Patent Application
20240260190
The present invention relates to an induction cooking hob.
EP 3 599 793 A1 discloses an induction hob having a printed circuit board with driving circuitry, wherein the printed circuit board is mounted in a housing so as to be exposed to an air stream generated by a fan. Components of the drive circuitry such as IGBTs that require intensive cooling are mounted in a cutout of the printed circuit board at a bottom side of a cooling body.
The object of the present invention is to provide an induction cooking hob having a flexible design.
This object is solved by an induction cooking hob comprising at least one first board element and at least one second board element, wherein the first board element and at least one second board element each comprise at least one or more electrical and/or electronical component (s), wherein the first board element is electrically coupled to the second board element and wherein the first board element is directly mechanically coupled to the second board element.
Directly mechanically coupled shall be understood in particular such that the first board element and the second board element are in direct physical contact to each other. Direct coupling of a first board element and a second board element allows to provide the first board element with a first functionality, e.g. as a power board for the induction cooking hob configured and adapted for powering the induction cooking hob. The second board element can have a second functionality being different from the first functionality, e.g. the second board element may be configured and adapted as a control board for controlling the induction cooking hob and in particular for controlling the power electronics on the power board. The subject matter of the invention enables that surface mounted device (SMD) components that were arranged on a first board element or a power board in conventional induction cooking hobs according to the state of the art, can be shifted to be arranged on the second power board or the control board. This allows to reduce the overall dimensions of the power board. Additionally, the proposed solution enables increased modularity in a sense that one type of a first board element can be used for a wide range of induction cooking hobs, wherein the one type of the first board element can be combined with a variety of types of a second board element in order to provide variable control functionality. Furthermore, shifting the surface mounted device (SMD) components to the second board element simplifies the redesign of the induction cooking hob in the case of a shortage of a specifically used type of (SMD) microcontroller used on a specific control board. In such a case, the electric/electronic design of the first board element can be maintained, wherein only the electric/electronic design of the second board element has to be redesigned by using an available type of microcontroller.
According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention the first board element is a printed circuit board and/or in that the second board element is a printed circuit board, in particular wherein the first printed circuit board is a power board of the induction cooking hob and/or wherein the second printed circuit board is a control board of the induction cooking hob.
The positive effect of the invention is particular advantageous in a combination of a control board and a power board of an induction cooking hob. Thus, different types of induction cooking hobs can be provided with different control functionality and still may all comprise the same power board for powering the induction cooking hob. In general, a power board shall be understood as a board which comprises means for powering one or more induction elements such as induction coils of the induction cooking hob. Means for powering one or more induction coils may comprise one or more power generators of the induction cooking hob, wherein one or more power generators are associated to one induction coil in order to power the induction coil to which the one or more power generators are associated. Alternatively or additionally, such means may comprise a quasi-resonant inverter or a resonant half-bridge converter or an insulated gate bipolar transistor. A control board shall be understood as a board which comprises means for controlling operation of the induction cooking hob and specifically controlling the operation of the power board.
According to a further advantageous embodiment, the first board element comprises a paper based composite epoxy material, in particular including at least one or two layers of woven glass fabric, and the second board element comprises a glass reinforced epoxy laminate material.
In particular, the paper based composite epoxy material may be a CEM1 material which is a base material for printed circuit boards that is made of laminated paper. CEM1 has a core of paper, impregnated with epoxy and one layer of glass fabric. Due to the paper core, CEM1 is not suitable for through-plating. The glass reinforced epoxy laminate material may be a FR4 material which is a flame retardant. Since CEM1 is cheaper than FR4, the proposed solution allows cost reduction, since shifting of surface mounted device (SMD) components from the first board element to the second board element allows to provide the first board element to be made from CEM1 instead of FR4.
In a further advantageous embodiment, the first board element and/or the second board element comprise (s) a substantially flat and/or substantially planar substrate element, in particular wherein the substrate element of the second board element is arranged non-parallel, preferably orthogonal, to the substrate element of the first board element, wherein the substrate element of the second board element extends within, preferably passes through, at least one recess of the substrate element of the first board element.
Thus, first and second board element can be electrically and directly mechanically coupled without using any further connecting elements. In conventional solutions of the prior art, dual-in line connectors (so-called: DIL connectors) are required for mounting specific types of through hole mounted devices on the first board element, specifically on power boards. Printed circuit boards on which DIL connectors are mounted typically require a cost intensive electroless nickel immersion gold (so-called: ENIG-finish) which is a metal plating process used in the production of printed circuit boards to avoid oxidation and in order to improve the solderability of copper contacts and plated through holes. The proposed solution allows avoidance of DIL connectors on the first board element. Consequently, an ENIG-finish is not required for the first board element according to the invention. Further, non-parallel arrangement of the second board element allows to reduce the area of the first board element.
According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the substrate element of the second board element is directly soldered to the substrate element of the first board element, in particular wherein the substrate element of the second board element is additionally attached to the substrate element of the first board element by an adhesive.
By directly soldering the first to the second board element, electrical and mechanical coupling between the board elements can be established in one step. No additional connecting elements are necessary. In a case, wherein the soldering alone does not provide sufficient structural strength, an additional adhesive may be applied.
Furthermore, it may be advantageous if the second board element, in particular the substrate element of the second board element, comprises a projecting portion which passes through the recess provided in or on, in particular in the substrate element of, the first board element.
Thus, the structural strength or firmness of the mechanical coupling between the first and the second board element can be provided by the substrate element of the board elements which have a high rigidity and firmness as such. Additionally, first and second board element mutually support each other against mechanical deformation.
Advantageously, the first board element is in direct, in particular touching, contact to the second board element, in particular wherein the second board element comprises least one or two or more cutouts that are delimited by one or two or more bearing surfaces provided for bearing on the first board element and/or that are delimited by the projecting portion of the second board element.
The second board element can be inserted into the first board element and moved through the recess until the bearing surfaces abut to the substrate element of the first board element. Thus, the second board element can be easily disposed in its intended operating position relative to the first board element.
According to a further advantageous embodiment, the recess is a slot or slit or another appropriately formed opening being arranged in the substrate element of the second board element, in particular wherein the slot or the slit has a width being substantially identical to the thickness of the substrate element of the first board element.
E.g. it is possible to provide the dimensions of the recess and the thickness of the substrate element in way that a press fit or a play fit is achieved. Thus, a high strength of the mechanical connection between first and second board element can be achieved even before the soldering connection is applied. Alternatively, it is also possible to provide the slot or slit with a width being larger than the thickness of the substrate element of the first board element. In this case, insertion of the first board element into the slot or slit may be simplified.
Additionally, the recess can have a width in a range from 0, 8 mm to 3.2 mm, in particular in a range from 1 mm to 2 mm, preferably in a range from 1.4 mm to 1.8 mm. Additionally or alternatively, the projecting portion may protrude beyond the surface of the substrate element of the second board element in a range from 1 mm to 5 mm, in particular in a range from 2 mm to 4 mm, preferably 3 mm.
These ranges have been found as providing the highest stability for the mechanical connection as well as being advantageously adapted to the soldering process, in that the solder can be sufficiently applied to the corner formed by the first and second board element in a simple way.
Further advantageously, the projecting portion comprises a plurality of conductors, wherein a part of the plurality or all of the conductors are provided for being electrically connected to respective corresponding conductors arranged on the first board element, wherein a part of the plurality or all of the conductors are provided for being fixedly assigned to the respective corresponding conductors arranged on the second board element.
The conductors of the second board element are specifically configured and adapted to be soldered to their respective counterpart conductors of the first board elements. Thus, it is possible to move the conductors of the second board element into their position fitting with their counterpart conductors on the first board element by simply moving or inserting the second board element into position within the first board element.
According to a furthermore advantageous embodiment, the form of the projecting portion and/or the position of the conductors on the projecting portion is adapted to the form of the recess and/or to the position of the respective corresponding conductors on the first board element such that the conductors on the projecting portion and the corresponding conductors on the first board element exactly fit together after insertion of the projecting portion into the recess, in particular such that the conductors can be electrically and/or mechanically connected to their fixedly assigned counterparts on the first board element, preferably by a soldering process, after insertion of the projecting portion into the recess.
Thus, connection of the first and second board element is enabled in a very simple way without the use of any additional connectors. Additionally, the electrical coupling between first and second board element, specifically between the conductors of first and second board element can be established in a very precise and simple way.
It is also advantageous to arrange the second board element in a peripheral region of the first board element adjacent to a first peripheral edge and/or adjacent to a second peripheral edge of the first board element, in particular such that a longitudinal extension of the second board element is substantially parallel to the first peripheral edge of the first board element and/or such that a longitudinal extension of the second board element is substantially orthogonal to the second peripheral edge of the first board element.
The second board element may be arranged in a corner region of the first board element. Providing the second board element close to the peripheral edges of the first board element allows to provide a compact design of the assembly of first and second board element. Further, such an arrangement allows safe manual insertion of the second board element into the first board element. The worker can insert the second board element in a peripheral region of the first board element and thus can avoid to reach into a section where electrical and/or electronical components are disposed but not yet mechanically fixed since the soldering process for fixing the electrical and/or electronical components and the second board element has not yet been carried out. Unintended manipulation of the electrical and/or electronical components can be avoided.
According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, at least one third board element is provided, wherein the third board element may be electrically coupled and directly mechanically coupled to the first board element in the same way as the second board element, in particular wherein the second board element and the third board element are arranged in different peripheral regions of the first board element, preferably that are opposite to each other, in particular wherein the first board element comprises circuitry in the region between second board element and the third board element and wherein the region of the first board element between the second board element and the first peripheral edge does not comprise any circuitry and/or wherein the region of the first board element between the third board element and a peripheral edge adjacent to the third board element does not comprise any circuitry.
Providing a third or a fourth or more additional board elements allows to provide additional and variable functionality on the first board element. For example, it is possible to provide control boards for each induction coil or to separate the electrical and/or electronical components of one control board and to distribute the components on two or more control boards.
According to a further advantageous embodiment, the first board element comprises exclusively through hole mounted electrical and/or electronical components, and/or characterized in that the second board element and/or the third board element comprises exclusively surface mounted device electrical and/or electronical components.
Accordingly, it is possible to combine the first and second board elements to one common board including two different types of electric and/or electronical components, wherein costs can be reduced and the performance of the board can be improved.
Furthermore, a method for producing an induction cooking hob according to the invention is suggested, wherein the first board element comprises through hole mounted components and wherein the second board element and the through hole mounted components are soldered to the first board element in one soldering step.
Quick and efficient mounting of the electric and/or electronic components is, thus, possible. Additionally, first and second board elements comprising different substrate element materials and different types of electric and/or electronical components can be combined to one common board in order to provide a large variety of functionality.
The invention will be explained in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The electric and/or electronic components comprise four induction coils 14 and a first board element 18 in the form of a printed circuit board. One or more generators 26, components of a power supply 38, mains supply inputs 36 that may comprise electric or electronic filter elements are mounted to the printed circuit board. Further, the first board element 18 comprises a heat sink 24 for cooling the electrical and/or electronic components.
In the specific embodiment shown in
Further, a second and a third board element 16, 22 are provided in association with the first board element 18. Second and third board element 16, 22 are also provided in the form of a printed circuit board. Each of the board elements 16, 22 may comprise one or more microcontrollers and other circuitry, such as resistors, capacitors etc. and are provided in order to control operation of the induction cooking hob, in particular to control operation of the induction coils and more specifically to control operation of the power board. In particular, the third board element 22 may be coupled electrically and mechanically to the first board element 18 in the same way as the second board element 16, but may have different circuitry.
The housing 12 if the induction cooking hob 10 has supporting means for fixedly supporting the first board element 18 within the accommodation space. Specifically, the first board element 18 is fixedly supported in the accommodation space such that it is arranged in a horizontal position, when the induction cooking hob is installed in a kitchen under normal operating conditions. Accordingly, the second and third board elements 16, 22 are arranged in a vertical position, i.e. orthogonal relative to the first board element 18.
In this specific case, the second board element 16 has a substantially rectangular form, wherein cutouts 32 are provided in two opposing corner regions, such that the projecting portion 30 is formed by the portion of the second board element 16 that is arranged between the cutouts 32. By the way of providing the cutouts 32, the second board element 16 has a bearing surface 40 in the corner regions, where the cutouts 32 are provided, i.e. on bearing surface on side of the second board element 16.
As shown in
Subsequent to the insertion of the projecting portion 30 into recess 28, first and the second board elements 18, 16 are connected to each other by a soldering process, in particular by a wave-soldering process.
The soldering process used for connecting the first and second board elements 18, 16 may be the same soldering process used for connecting through hole mounted components to the first board element 18. E.g. it is possible to equip the first board element 18 with through hole mounted components by inserting pins of through hole mounted components into through holes of the first board element 18 and to equip the first board element 18 with the second board element 16 by inserting the projecting portion 30 into the recess 28 in the same manufacturing step. The free end sections of the pins of the through hole mounted components and the projecting portion 30 protrude on the same side, i.e. the lower side of the first board element. Subsequently, the through hole mounted components and the second board element 16 are soldered in the same soldering step to the first board element 18.
The form of the projecting portion 30 and the position of the conductors 34, specifically of their solder pads, on the projecting portion 30 is adapted to the form of the recess 28 and to the position of the corresponding conductors, specifically of the solder pads of the corresponding conductors, on the first board element 18 such that the conductors 34 on the projecting portion 30 and the corresponding conductors on the first board element 18 exactly fit together after insertion of the projecting portion 30 into the recess 28 such that after insertion of the projecting portion 30 into the recess 28, the second board element 16 needs not to be moved further relative to the first board element 18 before the first and second board elements 16, 18 are soldered together.
A specific advantage of the arrangement and connection of the first board element 18 with the second board element 16 is that the SMD (surface mounted device) components can be provided in a surface mounting process on the second board element 16 in a previous manufacturing step, wherein the second board element 16 can be mounted and soldered to the first board element 18 in a subsequent manufacturing step.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21173458.7 | May 2021 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2022/061411 | 4/28/2022 | WO |
