Abstract: A method of conditioning a coater for removing water and/or moisture from a processing area of the coater is provided, the processing area comprising at least one pump compartment and at least one sputtering compartment. The method comprises the steps of loading conditioning substrates into the processing area, so that the processing area is substantially filled with the conditioning substrates and conditioning the coater by starting a sputtering process in the processing area and/or by heating of at least the one pump compartment. During conditioning, the conditioning substrates perform an oscillating movement in the processing area.

Abstract: A method for heating a cooking vessel on a hob with a plurality of heating devices is described. Each heating device has a heating region in which a cooking vessel can be arranged in order to be heated by the heating device under the control of a power supply. The cooking vessel has a temperature sensor together with an evaluation apparatus and a transmitting apparatus for transmitting an identification and temperature data. A controller controls the heating device in a specific manner and evaluates the received temperature data using a plurality of plausibility checks in order to determine whether said data match the operation of the heating device. If these plausibility checks are passed, the cooking vessel is assigned to the heating device.

Abstract: A hob plate above a radiant heating device and a safety temperature limiter between said radiant heating device and hob plate, which safety temperature limiter is designed to deactivate the radiant heating device when a switch-off temperature is reached. To actuate the radiant heating device, a cooking vessel is first placed on the hob plate above the radiant heating device and then the radiant heating device is activated and at the same time detection of a first switch-on time starts. When a switch-off temperature is reached at the safety temperature limiter, the radiant heating device is deactivated by said safety temperature limiter. The first switch-on time that has elapsed up to that point between activation and deactivation of the radiant heating device is detected and compared with a predefined limit switch-on time. If the first switch-on time lies below the limit switch-on time the radiant heating device is switched off.

Abstract: A hob has a radiant heating device, a hob plate above said radiant heating device and a safety temperature limiter between said radiant heating device and hob plate, which safety temperature limiter is designed to deactivate the radiant heating device when a switch-off temperature is reached. In order to actuate the radiant heating device, a cooking vessel is first placed on the hob plate above the radiant heating device and then the radiant heating device is activated and at the same time detection of a first switch-on time starts. When a switch-off temperature is reached at the safety temperature limiter, the radiant heating device is deactivated by said safety temperature limiter. The first switch-on time that has elapsed up to that point between activation and deactivation of the radiant heating device is detected and compared with a predefined limit switch-on time. If the first switch-on time lies below the limit switch-on time the radiant heating device is switched off.

Abstract: In the interests of improved temperature detection and temperature control of a cooking appliance on a hob by means of an induction coil, the cooking appliance has specific and individual identification. This can be contained in an NFC tag, by way of identification means. This identification can be read out on a hob, either by means of the hob itself or by means of a mobile telephone, and transferred to a database in an Internet cloud storage facility. From the latter, specific characteristics for this cooking appliance can be downloaded and employed for a temperature-controlled heating of the cooking appliance.

Abstract: A hob has a hob plate for putting a pan having a remote communication device thereon and multiple heating devices under said hob plate, a hob controller and a main communication device having a transmitter and a receiver for communicating with the pan to measure a distance between itself and the remote communication device. Said main communication device belongs to the hob controller and is designed to use a Bluetooth communication protocol and to receive an individual identifier of the remote communication device and to store the latter in the hob controller. The hob and the main communication device are switched on and a pan having a remote communication device is put onto the hob plate, this being detected. The distance between the main communication device and the remote communication device of the pan is then measured, and the pan position of the pan on the hob is thus determined. This pan position is stored along with the individual identifier of the remote communication device in the hob controller.

Abstract: A cooktop is designed to be operated either in a cooking operation or in a lighting operation, with the modes of operation not being able to occur together. Within cooking operation, the cooktop controller controls heating devices of the cooktop and light sources of the cooktop in a cooking lighting mode, wherein a luminosity of the light sources is limited to a cooking luminosity below the maximum luminosity in the process. Within lighting operation, the light sources are not controllable by the cooktop controller but can only be controlled by the light controller in an illumination lighting mode, wherein to this end the light controller receives the corresponding commands for the light sources from an external control apparatus by way of a communications device. In this case, a luminosity of the light sources can be maximal.

Abstract: A heating device for a hob has a flat rectangular carrier with an outer edge, two heating elements which each have a heating conductor and which together form a heating area and which are fastened on the carrier, wherein each heating element defines a partial heating area, and the partial heating areas are situated inside the rectangular shape of the carrier. The heating elements and their partial heating areas can be operated independently of one another. The partial heating areas of the heating elements do not intersect. A first partial heating area is rectangular and extends, by way of at least one of its outer sides, to the outer edge of the carrier and runs parallel in relation to the outer edge. A second partial heating area covers the portion of the rest of the carrier which is left free by the first partial heating area. Various configurations of heated areas can be achieved owing to the independent operation.

Abstract: A method for heating a cooking vessel on a hob with a plurality of heating devices is described. Each heating device has a heating region in which a cooking vessel can be arranged in order to be heated by the heating device under the control of a power supply. The cooking vessel has a temperature sensor together with an evaluation apparatus and a transmitting apparatus for transmitting an identification and temperature data. A controller controls the heating device in a specific manner and evaluates the received temperature data using a plurality of plausibility checks in order to determine whether said data match the operation of the heating device. If these plausibility checks are passed, the cooking vessel is assigned to the heating device.

Abstract: In a method for controlling a cooking appliance having heating devices and an internal cooking appliance controller by means of an external control device which is arranged outside the cooking appliance and may be a mobile telephone, this external control device provides the cooking appliance controller with control commands. The external control device is classified by the cooking appliance controller either as an automatic control device or as a manual control device, wherein its control commands are implemented by the cooking appliance controller after the classification. A check is carried out continuously or at intervals during operation of the cooking appliance in order to determine whether the classification still applies.

Abstract: In a method for operating a hob using a smartphone as external operating device, the presence of an operator close to the hob is queried, this being able to be performed by a presence sensor or by operating elements on the hob itself. If the operator is present at the hob, then all of the operating commands from the smartphone are implemented at the hob. As soon as the presence of the operator is no longer able to be recorded at the hob, either no further operating commands from the smartphone are implemented or only operating commands by way of which a power of a heating device of the hob is reduced are implemented.

Abstract: A method for the operation of a radiant heating device for a cooktop, which device comprises two separately operable heating elements that are arranged in loops on a carrier and that are individually connectable to a power supply, and comprises a heat maintenance mode, a cooking mode and a boost mode. In the heat maintenance mode, only one heating element, with a single, fixed, relatively low heat maintenance power, is operated. In the cooking mode a different element is operated with adjustable power, and is adjusted between a relatively low minimum cooking power and a relatively high maximum cooking power. In the boost mode, all the heating elements of the radiant heating device are operated, wherein the power of all the heating elements is fixed and not adjustable.

Abstract: A radiant heating device for a hob has a sheet-like carrier with a carrier surface on its top side on which an electrical heating element runs in a meandering manner within an outer edge. A single temperature sensor is arranged in a temperature sensor housing which is arranged above a region which is free of heating elements. The temperature sensor housing covers the temperature sensor at the top and to the side and encloses the said temperature sensor in all directions. The temperature sensor housing is designed so as to be electrically insulating and thermally insulating at least at the top and to the side, wherein the said temperature sensor housing consists of an inner electrically insulating insulation housing part with the temperature sensor therein and an outer surrounding thermally insulating insulation housing part.

Abstract: In order to heat water in a cooking vessel which is placed above at least one induction heating coil of an induction hob, a controller drives the induction heating coil with a prespecified relatively high power density. During the heating, operating parameters of the induction heating coil are detected and evaluated by the controller in order to monitor a relative temperature profile of the temperature of a cooking vessel base. As soon as this relative temperature profile levels off to a considerable extent or a gradient of the relative temperature profile decreases, the controller identifies this and determines this as the situation of a “lightly boiling” state and of a temperature of a top side of the cooking vessel base which is 5° C. to 15° C. below the boiling point being reached. The power density is then automatically reduced for a predetermined hold time, wherein an operator can maintain this state or, after a certain time, heating up can be performed to a greater extent again automatically.

Abstract: A method for operating a hob for maintaining a state, which exists at the time of activation of the maintaining operation, at a cooking point of the hob with a cooking vessel on it detects a change in temperature of the cooking vessel as a change in state, wherein supplied power and/or a change in temperature of the cooking vessel are evaluated. A maintaining function for maintaining the state, which is indicated at this time, at the cooking point with a cooking vessel placed on it can be triggered. In doing so, the current state at the cooking point is classified as a process at the boiling point of water on the one hand and as a process which is different therefrom or as a process which takes place at a different temperature without a phase transition of water on the other hand.

Abstract: In order to detect whether a cooking vessel with an integrated controller or intelligence is arranged over an induction heating coil on an induction hob, the induction heating coils emit a short individual coding. This can be detected and evaluated by the cooking vessel, with the result that the cooking vessel emits a signal which corresponds to this coding and is received by an external operating device or the induction hob for the purpose of locally assigning this cooking vessel to this induction heating coil.

Abstract: A microwave generator for a microwave device includes a single component carrier for control components and power components, which includes a continuous carrier material. Two power regions and one control region are provided on the component carrier. In the control region, electrically functional components are arranged on both flat sides of the component carrier, while in the power regions, electrically functional components with at least one power switch are arranged only on an upper flat side, heat sinks being arranged on the lower flat side. An RF substrate is provided in regions on the upper flat side of the power region.

Abstract: In a method for operating an induction hob including a controller and including a cooking point including an induction heating coil, a relationship between a cooking vessel temperature and a heating power of the induction heating coil is stored in the controller as area power which results in a constant cooking vessel temperature during long-term operation. By monitoring whether the cooking vessel temperature remains constant, increases or drops when a first relatively low heating power is set after a heating time at a high heating power, it is possible to set a target temperature, which corresponds to the first relatively low heating power, for frying processes.

Abstract: A coated article includes a low emissivity (low-E) coating having at least one infrared (IR) reflecting layer of a material such as silver, gold, or the like, and at least one high refractive index layer of or including titanium oxide and at least one additional metal. A doped titanium oxide layer(s) is designed and deposited in a manner so as to be amorphous or substantially amorphous (as opposed to crystalline) in the low-E coating, so as to better withstand optional heat treatment (HT) such as thermal tempering and reduce haze. The high index layer may be a transparent dielectric high index layer in preferred embodiments, which may be provided for antireflection purposes and/or color adjustment purposes, in addition to having thermal stability.

Abstract: Certain example embodiments relate to a coated article including at least one infrared (IR) reflecting layer of a material such as silver or the like in a low-E coating, and methods of making the same. In certain cases, at least one layer of the coating is of or includes nickel and/or titanium (e.g., NixTiyOz). The provision of a layer including nickel titanium and/or an oxide thereof may permit a layer to be used that has good adhesion to the IR reflecting layer, and reduced absorption of visible light (resulting in a coated article with a higher visible transmission). When a layer including nickel titanium oxide is provided directly over and/or under the IR reflecting layer (e.g., as a barrier layer), this may result in improved chemical and mechanical durability. Thus, visible transmission may be improved if desired, without compromising durability; or, durability may simply be increased.