Apparatus for simultaneously heating a plurality of food products
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thawing apparatuses in the catering sector are inefficient, leading to long thawing times and inability to dynamically manage food products based on customer demand, often resulting in waste or insufficient supply.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with radio frequency dielectric heating and inductive compensation, allowing multiple food products to be thawed simultaneously in aligned housing compartments between electrodes, with an inductor to manage capacitive impedance and a refrigerating circuit for controlled temperature maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional air circulation thawing is used, then food products can be thawed, but the thawing time is very long (nearly twenty-four hours)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical air circulation system with a radio frequency electromagnetic field system. The RF generator produces electromagnetic fields that directly heat the water molecules in the frozen food, eliminating the need for slow air circulation and achieving rapid thawing in minutes rather than hours.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameter used for thawing from thermal conduction via air circulation to dielectric heating via radio frequency electromagnetic fields. This fundamental parameter change enables the food to be heated from the inside out, dramatically reducing thawing time while maintaining quality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If traditional thawing apparatuses are used, then food products can be thawed, but dynamic management based on customer demand is impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic control capability through the RF generator and controller system. The controller can adjust the RF power output and thawing parameters in real-time based on customer demand, food quantity, and urgency, enabling flexible management from single-item rapid thawing to bulk preparation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables users to directly control the thawing process by selecting desired parameters such as thawing speed, temperature, and duration. The system responds immediately to user input, allowing on-demand thawing without needing to prepare food in advance.
3Productivity
If radio frequency dielectric heating is used for single product thawing, then thawing time is reduced, but the apparatus cannot handle multiple products simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the thawing chamber into multiple independent compartments, each capable of holding a separate food product. The RF field penetrates through all compartments simultaneously, allowing multiple products to be thawed in parallel without requiring separate apparatuses.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple single-product RF thawing units into one integrated apparatus with a shared RF generator and control system. This merging approach maintains the rapid thawing capability while enabling simultaneous processing of multiple products, improving throughput without proportionally increasing complexity.
4Productivity
If high power RF heating is applied, then thawing speed increases, but risk of local cooking and energy dissipation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates temperature sensors and controllers that continuously monitor the food temperature during RF heating. When the food approaches the desired thawing temperature, the system automatically reduces or stops RF power, preventing local overheating and cooking. This feedback control ensures efficient thawing while maintaining food quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses periodic or pulsed RF heating cycles rather than continuous high-power application. The RF generator operates in intervals, allowing heat distribution throughout the food and preventing localized temperature buildup, thereby achieving uniform thawing without cooking the product.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables rapid and controlled thawing of multiple food products, improving efficiency and reducing waste by allowing for dynamic demand management, while minimizing overheating and energy dissipation.
Implementation Method 1
radio frequency dielectric heating means, mounted in the containment structure and, in turn, comprising at least one first electrode and one second electrode, and a power supply device, electrically connected to them, for applying between the first electrode and the second electrode a variable electric potential difference with an operating frequency of between 1 MHz and 300 MHz
Implementation Method 2
in the space between the two electrodes there is one or more inductors designed to compensate for, at the operating frequency, completely or partly, the imaginary part of a capacitive impedance that the apparatus would have in use in their absence
Implementation Method 3
a refrigerating circuit associated with the housing chamber for refrigerating it to keep it at a temperature close to the end of thawing maintenance temperature
Data Source
AI summary
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.