Electrode apparatus for stray field radio frequency heating

• US 6,812,445 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2003
• Issued: 11/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ambrell Corporation (inTEST Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Codaco, Inc.
• Inventors: Gorbold, Timothy D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Leung, Philip H.
• Application Number:
  US10/388,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20030199251A1
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 219/764, 219/770, 219/780, 219/774, 219/778, 342/50, 342/58, 342/53--56
• US Class Current: 219/764
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/54 Electrodes

Abstract

An RF heating system for generating precision stray RF fields that can be used to heat materials. The RF heating system includes an RF power supply for generating RF signals and an electrode apparatus that is coupled to the RF power supply. An electrode apparatus according to the present invention has many advantages over existing electrode apparatuses. For example, the electrode apparatus is easier to manufacture, easier to duplicate, easier to control the manufacturing tolerances on the electrode system, and easier to correctly place and design the resulting RF stray field.

Claims

1. An electrode apparatus for generating stray fields, comprising:

a first element; and

a second element, wherein

the first element comprises an elongated member and an elongated electrode, the elongated electrode having one end connected to the elongated member,

the second element comprises a base and an electrode plate that is connected to and extends outwardly from a surface of the base,

the first element and the second element are positioned such that the elongated electrode is spaced from a top portion of a face of the electrode plate and such that a bottom surface of the elongated electrode is not directly over a distal side of the electrode plate, but is directly over at least a portion of the base, and

the distance from the top surface of the base to the bottom surface of the elongated electrode is greater than or equal to twice the distance between the top portion of the face of the electrode plate and the elongated electrode.

2. The electrode apparatus of claim 1, wherein the distal side of the electrode plate runs parallel with the elongated electrode and is spaced apart from the elongated electrode.

3. The electrode apparatus of claim 2, wherein the distance from a top surface of the elongated electrode to the top surface of the base is equal to or about equal to the height of the electrode plate.

4. The electrode apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first element further comprises a second elongated member, and the other end of the elongated electrode is connected to the second elongated member.

5. The electrode apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first elongated member and the second elongated member are parallel.

6. The electrode apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first element comprises a plurality of elongated electrodes, with each elongated electrode having one end being connected to the first elongated member and the other end being connected to the second elongated member.

7. The electrode apparatus of claim 6, wherein the second element comprises a plurality of electrode plates, each of said plurality of electrode plates being connected to the surface of the base.

8. The electrode apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first element is constructed from a single, electrically conductive plate.

9. The electrode apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plate is a copper plate.

10. An RF heating system, comprising:

an RF power supply; and

the electrode apparatus according to claim 1 connected to the RF power supply for generating stray RF fields.

11. A method for making a product wherein the product has one or more components, the method comprising:

generating a stray field using the RF heating system of claim 10; and

exposing a component of the product to the stray field for the purpose of heating the component.

12. The electrode apparatus of claim 1, wherein the longitudinal axis of the elongated electrode is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the elongated member.

13. The electrode apparatus of claim 1, wherein the edges of the elongated electrode and the electrode plate are rounded.

14. The electrode apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a non-electrically conducting solid body placed between the electrode pate and the elongated electrode.

15. The apparatus or system of claim 14, wherein the non-electrically conducting solid body comprises a first channel for receiving the elongated electrode and a second channel for receiving the distal side of the electrode plate.

16. The apparatus or system of claim 14, wherein the non-electrically conducting solid body has a low dielectric constant and low dissipation factor.

17. The electrode apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a non-electrically conducting solid body having a channel for receiving the base of the second element.

18. The electrode apparatus of claim 1, wherein the elongated electrode is spaced apart from the electrode plate by a distance of X, and the difference between the length of the elongated electrode and the length of the electrode plate is greater than or equal to 4X.

19. An electrode system for generating stray fields, comprising:

an elongated electrode; and

an electrode plate having a first face and a second face, wherein

the first face of the electrode plate faces in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the elongated electrode,

the elongated electrode is spaced apart from the first face of the electrode plate,

the height of the electrode plate is greater than the thickness of the elongated electrode,

the length of the electrode plate is shorter than the length of the elongated electrode,

a top surface of the elongated electrode is co-planar or substantially co-planar with a distal side surface of the electrode plate, and

the elongated electrode is spaced apart from the electrode plate by a distance of X, and the difference between the height of the electrode plate and the thickness of the elongated electrode is about greater than or equal to 2X.

20. The electrode system of claim 19, wherein the difference between the length of the elongated electrode and the length of the electrode plate is greater than or equal to 4X.

21. The electrode system of claim 19, further comprising a second elongated electrode, wherein at least a portion of the electrode plate is positioned between the first elongated electrode and the second elongated electrode, and wherein the first elongated electrode is electrically and physically connected to the second elongated electrode.

22. The electrode system of claim 21, wherein the second elongated electrode is positioned so that:

the second face of the electrode plate faces in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the elongated electrode, and

the elongated electrode is spaced apart from the second face of the electrode plate.

23. The electrode system of claim 19, further comprising a second electrode plate having a first face and a second face, wherein the first face of the second electrode plate faces in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the elongated electrode, the first face of the second electrode plate faces the first face of the first electrode plate, and the first electrode plate is electrically connected to the second electrode plate.