Amana Refrigeration, Inc.

Raytheon Company

Bradford J Diesch

Rex E Fritts

Roger W Carlson

Arnold M Bucksbaum

Apparatus and method for altering computational constants stored in an EAROM of a microwave oven microcomputer. In the normal or operational mode, the microwave oven control panel is used by the operator to enter control data for the microwave oven. After a mode determining signal is applied to the microcomputer by grounding one of its specified ports, new computational constants can be entered through the control panel and stored in the EAROM so as to alter the operating characteristics of the oven.

Apparatus and method for altering computational constants of microwave

Antenna for use with food product in a microwave oven, where one or more antennas are positioned into the food product for efficient and distributed heating of food product. The antenna includes a coaxial assembly of an inner conductor and an outer conductor with dielectric therebetween. A load end, configured as a probe, positions into the food product. A source end antenna element structure delivers power to the load end and subsequently to the food product. The structure at the source end may include a probe center conductor as well as gain antenna structures. The outer conductor may likewise be configured including ground plane disc, a folded-over coaxial outer conductor or the like.

Oven antenna probe for distributing energy in microwave

Control system for a microwave oven or a combination microwave and convection oven where the on time of a microwave generating system is decreased while convection heater on time may optionally be increased as a food product cooks to a predetermined, desired temperature. A temperature probe inserted in the product senses temperature and connects to a wheatstone bridge. A differential amplifier connects to the wheatstone bridge, an up/down integrator circuit connects to the differential amplifier, and a comparator connects to the integrator and which includes a latch to generate a signal to control a triac for controlling the microwave generating system and to provide a closed loop feedback signal to the temperature probe. The control system starts the oven cooking with substantially one-hundred percent power and, as the desired predetermined temperature is reached, the microwave power level is decreased through the control system. As the microwave power level is decreased, the average power to the convection heater may optionally be increased to speed the browning and crisping of a food product. The control system, through the electrical circuit, converts the temperature differential signal into a microwave generating system level signal. The closed loop feedback signal is generated by the microwave generating system which is controlled by the comparator latch and an NPN transistor controlling the up/down integrator. The control system can be used with any type of microwave oven.

Growing community of inventors

Cedar Rapids, IA, United States of America

Bradford J Diesch