Defrosting apparatus with mass estimation and methods of operation thereof

A thermal increase system comprising:

• a radio frequency (RF) signal source configured to supply an RF signal;
• an electrode coupled to the RF signal source;
• at least one variable impedance network that includes at least one variable passive component having at least one current variable component value, wherein the at least one variable impedance network is coupled between the RF signal source and the electrode;
• a controller configured to determine an estimated mass of a load that is proximate to the electrode based at least on the at least one current variable component value of the at least one variable impedance network, to determine one or more desired signal parameters for the RF signal based on at least the estimated mass of the load, to control the RF signal source to supply a mass-estimate-based RF signal with the one or more desired signal parameters, and to estimate an amount of energy sufficient to defrost the load based on the estimated mass of the load;
• and
• a memory configured to store a look-up table (LUT) that includes multiple entries, wherein each entry of the multiple entries includes a different set of stored component values corresponding to the at least one variable passive component of the at least one variable impedance network, and the LUT further includes multiple stored mass values, each corresponding to a respectively different set of stored component values in the multiple entries.

A thermal increase system coupled to a cavity for containing a load, the thermal increase system comprising:

• a radio frequency (RF) signal source configured to supply an RF signal;
• a transmission path electrically coupled between the RF signal source and first and second electrodes that are positioned across the cavity;
• an impedance matching network electrically coupled along the transmission path, wherein the impedance matching network comprises one or more variable passive components, wherein each of the one or more variable passive components has a current variable component value at an evaluation time, and a current variable component value set includes the current variable component value of each of the one or more variable passive components;
• and
• a controller configured to determine an estimated mass of the load based on at least the current variable component value set by comparing the current variable component value set with stored component values in a look-up table (LUT) to determine a correlated entry of the LUT that most closely correlates with the current variable component value set, wherein the correlated entry of the LUT includes a stored mass value that corresponds to the estimated mass of the load, and wherein the controller is further configured to determine one or more desired signal parameters for the RF signal based on at least the estimated mass of the load, and to modify the RF signal source to supply a mass-estimate-based RF signal with the one or more desired signal parameters.

A thermal increase system coupled to a cavity for containing a load, the thermal increase system comprising:

• a radio frequency (RF) signal source configured to supply an RF signal;
• a transmission path electrically coupled between the RF signal source and first and second electrodes that are positioned across the cavity;
• an impedance matching network electrically coupled along the transmission path, wherein the impedance matching network comprises one or more variable passive components, wherein each of the one or more variable passive components has a current variable component value at an evaluation time, and a current variable component value set includes the current variable component value of each of the one or more variable passive components;
• a controller configured to determine an estimated mass of the load based on at least the current variable component value set to determine one or more desired signal parameters for the RF signal based on at least the estimated mass of the load, and to modify the RF signal source to supply a mass-estimate-based RF signal with the one or more desired signal parameters;
• and
• a memory configured to store a look-up table (LUT) that includes multiple entries, wherein each entry of the multiple entries includes a different set of stored component values corresponding to the one or more variable passive components, and the LUT further includes multiple stored mass values, each corresponding to a respectively different set of stored component values in the multiple entries.

A method of operating a thermal increase system that includes a cavity within which a load is contained, the method comprising:

• supplying, by a radio frequency (RF) signal source, one or more RF signals to a transmission path that is electrically coupled between the RF signal source and one or more electrodes that are positioned proximate to the cavity;
• detecting, by power detection circuitry, reflected signal power along the transmission path;
• modifying, by a controller, one or more component values of one or more variable passive components of an impedance matching network that is electrically coupled along the transmission path to reduce the reflected signal power;
• determining, by the controller, an estimated mass of the load at least based on one or more current component values of the one or more variable passive components by
• comparing the one or more current component values with multiple stored component value sets stored in a memory of the system,
• identifying a correlated stored component value set from the multiple stored component value sets that correlates with the one or more current component values,
• determining an identified stored mass of a plurality of stored masses that corresponds to the correlated stored component value set, and
• determining the estimated mass of the load to be the identified stored mass;
• determining, by the controller, one or more desired signal parameters for the RF signal at least based on the estimated mass of the load;
• and
• controlling, by the controller, the RF signal source to supply a mass-estimate-based RF signal with the one or more desired signal parameters.