Devices and methods for RF heating of food, using techniques which allow uniformity and/or controlled non-uniformity.

Embodiments of smart ovens are disclosed. A smart oven for altering a consumable has a thermally insulated chamber having five walls defining a cavity, and a door hingedly connected to one of the five walls. Electronics are housed within the chamber and include a controller in communication with memory. At least one of the walls of the smart oven is constructed of an intelligent glass panel configured to receive an input and provide a controlled output in response.

A microwave heating apparatus and a method of operating a microwave heating apparatus are provided. The microwave heating apparatus comprises a load receiving cavity, at least one microwave source, a plurality of feeding ports connected to the microwave source and the cavity for feeding microwaves to the cavity, a measuring unit and a control unit. The measuring unit measures, for at least one frequency or within a frequency range, the power of microwaves reflected back to the microwave source for at least part of the plurality of feeding ports. The control unit selects at least one of the feeding ports based on the measured powers of the reflected microwaves in order to feed microwaves to the cavity via the at least one selected feeding port during operation of the microwave heating apparatus at the at least one frequency or within the frequency range.

An apparatus configured to apply electromagnetic energy to an object may include an energy application zone adapted to receive at least a portion of an object and a source configured to supply RF energy to the energy application zone. The apparatus may also include at least one processor configured to: cause the source to supply RF energy to the energy application zone; determine a value indicative of a rate of energy absorption by a load, including at least a portion of the object, during a first period of time; and determine, based on the value indicative of the rate of energy absorption by the load, an estimated amount of time to obtain a desired characteristic in at least a portion of the object.

The invention relates to a method (100) and apparatus for controlling the heating of food ingredients. The method comprises the step of measuring (110) the spectrum of energy absorption of the food ingredients in a given range of radio frequencies. The method also comprises the step of identifying (120), in said given range of radio frequencies, the radio frequency for which the food ingredients have the maximum energy absorption. The method also comprises the step of applying (130) an electrical field to the food ingredients, said electrical field having a radio frequency corresponding to said radio frequency for which the food ingredients have the maximum energy absorption. The step of measuring (110) comprises, for a plurality of selected radio frequencies in said given range of radio frequencies, the steps of: applying an electrical field on the food ingredients having a radio frequency corresponding to a given selected radio frequency in said plurality of selected radio frequencies; and, measuring the ratio between the energy of the radio frequency electrical field reflected or absorbed from the food ingredients, and the energy of the radio frequency electrical field applied to the food ingredients. The plurality of selected radio frequencies are selected from said given range of radio frequencies by the steps of: for each of said given range of radio frequencies, obtaining a penetration depth of an electrical field having a radio frequency corresponding to the given radio frequency into the food ingredients, and including the given radio frequency into the plurality of selected radio frequencies if the penetration depth of the electrical field having a radio frequency corresponding to the given radio frequency is equal to or larger than the thickness of the food ingredients in the direction of the electrical field applied to the food ingredients. This invention allows reducing the heating time of food ingredients.

A method and apparatus for operating a microwave heating apparatus comprising a microwave source adapted to feed microwaves to a cavity via a transmission line, including measuring a power of microwaves transmitted from the microwave source to the cavity, receiving operational data indicative of the power supplied to the microwave source, and adjusting at least one of an impedance of the transmission line or the impedance matching between the microwave source and the transmission line based on the measured power of the transmitted microwaves and the received operational data.

A radiating element is provided for applying electromagnetic energy to a cavity. The radiating element includes a feeding section and a grounding section, wherein the feeding section and the grounding section extend substantially within a first plane. The radiating element also includes a radiating section in electrical communication with the feeding section and the grounding section, wherein the radiating section includes at least one bend between the feeding section and a distal end of the radiating section, the at least one bend extending in a second plane different from the first plane.

A method of applying RF energy to an object in a cavity is disclosed. In some embodiments, the method may include applying to the object a first amount of RF energy at power increasing from an initial power level to a final power level; and if an electrical discharge occurs, stopping RF energy application for a period sufficient to allow the electrical discharge to decay. The method may further include applying to the object a second amount of RF energy after the period ends. The second amount of RF energy may be applied at intermediate power, higher than the initial power level and lower than the final power level.

Disclosed is a heating device (100), including: a metal cylinder body (110) provided with a pick-and-place opening, a door body (120) configured to open and close the pick-and-place opening, an electromagnetic generating module (161) configured to generate an electromagnetic wave signal, and a radiating antenna (150). The radiating antenna (150) is configured to be electrically connected with the electromagnetic generating module (161) to generate electromagnetic waves of a corresponding frequency according to the electromagnetic wave signal. The heating device (100) further includes an antenna housing (130) made of an insulating material. The antenna housing (130) is configured to separate an inner space of the cylinder body (110) into a heating chamber (111) and an electrical appliance chamber (112), wherein an object to be processed and the radiating antenna (150) are respectively disposed in the heating chamber (111) and the electrical appliance chamber (112), and the radiating antenna (150) is configured to be fixedly connected with the antenna housing (130). The heating device (100) covers and fixes the radiating antenna (150) through the antenna housing (130), which not only can separate the object to be processed from the radiating antenna (150) to prevent the radiating antenna (150) from being dirty or damaged by accidental touch, but also can simplify the assembly process of the heating device (100) to facilitate the positioning and installation of the radiating antenna (150).

A microwave heating apparatus and a method of operating a microwave heating apparatus are provided. The microwave heating apparatus comprises a load receiving cavity, at least one microwave source, a plurality of feeding ports connected to the microwave source and the cavity for feeding microwaves to the cavity, a measuring unit and a control unit. The measuring unit measures, for at least one frequency or within a frequency range, the power of microwaves reflected back to the microwave source for at least part of the plurality of feeding ports. The control unit selects at least one of the feeding ports based on the measured powers of the reflected microwaves in order to feed microwaves to the cavity via the at least one selected feeding port during operation of the microwave heating apparatus at the at least one frequency or within the frequency range.