Microwave oven
First Claim
1. A method of heating an item in a microwave chamber comprising the following acts:
- emitting measured microwave power to the microwave chamber;
measuring the microwave power in the microwave chamber; and
determining a measure of the microwave power being absorbed by the item based on a numerical relationship between the measured microwave power emitted into the microwave chamber and the measured microwave power in the microwave chamber.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Generally and not exclusively, a microwave cooking oven to cook food in a microwave chamber (e.g., a cooking chamber) includes a microwave power source, and a microwave control unit. The control unit includes a microwave detector to detect the microwave power in the cooking chamber, and a control circuit to determine the food optical density or food temperature, based on the microwave power being absorbed by the food. The control circuit determines the microwave power being absorbed based on the difference between the power emitted into the cooking chamber and the power detected within the cooking chamber. In one illustrative embodiment, microwave power is emitted by multiple ports from different directions, and the microwave power absorbed by the food along these different directions is measured. The control circuit then determines the optical density or temperature of the food along each direction. In one illustrative embodiment, the control circuit directs the power source to emit microwave power based on the determined power being absorbed by the food.
47 Citations
67 Claims
-
1. A method of heating an item in a microwave chamber comprising the following acts:
-
emitting measured microwave power to the microwave chamber; measuring the microwave power in the microwave chamber; and determining a measure of the microwave power being absorbed by the item based on a numerical relationship between the measured microwave power emitted into the microwave chamber and the measured microwave power in the microwave chamber. - View Dependent Claims (2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
3. (canceled)
-
10. (canceled)
-
14. (canceled)
-
18. An apparatus, comprising:
-
a microwave chamber; a microwave source to emit microwave power into the microwave chamber; and a control unit configured to determine an indicator of an approximate microwave power being absorbed by an item in the microwave chamber. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
-
-
47. A cooking apparatus comprising:
-
a cooking chamber; a microwave source configured to emit microwave power into the cooking chamber; and a control unit operative to approximately determine microwave optical depth of a food in the cooking chamber. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64)
-
-
53. (canceled)
-
65. A cooking apparatus comprising:
-
a cooking chamber; a microwave source configured to emit microwave power into the cooking chamber; at least one emitter port; a radiation source configured to emit a beam of radiation into the cooking chamber through the at least one emitter port such that the radiation is at a different frequency than the microwave power emitted by the microwave source; at least one detector port to detect approximately the beamed radiation, the at least one detector port positioned so that it detects approximately the radiation beamed by a separate one of one or more emitter ports after the beamed radiation has passed through a food positioned in the cooking chamber; and a control unit configured to approximately determine the approximate optical depth of the food along each radiation beam based at least partially on radiation absorbed by the food. - View Dependent Claims (66)
-
-
67. (canceled)
Specification