# US 10,772,166 B2 · Microwave heating device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,772,166 B2 - Document ID: US10772166B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/444,377 - Filed: 2017-02-28 - Published: 2017-09-14 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2016-03-11 - Assignees: Illinois Tool Works Inc. - Applicants: Illinois Tool Works, Inc. - Inventors: Nicola Lanza; Chiara DeMassari; Francesco Gambato; Michele Sclocchi; Andrea Baccara; Benoît Flipot - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10772166B2 ## CPC - H05B 6/687: {for cooking} - G05B 13/0265: {the criterion being a learning criterion} - H05B 6/664: {Aspects related to the power supply of the microwave heating apparatus} - H05B 6/686: {Circuits comprising a signal generator and power amplifier, e.g. using solid state oscillators} - H05B 6/70: Feed lines - H05B 2206/044: Microwave heating devices provided with two or more magnetrons or microwave sources of other kind - Y02B 40/00: Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS ## Abstract 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. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A microwave heating device, comprising: a heating chamber which is designed to receive at least one product to be heated; a microwave generating system designed to generate microwaves and including at least two radiating portions that are adapted to radiate microwaves to the heating chamber, a radiated power being associated with the radiated microwaves and, in use, a share of radiated power being reflected by the heating chamber; and a control unit; the microwave generating system being designed to radiate via the at least two radiating portions respective microwaves having a same frequency and different phases, wherein one of the radiating portions is a reference radiating portion and the microwaves radiated by the other radiating portion(s) has respective phase shift(s) from the microwaves radiated by the reference radiating portion, the frequency value and the phase shift value(s) defining an operational configuration of the microwave generating system, an energy efficiency being associated with each operational configuration, the energy efficiency being inversely related to a ratio of reflected power over radiated power; the control unit being configured to operate the microwave generating system and to change the frequency and the phase shift(s) of the microwaves radiated by the microwave generating system; the control unit being configured to obtain data of energy efficiency, as a function of operational configurations, relating to the at least one product to be heated; the control unit being configured to run a selection procedure, in which a plurality of operational configurations are ranked according to energy efficiency and one or more operational configurations ranking high in energy efficiency are selected; and the control unit being configured to run a heating procedure, in which the microwave generating system is operated in said one or more operational configurations selected in the selection procedure. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The microwave heating device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to select a single operational configuration having the highest energy efficiency, the control unit being configured to run the heating procedure in said single operational configuration. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The microwave heating device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to select multiple operational configurations in the selection procedure, the control unit being configured to run the heating procedure sequentially in said multiple of operational configurations. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The microwave heating device according to claim 1, comprising a reflected power detecting system that is configured to detect the share of radiated power that is reflected by the heating chamber, the control unit being configured to obtain data of energy efficiency by running a learning procedure in which frequency is changed over a range and, for each frequency, a number of operational configurations differing in phase shift(s) from one another are chosen, the control unit being configured to operate the microwave generating system in the chosen operational configurations and to calculate the energy efficiency for each of the chosen operational configurations. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The microwave heating device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to operate the microwave generating system with an adjustable power. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The microwave heating device according to claim 1, wherein the microwave generating system includes four radiating portions, each operational configuration being defined by a frequency value and three phase shift values.