A sound sensing module for monitoring the operation of an appliance includes a microphone for monitoring sound generated during operation of the appliance and a controller operably coupled to the microphone. The controller can obtain a sound signal generated during operation of the appliance, analyze the sound signal to identify a sound signature corresponding to an operating event, and implement a responsive action, such as providing a user notification, providing troubleshooting instructions, ordering a replacement part, scheduling a maintenance visit.

A method of displaying time to temperature for a microwave appliance includes operating the microwave appliance to heat an article positioned within a cooking chamber of the microwave appliance, measuring a temperature of the article with an infrared camera of the microwave appliance, calculating an estimated time until the temperature of the article is less than a threshold temperature based at least in part on a cook time input, the measured temperature of the article, and a current power setting of the microwave appliance, and presenting the estimated time on a display of the microwave appliance.

A microwave heating cooker (1) includes a high-frequency power source (10). The high-frequency power source (10) includes a first semiconductor amplification circuit (amplifier) (3), a second semiconductor amplification circuit (amplifier) (4), an antenna (power supply unit) (5), a high-frequency generation unit (6), a commercial power source (alternating current power source) (7), a first full-wave rectification circuit (11), and a switching converter (12). The high-frequency generation unit (6) is configured from a commercial transformer (20), a second full-wave rectification circuit (21), resistors (22 and 23), an amplifier (24), an analog multiplier (amplitude modulation unit) (25), and a high-frequency oscillator (oscillator) (26), among others. The analog multiplier (25) modulates the amplitude of the output voltage from the high-frequency oscillator (26) with a signal wave that is in synchronism with a half-period of the cycle of the commercial power source (7).

A microwave appliance includes a microwave facility which generates microwaves and introduces the microwaves into a cooking compartment and which is operable with at least two configurations to generate different field distributions of the microwaves in the cooking compartment. A temperature acquisition facility contactlessly acquires a heat distribution in the cooking compartment, and a data processing facility identifies a non-food to be cooked region in the cooking compartment from the acquired heat distribution. A control facility sets a current configuration of the microwave facility and operates the microwave facility The control facility selects or sets at least one of the configurations of the microwave facility with regard to reducing a power of the microwaves in the identified non-food to be cooked region.

A system for adaptive preheating of a magnetron within a microwave oven is disclosed. In embodiments, the system includes temperature sensors for sensing a magnetron temperature. The system includes a power supply controller in communication with the microwave's power supply and the temperature sensors and including control processors. The power supply controller receives a requested power setting associated with a cooking cycle, e.g., selected by a user via a human-machine interface of the microwave oven. Before the cooking cycle commences, the power supply controller calculates a preheat time based on the sensed magnetron temperature. After starting a timer corresponding to the determined preheat time, the power supply controller preheats the filament by applying sufficient current to render the filament incandescent and so the resonant cavities may be stimulated. By preheating the filament, the system reduces operational fatigue on the filament due to cold starts.

The invention relates to a cavity (i) for a microwave oven. The cavity (1) comprises: a space (2) for receiving ε food product, at least two solid state microwave sources for generating microwaves, a control unit for controlling the solid state microwave sources, and two microwave emitters (3, 4) for coupling the microwaves (6, 7) generated by the solic state microwave sources into the space (2). The control unit is configured to control the solid state microwave sources such that E standing microwave (5) for providing a zone (51) for heating E food product received by the space (2) is generated between the two microwave emitters (3, 4), and such that the position of the zone (51) with respect to the space (2) is adjustable based on the control. The inventor further relates to ε icrowave emitters 3, 4.

The heating cooker includes a first heater disposed below a tray to heat the tray, and second heater disposed over the tray to heat the tray. In addition, the heating cooker includes a controller that controls output of the first heater and switches energization of second heater in accordance with a kind of object to be heated and a quantity of object to be heated. Furthermore, second heater includes two plane-shaped insulators and a plurality of planar heat generators that are sandwiched between insulators, and the controller heats regions that are disposed over and below the tray to be opposed to each other by controlling energization of the first heater and second heater. Furthermore, second heater has a distortion suppressor between the plurality of planar heat generators, and the distortion suppressor suppresses internal distortion of insulators caused by heating of the plurality of planar heat generators of second heater.

A rotating antenna (105a) includes: a ceiling surface (109) and a side-wall surface (110) that constitute a waveguide structure (108); and a horn (113) that radiates a microwave into a heating chamber. The rotating antenna (105a) further includes a flange (112) that is formed on a periphery of the side-wall surface (110) so as to face a bottom surface (111), which is an inner wall surface of the heating chamber, and so as to surround the side-wall surface (110). The flange (112) has choke sections (117) that reduce a leakage of the microwave. This configuration can generate a relatively low impedance region so as to surround the side-wall surface (110), thereby enhancing a leakage reducing performance of the rotating antenna (105a) and increasing directivity of the microwave radiated from the rotating antenna (105a). Consequently, if a part of substances to be heated arranged on a plate is a food that a user does not want to warm, the rotating antenna (105a) selectively heats an area in which a food that the user wants to warm is present but hardly heats the food that the user does not want to warm.

An oven includes a housing that defines a cavity therein, a radio wave generator coupled to the housing and configured to generate a radio wave to be transmitted to the cavity, a control unit electrically connected to the radio wave generator and configured to determine radio wave information related to an intensity, a phase, and a frequency of the radio wave to be generated by the radio wave generator, and a plurality of antennas electrically connected to the radio wave generator and configured to allow the radio wave to be radiated into the cavity. The plurality of antennas are spaced apart from one another, and the control unit is configured to determine the radio wave information for each of the plurality of antennas.

A modular cooking apparatus is disclosed. The modular cooking apparatus includes a housing having a first interchangeable cooking module, a second interchangeable cooking module, and a single power connection for receiving electrical power from a wall outlet. The first interchangeable cooking module contains a first oven, and the second interchangeable cooking module contains a second oven. The second oven is a different oven type from the first oven. The modular cooking apparatus also includes a controller within the housing for controlling the first and second ovens. The controller includes a memory for storing a list of food items to be cooked within the modular cooking apparatus and a corresponding oven type for each of the food items. The modular cooking apparatus further includes a control panel on the housing for displaying only the food items for which the first oven or the second oven is a corresponding oven type.