Microwave Appliance Field Control for Component Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing microwave ovens lack the ability to reliably determine non-food areas within the cooking chamber, leading to potential damage from uneven microwave distribution and overheating of non-food components, which can result in component damage or user safety hazards.
Innovation Solution
A microwave oven with a temperature detection device to contactlessly detect heat distribution and a control device to adjust microwave configurations, minimizing microwave power in non-food areas by identifying and avoiding 'hot spots' using temperature monitoring and adjustable microwave settings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If microwave appliance operates with fixed field distribution configurations, then device complexity is reduced, but harmful heating of non-food components occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The microwave appliance dynamically adapts its field distribution by selecting from multiple configurations based on real-time temperature feedback from the detection device, transforming a static system into a dynamic one that responds to actual heating conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The temperature detection device provides continuous feedback about heat distribution in the cooking chamber, enabling the control device to identify hot spots and adjust microwave configurations accordingly to prevent overheating of non-food components
2Object-affected harmful factors
If temperature detection device is added, then harmful factors are reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature detection device serves multiple functions: identifying hot spots, determining non-food areas, and providing feedback for configuration selection, making it a multi-functional component that justifies its addition
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the temperature detection device to automatically monitor and adjust its own operation, enabling self-regulation of microwave field distribution to prevent harmful heating without requiring external intervention
3Productivity
If microwave power is concentrated in specific areas, then heating efficiency is improved, but non-food areas may be damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different field distribution configurations to different spatial regions by selecting configurations that concentrate microwave power in food-containing areas while avoiding regions with non-food components, based on temperature detection feedback
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
Prevents damage to non-food components by ensuring uniform microwave distribution, reducing energy waste, and enhancing safety through targeted heating.
Implementation Method 1
a microwave device (6) configured to generate microwaves and to introduce the microwaves into a cooking chamber (2)
Implementation Method 2
a temperature detection device (9) configured to contactlessly detect a heat distribution in the cooking chamber (2)
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a microwave appliance (1) having a microwave device (6, 7) which is designed to generate microwaves and introduced the microwaves into a cooking chamber (2) and which can be operated with at least two configurations that generate different field distributions of the microwaves in the cooking chamber (2); a temperature detection device (9) which is designed to contactlessly detect a heat distribution in the cooking chamber (2); a data processing device (8) which is designed to detect a non-cooking product region (3, 4, R, S) in the cooking chamber (2) from the detected heat distribution; and a controller (8) which is designed to adjust the current configuration of the microwave device (6, 7) and to operate the microwave device (6, 7), wherein the controller (8) is designed to select or adjust at least one configuration of the microwave device (6, 7) with respect to reducing the power of the microwaves in the detected non-cooking product region (3, 4, R, S). The invention also relates to a method for operating a microwave appliance (1). The invention can be advantageously used on domestic appliances in particular.