Microwave Standing-Wave Heating with Adjustable Hot Spot Shifting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional microwave heaters, both standing-wave and traveling-wave types, face challenges in achieving uniform heating due to the formation of hot and cold spots, leading to inefficient heating of objects with varying microwave absorption properties.
Innovation Solution
A single-source microwave heating device that forms a standing wave in a microwave channel by using a power-divider and phase-shifting modules to control the positions of hot spots, allowing for uniform heating through adjustable phase shifts and microwave interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If a standing-wave type microwave heater is used, then microwave energy can be efficiently resonated in a resonant chamber, but hot spots and cold spots are formed that are fixed in space, making it difficult to heat the object uniformly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a movable reflecting plate that can change its position along the waveguide, which dynamically changes the standing wave pattern and the positions of hot spots. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to maintain effective microwave energy utilization while achieving uniform heating by moving hot spots across different regions of the object being heated.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameter of the resonant chamber by introducing a movable reflecting plate that adjusts the effective length and boundary conditions of the waveguide. This parameter change allows the standing wave pattern to be reconfigured, shifting hot spot positions and enabling uniform heating while maintaining high microwave energy utilization.
2Manufacturing precision
If a traveling-wave type heater is used, then significant hot spots and cold spots are not formed, but microwave energy is absorbed unevenly by parts of the object at different distances from the microwave emitting module
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static traveling wave field into a dynamic standing wave field that can be reconfigured. By moving the reflecting plate, the system creates adjustable standing wave patterns that distribute microwave energy more uniformly throughout the heating chamber, addressing the uneven energy distribution problem of traveling-wave heaters.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs periodic adjustment of the reflecting plate position to create time-varying standing wave patterns. This periodic action ensures that all regions of the object receive microwave energy at different times, achieving uniform overall heating while maintaining efficient energy utilization.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the positions of hot spots are fixed in the resonant chamber, then the standing wave pattern is stable, but it is difficult to heat different regions of the object uniformly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a dynamic element (movable reflecting plate) that allows the standing wave pattern to be reconfigured. The system maintains stable standing wave patterns at any given moment while enabling temporal variation through plate movement, thus achieving both stability and spatial uniformity.
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 device achieves uniform heating by dynamically moving the positions of standing wave crests, improving heating efficiency for objects with different microwave absorption characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
The first power-divider divides the microwave from the microwave emitting module between the two output ports according to a main divide ratio
Implementation Method 2
The first phase-shifting module is configured to shift a phase of a microwave passing through the first phase-shifting module
Implementation Method 3
The microwaves emitted from the two output ports of the first power-divider interfere to form a standing wave in the shifting wave channel
Implementation Method 4
The standing wave in the shifting wave channel is absorbed by the object to be heated in the standing-wave heating chamber to heat up the object
Data Source
AI summary
A single-source microwave heating device has a first power-divider, a microwave emitting module and a shifting wave channel. An input port and an isolated port are located on one side of the first power-divider. Two output ports are located on an opposite side of the first power-divider. The microwave emitting module is connected to the input port. The first power-divider divides a microwave from the microwave emitting module between the two output ports. Two ends of the shifting wave channel are each connected to a respective one of the two output ports. A first phase-shifting module and a standing-wave heating chamber are serially mounted along the shifting wave channel. A phase-shift provided by the first phase-shifting module varies according to a position of the first phase-adjusting assembly such that positions of standing-wave crests in the standing-wave heating chamber can be moved back and forth to achieve uniform heating.