A method of processing an object is disclosed. The method comprises heating the object by applying radio frequency (RF) energy, monitoring a value related to a rate of absorption of RF energy by the object during the heating, and adjusting the RF energy in accordance with changes in a time derivative of the monitored value.

A thermal increase system may include re-radiators disposed in a cavity for containing a load. Microwave energy may be generated by one or more microwave generation modules, and directed toward the cavity during operation of the thermal increase system, thereby creating an electromagnetic field in the cavity. A system controller may control switches coupled between the re-radiators and corresponding ground nodes to selectively activate and de-activate the re-radiators. The system controller may control a switch coupled between a pair of re-radiators to re-distribute the electromagnetic field in the cavity. A phase shifter may be disposed between a pair of re-radiators, which may provide a phase shift to energy passed between the re-radiators. The phase shifter may be a variable shifter that applies a variable phase shift to the energy according to commands received from the system controller.

An RFID tag is provided that transmits and receives a communication signal. The RFID tag includes a base material, antenna patterns provided on the base material, an RFIC package that is a feeding circuit connected to the antenna patterns, and an ignition protection member provided on the base material or the antenna patterns. Moreover, the ignition protection member contains moisture, such that ignition and combustion can be prevented even in a situation where the RFID tag is subjected to high-frequency power for heating a food item while attached to the food item or the like.

A process and system for microwave cooking food products with humidified air control. In an exemplary embodiment, the system includes a microwave cooking enclosure; a source of microwave energy that transmits microwave radiation into an interior of the enclosure; a microwave-shielded sensor positioned within the interior of the enclosure; a nozzle connected to provide steam and/or water mist to the enclosure to form humidified air therein; and a control connected to receive a signal from the microwave-shielded sensor indicative of the wet-bulb temperature within the enclosure and in response modulate a flow of steam and/or water mist into the enclosure to maintain the wet-bulb temperature of the humidified air therein at or above a predetermined value and to actuate the source of microwave energy to transmit the microwave radiation into the interior of the enclosure, whereby the microwave radiation and the humidified air simultaneously cook the food products and kill microorganisms in the interior of the microwave cooking enclosure and on the surface of and within the food products.

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 heating device includes at least two radiating portions that are adapted to radiate microwaves to the heating chamber and can be operated according to a plurality of operational configurations that differ in frequency and/or in phase shift(s) between the radiated microwaves. Data of energy efficiency, as a function of operational configurations, can be obtained for a product in the heating chamber. For example, energy efficiency data are obtained through a learning procedure. The obtained data can be processed to select one or more operational configurations ranking high in energy efficiency and a heating procedure for the product inside the heating chamber can be executed by operating the at least two radiating portions according to the selected one or more operational configurations.

In an embodiment, an apparatus includes a radio frequency (RF) generator that is to generate a RF signal, first and second electrodes, and an impedance match module in series between the RF generator and the first electrode. The RF generator detects reflected power from the RF signal applied to a load electrically coupled between the first and second electrodes to change a temperature of the load, the RF signal to be applied to the load until the reflected power reaches a particular value.

An oven includes a cooking chamber configured to receive a food product and an RF heating system configured to provide RF energy into the cooking chamber using solid state electronic components. The cooking chamber is defined at least in part by a top wall, a first sidewall and a second sidewall. The solid state electronic components include power amplifier electronics configured to provide the RF energy into the cooking chamber via a launcher assembly operably coupled to the cooking chamber via a waveguide assembly. The waveguide assembly includes a waveguide extending along at least one of the first sidewall or the second sidewall to provide the RF energy into the cooking chamber through a radiation opening provided at the at least one of the first sidewall or the second sidewall. The launcher assembly includes a launcher disposed proximate to a first end of the waveguide and the radiation opening is disposed proximate to a second end of the waveguide.

Method of irradiating a load placed in a cavity by radiating UHF or microwave radiation into the cavity. The method includes setting transmission durations, by setting for each of a plurality of frequencies, a respective transmission duration, repeatedly causing energy to be transmitted into the cavity at the plurality of frequencies according to a duty cycle, wherein the duty cycle defines an allotted transmission time for each of the plurality of frequencies, and switching ON or OFF transmission of the energy at certain frequencies, so that over a plurality of repetitions of the duty cycle the energy is transmitted at each of the plurality of frequencies for the respective transmission duration.

A disclosed computer-implemented method for heating an item in a chamber of an electronic oven towards a target state includes heating the item with a set of applications of energy to the chamber while the electronic oven is in a respective set of configurations. The set of applications of energy and respective set of configurations define a respective set of variable distributions of energy in the chamber. The method also includes sensing sensor data that defines a respective set of responses by the item to the set of applications of energy. The method also includes generating a plan to heat the item in the chamber. The plan is generated by a control system of the electronic oven and uses the sensor data.