Flexible Induction Heating Using Magnetic Resonant Coupling

This paper proposes and implements the concept of flexible induction heating based on the magnetic resonant coupling (MRC) mechanism. In conventional induction heating systems, the variation of the relative position between the heater and workpiece significantly deteriorates the heating performance. In particular, the heating effect dramatically reduces with the increase of vertical displacement or horizontal misalignment. This paper utilizes the MRC mechanism to effectuate flexible induction heating; thus, handling the requirements of varying vertical displacement and horizontal misalignment for various cooking styles. Differing from a conventional induction heating, the proposed induction heating adopts one resonant coil in the heater and one resonant coil in the workpiece, which can significantly strengthen the coupling effect, and, hence, the heating effect. Both the simulation and experimental results are given to validate the feasibility and flexibility of the proposed induction heating.