IP Library Granted Patent US 12677355
Granted Patent B2
US 12677355 · App. 17/465,559 · Granted Jul 7, 2026

Induction heating unit adjustment device and adjusting method for an adjustment of at least one field former element of an induction heating unit

Inventor: Alexander Zoller (Pleidelsheim, DE)
Assignee: E. ZOLLER GMBH & CO. KG EINSTELL—UND MESSGERAETE
H05B6/06B23P11/027H05B6/14
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12677355
App. No.
17/465,559
Granted
Jul 7, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An induction heating unit adjustment device for an adjustment of at least one field shape of an alternating field of an induction coil of an induction heating unit has a field forming unit which is configured for a, preferably variable, shaping and/or shielding of the alternating field generated by the induction coil, comprising at least one field former element and a field former receiving unit, which is configured to hold the field former element in and/or on the induction heating unit, wherein the induction heating unit adjustment device further has an electronic sensor unit, which is configured for sensing a type and/or a position of the field former element that is held in and/or on the induction heating unit by the field former receiving unit, and for outputting an electronic measurement signal.

Claims (34)

1 . An induction heating unit adjustment device for an adjustment of at least one field shape of an alternating field of an induction coil of an induction heating unit,

having a field forming unit which is configured for a shaping and/or shielding of the alternating field generated by the induction coil, the field forming unit

comprising an exclusively manually operable field former receiving unit, holding field former elements movably and/or exchangeably in and/or on the induction heating unit

and

comprising movably supported field former elements, forming at least a portion of an iris aperture with an iris opening that is variable in size

or

comprising different exchangeable field former elements, forming at least a portion of an exchangeable disk of a plurality of exchangeable disks which are exchangeably insertable in the field former receiving unit and which in each case have a differently sized opening,

the induction heating unit adjustment device further having an electronic sensor unit, which is configured for sensing a type and/or a position of the field former element that is held in and/or on the induction heating unit by the field former receiving unit, and for outputting an electronic measurement signal,

the induction heating unit adjustment device further having an indicator unit, which is configured to output the type of field former element, meaning which field former element from a selection of a plurality of field former elements is positioned in the field former receiving unit, and/or a currently occupied rotational and/or translational position of the rotationally and/or translationally movable field former element relative to the induction coil that is monitored and/or sensed by the electronic sensor unit,

wherein the indicator unit is configured to indicate a deviation of the sensed type of field former element from a pre-selected type of the field former element and/or a deviation from a pre-selected rotational and/or translational position of the rotationally and/or translationally movable field former element relative to the induction coil by means of a deviation signal, or wherein the indicator unit is configured to indicate a match of the sensed type of field former element with a pre-selected type of the field former element and/or a match with a pre-selected rotational and/or translational position of the rotationally and/or translationally movable field former element relative to the induction coil by means of a matching signal.

2 . The induction heating unit adjustment device according to claim 1 , wherein the indicator unit comprises at least one luminous element.

3 . The induction heating unit adjustment device according to claim 1 , wherein the indicator unit comprises at least one color-changing element.

4 . The induction heating unit adjustment device according to claim 1 , wherein the indicator unit comprises at least one color-changing element, wherein the indicator unit is configured to indicate a deviation from a pre-selected type of the field former element and/or a deviation from a pre-selected position of the field former element by means of a deviation signal, and wherein the electronic sensor unit is configured to monitor an adjustment process that influences the type or the position of the field former element and, depending on a matching of the type or the position of the field former element with the pre-selection, to output the deviation signal or the matching signal by means of the color-changing element.

5 . The induction heating unit adjustment device according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic sensor unit comprises a potentiometer for a capturing of a respective current position of the field former element in the field former receiving unit and/or for a capturing of a type of the field former element that is currently arranged in the field former receiving unit.

6 . The induction heating unit adjustment device according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic sensor unit comprises a resistance measurement unit, which is at least configured for sensing characteristic ohmic resistances which are allocated to the respective exchangeable disks for a capturing of a field former element that is currently arranged in the field former receiving unit.

7 . The induction heating unit adjustment device according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic sensor unit comprises a transmitter-receiver system for a touch-free identification of types of field former elements and/or for a touch-free localization of positions of field former elements.

8 . An induction heating unit adjustment device for an adjustment of at least one field shape of an alternating field of an induction coil of an induction heating unit,

having a field forming unit which is configured for a shaping and/or shielding of the alternating field generated by the induction coil, the field forming unit

comprising a field former receiving unit, holding field former elements movably and/or exchangeably in and/or on the induction heating unit

and

comprising movably supported field former elements, forming at least a portion of an iris aperture with an iris opening that is variable in size

or

comprising different exchangeable field former elements, forming at least a portion of an exchangeable disk of a plurality of exchangeable disks which are exchangeably insertable in the field former receiving unit and which in each case have a differently sized opening, the induction heating unit adjustment device further having an electronic sensor unit, which is configured for sensing a type of field former element, meaning which field former element from a selection of a plurality of field former elements is positioned in the field former receiving unit, and/or which is configured for sensing a currently occupied rotational and/or translational position relative to the induction coil of the rotationally and/or translationally movable field former element that is held in and/or on the induction heating unit by the field former receiving unit, and for outputting an electronic measurement signal,

the induction heating unit adjustment device further comprising an indicator unit, which is configured to output the type of field former element and/or the currently occupied rotational and/or translational position of the rotationally and/or translationally movable field former element relative to the induction coil that is monitored and/or sensed by the electronic sensor unit,

wherein the indicator unit is configured to indicate a deviation of the sensed type of field former element from a pre-selected type of the field former element and/or a deviation of the sensed currently occupied rotational and/or translational position relative to the induction coil of the field former element from a pre-selected rotational and/or translational position of the rotationally and/or translationally movable field former element relative to the induction coil by means of a deviation signal

or

wherein the indicator unit is configured to indicate a match of the sensed type of field former element with a pre-selected type of the field former element and/or a match of the sensed currently occupied rotational and/or translational position relative to the induction coil of the field former element with a pre-selected rotational and/or translational position of the rotationally and/or translationally movable field former element relative to the induction coil by means of a matching signal.

9 . An induction heating unit adjustment device for an adjustment of at least one field shape of an alternating field of an induction coil of an induction heating unit, having a field forming unit which is configured for a shaping and/or shielding of the alternating field generated by the induction coil, the field forming unit

comprising an exclusively manually operable field former receiving unit, holding field former elements movably and/or exchangeably in and/or on the induction heating unit

and

comprising movably supported field former elements, forming at least a portion of an iris aperture with an iris opening that is variable in size

or

comprising different exchangeable field former elements, forming at least a portion of an exchangeable disk of a plurality of exchangeable disks which are exchangeably insertable in the field former receiving unit and which in each case have a differently sized opening, the induction heating unit adjustment device further having an electronic sensor unit, which is configured for sensing a type and/or a position of the field former element that is held in and/or on the induction heating unit by the field former receiving unit, and for outputting an electronic measurement signal,

wherein the indicator unit comprises at least one color-changing element, wherein the indicator unit is configured to indicate a deviation from a pre-selected type of the field former element and/or a deviation from a pre-selected position of the field former element by means of a deviation signal, and wherein the electronic sensor unit is configured to monitor an adjustment process that influences the type or the position of the field former element and, depending on a matching of the type or the position of the field former element with the pre-selection, to output the deviation signal or the matching signal by means of the color-changing element.