A method for a thawing device configured to thaw/heat a blood product comprised in a container, the method comprising the steps of performing a massaging motion, by a first actuator, on one or more areas of an outer surface of the container, obtaining measurements, from a reflectance sensor coupled to an antenna, the measurements at least being indicative of phase of received radio frequency, RF, waves having a second frequency and being reflected off the container, determining a third frequency, wherein the third frequency is determined by a predetermined relation dependent on the second frequency and the obtained measurements, controlling a transmitter, communicatively coupled to the antenna, to emit RF waves, using the obtained measurements, wherein the emitted RF waves are emitted at a third frequency and are directed by the antenna to propagate towards the container, wherein the third frequency is in the range of 10 to 900 MHz.

A thawing method for a heating apparatus, and the heating apparatus. The heating apparatus includes a cavity capacitor used for placement of an object to be treated, and an electromagnetic wave generation module that generates an electromagnetic wave signal used for heating the object to be treated. The thawing method includes: receiving a thawing instruction input by a user, acquiring a feature parameter that reflects the weight of the object to be treated, a power value of the electromagnetic wave signal, and a rate of change in a dielectric coefficient of the object to be treated; and determining the thawing progress of the object to be treated according to the feature parameter, the power value and the rate of change. The present invention is less influenced by the precision of a sensing device itself, and achieves relatively accurate determination of the thawing progress.

A thawing method for a heating apparatus, and the heating apparatus. The heating apparatus includes a cavity capacitor used for placement of an object to be treated, and an electromagnetic wave generation module that generates an electromagnetic wave signal used for heating the object to be treated. The thawing method includes: receiving a thawing instruction input by a user, acquiring a feature parameter that reflects the weight of the object to be treated, a power value of the electromagnetic wave signal, and a rate of change in a dielectric coefficient of the object to be treated; and determining the thawing progress of the object to be treated according to the feature parameter, the power value and the rate of change. The present invention is less influenced by the precision of a sensing device itself, and achieves relatively accurate determination of the thawing progress.

A PEF cooking appliance includes a container for food to be cooked. The container includes two PEF electrodes which are spaced apart from one another and between which food to be cooked can be poured. A power factor correction filter is connected to a supply voltage and configured to generate a pulse voltage greater than 600 V, and an energy storage apparatus is connected to the power factor correction filter. Connected to energy storage apparatus are wo pulse forming apparatuses such that a first one of the two pulse forming apparatuses is connected to a first one of the two PEF electrodes and a second one of the pulse forming apparatuses is connected to a second one of the two PEF electrodes.

A PEF cooking appliance includes a container for food to be cooked. The container includes two PEF electrodes which are spaced apart from one another and between which food to be cooked can be poured. A power factor correction filter is connected to a supply voltage and configured to generate a pulse voltage greater than 600 V, and an energy storage apparatus is connected to the power factor correction filter. Connected to energy storage apparatus are wo pulse forming apparatuses such that a first one of the two pulse forming apparatuses is connected to a first one of the two PEF electrodes and a second one of the pulse forming apparatuses is connected to a second one of the two PEF electrodes.

A lossy dielectric heat source transducer or other transducer can be formed using a multi-layer substrate, such as can include a power layer (to receive an applied electromagnetic input signal), a polyurethane or other polymeric electromagnetic energy absorption layer, and a coupling layer therebetween. The absorption layer can be doped with carbon or another dopant material to increase electromagnetic energy absorption. The coupling layer can be doped with barium titanate or another dopant material to focus electromagnetic energy passing through the coupling layer toward the absorption layer. Frequency-selective addressing of particular transducers can include using a plurality of planar resonators, which can be configured to resonate at the same or different specified frequencies of the applied electromagnetic input. Such addressing of such frequency-sensitive structures can permit location-specific actuation of one or more transducers.

A lossy dielectric heat source transducer or other transducer can be formed using a multi-layer substrate, such as can include a power layer (to receive an applied electromagnetic input signal), a polyurethane or other polymeric electromagnetic energy absorption layer, and a coupling layer therebetween. The absorption layer can be doped with carbon or another dopant material to increase electromagnetic energy absorption. The coupling layer can be doped with barium titanate or another dopant material to focus electromagnetic energy passing through the coupling layer toward the absorption layer. Frequency-selective addressing of particular transducers can include using a plurality of planar resonators, which can be configured to resonate at the same or different specified frequencies of the applied electromagnetic input. Such addressing of such frequency-sensitive structures can permit location-specific actuation of one or more transducers.

A device includes an antenna configured to be disposed within a cavity of an appliance. The appliance includes an electrode and the antenna includes a sheet of conductive material having a surface area that is equal to or greater than a surface area of the electrode. The device includes a voltage sensor coupled to the antenna, an output device, and a controller coupled to the voltage sensor and the output device. The controller is configured to generate an output at the output device. The output is determined by a voltage of the antenna.

Wood kilns, electrode systems for wood kilns, and methods of using the systems for the radiofrequency (RF) drying and phytosanitizing of wood are provided. The electrode systems are based on a three-electrode design in which a central plate electrode having winged edges is disposed between a pair of ground plate electrodes. The winged edges of the central electrode improve the uniformity of heating during the phytosanitizing process, relative to a five-electrode parallel plate system, or a three-electrode parallel plate system having a conventional planar central plate electrode.

Wood kilns, electrode systems for wood kilns, and methods of using the systems for the radiofrequency (RF) drying and phytosanitizing of wood are provided. The electrode systems are based on a three-electrode design in which a central plate electrode having winged edges is disposed between a pair of ground plate electrodes. The winged edges of the central electrode improve the uniformity of heating during the phytosanitizing process, relative to a five-electrode parallel plate system, or a three-electrode parallel plate system having a conventional planar central plate electrode.