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: 10973091
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an induction heat cooking apparatus including a power supply configured to supply an alternating current (AC) voltage, a rectifier configured to rectify the supplied AC voltage into a direct current (DC) voltage, first and second switching units configured to control switching such that the DC voltage from the rectifier is alternately applied to a working coil, a comparison unit configured to sense current flowing in the working coil and to compare the sensed current with a predetermined reference value to output pulses, and a controller configured to determine whether a cooking vessel is present on the working coil based on the output pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Seongho Son, Taewoong Kong, Younghwan Kwack, Jaekyung Yang, Yongsoo Lee, Hyojin Choi
  • Patent number: 10925123
    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 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignees: LG Electronics Inc., ULSAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Younghwan Kwack, Jaekyung Yang, Seongho Son, Yongsoo Lee, Jeehoon Jung, Hwapyeong Park, Mina Kim
  • Publication number: 20200158905
    Abstract: A method controls an induction heating device that is configured to operate based on a multi-phase power supply and that includes a working coil configured to heat an object and a controller configured to detect the object. The method includes: receiving voltage information related to a first input voltage and a second input voltage that are supplied by the multi-phase power supply and that have different phases from each other; selecting a reference voltage among the first input voltage and the second input voltage based on the voltage information; determining a detection time point, which corresponds to a time instant at which a detection operation is to be performed for detecting the object on the working coil, based on the reference voltage; and performing the detection operation at the detection time point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Publication date: May 21, 2020
    Inventors: Younghwan KWACK, Seongho SON, Jaekyung YANG, Yongsoo LEE
  • Publication number: 20200154531
    Abstract: An induction heating device includes a working coil, an inverter including a first switching element and a second switching element; a gate driver including a first sub-gate driver and a second sub-gate driver; and a protection circuit disposed between the inverter and the gate driver. The protection circuit includes a first resistor disposed between a gate terminal of the first switching element and an output terminal of the first sub-gate driver, a second resistor connected electrically in parallel to the first resistor, a protection circuit resistor disposed between a reference voltage terminal of the first sub-gate driver and a first node between the first switching element and the second switching element, a protection circuit diode disposed between a ground and a second node between the protection circuit resistance and the reference voltage terminal, and a bootstrap circuit disposed between the second node and the external power supply.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2019
    Publication date: May 14, 2020
    Inventors: Younghwan KWACK, Seongho SON, Jaekyung YANG, Yongsoo LEE
  • Publication number: 20200154529
    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: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2019
    Publication date: May 14, 2020
    Inventors: Younghwan KWACK, Seongho SON, Jaekyung YANG, Yongsoo LEE
  • Publication number: 20200029397
    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: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2019
    Publication date: January 23, 2020
    Inventors: Younghwan KWACK, Kyelyong KANG, Seongho SON, Seonho JEON
  • Publication number: 20200029398
    Abstract: A method for sensing a container includes: charging an induction heating circuit; sensing a current applied to the induction heating circuit, converting a current value of the current into a first voltage value; comparing the first voltage value with a resonance reference value; generating a resonance of the current; sensing a resonant current generated in the induction heating circuit; converting the resonant current into a second voltage value; comparing the second voltage value with a count reference value; generating one or more output pulses; comparing a count of the one or more output pulses with a reference count, or comparing an on-duty time of the one or more output pulses with a reference time; and based on (i) the comparison of the count with the reference count or (ii) the comparison of the on-duty time with the reference time, determining whether an object is present on a working coil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2019
    Publication date: January 23, 2020
    Inventors: Younghwan KWACK, Seongho SON, Jaekyung YANG, Yongsoo LEE
  • Publication number: 20190357317
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an induction heating device having an improved control algorithm and an improved circuit structure. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an induction heating device includes: a first board having, thereon: a first working coil; a first inverter for performing a switching operation to apply a resonant current to the first working coil; and a first control unit configured for controlling an operation of the first inverter; and a second board having, thereon: a second working coil; a second inverter for performing a switching operation to apply a resonant current to the second working coil; and a second control unit configured for controlling an operation of the second inverter, wherein the first control unit is configured for enabling the first and second working coils to operate concurrently at an in-phase or 180-degrees out-of-phase.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2018
    Publication date: November 21, 2019
    Inventors: Younghwan KWACK, Seongho SON, Jaekyung YANG, Yongsoo LEE
  • Publication number: 20190357320
    Abstract: An induction heating device includes: a first board including a first working coil, a first inverter configured to apply a resonant current to the first working coil, a first current transformer configured to adjusting a magnitude of the first resonant current, a first control unit configured to control the first inverter; and a second board including a second working coil, a second inverter configured to apply a resonant current to the second working coil, a second current transformer configured to adjust a magnitude of the second resonant current, a first relay configured to selectively connect the second working coil to the second current transformer or to the first working coil, a second relay configured to selectively connect the second working coil to the first working coil or to the second resonant capacitor, and a second control unit configure to control the second inverter, the first relay, and the second relay.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2018
    Publication date: November 21, 2019
    Inventors: Younghwan KWACK, Seongho SON, Jaekyung YANG, Yongsoo LEE
  • Publication number: 20190327794
    Abstract: An induction heating device includes: a working coil set including a first working coil connected to a first resonant capacitor and a second working coil connected to a second resonant capacitor; an inverter that performs a switching operation to apply a resonant current to at least one of the first or second working coil; a current transformer that adjusts a magnitude of the resonant current and that transmits the resonant current having the adjusted magnitude to the working coil set; a first relay that selectively connects a first end of the second working coil to the current transformer or the second resonant capacitor; a second relay that selectively connects a to second end of the second working coil to an end of the first working coil or the second resonant capacitor; and a control unit configured to control operations of the inverter and the first and second relays, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2018
    Publication date: October 24, 2019
    Inventors: Younghwan KWACK, Seongho SON, Jaekyung YANG, Yongsoo LEE
  • Publication number: 20190297685
    Abstract: An induction heating device includes a casing, a cover plate coupled to a top of the casing, and a first induction heating module located within the casing and configured to heat an object on the cover plate. The first induction heating module includes: a working coil; an inverter configured to apply a resonant current to the working coil; a light guide located outside of the working coil, where the light guide includes a light-emission surface that is located at a top of the light guide, that is configured to indicate whether the working coil is driven, and that is configured to indicate an intensity of the working coil; a light emitting element vertically located below the light guide and configured to emit light to the light guide; and a control module configured to control the inverter and the light emitting element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2018
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Inventors: Hyo Jin AN, Younghwan KWACK, Seongho SON, Jaekyung YANG, Yongsoo LEE
  • Publication number: 20190045586
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an induction heat cooking apparatus including a power supply configured to supply an alternating current (AC) voltage, a rectifier configured to rectify the supplied AC voltage into a direct current (DC) voltage, first and second switching units configured to control switching such that the DC voltage from the rectifier is alternately applied to a working coil, a comparison unit configured to sense current flowing in the working coil and to compare the sensed current with a predetermined reference value to output pulses, and a controller configured to determine whether a cooking vessel is present on the working coil based on the output pulses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2018
    Publication date: February 7, 2019
    Inventors: Seongho SON, Taewoong KONG, Younghwan KWACK, Jaekyung YANG, Yongsoo LEE, Hyojin CHOI
  • Publication number: 20180192479
    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: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2018
    Publication date: July 5, 2018
    Inventors: Younghwan KWACK, Jaekyung YANG, Seongho SON, Yongsoo LEE, Jeehoon JUNG, Hwapyeong PARK, Mina KIM