Microwave oven with turntable and weight sensor
First Claim
1. A microwave oven comprising a cavity, a microwave source for supplying microwave energy into the cavity, and a weighing device for weighing a food product which has been placed in the cavity for cooking, and further comprising a plate provided at the bottom of the cavity for supporting the food product, a vertically movable shaft supporting the plate, said shaft being disposed underneath the plate and extending through an opening in the cavity bottom into a first space, said plate and said shaft being depressed by the weight of the food product when placed on the plate, an electronic pressure sensor which is included in the weighing device and which converts a pressure change initiated by the food product and applied to a receiving part of the pressure sensor, into a signal indicating the weight of the food product, the pressure sensor is disposed at a distance from said first space in a second space subject to different climatic condition than said first space, and including a pressure chamber in said first space for taking up the weight exerted by the food product and for generating and transmitting said pressure change to the receiving part of the pressure sensor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A microwave oven is provided with a weighing device comprising a plate having a vertically movable shaft, and a fluid-containing bladder or a fluid-containing piston and cylinder assembly, and a pressure sensor for sensing the weight of a food product to be cooked in the oven. The problem residing in that the electronic components included in prior-art weighing devices are placed in an unsuitable environment under the cavity bottom of the oven is solved by placing the electronic components on a circuit board for the remaining control electronics in a space separate from the space under the cavity bottom. This solution means that the vertically movable shaft generates a pressure change in the bladder or the piston and cylinder assembly. This pressure change is transmitted to the pressure sensor, which generates a weight-indicating signal.
17 Citations
7 Claims
- 1. A microwave oven comprising a cavity, a microwave source for supplying microwave energy into the cavity, and a weighing device for weighing a food product which has been placed in the cavity for cooking, and further comprising a plate provided at the bottom of the cavity for supporting the food product, a vertically movable shaft supporting the plate, said shaft being disposed underneath the plate and extending through an opening in the cavity bottom into a first space, said plate and said shaft being depressed by the weight of the food product when placed on the plate, an electronic pressure sensor which is included in the weighing device and which converts a pressure change initiated by the food product and applied to a receiving part of the pressure sensor, into a signal indicating the weight of the food product, the pressure sensor is disposed at a distance from said first space in a second space subject to different climatic condition than said first space, and including a pressure chamber in said first space for taking up the weight exerted by the food product and for generating and transmitting said pressure change to the receiving part of the pressure sensor.
Specification