METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DIGITAL NARROWBAND, WAVELENGTH SPECIFIC COOKING, CURING, FOOD PREPARATION, AND PROCESSING

• US 20110002677A1
• Filed: 03/05/2010
• Published: 01/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pressco IP LLC
• Original Assignee: Pressco IP LLC
• Inventors: Ross, Denwood F. III, Cochran, Don W., Katz, Jonathan M., Johnson, Benjamin D.
• Granted Patent: US 10,687,391 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 392/416
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 37/0623 Small-size cooking ovens, i.e. defining an at least partially closed cooking cavity A47J37/0605 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/06 Arrangement or mounting of electric heating elements
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/087 of electric circuits regulating heat
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/0057 for plastic handling and treatment including molds B29C
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/0076 for cooking, e.g. in ovens lamps specially adapted for non-metallic cooking plates H05B3/742, H05B3/744
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/148 Silicon, e.g. silicon carbide, magnesium silicide, heating transistors or diodes
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/6482 combined with radiant heating, e.g. infrared heating
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/78 Arrangements for continuous movement of material

Abstract

A system for direct injection of selected thermal-infrared (IR) wavelength radiation or energy into food items for a wide range of processing purposes is provided. These purposes may include heating, raising or maintaining the temperature of the food articles. The system is especially applicable to operations that require or benefit from the ability to irradiate at specifically selected wavelengths or to pulse or inject the radiation. The system is particularly advantageous when functioning at higher speeds and in a non-contact environment with the target.

Claims

1. A system for heating food items, the system comprising:

an irradiation zone into which a food item can be located for at least one of direct or indirect irradiation;

a structure for holding directional irradiation devices proximate an irradiation zone such that the irradiation from the irradiation device can either directly or indirectly impact the food item;

at least one narrowband, semi-conductor-based radiation emitting device operative to selectively emit at least one narrow band of radiation, the at least one narrowband, semi-conductor-based radiation emitting device being a digital device such that it has a very narrow range of voltage change at its turn-on threshold, and the at least one narrowband device being selected based on an irradiation output wavelength that matches an absorption characteristic of at least one food item; and

,

a control system which at least supplies electrical current to operate the narrowband irradiation devices.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a viewing window positioned to allow viewing of the irradiation zone without passing the irradiation output wavelength.

3. The system as set forth in claim 2 further comprising a shutter system to selectively turn off radiation during viewing.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising at least one door operative to contain the irradiation output wavelength in the system.

5. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising sensors operative to sense position of the food items.

6. The system as set forth in claim 5 wherein the sensors comprise a camera that senses the position of the food item, type of food, and size of the food item.

7. The system as set forth in claim 6 wherein the camera is an infrared camera.

8. The system as set forth in claim 5 wherein output of the sensors is used to determine a status of containment.

9. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a conveyor system to transport the food items into the irradiation zone.

10. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising sensors operative to sense at least one aspect about the food item at least one of before, during, or after the irradiation and take action as a result of the sensing.

11. The system as set forth in claim 10 wherein the sensors comprise a camera that senses position, type of food, and size of the food item.

12. The system as set forth in claim 11 wherein the camera is an infrared camera.

13. The system as set forth in claim 10 wherein the at least one aspect is temperature, surface dryness, color, or size.

14. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the narrowband irradiation device produces its narrowband irradiation in the near infra-red range somewhere between 700 nm and 1200 nm.

15. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the narrowband irradiation device produces at least one narrowband irradiation band in the mid infra-red range between 1200 nm and 3500 nm.

16. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the narrowband irradiation device produces at least one narrowband irradiation band in the visible light range.

17. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the narrowband irradiation device produces at least one narrowband irradiation band above 3500 nm.

18. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the at least one narrowband semi-conductor-based radiation emitting device produces its narrowband irradiation at two different narrowband irradiation wavelengths each of which is chosen such that the wavelength matches an absorption characteristic of an anticipated target which may be irradiated.

19. The system as set forth in claim 18 wherein the absorption characteristics of the food items are different at the center of each of the two wavelengths.

20. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising broadband irradiating elements to be selectively activated for cooking the food item in addition to narrowband heating.

21. The system as set forth in claim 20 wherein the broadband irradiating elements comprise at least one of quartz layers, sensitive heating elements and microwave elements.

22. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the system uses at least two (2) irradiation bands, one of which is below 1400 nm and the other of which is above 1400 nm.

23. A processing system for heating food, the system comprising:

a cooking chamber with a configuration to safely contain irradiated energy there within and into which a food item can be located for at least one of direct or indirect irradiation;

a structure for at least partially enclosing the cooking chamber and for holding directional irradiation devices proximate to the cooking zone such that the irradiation from the irradiation devices can at least one of directly or indirectly impact the food item;

at least one narrowband, semi-conductor-based, emitting device, the at least one narrowband, semi-conductor-based emitting device being chosen such that the wavelength of its irradiation output matches at least one absorption characteristic at that wavelength of at least one of the target food items; and

,

a control system for supplying at least the electrical current to digitally control the narrowband irradiation devices to provide the irradiation output in the chamber based on at least one of user interface settings, sensor output, or a determination that the chamber is active and safely containing the irradiated energy.

24. The system as set forth in claim 23 further comprising a viewing window positioned to allow viewing of the irradiation zone without passing the irradiation output wavelength.

25. The system as set forth in claim 24 further comprising a shutter system to selectively turn off radiation during viewing.

26. The system as set forth in claim 23 further comprising a conveyor system to transport the food items into the irradiation zone.

27. The system as set forth in claim 23 further comprising sensors operative to sense at least one aspect about the food item at least one of before, during, or after the irradiation and take action as a result of the sensing.

28. The system as set forth in claim 27 wherein the sensors comprise a camera that senses position, type of food, and size of the food item.

29. The system as set forth in claim 26 wherein the camera is an infrared camera.

30. The system as set forth in claim 27 wherein the at least one aspect is temperature, surface dryness, color, or size.

31. The system as set forth in claim 23 wherein the narrowband irradiation device produces its narrowband irradiation in the near infra-red range somewhere between 700 nm and 1200 nm.

32. The system as set forth in claim 23 wherein the narrowband irradiation device produces at least one narrowband irradiation band in the mid infra-red range between 1200 nm and 3500 nm.

33. The system as set forth in claim 23 wherein the narrowband irradiation device produces at least one narrowband irradiation band in the visible light range.

34. The system as set forth in claim 23 wherein the narrowband irradiation device produces at least one narrowband irradiation band above 3500 nm.

35. The system as set forth in claim 23 wherein the at least one narrowband semi-conductor-based radiation emitting device produces its narrowband irradiation at two different narrowband irradiation wavelengths each of which is chosen such that the wavelength matches an absorption characteristic of an anticipated target which may be irradiated.

36. The system as set forth in claim 35 wherein the absorption characteristics of the food items are different at the center of each of the two wavelengths.

37. The system as set forth in claim 23 further comprising broadband irradiating elements to be selectively activated for cooking the food item in addition to narrowband heating.

38. The system as set forth in claim 37 wherein the broadband irradiating elements comprise at least one of quartz layers, sensitive heating elements and microwave elements.

39. The system as set forth in claim 23 wherein the system uses at least two (2) irradiation bands, one of which is below 1400 nm and the other of which is above 1400 nm.

40. The system as set forth in claim 23 wherein the control system comprises a cooling system operative to cool system electronics.

41. The system as set forth in claim 23 further comprising a notification system operative to alert a user of a cooking or system status.

42. The system as set forth in claim 23 further comprising a ventilation system operative to clear the cooling chamber of at least one of humidity, fumes or vapor.

43. The system as set forth in claim 42 wherein the ventilation system comprises a fan or a catalyst.

44. A method for cooking, drying, or curing a food item, the method comprising:

introducing at least one target food item into the irradiation zone and positioning it such that it can be either directly or indirectly irradiated by the radiation emitting devices;

safely containing the irradiation zone;

emitting directional radiation from at least one digital narrowband, semi-conductor-based irradiation device during periods when the irradiation zone is safely contained; and

,

irradiating the at least one food item with at least one narrowband wavelength which matches an absorptive characteristic of the at least one targeted food item during the emitting.

45. The method as set forth in claim 44 wherein the irradiating the at least one food item comprises painting the at least one food item as a function of the direction emitting.

46. The method as set forth in claim 44 further comprising irradiating an element to add a selected flavor to the at least one food item.

47. The method as set forth in claim 44 wherein the emitting comprises pulsing the at least one irradiation device.

48. The method as set forth in claim 44 wherein the at least one narrowband wavelength comprises two wavelength bands selected based on substantially different absorption characteristics at each center of the wavelength bands.

49. The method as set forth in claim 48 wherein centers of the selected wavelength bands are separated by at least 150 nm.

50. The method as set forth in claim 44 wherein the at least one narrowband wavelength achieves deep penetration into the food item.

51. The method as set forth in claim 44 wherein the at least one narrowband wavelength achieves surface heating of the food item.

52. The method as set forth in claim 44 wherein the at least one narrowband wavelength achieves deep penetration of the food item without heating the surface of the food item.

53. The method as set forth in claim 44 further comprising irradiating the at least one food item using a broadband source.

54. The method as set forth in claim 44 wherein the irradiating achieves both deep penetration of the food item and surface browning of the food item.

55. A method of heating, cooking, or drying a food item, the method comprising:

arranging for a food item to be cooked, cured, or dried to be in an irradiation zone which is proximate to at least one narrowband, semi-conductor band radiation emitter;

irradiating the food item for a period of time from the at least one digital narrowband, semi-conductor-based radiation emitter device at a wavelength which corresponds to a preferred absorption characteristic of the food item at that wavelength; and

,

controlling the irradiating by sensing at least one aspect of the food item at least one of before, during, or after the irradiation and taking action as a result of the sensing.

56. A method for processing a food item, the method comprising:

transporting the food item into a cooking chamber;

sensing a position of the food item as the food item is being transported into the cooking chamber;

detecting that the food item is in a desired position;

ceasing the transporting based on the detecting;

closing the cooking chamber to safely contain contents of the chamber;

sensing or inputting aspects of the food item;

determining a cooking pattern based on the sensing or inputting and based on cooking parameters;

irradiating the food item based on the cooking pattern for a period of time from at least one digital narrowband, semi-conductor-based radiation emitter device at a wavelength which corresponds to a preferred absorption characteristic of the food item at that wavelength;

opening the cooking chamber after completion of the irradiating; and

,

transporting the food item out of the cooking chamber.