Home appliance technology

What the lab does

Research into cutting-edge aspects of the home such as:

• efficient energy conversion
• sustainability
• home connectivity
• digital twins
• user-centric appliances with advanced functionalities.

This research covers all levels of technology maturity, from the basic principles underlying household appliances to actual testing on commercial developments.

Inductor systems for induction hobs

Domestic induction heating systems incorporate coils and inductive coupling elements that transfer energy wirelessly to cookware. The design of these elements is complex and subject to numerous constraints and demanding specifications: high inductive efficiency, high reliability, ease of fabrication and contained cost. It is crucial to understand the underlying phenomenology through finite element computational modelling and experimental techniques to address the design of high performance systems that compete advantageously in a global market.

Research is carried out on advanced electromagnetic modelling, circuit characterisation and the design of inductors, magnetic couplers and shielding elements for planar induction heating structures.
 

Power electronic converters

Power converters provide voltage and current outputs with appropriate amplitude and frequency levels for the inductor systems. These levels are different from those found in the electricity supply available in homes and therefore the power electronic circuits must convert the electrical energy as efficiently as possible, by using semiconductor electronic devices. The design of these converters and the way the electronic devices are controlled are the keys to efficient, compact, safe and low-cost induction applications.

Research is carried out on the synthesis, modelling and modulation strategies of energy-efficient, multi-output resonant electronic topologies, using classical and emerging power semiconductor devices.

Digital systems and microelectronics

Induction appliances incorporate a digital electronic system in charge of controlling and supervising their operation. In this way, it is in charge of receiving the user's instructions and translating them into the different cooking power levels, as well as automatically detecting cookware or estimating their temperature. On the other hand, it is also involved in monitoring of different signals related to the safety of use, such as the temperature of the winding or the current and temperature of the electronic devices. Finally, the digital control is in charge of supervising the functions that allow the current trend towards connectivity with the internet or Bluetooth and the control of operation by means of applications on mobile devices.

Research is carried out on advanced digital control systems and microelectronic implementations based on programmable devices and application-specific integrated circuits.

Electromagnetic compatibility 

Electromagnetic compatibility in this application is intended to ensure that household appliances are not generators or receivers of interference that would cause their operation to deteriorate, and to avoid causing dangerous situations for users in certain cases.

Research is carried out on the modelling and electromagnetic simulation of induction hobs, as well as their experimental characterisation. This ensures the safety, reliability and performance of the designed appliances.

System control 

From system control, different aspects are addressed with a focus from scientific research to practical application. For example, dynamic modelling is carried out for temperature control in cooking processes.

There are many challenges to achieve more efficient, more robust and user-friendly appliances. In all of them, control systems play a fundamental role and appear in areas such as the control of the electronic components that provide energy to cookware, advanced temperature controls in boiling and frying processes, or cooking control algorithms based on vision and intelligent interfaces, among others.
 

Sensing and security systems

Various sensors are used in household appliances with the aim of providing new and improved functionalities to enhance safety and optimise the user experience, enabling greater energy and cost savings. Activities range from a deep understanding of physical processes to the construction and testing of prototypes.

For example, the aim is to estimate cookware temperature, detect boiling and prevent cookware overflow, detect the presence and position of cookware on hobs and estimate the degree of cooking of foodstuffs.

Photonics and aesthetics

Induction hobs use a glass-ceramic glass, traditionally black, on which the cooking vessels are placed, but it is also the external part that serves as an interface with the user, with certain aesthetic and lighting functions.

Studies are carried out on the optical, electrical and thermal properties of decorative coatings, and research on lighting solutions based on different technologies, such as the application of electroluminescent films and the use of diffusive guided systems based on the use of LED sources.

Cooking process modelling

Efficiency and sustainability in the food cooking process requires the improvement of household appliances to ensure more effective energy use and transmission. Multiphysics numerical simulation is a useful tool for this purpose, as it allows replicating the cooking process while reducing the use of resources during the design phases of appliances. In addition, it provides a better understanding of the transformations that occur in food during cooking.

Computer simulation helps to select cooking conditions that improve energy efficiency, to define scenarios that ensure food safety from a microbiological point of view, and to establish the conditions for obtaining cooked food with the right sensory characteristics.
 

Fluid dynamic studies

Fluid dynamic technologies enable the development of computational models to investigate advances in the design of a set of household appliances, such as induction hobs, gas hobs and washer-dryers. The aim of this line is to improve, using robust fluid dynamic principles, the energy efficiency of the appliance, as well as the user experience.

Research is carried out on simplified computational models and experimental tests, so that their results can be implemented in the design of household appliances.