High frequency heating apparatus for heating a material and a method of heating a material by high frequency irradiation
AssigneeMatsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
InventorsFumiko Mori, Haruo Matsushima
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of heating food with microwaves, where in order to avoid uneven heating between the food surface and its interior, which is a problem peculiar to microwave heating, the heat conduction of the food interior is positively used, supplying necessary minimum energies while monitoring the surface temperature of the food, and heating food to the optimum temperature on both the surface of the food and in the interior of the food.
Claims18
A high frequency heating apparatus for heating a material, said apparatus comprising:
- a heating chamber for accommodating said material;
- a high frequency wave irradiation source for irradiating high frequency waves into said heating chamber;
- a desired temperature setter for setting a desired temperature to which said material is to be heated;
- a threshold temperature setter for setting a threshold temperature which is lower than said desired temperature;
- a surface temperature detector for detecting a temperatures of a surface portion of said material;
- a center temperature detector for detecting a temperature of a center portion of said material;
- a calculator for calculating a difference between said surface temperature and said center temperature and for producing a difference temperature;
- and
- a controller for controlling said irradiation source such that said irradiation source irradiates high frequency waves when the following three conditions are satisfied;
- (i) said difference temperature is within a predetermined set range;
- (ii) said surface temperature is less than said desired temperature;
- and
- (iii) said center temperature is less than said threshold temperature.
A high frequency heating method for heating a material by a high frequency wave irradiation source, comprising the steps of:
- (a) detecting both a temperature of a surface portion of said material and a temperature of a center portion of said material;
- (b) detecting a difference between said surface temperature and said center temperature and producing a difference temperature;
- and
- (c) irradiating high frequency waves by said irradiation source when the following three conditions are satisfied:
- (i) said difference temperature is within a predetermined set range;
- (ii) said surface temperature is less than a desired temperature to which said material is to be heated;
- and
- (iii) said center temperature is less than a threshold temperature which is lower than said desired temperature.
A high frequency heating apparatus for heating a material, said apparatus comprising:
- a heating chamber for accommodating said material;
- a high frequency wave irradiation source for irradiating high frequency waves into said heating chamber;
- a temperature detector for detecting a current temperature of said material;
- a weight setter for setting a weight W of said material;
- a desired temperature setter for setting a desired temperature to which said material is to be heated and for obtaining a rise temperature .theta. which is a difference between said current temperature before heating and said desired temperature;
- a heating time setter for setting a desired total heating time .tau.;
- a total cumulated power calculator for calculating, based on said weight and said rise temperature, a total cumulated power Q necessary to heat said material up to said desired temperature;
- an irradiation source controller for controlling said irradiation source such that a cumulated power q from said irradiation source increases exponentially until said cumulated power reaches said total cumulated power.
A high frequency heating method for heating a material by a high frequency wave irradiation source, comprising the steps of:
- (a) detecting a current temperature of said material;
- (b) detecting a weight W of said material;
- (c) setting a desired temperature to which said material is to be heated and for obtaining a rise temperature .theta. which is a difference between said current temperature before heating and said desired temperature;
- (d) setting a desired total heating time .tau.;
- (e) calculating, based on said weight and said rise temperature, a total cumulated power Q necessary to heat said material up to said desired temperature;
- and
- (f) controlling said irradiation source such that a cumulated power q from said irradiation source increases exponentially until said cumulated power reaches said total cumulated power.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.