Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Nicola Lanza

Francesco Gambato

Andrea Baccara

Chiara DeMassari

Benoît Flipot

Michele Sclocchi

Fabrizio Dughiero

Marco Bullo

Chiara De Massari

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

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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Chioggia, Italy

Nicola Lanza