, or both. 
         [0007]    Thus, a need has developed to address one or more shortcomings of the prior art. 
         [0008]    The present technology addresses one or more the shortcomings of the prior art. 
         [0009]    An aspect of the present technology includes a method of optimizing performance of a cooktop by providing targets on the cooktop and adjusting a cooking vessel based on the targets. 
         [0010]    An aspect of the present technology includes a method of optimizing performance of a cooktop including a plurality of adjacent heating zones, the method comprising indicating a point for each heating zone; placing a cooking vessel on the cooktop, the cooking vessel being sufficiently large to cover at least two of the points simultaneously; and adjusting the cooking vessel so that the cooking vessel covers the maximum number of the points possible for the size of the cooking vessel. 
         [0011]    In examples, (a) the plurality of adjacent heating zones includes at least three heating zones, (b) the plurality of adjacent heating zones consists of four heating zones, (c) the size of the cooking vessel can cover at least three of the points simultaneously, (d) the size of the cooking vessel cannot cover each of the points simultaneously, (e) the size of the cooking vessel can cover at least three of the points simultaneously and the size of the cooking vessel cannot cover each of the points simultaneously, (f) each heating zone is a separate induction heater, (g) each point corresponds to a respective center of each of the heating zones, (h) the points all lie on a common line, (i) the points lie in at least two columns and at least two rows, (j) the points are indicated persistently, (k) the points are indicated by way of non-transient marks, ( 1 ) the heating zones are oblong and the elongate dimensions of the heating zones are substantially parallel to one another, (m) the method further comprises heating the cooking vessel with each heating zone for which the point is covered by the cooking vessel, and/or (n) the method further comprises providing an indication to adjust the cooking vessel to cover an additional point based on a known distance between points and a sensed size of the cooking vessel. 
         [0012]    Another aspect of the present technology includes a cooktop comprising at least three induction heating elements; and a persistent indicator for each heating element; wherein the cooktop is adapted to instruct a user to cover a maximum possible number of the at least three persistent indicators with a cooking vessel to optimize use of the cooktop. 
         [0013]    In examples, (a) the persistent indicator is a dot, (b) the persistent indicator corresponds to a respective center of each heating element, (c) the cooktop is adapted to instruct the user by way of persistent instructions attached to the cooktop, (d) the cooktop is adapted to instruct the user by way of a display, and/or (e) the cooktop further comprises a visual indicator adapted to instruct the user to cover another persistent indicator based on a known distance between the persistent indicators and a sensed size of the cooking vessel. 
         [0014]    Other aspects, features, and advantages of this technology will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this disclosure and which illustrate, by way of example, principles of this technology. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  illustrates a first cooktop in accordance with the present technology; 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  illustrates a second cooktop in accordance with the present technology; 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  illustrates a first schematic diagram in accordance with the present technology; 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  illustrates a second schematic diagram in accordance with the present technology; and . 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  illustrates a control diagram in accordance with the present technology. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0020]    The following description is provided in relation to several examples which may share common characteristics and features. It is to be understood that one or more features of any one example may be combinable with one or more features of the other examples. In addition, any single feature or combination of features in any of the examples may constitute additional examples. 
         [0021]    Throughout this disclosure, terms such as first, second, third, etc. may be used. However, these terms are not intended to be limiting or indicative of a specific order, but instead are used to distinguish similarly described features from one another, unless expressly noted otherwise. Terms such as substantially and about are intended to allow for variances to account for manufacturing tolerances, measurement tolerances, or variations from ideal values that would be accepted by those skilled in the art. 
         [0022]    As used throughout this disclosure, heating zones refer to a location on a cooktop used for heating and the heating zones may be any convenient shape, e.g. circular or rectangular. Each heating zone may comprise one heating element or more. As used throughout the disclosure, heating element may refer to the physical components that generate heat as well as their corresponding location within a heating zone. 
         [0023]      FIGS. 1 and 2  both illustrate a cooktop  100  that include many common components. The cooktop  100  may include a number of heating zones  105 , which may be round heating zones  110 ,  115  or rectangular heating zones  120 . The rectangular heating zones  120  may include a plurality of heating elements  125   a - 125   d,  generally adjacent to one another, which together define the rectangular heating zone  120 .  FIG. 1  illustrates one group four of heating elements  125   a - 125   d  forming a rectangular heating zone  120  and  FIG. 2  illustrates two groups of four heating elements  125   a - 125   d  and  125   e - 125   h  forming two rectangular heating zones  120 . The heating elements  125  may be any type of heating element, e.g., an electrical heating element. In a non-limiting example, the heating elements  125  are induction heating elements. 
         [0024]    The heating elements  125  may be any convenient shape. The configurations in  FIGS. 1 and 2  are illustrated as oblong. The cooktop  100  includes outlines on the cooking surface that are generally rectangular, but under the surface of the cooktop  100 , the heating elements  125  may include any shape, e.g. oval or elliptical heating elements. As illustrated, the heating elements  125  are oriented such that their elongate dimensions are substantially parallel to one another. As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill, the cooktop  100  may include one continuous sheet of glass or ceramic, with indicators, e.g. printed outlines, to designate locations of the heating zones  105  where the heating elements  125  are located under the continuous sheet. 
         [0025]    Heating elements  125  may include an indicator  130 . The indicator  130  may be any suitable indicator, e.g. a printed mark such as a dot or an illuminated mark, which may be persistent and/or non-transient. The indicator  130  preferably is located to indicate a location of the heating element  125  that should be covered by a cooking vessel  200  in order to achieve optimum performance of the cooktop  100 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the indicators  130   a - 130   h  are at a location on the surface of the cooktop  100  corresponding to a center of a respective heating element  125   a - 125   h.    
         [0026]      FIGS. 3 and 4  are schematic illustrations of indicators  130  and cooking vessel  200   a.    FIG. 3  corresponds generally to the rectangular heating zones  120  of  FIGS. 1 and 2  where the indicators  130  lie on a common line.  FIG. 4  illustrates indicators  130  and cooking vessels  200   b,    200   c  in a more abstract manner where the indicators  130  are distributed in rows and columns. Of course, other configurations of indicators  130  are possible, e.g. alternately offset rows and columns where indicators in one line are offset vertically and/or horizontally with respect to an adjacent line, which will be dictated by the configuration of heating zones  105  and heating elements  125  for a given cooktop  100 . 
         [0027]    In  FIG. 3 , the cooking vessel  200   a  is illustrated with dashed lines in a location that is not optimized and with a solid line that is optimized. The dashed-line position illustrates the cooking vessel  200   a  towards a top or “rear” edge of the cooktop  100 . This position corresponds to a position taught in certain prior art devices, presumably for safety. However, this position does not allow optimum performance of the cooktop  100  for the cooking vessel  200   a.  The solid-line position spans three indicators  130   a - 130   c.  But as can be readily discerned from  FIG. 3 , the cooking vessel  200   a  cannot span more than three indicators  130 . Thus, the cooking vessel  200  is located in an optimized position according to the present technology. Moving the cooking vessel  200   a  from the dashed-line position to the solid-line position will adjust the cooking vessel  200   a  so that the cooking vessel  200   a  covers the maximum number of indicators  130  possible for the size of the cooking vessel  200   a.  This technique can be applied to any combination of three or more indicators  130  and a cooking vessel  200  that spans two or more indicators  130 . The indicators  130  may help a user to appropriately position, e.g. center, a cooking vessel  200  to achieved optimum effect of the cooktop  100 . Once the cooking vessel  200  is located to achieve the optimum effect, the cooking vessel can be heated (optimally) by each heating element  120  with a correspondingly covered indicator  130 . Alternatively, this technique can be applied to any number of indicators  130 . For example, this technique can also be applied to one, two, three or four indicators  130  (as illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3 ) with a cooking vessel  200  that covers, e.g. is centered on, anywhere from one to four indicators  130 . 
         [0028]    The cooktop  100  may also be configured such that covering an indicator  130  with a cooking vessel  200  will activate the corresponding heating element  125 . Similarly, the cooktop  100  may be configured such that if an indicator  130  is not covered with a cooking vessel  200 , the corresponding heating element  125  will not activate even if the cooking vessel  200  covers another part of the heating element  125 . 
         [0029]      FIG. 4  illustrates rows and columns of indicators  130  and two alternate configurations of the cooking vessel  200 . 
         [0030]    Cooking vessel  200   b  is illustrated as generally round. Similar to  FIG. 3  above, the dashed-line position of the cooking vessel  200   b  is not optimized in accordance with the present technology whereas the solid-line position is optimized in accordance with the present technology. The dashed-line position encompasses only two indicators  130   e  and  130   f,  whereas the solid-line position encompasses four indicators  130   a,    130   b,    130   e  and  130   f.  There is not another position where the cooking vessel  200   b  can cover more of the indicators  130 . Thus, the solid-line location is optimized. 
         [0031]    Cooking vessel  200   c  is illustrated as generally rectangular. As discussed above, the dashed-line position is not optimized in accordance with the present technology, whereas the solid-line position is optimized in accordance with the present technology. 
         [0032]    Any shape of cooking vessel  200  can be used in accordance with the present technology. In fact, the shape of the cooking vessel  200  does not affect the present technology except in that different sizes and shapes will be able to cover different configurations of indicators  130 . The shapes of the cooking vessel  200  illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4  were chosen for ease of illustration only and should not be considered limiting. 
         [0033]    The cooktop  100  may include instructions for a user to optimize use of the cooktop  100 . The instructions could be in the form of a placard, illustration or other fixed media attached to the cooktop  100 . The instructions could be in the form of diagrams similar to  FIGS. 3 and 4  or in the form of written instructions. The cooktop  100  could also include an electronic display  135  with animations driven by an associated controller  140  to actively illustrate how to achieve the optimization in accordance with the present technology. 
         [0034]    The cooktop  100  may also include a sensor  145  using known sensing technology that allows the cooktop  100  to determine a size and a location of the cooking vessel  200 . U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0321761 discloses a method and device to determine a size and location of a cooking vessel and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The cooktop  100  can, based upon the determination of size and location, provide an indication to a user to move the cooking vessel  200  to optimize the location. The indication could include a binary indication such as a red light  150  indicating that or when the cooking vessel  200  is not placed optimally and a green light  155  indicating that or when the cooking vessel  200  is placed optimally. The indication could also include an electronic display  135  with or without animation indicating how to optimize the location of the cooking vessel  200 . 
         [0035]    While the present technology has been described in connection with several practical examples, it is to be understood that the technology is not to be limited to the disclosed examples, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the technology.