# US 12,222,160 B2 · Material processing apparatus using quasi-traveling microwave to conduct heat treatment > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,222,160 B2 - Document ID: US12222160B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/540,401 - Filed: 2021-12-02 - Published: 2023-04-27 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2021-10-27 - Assignees: National Tsing Hua University - Applicants: National Tsing Hua University - Inventors: Tsun-Hsu Chang; Hsein-Wen Chao; Hung-Chun Hsu; Yan-Ren Chen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12222160B2 ## CPC - F26B 3/347: Electromagnetic heating, e.g. induction heating or heating using microwave energy - F26B 13/001: {Drying and oxidising yarns, ribbons or the like} - H05B 6/6402: {Aspects relating to the microwave cavity} - H05B 6/701: {using microwave applicators} - H05B 6/707: {using waveguides} - H05B 6/80: Apparatus for specific applications (stoves or ranges F24C7/02) - H05B 2206/046: Microwave drying of wood, ink, food, ceramic, sintering of ceramic, clothes, hair - F26B: DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM (drying devices for combines A01D41/133; racks for drying fruit or vegetables A01F25/12; drying foodstuffs A23; drying hair A45D20/00; body-drying implements A47K10/00; drying household articles A47L; drying gases or vapours B01D; chemical or physical processes for dewatering or like separating liquids from solids B01D43/00; centrifugal apparatus B04; drying ceramics C04B33/30; drying yarns or fabrics in association with some other form of treatment D06C; drying frames for laundry without heating or positive air circulation, domestic laundry-or spin-driers, wringing or hot pressing laundry D06F; furnaces, kilns, ovens F27) - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL ## Abstract A material processing apparatus is disclosed. This material processing apparatus is particularly developed to utilize a quasi-traveling microwave to conduct heat treatment for a thread-type article like fiber, silk, artificial fiber, and artificial silk. The material processing apparatus comprises a primary waveguide tube, a microwave blocking plate, a secondary waveguide tube, and at least one microwave absorbing member disposed of in the primary waveguide tube. By such design, a microwave source supplies a microwave to the secondary waveguide tube and the primary waveguide tube, such that the microwave travels in the two waveguide tubes so as to become a quasi-traveling microwave. Therefore, in the case of a thread-type article being be fed into the primary waveguide tube via the secondary waveguide tube by a thread-type article transferring mechanism, the thread-type article is steadily and evenly heated by the quasi-traveling microwave in the two waveguide tubes. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A material processing apparatus, comprising: a primary waveguide tube, having a front opening and a rear opening; a microwave blocking plate, being connected to the primary waveguide tube for shielding the rear opening, and having at least one material exporting hole; a secondary waveguide tube consisting of a first segment and a second segment, wherein the first segment has a first opening correspondingly connected to a waveguide tube of a microwave source, the second segment having a second opening for being correspondingly assembled with the front opening of the primary waveguide tube, a bending angle existing between the second segment and the first segment, and the first segment is provided with at least one material importing hole thereon that is coaxial to the at least one material exporting hole; and at least one microwave absorbing member made of a microwave absorbing material, being disposed of in the primary waveguide tube, and having at least one hollow cavity; wherein by using a driver device, at least one thread-type article being fed into the secondary waveguide tube via the at least one material importing hole, subsequently moving into at least one hollow cavity, and eventually leaving the primary waveguide tube via the at least one material exporting hole of the microwave blocking plate; wherein the microwave source supplies a microwave into the second waveguide tube and the primary waveguide tube, such that the microwave travels in the second waveguide tube and the primary waveguide tube along a wavefront so as to become a quasi-traveling microwave; wherein in case of moving in the second waveguide tube and/or the primary waveguide tube, a first part of the thread-type article and the microwave absorbing member being both heated because of receiving the quasi-traveling microwave, and a second part of the thread-type article being heated by inner walls of the hollow cavity. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The material processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the primary waveguide tube and the secondary waveguide tube are both selected from a group consisting of rectangular waveguide tube, circular waveguide tube, and irregular waveguide tube. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The material processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the primary waveguide tube and the secondary waveguide tube are both made of a metal material. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The material processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein there is at least one thermal insulation block disposed of in the primary waveguide tube for supporting the at least one microwave absorbing member, such that the microwave absorbing member is thermally isolated with inner walls of the primary waveguide tube. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The material processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the thermal insulation block has a recessed groove for correspondingly receiving a bottom of the microwave absorbing member. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The material processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the thread-type article is selected from a group consisting of fiber, silk, artificial fiber, and artificial silk. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The material processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein there is a plurality of observation windows provided on a top side of the primary waveguide tube, and each of the observation windows is made of quartz glass. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The material processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first segment is provided with a cushion block thereon, and the at least one material importing hole perforating both the first segment and the cushion block. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The material processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein a first opening edge of the front opening is provided with a first connection plate thereon, and a second opening edge of the second opening being provided with a second connection plate thereon, such that the front opening is correspondingly assembled with the second opening by connecting the first connection plate with the second connection plate. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The material processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein a third opening edge of the first opening is provided with a third connection plate thereon, such that the first opening is correspondingly assembled with a tube opening of the waveguide tube by connecting the third connection plate with a connection plate that is provided at an opening edge of the tube opening.