Patent ID: 7015438

Claim:
An induction heater comprising an induction heating coil which produces a high-frequency magnetic field to heat an object to be heated, an inverter circuit which supplies a high-frequency current to said induction heating coil, an output detection section for detecting the magnitude of the output of said inverter circuit, a control section for controlling the output of said inverter circuit in response to the output of said output detection section, a setting input section for setting a target output to be controlled by said control section, a first movement detection section for detecting a movement of said object, and a storage section for storing a control value output by said control section or an output value of said output detection section before said first movement detection section detects the movement of said object, wherein said control section has a reach control mode where the output of said inverter circuit is increased from a low output to said target output gradually, a stable control mode where said inverter circuit is controlled so that the output of said inverter circuit agrees with said target output, and a first output mode where a control value derived from the control value or the output value of said output detection section stored in said storage section is output, or an output value derived from the control value or the output value of said output detection section stored in said storage section is set as a new target output, and said inverter circuit is controlled so that the output of said inverter circuit agrees with the new target output, and when said first movement detection section detects a movement of said object, said control section shifts to said first output mode.