Cooktop appliance and a method for operating the same

Abstract

A cooktop appliance is provided. The cooktop appliance includes a heating assembly with a first heating zone and a second heating zone that are radially spaced apart from each other. During a simmer or low heat mode of the cooktop appliance, the first heating zone is operated during a first portion of a time interval, and the second heating zone is operated during a second portion of the time interval.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cooktop appliance, the cooktop appliance defining a radial direction, the cooktop appliance comprising:
 a first heating element;   a second heating element positioned concentrically relative to the first heating element, the first and second heating elements spaced apart from each other along the radial direction; and   a controller in operative communication with the first heating element and the second heating element, the controller configured for
 initiating a low heat mode, the low heat mode having a plurality of cycles, each cycle of the plurality of cycles having a time interval; 
 operating the first heating element during a first portion of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles; 
 deactivating the first heating element after said step of operating the first heating element; 
 operating the second heating element during a second portion of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles; and 
 deactivating the second heating element after said step of operating the second heating element. 
   
     
     
         2 . The appliance of  claim 1 , wherein said step of operating the first heating element comprises:
 maintaining the first heating element in an activated state during the first portion of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles; and   maintaining the second heating element in a deactivated state during the first portion of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles.   
     
     
         3 . The appliance of  claim 1 , wherein said step of operating the second heating element comprises:
 maintaining the first heating element in a deactivated state during the second portion of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles; and   maintaining the second heating element in an activated state during the second portion of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles.   
     
     
         4 . The appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the first heating element is an inner heating element and the second heating element is an outer heating element, further comprising a middle heating element positioned between the inner and outer heating elements along the radial direction, the controller in operative communication with the middle heating element and configured for:
 operating the middle heating element during a third portion of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles; and   deactivating the middle heating element after said step of operating the middle heating element.   
     
     
         5 . The appliance of  claim 4 , wherein said step of operating the middle heating element comprises:
 maintaining the inner heating element in a deactivated state during the third portion of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles;   maintaining the outer heating element in the deactivated state during the third portion of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles; and   maintaining the middle heating element in an activated state during the third portion of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles.   
     
     
         6 . The appliance of  claim 4 , wherein the first, second and third portions of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles are about equal to each other. 
     
     
         7 . The appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured for looking up the first and second portions of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles in a memory of the controller. 
     
     
         8 . The appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second portions of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles are about equal to each other. 
     
     
         9 . The appliance of  claim 1 , wherein a power output of the first heating element is about a maximum power output of the first heating element during said step of operating the first heating element and a power output of the second heating element is about a maximum power output of the second heating element during said step of operating the second heating element. 
     
     
         10 . The appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second portions of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles are defined as a ratio the watt density of first and second heating elements, respectively. 
     
     
         11 . A method for operating a cooktop appliance, comprising:
 initiating a low heat mode, the low heat mode having a plurality of cycles, each cycle of the plurality of cycles having a time interval;   operating a first heating element of the cooktop appliance during a first portion of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles;   deactivating the first heating element after said step of operating the first heating element;   operating a second heating element during a second portion of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles; and   deactivating the second heating element after said step of operating the second heating element.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said step of operating the first heating element comprises:
 maintaining the first heating element in an activated state during the first portion of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles; and   maintaining the second heating element in a deactivated state during the first portion of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said step of operating the second heating element comprises:
 maintaining the first heating element in a deactivated state during the second portion of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles; and   maintaining the second heating element in an activated state during the second portion of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first heating element is an inner heating element and the second heating element is an outer heating element, further comprising:
 operating a middle heating element of the cooktop appliance during a third portion of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles; and   deactivating the middle heating element after said step of operating the middle heating element.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein said step of operating the middle heating element comprises:
 maintaining the inner heating element in a deactivated state during the third portion of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles;   maintaining the outer heating element in the deactivated state during the third portion of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles; and   maintaining the middle heating element in an activated state during the third portion of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the first, second and third portions of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles are about equal to each other. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second portions of the time interval of each cycle of the plurality of cycles are about equal to each other. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a power output of the first heating element is about a maximum power output of the first heating element during said step of operating the first heating element and a power output of the second heating element is about a maximum power output of the second heating element during said step of operating the second heating element. 
     
     
         19 . A method for operating a cooktop appliance having a heating assembly with a first heating zone and a second heating zone that are radially spaced apart from each other, comprising:
 activating a low heating mode of the cooktop appliance;   retrieving a predetermined on time and a predetermined off time in a lookup table of the cooktop appliance;   operating the second heating zone of the heating assembly for the predetermined on time, the first heating zone of the heating assembly being in a deactivated state during said step of operating the second heating zone;   deactivating the second heating zone after said step of operating the second heating zone;   maintaining the second heating zone and the first heating zone in the deactivated state for the predetermined off time after said step of deactivating the second heating zone;   operating the first heating zone of the heating assembly for the predetermined on time after said step of maintaining the second heating zone and the first heating zone in the deactivated state, the second heating zone being in the deactivated state during said step of operating the first heating zone;   deactivating the first heating zone after said step of operating the first heating zone; and   keeping the second heating zone and the first heating zone in the deactivated state for the predetermined off time after said step of deactivating the first heating zone.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising repeating said steps of operating the second heating zone, deactivating the second heating zone, maintaining the second heating zone and the first heating zone in the deactivated state, operating the first heating zone, deactivating the first heating zone and keeping the second heating zone and the first heating zone in the deactivated state for a duration of the low heat mode.