Patents by Inventor Younghwan KWACK

Younghwan KWACK has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11950347
    Abstract: An induction heat cooking apparatus that includes: a rectifier that is configured to convert alternating current (AC) voltage supplied from an external power source into direct current (DC) voltage; an inverter that is configured to generate current based on DC voltage received from the rectifier and provide the current to output nodes; heating coils that are configured to, based on the current generated by the inverter, generate magnetic fields for providing heat; a first capacitive unit that includes one or more resonance capacitors and that is coupled between the output nodes; a second capacitive unit that includes one or more wireless power transfer (WPT) capacitors and that is configured to be coupled between the output nodes; and a mode conversion switch that is configured to couple the second capacitive unit to the first capacitive unit in parallel is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignees: LG ELECTRONICS, ULSAN NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Younghwan Kwack, Jaekyung Yang, Seongho Son, Yongsoo Lee, Jeehoon Jung, Hwapyeong Park, Mina Kim
  • Publication number: 20240064878
    Abstract: An induction heating type cooktop includes a case, an upper plate coupled to a top of the case and configured to support an object, a working coil disposed inside the case and configured to heat the object, a thin film arranged at a top surface of the upper plate or a bottom surface of the upper plate, at least one temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of at least one of components of the induction heating type cooktop, the components including the thin film, and a microcontroller unit (MCU) configured to drive the working coil and to control an output of the working coil based on whether the temperature satisfies at least one condition that is preset for the at least one of the components.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2023
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Inventors: Chuhyoung CHO, Seongho SON, Younghwan KWACK, Seonho JEON, Jongseong JI
  • Publication number: 20240057226
    Abstract: A cooking appliance includes a top plate portion configured to support an object to be heated; an intermediate heating body configured to transfer heat to the object; and a plurality of working coils configured to generate a magnetic field to heat at least a portion of the object to be heated and the intermediate heating body. Also, the intermediate heating body includes one or more heating areas corresponding to one or more working coils among the plurality of working coils.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2023
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Applicant: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Younghwan KWACK, Seongho SON, Seonho JEON, Chuhyoung CHO, Jongseong JI
  • Publication number: 20240015857
    Abstract: An induction heating type cooktop according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may comprise: a case; a cover plate which is coupled to an upper end of the case and has an upper plate portion having an upper surface on which an object to be heated is disposed; a working coil provided inside the case; an inverter for applying a voltage to the working coil; a thin film which is provided on the lower surface of the upper plate portion and is inductively heated by the working coil; and a magnetic container determination unit which determines whether a magnetic container is present on the upper surface of the upper plate portion on the basis of an output power according to an operating frequency of the inverter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2021
    Publication date: January 11, 2024
    Inventors: Chuhyoung CHO, Seongho SON, Younghwan KWACK
  • Patent number: 11849525
    Abstract: An induction heating type cooktop includes a case, an upper plate coupled to a top of the case and configured to support an object, a working coil disposed inside the case and configured to heat the object, a thin film arranged at a top surface of the upper plate or a bottom surface of the upper plate, at least one temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of at least one of components of the induction heating type cooktop, the components including the thin film, and a microcontroller unit (MCU) configured to drive the working coil and to control an output of the working coil based on whether the temperature satisfies at least one condition that is preset for the at least one of the components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Chuhyoung Cho, Seongho Son, Younghwan Kwack, Seonho Jeon, Jongseong Ji
  • Publication number: 20230397305
    Abstract: The present disclosure comprises: a case; a cover plate coupled to the upper end of the case and provided with an upper plate on which an object to be heated is disposed; a working coil provided inside the case; a thermal insulation material provided between the upper plate and the working coil; a first thin film provided on the lower surface of the upper plate and the inductively heated by the working coil; and a second thin film provided on the upper surface of the upper plate and contacting the object to be heated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2020
    Publication date: December 7, 2023
    Inventors: Seonghoon HWANG, Wontae KIM, Seongjun KIM, Seongho SON, Younghwan KWACK
  • Publication number: 20230371139
    Abstract: A cooking appliance includes a magnetic field control module that selectively cancels a portion of a magnetic field reaching an intermediate heating element generated from a working coil. The magnetic field control module may include a canceling coil and a switch capable of closing or opening the canceling coil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2023
    Publication date: November 16, 2023
    Applicant: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Younghwan KWACK, Seongho SON
  • Publication number: 20230363061
    Abstract: A cooking appliance includes a coil height adjustor configured to adjust a height of a working coil or a plurality of working coils located at different height and an inverter configured to control the current flow through the working coil or at least one working coil of the plurality of working coils.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2023
    Publication date: November 9, 2023
    Applicant: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Younghwan KWACK, Seongho SON
  • Publication number: 20230354484
    Abstract: A cooking appliance includes an upper plate configured to support an object to be heated, a first intermediate heating body located at the upper plate, a plurality of working coils configured to generate magnetic fields coupled to at least one of the object to be heated and the first intermediate heating body, an inverter configured to apply current to the plurality of working coils, and a controller configured to control the inverter so that at least one of the plurality of working coils does not operate in a portion of a cycle in a first heating mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2023
    Publication date: November 2, 2023
    Applicant: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Younghwan KWACK, Seongho SON
  • Publication number: 20230354483
    Abstract: A cooking appliance includes an upper plate configured to support an object to be heated, a working coil configured to generate a magnetic field to heat the object to be heated, an inverter configured apply current to the working coil, an intermediate heating body located at the upper plate, the intermediate heating body configured to generate an eddy current when the magnetic field passes therethrough, and a switch configured to connect a first point and a second point on the intermediate heating body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2023
    Publication date: November 2, 2023
    Applicant: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Younghwan KWACK, Seongho SON
  • Publication number: 20230337336
    Abstract: An induction heating type cooktop includes an upper plate coupled to a top side of a case and configured to place an object to be heated on a top of the upper plate, a working coil disposed inside the case to heat the object, a thin film disposed on at least one of a top surface or a bottom surface of the upper plate, an insulator disposed between the bottom surface of the upper plate and the working coil, and a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of at least one of the thin film or the upper plate by a plurality of thermocouples.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2023
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Inventors: Seonho JEON, Seongho SON, Younghwan KWACK, Chuhyoung CHO, Jongseong JI
  • Publication number: 20230292411
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes an induction heating cooktop and a wireless indicator for indicating an operation state of the cooktop, the wireless indicator comprising: a closed loop coil; and a light-emitting device driven by a voltage which is induced in the closed loop coil through an induced magnetic field generated by a working coil of the cooktop.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2020
    Publication date: September 14, 2023
    Applicant: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Younghwan KWACK, Seongho SON, Seonho JEON, Chuhyoung CHO, Jongseong JI
  • Patent number: 11729867
    Abstract: An induction heating type cooktop includes an upper plate coupled to a top side of a case and configured to place an object to be heated on a top of the upper plate, a working coil disposed inside the case to heat the object, a thin film disposed on at least one of a top surface or a bottom surface of the upper plate, an insulator disposed between the bottom surface of the upper plate and the working coil, and a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of at least one of the thin film or the upper plate by a plurality of thermocouples.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Seonho Jeon, Seongho Son, Younghwan Kwack, Chuhyoung Cho, Jongseong Ji
  • Publication number: 20230171856
    Abstract: An induction heating type cooktop according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a case; a cover plate configured to be coupled to the upper end of the case and provided with an upper plate portion on which an object to be heated is disposed; a thin film configured to be coated on the upper plate portion; a first working coil and a second working coil provided inside the case; an inverter configured to be connected to the first working coil; and a first switch configured to be connected between the first working coil and the second working coil. The first switch may determine whether the first working coil and the second working coil are connected in series.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2021
    Publication date: June 1, 2023
    Applicant: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Younghwan KWACK, Chuhyoung CHO, Seongho SON, Seonho JEON, Jongseong JI
  • Publication number: 20230170789
    Abstract: A protection circuit of a resonant converter including first and second switches, where the protection circuit comprises: a comparator configured to (i) compare a direct current (DC) link voltage of the resonant converter with a voltage across both ends of one of the first or second switches and (ii) output one or more signals based on the comparison, and a microcomputer configured to detect whether zero voltage switching is performed, based on the one or more output signals from the comparator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2021
    Publication date: June 1, 2023
    Inventors: Younghwan KWACK, Seongho SON, Seonho JEON, Chuhyoung CHO, Jongseong JI
  • Publication number: 20230156872
    Abstract: An induction heating type cooktop according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a case; a cover plate configured to be coupled to an upper end of the case and provided with an upper plate portion on which an object to be heated is disposed; a thin film configured to be coated on the upper plate portion and having an opening in a center thereof; a working coil provided inside the case and including a first working coil and a second working coil; and at least one inverter configured to be driven to allow electric currents to flow through the first working coil and the second working coil, wherein a direction of the electric current flowing through the first working coil is the same as or different from a direction of the electric current flowing through the second working coil according to the object to be heated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2021
    Publication date: May 18, 2023
    Inventors: Younghwan KWACK, Seongho SON, Seonho JEON, Chuhyoung CHO, Jongseong JI
  • Publication number: 20230134447
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an induction heating type cooktop and includes a case; a cover plate configured to be coupled to the upper end of the case and provided with an upper plate portion on which an object to be heated is disposed; a working coil provided inside the case; a thin film configured to be coated on the upper plate portion and to be inductively heated by the working coil; and an adiabatic material provided between the upper plate portion and the working coil, in which the thin film may be formed to have at least one closed loop that does not include a central region of the working coil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2021
    Publication date: May 4, 2023
    Inventors: Younghwan KWACK, Seongho SON, Seonho JEON, Chuhyoung CHO, Jongseong JI, Keeyoung SON, Boogyo SIM
  • Patent number: 11569729
    Abstract: Provided is a resonant power conversion apparatus including a gate control circuit that controls a first switch to enter an On state and a second switch to enter an Off state at a first stage and controls the first switch to enter the Off state and the second switch to enter the On state at a second stage, a first current transformer that applies current to the first switch at the first stage and applies current to the second switch at the second stage, a load connected to the first current transformer in series, a second current transformer connected to the second switch, and a microcontroller unit (MCU) that determines whether to be zero voltage switching or non-zero voltage switching based on a current flowing in the first current transformer and the second current transformer in a process of transitioning from the first stage to the second stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Seonho Jeon, Seongho Son, Younghwan Kwack, Chuhyoung Cho, Jongseong Ji
  • Patent number: 11528782
    Abstract: Described is a method for controlling an induction heating device having one or more working coils and a controller configured to perform pre-testing based on a single pulse. The method includes: selecting a working coil to be tested, performing a detection operation to detect a vessel disposed on the working coil and generate a first output pulse; comparing at least one of: a count of the first output pulse to a predetermined reference count range, or an on-duty time of the first output pulse to a predetermined reference time range; and adjusting, by the controller, a duration of an on-state of the single pulse based on (i) a result of the comparison of the count of the first output pulse to the predetermined reference count range or (ii) a result of the comparison of the on-duty time of the first output pulse to the predetermined reference time range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Younghwan Kwack, Seongho Son, Jaekyung Yang, Yongsoo Lee
  • Patent number: 11470694
    Abstract: An induction heating device includes an induction heating circuit, a sensor configured to measure current applied to the induction heating circuit, and a controller. The controller includes: a switch driving unit configured to control operation of an inverter unit and to allow a resonance of the current, a container sensing unit, and a control unit. The container sensing unit is configured to: convert a first current value before the resonance into a first voltage value; control the switch driving unit to charge a working coil; compare the first voltage value with a resonance reference value; convert a second current value after the resonance into a second voltage value; generate one or more output pulses; and compare the second voltage value with a count reference value. The control unit is configured to determine whether an object is present on the working coil based on the one or more output pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Younghwan Kwack, Kyelyong Kang, Seongho Son, Seonho Jeon