Microwave oven leakage detector and method of using same to test door seal leakage
First Claim
1. A method for determining the maximum possible power density of microwave leakage from a microwave oven in the region of the microwave oven door comprising the steps of:
- (A) arranging a plurality of microwave sensitive antennae in a linear array, said array having a configuration corresponding to at least one edge of the circumference of said oven door, each of said antennae being spaced from each adjacent antenna a predetermined spacing distance, said spacing distance being equal to or less than the beamwidth corresponding to the highest mode of standing wave resonant energy in the oven whereby the narrowest beam of energy leaking from any aperture along said door edge of an oven being tested will be sensed by at least one of said antennae;
(B) positioning an oven to be tested adjacent to said array by;
i. paralleling said oven door edge at a predetermined distance to said array, andii. orienting said oven door edge to said array at a predetermined angle relative to the direction of maximum energy propagation from said oven door edge;
(C) measuring the microwave power density sensed by each antenna, and(D) determining from said measurements the maximum possible power density of leakage at any point along said array.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A stationary microwave leakage detector and method for testing microwave ovens for the maximum power density of microwaves leaking through the oven'"'"'s door seals. The leakage detector is composed of an array of antennae arranged in a line generally circumscribing the circumference of the door at a fixed distance therefrom. The antennae are spaced apart a predetermined maximum distance thus insuring that a given antennae will sense at least a portion of the narrowest possible beam of microwaves emitting from the periphery of the door. Furthermore, the spacing and arrangement of the array vis-a-vis the oven door insure that the minimum power density observed by an antenna is a known ratio of the maximum power density of a narrowest beam possibly incident thereon, thus providing a means to guarantee from the measured power density levels that there are no microwaves leaking from the oven under test greater than a certain maximum power density. Alternately, the antennae are spaced such that the sum of any two adjacent antennae will be equal to or greater than the maximum power density of a narrowest beam possibly incident upon one of them. This antenna spacing provides a stationary method for testing microwave ovens for the maximum power density of microwaves leaking through the oven'"'"'s door seals.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method for determining the maximum possible power density of microwave leakage from a microwave oven in the region of the microwave oven door comprising the steps of:
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(A) arranging a plurality of microwave sensitive antennae in a linear array, said array having a configuration corresponding to at least one edge of the circumference of said oven door, each of said antennae being spaced from each adjacent antenna a predetermined spacing distance, said spacing distance being equal to or less than the beamwidth corresponding to the highest mode of standing wave resonant energy in the oven whereby the narrowest beam of energy leaking from any aperture along said door edge of an oven being tested will be sensed by at least one of said antennae; (B) positioning an oven to be tested adjacent to said array by; i. paralleling said oven door edge at a predetermined distance to said array, and ii. orienting said oven door edge to said array at a predetermined angle relative to the direction of maximum energy propagation from said oven door edge; (C) measuring the microwave power density sensed by each antenna, and (D) determining from said measurements the maximum possible power density of leakage at any point along said array. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 25)
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11. A microwave oven door seal power density leakage detector for detecting power density of a beam of microwaves leaking through a seal along the perimeter of the oven door, said microwave leakage beam having a direction of maximum power density propagation, said leakage detector comprising:
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a plurality of microwave sensitive antennae, arranged in alignment with a segment of the perimeter of said door in a linear array and spaced therefrom a predetermined test distance at a predetermined test angle relative to said direction of maximum power density propagation, each of said antennae spaced from each adjacent antenna a spacing distance equal to or less than a beamwidth due to the highest mode of standing wave resonant energy in the oven emittable along said perimeter segment such that the narrowest beam of said microwave leakage will be sensed by at least one of said antennae; and measuring means for measuring the power density sensed by each of said antennae. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A cavity rf oscillator rf leakage detector for detecting the rf leakage from a substantially linear aperture therein, the rf energy oscillating therein having a predetermined substantially monochromatic frequency, and said cavity having a predetermined structure, said leakage detector comprising:
a plurality of rf sensitive antennae, arranged in a linear array corresponding to said linear aperture and spaced therefrom a predetermined distance at a predetermined angle relative to the direction of maximum power density propagation from said aperture, each of said antennae spaced from each adjacent of said antennae a spacing distance such that the narrowest beam of rf emitting from said aperture comprised of two minimum and one maximum spatially displaced power density points will be sensed by at least of one said antennae at a power level no less than a predetermined ratio relative to the maximum power density of said beam.
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19. A rf leakage detector for detecting rf leakage from one or more substantially linear apertures in a cavity rf oscillator containing a predetermined bandwidth of rf energy, said cavity having predetermined structure such that only a predetermined set of resonance modes can oscillate therein and cause beam emission therefrom, said leakage detector comprising:
one or more linear arrays of antennae, a corresponding one for each of said apertures, each array having a plurality of antennae arranged in a line corresponding to the line of the corresponding aperture, each antenna spaced a predetermined distance from said corresponding aperture at a predetermined angle relative to the direction of maximum energy propagation therefrom, each antenna further spaced from each adjacent antenna a spacing distance such that every beam of rf energy comprising at least two minimum and one maximum spatially displaced power density points radiating from said corresponding aperture must be sensed by at least one of said antennae at no less than a predetermined minimum power density level relative to that beam'"'"'s maximum power density level along the line of said array. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
Specification