High-Frequency Heating Module Safety Control for Microwave Ovens

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Solution Overview

Problem

High-frequency household appliances pose a risk to the environment and user health due to the propagation of impermissible strong or frequency-mismatched electromagnetic waves, necessitating a solution to comply with radio and EMC limit values.

Innovation Solution

A high-frequency household appliance equipped with a high-frequency heating module that includes a measuring circuit to detect parameters of the high-frequency energy and a safety unit to evaluate compliance with predetermined limit values, switching off the signal generator if these values are exceeded, thereby preventing undesirable energy propagation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If high-frequency energy is generated and delivered into the treatment room, then heating effectiveness is improved, but electromagnetic waves may propagate impermissibly strong or frequency-mismatched energy into the environment

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheating effectivenessVSAvoidelectromagnetic wave propagation risk
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by measuring the high-frequency energy parameters (voltage, current, frequency) before the energy is delivered into the treatment room. The measuring circuit captures these parameters in advance, allowing the control unit to evaluate compliance with limit values and adjust operation preemptively, preventing harmful propagation while maintaining heating effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements feedback by continuously measuring high-frequency energy parameters with the measuring circuit and using the control unit to compare these measurements against predetermined limit values. Based on this feedback loop, the system can detect frequency mismatches or excessive energy levels and automatically adjust the high-frequency signal generator or switch off paths to prevent harmful electromagnetic wave propagation into the environment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Stability of the object's composition

If multiple high-frequency paths are used for heating, then heating uniformity is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheating uniformityVSAvoidnumber of high-frequency paths
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies merging by combining multiple high-frequency paths into a single high-frequency signal generator. The control unit manages multiple paths (first high-frequency path, second high-frequency path, etc.) that all draw from the same signal generator, allowing coordinated operation to achieve uniform heating while sharing common components to reduce overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements universality by designing the high-frequency signal generator to serve multiple functions and multiple paths simultaneously. The same signal generator can feed energy through different paths into the treatment room, and the measuring circuit can monitor parameters across all paths, reducing the need for separate generators for each path while maintaining heating uniformity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Productivity

If high-frequency energy is delivered into the treatment room, then cooking process is accelerated, but user health and environment may be endangered

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooking speedVSAvoidhealth and environmental risk
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by measuring voltage, current, and frequency parameters of high-frequency energy before delivery into the treatment room. The control unit evaluates these pre-measured parameters against safety limit values and can prevent or adjust energy delivery in advance, ensuring cooking speed is maximized while health and environmental risks are eliminated.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements feedback by continuously monitoring high-frequency energy parameters with the measuring circuit and using the control unit to compare measurements with predetermined safety limits. This feedback mechanism ensures that cooking processes are accelerated through high-frequency energy delivery while automatically detecting and preventing conditions that could endanger user health or the environment, such as frequency mismatches or excessive energy levels.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

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

The solution effectively reduces or prevents the emission of impermissible high-frequency energy into the environment, ensuring compliance with radio and EMC regulations and protecting both the user and the environment.

Implementation Method 1

Microwaves are understood to mean electromagnetic waves with a frequency of about 1 to about 300 GHz. Microwaves can excite molecules to vibrate and thereby increase the temperature of the molecules.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMicrowave radiation: Microwave Radiation

Implementation Method 2

Microwaves can excite molecules to vibrate and thereby increase the temperature of the molecules. This is used, for example, in microwave ovens to heat or cook food within the cooking chamber.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDielectric heating: Dielectric Heating

Data Source

PatentEP4120799A1High-frequency household appliance, preferably high-frequency kitchen appliance
Publication Date: 2023.01.18 MIELE & CO KG
  • EP4120799A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4120799A1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP4120799A1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

The invention relates to a high-frequency household appliance (1), preferably a high-frequency kitchen appliance (1), with at least one treatment chamber (11) configured to receive material to be treated with high-frequency energy, and with at least one high-frequency heating module (2) configured to generate the high-frequency energy and deliver it to the treatment chamber (11), wherein the high-frequency heating module (2) comprises at least: • at least one high-frequency signal generator (21) configured to generate the high-frequency energy, and • at least one interface (ANT) to the treatment chamber (11) of a first high-frequency path (23a-23d), preferably one interface (ANT) each to the treatment chamber (11) of several high-frequency paths (23a-23d), which is configured to deliver high-frequency energy to the treatment chamber (11). The high-frequency household appliance (1) is characterized in that the high-frequency heating module (2),preferably at least the first high-frequency path (23a-23d), more preferably several high-frequency paths (23a-23d), and most preferably all high-frequency paths (23a-23d) of the high-frequency heating module (2), further comprising at least: • at least one measuring circuit (UIM, FDIV, ADC) configured to detect at least one parameter of the high-frequency energy, and • at least one safety unit (22) configured to receive the at least one detected parameter from the measuring circuit (UIM, FDIV, ADC) and to evaluate it with regard to compliance with at least one predetermined limit value, wherein the high-frequency heating module (2), preferably the safety unit (22), is configured to operate the high-frequency signal generator (21) depending on the evaluation of the parameter, and preferably to switch off the high-frequency signal generator (21) when a predetermined limit value of the parameter is exceeded.