1313results about "Domestic cooking appliances" patented technology

An appliance network having a first networked appliance, an energy controller, at least one of a smart dimmer and smart adapter, and a communication network coupling the first networked appliance, energy controller, and the at least one of the smart dimmer and smart adapter for communication therebetween.

A microwave oven and a method for heating a load which is placed therein. According to the invention a predetermined mode in the cavity of a microwave oven is fed by means of an associated feeding port which is arranged to feed essentially the intended mode only, the feeding of a mode other than the intended, predetermined mode being essentially prevented.

An induction cook top with a heat management system is disclosed. The heat management system controls heat produced both internally by the electronic components within the cook top as well as heat produced above the cook top when cooking. The heat management system provides improved air flow past and around the internal electronic components. The cook top features an efficient removal of generated heat and may optionally provide a vented housing and direct airflow into and out of the housing or provide a thermoelectric cooling device which permits a ventless housing.

A network includes a smart coupler having a processor, a memory with software, and a power source to energize the processor and the memory, and an appliance configured to perform an operation on a physical article. The appliance is one that consumes at least some of a resource in performing the operation. The network also includes a source of information about the resource. The smart coupler is in communication with the appliance and the source, and the processor and memory operate to request a change to the operation of the appliance in response to a resource parameter or a request communicated by the source.

A network includes a smart coupler having a processor, a memory with software, and a power source to energize the processor and the memory, and an appliance configured to perform an operation on a physical article. The appliance is one that consumes at least some of a resource in performing the operation. The network also includes a source of information about the resource. The smart coupler is in communication with the appliance and the source, and the processor and memory operate to request a change to the operation of the appliance in response to a resource parameter or a request communicated by the source.

A method, apparatus, and system for a solar-driven chemical plant that may include a solar thermal receiver having a cavity with an inner wall, where the solar thermal receiver is aligned to absorb concentrated solar energy from one or more of 1) an array of heliostats, 2) solar concentrating dishes, and 3) any combination of the two. Some embodiments may include a solar-driven chemical reactor having multiple reactor tubes located inside the cavity of solar thermal receiver, wherein a chemical reaction driven by radiant heat occurs in the multiple reactor tubes, and wherein particles of biomass are gasified in the presence of a steam (H2O) carrier gas and methane (CH4) in a simultaneous steam reformation and steam biomass gasification reaction to produce reaction products that include hydrogen and carbon monoxide gas using the solar thermal energy from the absorbed concentrated solar energy in the multiple reactor tubes.

A high-frequency heating device including: a solid-state oscillator that generates a microwave; an amplifier that amplifies the microwave generated by the solid-state oscillator; an isolator that is connected to a stage subsequent to the amplifier and blocks a reflected wave directed from an object exposed with the microwave; an antenna that irradiates the microwave toward the object; and a metal cavity that traps therein the microwave irradiated to the object.

An electromagnetic heater for heating an irregularly shaped object, including:a cavity within which an object is to be placed;at least one feed which feeds UHF or microwave energy into the cavity; anda controller that controls one or more characteristics of the cavity or energy to assure that the UHF or microwave energy is deposited uniformly in the object within ±30% over at least 80% of the volume of the object.

The invention relates to an apparatus and method for data transmitting / receiving between a microwave oven and an information appliance PDA. The apparatus includes a wireless data transmitting / receiving unit for conducting wireless data communication with an external system including an information appliance; a data storage unit for storing transmitted / received data through the wireless data transmitting / receiving unit and / or downloaded data from Internet; a display unit for displaying transmitted data from the wireless data transmitting / receiving unit; a load drive unit for driving a magnetron and / or a heater; and Micom interfaced with the above elements, and interpreting the transmitted data from the wireless data transmitting / receiving unit and / or checking a state of the microwave oven, and controlling the wireless data transmitting / receiving unit to transmit the data on the state of the microwave oven to an information appliance. According to the invention, although the microwave oven does not include built-in networked communication equipment like a modem, it can interface with Internet through an information appliance, a PDA for example, which download data and transmits to the microwave oven. Thus, increase in price of the microwave oven with the modem is minimized and user interface is provided. Also, repair cost of the microwave oven can be minimized by checking the microwave based on the data on the internal state of the microwave being transmitted to the PDA.

Plasma-assisted methods and apparatus that use multiple radiation sources are provided. In one embodiment, a plasma is ignited by subjecting a gas in a processing cavity to electromagnetic radiation having a frequency less than about 333 GHz in the presence of a plasma catalyst, which may be passive or active. A controller can be used to delay activation of one radiation source with respect to another.

The invention relates to a network system of at least two appliances, each appliance configured to perform a cycle of operation on an article, and each appliance having its own software architecture. An embedded virtual router enables communication among appliance components independent of the architecture of the software.

A cooking appliance includes an oven cavity, an electric heating element and a rapid cook heating system both of which being operable on either one of first and second supply voltages, and a controller including a memory module having stored therein first and second control algorithms. The controller will operate the cooking appliance based on one of the first or second control algorithm depending upon whether the cooking appliance is connected to the first or second supply voltages respectively. Preferably, the appliance includes a sensor for signaling the controller as to the presence of either the first or second supply voltage. In the alternative, the appliance can be manually set for use with a particular voltage supply.

Stable and highly efficient combustion / reaction is provided, even when fuel ratio of mixture is decreased and combustion / reaction of the lean mixture is performed in a heat engine such as a reciprocating engine, by controlling dielectric constant of mixture in a combustion / reaction chamber by introducing water and / or exhaust gas into the combustion / reaction chamber. A microwave radiation antenna for irradiation of the combustion / reaction chamber, and a discharge unit for igniting the mixture in the combustion / reaction chamber are provided. The dielectric constant of the mixture before the combustion / reaction of the mixture is controlled so that the resonance frequency of the mixture corresponds to the frequency of the microwave.

A multi-layer, multi-turn structure for an inductor having a plurality of conductor layers separated by layers of insulator is described. The inductor further comprises a connector electrically connected between the conductor layers. The structure of the inductor may comprise a cavity therewithin. The structure of the inductor constructed such that electrical resistance is reduced therewithin, thus increasing the efficiency of the inductor. The inductor is particularly useful at operating within the radio frequency range and greater.

A multi-layer, multi-turn structure for an inductor having a plurality of conductor layers separated by layers of insulator is described. The inductor further comprises a connector electrically connected between the conductor layers. The structure of the inductor may comprise a cavity therewithin. The structure of the inductor constructed such that electrical resistance is reduced therewithin, thus increasing the efficiency of the inductor. The inductor is particularly useful at operating within the radio frequency range and greater.

A multi-layer, multi-turn structure for an inductor having a plurality of conductor layers separated by layers of insulator is described. The inductor further comprises a connector electrically connected between the conductor layers. The structure of the inductor may comprise a cavity therewithin. The structure of the inductor constructed such that electrical resistance is reduced therewithin, thus increasing the efficiency of the inductor. The inductor is particularly useful at operating within the radio frequency range and greater.

This invention provides a portable combustion device that provides a cleaner combustion, reduces the kindling period, and provides a more efficient overall combustion through the use of a fan that directs a predetermined volume of airflow over the combustible fuel—typically wood or similar cellulose-based biological solids. The combustion device has a combustion chamber into which the fuel source is placed for combustion. Mounted to the side of the combustion chamber is a housing that encloses the TEG, which generates an electrical output based on a difference in temperature on opposing sides. Mounted onto the TEG housing and protruding into the combustion chamber through a small passageway is a heat-conducting probe and heat-conducting probe base unit. The opposing side of the TEG is also in contact with a heat sink to remove heat from the TEG device through interaction with ambient air that passes over the vanes from a port located along the side of the TEG housing. A motor and fan near the heat sink to draw air away the heat sink and aid in the cooling of the heat sink, and force air onto the combusting fuel through a plurality of peripheral ports that connect with an air space located between the inner and outer walls of the combustion chamber.

Distributed high power solid state microwave sources are provided to improve the efficiency of microwave heating applications. A plurality of solid state microwave sources can be distributed throughout and / or adjacent to a microwave environment with the microwave power output of the solid state microwave sources being directed toward the chamber. The distribution of the plurality of solid state microwave devices can be customized to the specific size and shape of the microwave chamber and / or specific regions / compartments of the microwave chambers.

An induction heating cooker including a cooking plate on which a cooking vessel is placed, a plurality of heating coils disposed while being adjacent to one other below the cooking plate, and a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) on which circuits configured to drive the heating coils are placed, wherein the PCB is divided into a high frequency circuit part on which circuits characterized by high frequency are placed and a low frequency circuit part on which circuits characterized by low frequency are placed, and the high frequency circuit part is spaced apart from the low frequency circuit part by a predetermined distance. The interference between the high frequency circuit part and the low frequency circuit part is minimized while enhancing the operation efficiency of each heating coil. The assembly efficiency and the working efficiency are enhanced when an inverter circuit is wired to a corresponding heating coil.

A multi-layer, multi-turn structure for an inductor having a plurality of conductor layers separated by layers of insulator is described. The inductor further comprises a connector electrically connected between the conductor layers. The structure of the inductor may comprise a cavity therewithin. The structure of the inductor constructed such that electrical resistance is reduced therewithin, thus increasing the efficiency of the inductor. The inductor is particularly useful at operating within the radio frequency range and greater.

A method, apparatus, and system for a solar-driven chemical plant are disclosed. An embodiment may include a solar thermal receiver aligned to absorb concentrated solar energy from one or more solar energy concentrating fields. A solar driven chemical reactor may include multiple reactor tubes located inside the solar thermal receiver. The multiple reactor tubes can be used to gasify particles of biomass in the presence of a carrier gas. The gasification reaction may produce reaction products that include hydrogen and carbon monoxide gas having an exit temperature from the tubes exceeding 1000 degrees C. An embodiment can include a quench zone immediately downstream of an exit of the chemical reactor. The quench zone may immediately quench via rapid cooling of at least the hydrogen and carbon monoxide reaction products within 0.1-10 seconds of exiting the chemical reactor to a temperature of 800 degrees C. or less.