A microwave mode stirrer apparatus having a stirring member with microwave-transmissive regions is disclosed, along with methods of performing microwave stirring using the microwave mode-stirring apparatus. The microwave-transmissive regions can be in the form of holes or can include microwave-transmissive material. The stirring member can have a variety of configurations, and the microwave-transmissive regions can have a variety of sizes and shapes. A microwave oven that uses the mode stirrer apparatus for drying green ceramic-forming bodies is also disclosed.

Disclosed herein is a microwave oven having an improved structure with which foods can be effectively heated. The microwave oven includes: a housing including a cooking chamber having a bottom surface; at least one first reflective portion formed on the bottom surface of the cooking chamber; a magnetron provided to generate microwave radiation; and a tray disposed apart from the bottom surface of the cooking chamber and supporting food to be heated. The at least one first reflective portion extends a given height (h) above a reference level (RL).

This disclosure includes methods and systems that utilize energy absorption monitoring for intelligent electronic ovens with energy steering. One disclosed method for heating an item in an electronic oven includes introducing an application of energy into a heating chamber using an energy source coupled to an injection port, changing a distribution of the application of energy in the heating chamber by setting a configuration of the oven to a first configuration, and measuring an energy return from the heating chamber while the oven is in the first configuration. The measuring is conducted using a radio frequency directional power sensor. The method also includes determining that the energy return from the heating chamber exceeds a level, adjusting, in response to determining that the energy return exceeds the level, the configuration of the oven from the first configuration to an altered first configuration, and saving the altered first configuration in a memory.

A household microwave appliance operates with multiple parameter configurations to treat food to be cooked in a locally differing manner. The microwave appliance determines in an initial scan with a thermal imaging sensor directed into the cooking chamber a temperature distributions on a surface of the food to be cooked. Change patterns are obtained from differences between different temperature distributions. An evaluation value is calculated for a best heating pattern that brings the current temperature distribution closest to a target temperature distribution determined based on a normalized target state and a current temperature distribution, whereafter microwave power is applied to the food to be cooked with the parameter configuration associated with the best heating pattern.

Method and systems for heating an item in a chamber where a first electromagnetic wave is applied to an array of variable reflectance elements and a corresponding array of variable impedance devices are disclosed. The corresponding array includes first and second variable impedance devices. The first wave is reflected from the array to the item when the first device has a first impedance value. The reflecting places a local maximum of energy at a first location on the item. An impedance of the first device is altered. A second electromagnetic wave is applied and reflected. The reflecting places the local maximum at a second location on the item. Altering the impedance of the first variable impedance device alters a reflectance of a first variable reflectance element in the array of variable reflectance elements.

An electromagnetic cooking device and cooking method to perform zone cooking is disclosed. The method includes scanning a resonant cavity in which a food load has been placed with RF feeds that are coupled to respective high power amplifiers; identifying resonant frequencies and corresponding phases of the RF feeds; storing a resonance map; classifying symmetries in the resonant map; determining paths defining stirring routes between poles of different symmetries; determining midpoints in the paths with a maximum unbalance between reflected powers of the respective high power amplifiers; classifying the unbalance in terms of power steered to the left and right sides of the food load; synthesizing a heating strategy for zone cooking using the classified unbalance; and implementing the heating strategy by causing the plurality of high power amplifiers and RF feeds to introduce electromagnetic radiation at specific selected frequencies and phases into the cavity based on the heating strategy.

A microwave applicator includes a chamber, at least one microwave source, a stirrer and a cooling structure. The microwave source is disposed on one side of the chamber. The stirrer is disposed in the chamber, wherein the stirrer includes an axial member and a plurality of blades. Each of the blades is connected to the axial member, and the axial member and the blades are made of metal materials. The cooling structure is disposed in the chamber and includes at least one cooling tube for allowing a cooling liquid passing through the chamber.

A heating cooker of the present disclosure includes a heating chamber, a heating portion, a brushless motor, a body control circuit, a DC power supply circuit, a motor control circuit, and a safety device. The brushless motor is a drive source of a rotary drive mechanism included in the heating portion. The body control circuit outputs a drive signal for the brushless motor. The DC power supply circuit supplies DC power to the brushless motor. The motor control circuit controls the driving of the brushless motor in response to the drive signal. The safety device is constituted of a wired logic circuit. The safety device includes: a rotation detection element configured to detect the rotation state of the rotor of the brushless motor, and to output a rotation detection signal; and a switch for blocking a power supply line connected to the DC power supply circuit. The safety device controls the switch in response to the rotation detection signal and drive signal. The present aspect can provide a safe and reliable heating cooker that uses the brushless motor as the drive source of the rotary drive mechanism.

A heating cooker includes a heating chamber, a heating portion, a brushless motor, a body control circuit, a DC power supply circuit, a motor control circuit, and a safety device. The brushless motor drives a rotary drive mechanism included in the heating portion. The body control circuit outputs a drive signal for the brushless motor. The DC power supply circuit supplies DC power to the brushless motor. The motor control circuit controls the driving of the brushless motor in response to the drive signal. The safety device includes a rotation detection element to detect the rotation state of the rotor of the brushless motor and output a rotation detection signal, and a switch for blocking a power supply line connected to the DC power supply circuit. The safety device controls the switch in response to the rotation detection signal and drive signal.

An electronic oven and associated methods for heating an item by controlling a distribution of microwave energy using a set of reflective elements are disclosed. The electronic oven can include a chamber, a microwave energy source coupled to an injection port in the chamber, a set of actuators connected to the set of reflective elements, and a controller that controls the set of actuators. The controller can reposition the set of reflective elements via the set of actuators, and stores instructions that independently cause a repositioning of each reflective element in the set of reflective elements using the set of actuators. The set of actuators and set of reflective elements are each sets of at least three units.