EP3577668A1

EP3577668A1 - Plug and play household appliance with improved electromagnetic compatibility and manufacturability

Info

Publication number: EP3577668A1
Application number: EP17707179.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Mustafa Olcay ALAGOZ; Sadullah UGUR; Gamze DAG; Ozhan KOLAY
Original assignee: Arcelik AS
Current assignee: Arcelik AS
Priority date: 2017-02-03
Filing date: 2017-02-03
Publication date: 2019-12-11
Also published as: WO2018141397A1; TR201801013A2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a plug and play household appliance (1), in particular to an induction cooker (1) comprising: electrical components (2); a metal casing (3) for enclosing the electrical components (2); a power cord (4) for supplying electric power to the electrical components (3), wherein the power cord (4) has a plug (5) for connection to the safety mains socket; and a cut-out (6) which opens into the metal casing (3) and through which the power cord (4) passes.

Description

PLUG AND PLAY HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE WITH IMPROVED ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY AND MANUFACTURABILITY

The present invention relates to a plug and play household appliance. The present invention more particularly relates to a plug and play induction cooker.
Plug and play household appliances such as induction cookers are commonly known in the art. A plug and play induction cooker generally comprises: electrical components including induction coils and the like; a metal casing for enclosing the electrical components; a power cord for supplying electric power to the electrical components, wherein the power cord has a plug for connection to the safety mains socket in the kitchen; and a cut-out which opens into the metal casing and through which the power cord passes. The plug and play household appliances are easy to install. The user mounts the plug into the safety mains socket, and takes the induction cooker into operation by means of the touch control panel.
DE3315286 discloses an induction cooker.
A problem with the prior art plug and play induction cooker is that the electromagnetic noise generated during the operation may interfere with other electrical appliances in the vicinity.
An objective of the present invention is to provide a plug and play household appliance which solves the aforementioned problems of the prior art in a cost-effective way and which has an improved electromagnetic compatibility and which has an improved manufacturability.
This objective has been achieved by the plug and play household appliance as defined in claim 1. Further achievements have been attained by the subject-matters respectively defined in the dependent claims.
The plug and play household appliance of the present invention comprises: a ground choke which is disposed into the metal casing, wherein the ground choke comprises: a ground cable which is at one of its ends connected to the metal casing; a first cable connector which is attached to the other end of the ground cable; and a filter for suppressing the electromagnetic interference, wherein the filter is installed directly onto the ground cable; and a second cable connector which is attached to the protective earth cable of the power cord, and adapted to pass together with the power cord through the cut-out, and to releasably connect with the first cable connector, wherein the cut-out has a shape and size which matches the circumference of the power cord.
A major advantageous effect of the present invention is that the electromagnetic compatibility of the plug and play household appliance has been improved by virtue of the ground choke that is incorporated into the metal casing, and thus the risk of causing electromagnetic interference in other electrical appliances in the vicinity can be eliminated or reduced as much as possible. Another major advantageous effect of the present invention is that the manufacturability of the plug and play household appliance has been improved by virtue of the ground choke that is releasably connectable with the power cord inserted into the metal casing. Another major advantageous effect of the present invention is that the safety of the plug and play household appliance has been improved so as to meet the European standards by virtue of the size and shape of the cut-out which allows insertion only of the power cord, and thus other sharp ended objects such as a fork or spoon, or the finger cannot be penetrated by a user through the cut-out into the metal casing. With the present invention, the user satisfaction can be increased.
Additional features and additional advantageous effects of the plug and play household appliance and the induction cooker of the present invention will become more apparent with the detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 – is a schematic partial perspective view of a plug and play household appliance, in particular an induction cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 – is another schematic partial perspective enlarged view of the plug and play household appliance of Fig. 1.
The reference signs appearing on the drawings relate to the following technical features.

Household appliance (induction cooker)
Electrical components
Metal casing
Power cord
Plug
Cut-out
Ground choke
Ground cable
First cable connector
Filter
Second cable connector
Protective earth cable
Toroidal magnet
Screw connection
Ring terminal
Screw
Nut
Phase cable
Neutral cable
Third cable connector
Fourth cable connector

The plug and play household appliance (1) comprises: electrical components (2); a metal casing (3) for enclosing the electrical components (2); a power cord (4) for supplying electric power to the electrical components (3), wherein the power cord (4) has a plug (5) for connection to the safety mains socket; a cut-out (6) which opens into the metal casing (3) and through which the power cord (4) passes (Fig. 1).
The plug and play household appliance (1) of the present invention comprises: a ground choke (7) which is disposed into the metal casing (3), wherein the ground choke (7) comprises: a ground cable (8) which is at one of its ends connected to the metal casing (3); a first cable connector (9) which is attached to the other end of the ground cable (8); and a filter (10) for suppressing the electromagnetic interference, wherein the filter (10) is installed directly onto the ground cable (8); and a second cable connector (11) which is attached to the protective earth cable (12) of the power cord (4), and adapted to pass together with the power cord (4) through the cut-out (6), and to releasably connect with the first cable connector (9), wherein the cut-out (6) has a shape and size which matches the circumference of the power cord (4) (Fig. 1).
In another embodiment, the filter (10) comprises a toroidal magnet (13) onto which the ground cable (8) is wound (Fig. 2). This embodiment is particularly advantageous as the electromagnetic interference can be more effectively filtered.
In another embodiment, the toroidal magnet (13) comprises ferrite. This embodiment is particularly advantageous as the ferrites are electrically non-conducting.
In another embodiment, the metal casing (3) comprises a screw connection (14); and the ground cable (8) comprises a ring terminal (15) that is connected to the metal casing (3) through the screw connection (14) (Fig. 1). This embodiment is particularly advantageous as the ground cable (8) can be easily connected to the metal casing (3).
In another embodiment, the screw connection (14) comprises: a screw hole which is formed into the metal casing (3); a screw (16) which passes through the ring terminal (15); and a nut (17) which fixes the ring terminal (15) (Fig. 1). This embodiment is particularly advantageous as the ground cable (8) can be securely fixed to the metal casing (3).
In another embodiment, that first cable connector (9) is a male connector, and the second cable connector (11) is a female connector (Fig. 2). This embodiment is particularly advantageous as the assembly operator can safely connect the first cable connector (9) and the second cable connector (11) after inserting the power cord (4) through the cut-out (6).
In another embodiment, the clearance between the power cord (4) and the cut-out (6) is sufficiently small such that a user cannot insert his/her finger through the clearance into the metal casing (3) (Fig. 2). This embodiment is particularly advantageous as the plug and play household appliance (1) has been improved so as to meet the safety standards.
In another embodiment, the first cable connector (9) and the second cable connector (11) can only be released upon application of a predetermined pulling force. This embodiment is particularly advantageous as the plug and play household appliance (1) has been further improved so as to meet the safety standards.
In another embodiment, the power cord (4) further comprises a single phase cable (18) and a neutral cable (19) (Fig. 2).This embodiment is particularly advantageous as the plug and play household appliance (1) can provided, for instance, with a power cord (4) suitable for 16 Amps and 250 Volts.
In another embodiment, the plug and play household appliance (1) further comprises a third cable connector (20) and a fourth cable connector (21) which are attached to the phase cable (18) and the neutral cable (19) respectively, and each is adapted to pass together with the power cord (4) through the cut-out (6) (Fig. 2). This embodiment is particularly advantageous as the power cord (4) can be easily inserted into the metal casing (3) through the cut-out (6), and assembled with the electrical components (2).
In another embodiment, the plug and play household appliance (1) is provided as an induction cooker (1) which comprises: one or more induction coils (not shown) for cooking the food (Fig. 1). This embodiment is particularly advantageous as the ground choke (7) can effectively suppress the electromagnetic interference during the operation of the induction coils.
In another embodiment, the induction cooker (1) is adapted for installation onto a kitchen counter (not shown). This embodiment is particularly advantageous as the the induction cooker (1) can be easily installed by the user.
A major advantageous effect of the present invention is that the electromagnetic compatibility of the plug and play household appliance (1) has been improved by virtue of the ground choke (7) that is incorporated into the metal casing (3), and thus the risk of causing electromagnetic interference in other electrical appliances in the vicinity can be eliminated or reduced as much as possible. Another major advantageous effect of the present invention is that the manufacturability of the plug and play household appliance (1) has been improved by virtue of the ground choke (7) that is releasably connectable with the power cord (4) inserted into the metal casing (3). Another major advantageous effect of the present invention is that the safety of the plug and play household appliance (1) has been improved so as to meet the European standards by virtue of the size and shape of the cut-out (6) which allows insertion only of the power cord (4), and thus other sharp ended objects such as a fork or spoon, or the finger cannot be penetrated by a user through the cut-out (6) into the metal casing (3). With the present invention, the user satisfaction can be increased. Other advantageous effects of the present invention can be taken from the above-described embodiments.

Claims

A plug and play household appliance (1), in particular an induction cooker (1) comprising: electrical components (2); a metal casing (3) for enclosing the electrical components (2); a power cord (4) for supplying electric power to the electrical components (3), wherein the power cord (4) has a plug (5) for connection to the safety mains socket; a cut-out (6) which opens into the metal casing (3) and through which the power cord (4) passes, characterized by further comprising: a ground choke (7) which is disposed into the metal casing (3), wherein the ground choke (7) comprises: a ground cable (8) which is at one of its ends connected to the metal casing (3); a first cable connector (9) which is attached to the other end of the ground cable (8); and a filter (10) for suppressing the electromagnetic interference, wherein the filter (10) is installed directly onto the ground cable (8); and a second cable connector (11) which is attached to the protective earth cable (12) of the power cord (4), and adapted to pass together with the power cord (4) through the cut-out (6), and to releasably connect with the first cable connector (9), wherein the cut-out (6) has a shape and size which matches the circumference of the power cord (4).
The plug and play household appliance (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the filter (10) comprises a toroidal magnet (13) onto which the ground cable (8) is wound.
The plug and play household appliance (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the toroidal magnet (13) comprises ferrite.
The plug and play household appliance (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the metal casing (3) comprises a screw connection (14); and the ground cable (8) comprises a ring terminal (15) that is connected to the metal casing (3) through the screw connection (14).
The plug and play household appliance (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the screw connection (14) comprises a screw hole which is formed into the metal casing (3); a screw (16) which passes through the ring terminal (15); and a nut (17) which fixes the ring terminal (15).
The plug and play household appliance (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the first cable connector (9) is a male connector, and the second cable connector (11) is a female connector.
The plug and play household appliance (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the clearance between the power cord (4) and the cut-out (6) is sufficiently small such that a user cannot insert his/her finger through the clearance into the metal casing (3).
The plug and play household appliance (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the first cable connector (9) and the second cable connector (11) can only be released upon application of a predetermined pulling force.
The plug and play household appliance (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the power cord (4) further comprises a single phase cable (18), and a neutral cable (19).
The plug and play household appliance (1) according to claim 9, characterized by further comprising a third cable connector (20) and a fourth cable connector (21) which are attached to the phase cable (18) and the neutral cable (19) respectively, and each adapted is to pass together with the power cord (4) through the cut-out (6).
The plug and play household appliance (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the plug and play household appliance (1) is provided as an induction cooker (1) comprising: one or more induction coils for cooking the food.
The plug and play household appliance (1) according to any one of claims 11, wherein the plug and play household appliance (1) is provided as an induction cooker (1) for installation onto a kitchen counter.