Hybrid RF/conventional clothes dryer
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for heating a load including an absorbed medium, comprising:
- a conventional energy source configured to heat air and to supply the heated air into an enclosure that accommodates the load and medium therein;
a first air valve configured to, based on the conventional energy source being turned on, be opened to allow air heated by the conventional energy source to be supplied to the enclosure;
an RF energy source configured to apply heat to the load and medium within the enclosure via an AC electrical field embodied as a capacitor; and
a second air valve configured to, based on the RF energy source being turned on to perform RF dielectric heating of the enclosure, be opened to allow air heated by recovered heat from the RF energy source to be supplied to the enclosure.
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Abstract
The present invention encompasses methods and apparati for heating a load (9) such as clothes immersed in a medium (such as water) during a heating period. A method embodiment of the present invention comprises heating the load (9) and medium within an enclosure (10) by subjecting said load (9) and medium to heated air (104) originated from a conventional energy source (1); and applying heat to said load (9) and medium within the enclosure (10) via an AC electrical field, embodied as a capacitor, originated from an RF power source (2).
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus for heating a load including an absorbed medium, comprising:
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a conventional energy source configured to heat air and to supply the heated air into an enclosure that accommodates the load and medium therein; a first air valve configured to, based on the conventional energy source being turned on, be opened to allow air heated by the conventional energy source to be supplied to the enclosure; an RF energy source configured to apply heat to the load and medium within the enclosure via an AC electrical field embodied as a capacitor; and a second air valve configured to, based on the RF energy source being turned on to perform RF dielectric heating of the enclosure, be opened to allow air heated by recovered heat from the RF energy source to be supplied to the enclosure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification