Patent ID: 11937360
Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
Field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 5:
6. A high frequency heating apparatus comprising:
a first electrode that is flat;
a plurality of second electrodes placed opposite to the first electrode, the plurality of second electrodes each being flat;
a high-frequency power supply configured to apply a high-frequency voltage to the first electrode;
a matching unit placed between the first electrode and the high-frequency power supply and configured to be impedance-matched with the high-frequency power supply;
a controller configured to control the high-frequency power supply;
an electric field regulator configured to individually adjust electric field strengths in a plurality of regions located between the first electrode and the plurality of second electrodes; and
a table on which a heating target object is to be placed, the heating target object being arranged between the first electrode and the plurality of second electrodes,
wherein
all of the plurality of second electrodes are grounded, and
the electric field regulator differentiates
a spacing between the first electrode and at least one central second electrode among the plurality of second electrodes, the at least one central second electrode corresponding to the central region of the plurality of regions, and a spacing between the table and the at least one central second electrode, from
a spacing between the first electrode at least one outer second electrode among the plurality of second electrodes, at least one outer second electrode corresponding to the non-central region that is a region except the central region among the plurality of regions, and a spacing between the table and the at least one outer second electrode,

thereby adjusting the electric field strengths in the plurality of regions.