MICROWAVE OVEN USING SOLID STATE AMPLIFIERS AND ANTENNA ARRAY
First Claim
1. A microwave oven comprising:
- a housing defining an oven cavity therein configured to receive material to be heated;
a plurality of solid state microwave generating cells carried by said housing and each comprisinga microwave transmitting antenna to transmit electromagnetic (EM) energy in the microwave spectrum into the oven cavity at the material to be heated, anda respective phase shifter configured to alter a pattern of the EM energy transmitted by said antenna;
at least one feedback circuit carried by said housing and configured to detect EM radiation within the oven cavity not absorbed by the material to be heated; and
a processor carried by said housing and coupled to said plurality of microwave beamforming cells and to said at least one feedback circuit and configured toreceive feedback from said at least one feedback circuit based upon the EM radiation not absorbed by the material to be heated, andcontrol the phase shifters of said plurality of beamforming cells to change the patterns of EM energy transmitted by said antennas based upon the feedback received from said at least one feedback circuit.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A microwave oven may include a housing defining an oven cavity therein configured to receive material to be heated, and a plurality of solid state microwave generating cells carried by the housing. At least one feedback circuit may be carried by the housing and configured to detect EM radiation within the oven cavity not absorbed by the material to be heated. A processor may be carried by the housing and coupled to the plurality of microwave beamforming cells and to the at least one feedback circuit. The processor may be configured to receive feedback from the at least one feedback circuit based upon the EM radiation not absorbed by the material to be heated, and control phase shifters of the beamforming cells to change the patterns of EM energy transmitted by antennas of the beamforming cells based upon the feedback received from the at least one feedback circuit.
77 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A microwave oven comprising:
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a housing defining an oven cavity therein configured to receive material to be heated; a plurality of solid state microwave generating cells carried by said housing and each comprising a microwave transmitting antenna to transmit electromagnetic (EM) energy in the microwave spectrum into the oven cavity at the material to be heated, and a respective phase shifter configured to alter a pattern of the EM energy transmitted by said antenna; at least one feedback circuit carried by said housing and configured to detect EM radiation within the oven cavity not absorbed by the material to be heated; and a processor carried by said housing and coupled to said plurality of microwave beamforming cells and to said at least one feedback circuit and configured to receive feedback from said at least one feedback circuit based upon the EM radiation not absorbed by the material to be heated, and control the phase shifters of said plurality of beamforming cells to change the patterns of EM energy transmitted by said antennas based upon the feedback received from said at least one feedback circuit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A microwave oven comprising:
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a housing defining an oven cavity therein with a plurality of sidewalls, the oven cavity configured to receive material to be heated; a plurality of solid state microwave generating cells carried by said housing and arranged in respective arrays on at least some of said sidewalls, each microwave generating cell comprising a microwave transmitting antenna to transmit electromagnetic (EM) energy in the microwave spectrum into the oven cavity at the material to be heated, and a respective phase shifter configured to alter a pattern of the EM energy transmitted by said antenna; at least one feedback circuit carried by said housing and configured to detect EM radiation within the oven cavity not absorbed by the material to be heated; and a processor carried by said housing and coupled to said plurality of microwave beamforming cells and to said at least one feedback circuit and configured to receive feedback from said at least one feedback circuit based upon the EM radiation not absorbed by the material to be heated, and control the phase shifters of said plurality of beamforming cells to change the patterns of EM energy transmitted by said antennas based upon the feedback received from said at least one feedback circuit to reduce a power level associated with the EM energy not absorbed by the material to be heated. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for operating a microwave oven comprising a housing defining an oven cavity therein configured to receive material to be heated, and a plurality of solid state microwave generating cells carried by the housing and each comprising a microwave transmitting antenna to transmit electromagnetic (EM) energy in the microwave spectrum into the oven cavity at the material to be heated, and a respective phase shifter configured to alter a pattern of the EM energy transmitted by the antenna, the method comprising:
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detecting EM radiation within the oven cavity not absorbed by the material to be heated using at least one feedback circuit carried by the housing; controlling the phase shifters of the plurality of beamforming cells to change the patterns of EM energy transmitted by the antennas based upon the EM radiation detected from the at least one feedback circuit. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification