Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Francesco Gambato

Nicola Lanza

Andrea Baccara

Michele Sclocchi

Marco Bullo

Chiara DeMassari

Benoît Flipot

Fabrizio Dughiero

Chiara De Massari

Marco Carcano

Christine Rollet

A microwave heating device includes at least two radiating portions that are adapted to radiate microwaves to the heating chamber and can be operated according to a plurality of operational configurations that differ in frequency and/or in phase shift(s) between the radiated microwaves. Data of energy efficiency, as a function of operational configurations, can be obtained for a product in the heating chamber. For example, energy efficiency data are obtained through a learning procedure. The obtained data can be processed to select one or more operational configurations ranking high in energy efficiency and a heating procedure for the product inside the heating chamber can be executed by operating the at least two radiating portions according to the selected one or more operational configurations.

Microwave heating device and method for operating a microwave heating device

A microwave heating device includes radiating portions adapted to radiate microwaves to the heating chamber and is operated according to operational configurations that differ in frequency or in phase shift(s) between the radiated microwaves. A learning procedure is executed by sequentially operating the radiating portions in several operational configurations. Energy efficiency data are calculated for those operational configurations. An operating frequency is selected based on energy efficiency data. An operational configuration with a maximum energy efficiency at the selected operating frequency is taken as a reference. A heating procedure is executed by sequentially operating the radiating portions in operational configurations having the selected operating frequency and respective phase shift(s) chosen around the respective phase shift(s) of the reference operational configuration. The phase shift(s) of each chosen operational configuration may have a phase shift distance from the respective phase shift(s) of the reference operational configuration, such that, in the space of the phase shifts, the reference operational configuration is surrounded by the chosen operational configurations.

Microwave heating device

An apparatus for simultaneously heating a plurality of food products, comprising: a containment structure forming a housing chamber; one or more separating elements mounted in the housing chamber to delimit a plurality of separate housing compartments for receiving the food products; radio frequency dielectric heating means with an operating frequency of between 1 MHz and 300 MHz, mounted in the containment structure and comprising at least one first electrode and one second electrode; wherein the housing compartments are aligned along a row, the first electrode and the second electrode delimiting on two opposite sides the row; and wherein inside the housing chamber, between the first electrode and the second electrode, there is also at least one inductor.

Apparatus for simultaneously heating a plurality of food products

A microwave heating device includes radiating portions that are adapted to radiate microwaves to the heating chamber and is operated according to operational configurations that differ in frequency and/or in phase shift. A learning procedure is executed in relation with a product positioned in the heating chamber. The learning procedure is executed by changing frequency and phase shift(s) to sequentially operate the radiating portions in a plurality of operational configurations, in such a way that, for each frequency, the radiating portions are operated in a number of operational configurations that differ in phase shift. An energy efficiency is calculated for each of the operational configurations and the obtained data are saved. A heating procedure is executed after the learning procedure. In the heating procedure, the radiating portions are operated according to at least one operational configuration that is selected on the basis of the data obtained in the learning procedure.

A microwave heating device and a method for operating a microwave heating device to heat a product inside a heating chamber includes at least two radiating portions that are adapted to radiate microwaves to the heating chamber and can be operated according to a plurality of operational configurations that differ in frequency or phase shift(s) between the radiated microwaves. A learning procedure can be executed by sequentially operating the radiating portions in several operational configurations for which energy efficiency data are calculated. An operating frequency can be selected via an algorithm that optimizes a mathematical function based on energy efficiency data. An operational configuration with a maximum energy efficiency at the selected operating frequency may be taken as a reference. A heating procedure can be executed by sequentially operating the radiating portions in operational configurations having the selected operating frequency and respective phase shift(s) chosen around the respective phase shift(s) of the reference operational configuration.

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San Giorgio in Bosco, Italy

Francesco Gambato