Patent ID: 12193133

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG.1is a schematic structural view of a heating device100according to one embodiment of the present invention.FIG.2is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heating device100as shown inFIG.1, wherein an electromagnetic generating module161and a power supply module162are omitted. Referring toFIG.1andFIG.2, the heating device100may include a container body110, a door body120and an electromagnetic wave generating system.

The container body110may be configured to place an object to be processed, and a front wall or a top wall of the container body may be provided with a pick-and-place opening for picking and placing the object to be processed.

The door body120may be installed together with the container body110by an appropriate method, such as a sliding rail connection, a hinged connection, etc., and is configured to open and close the pick-and-place opening. In an illustrated embodiment, the heating device100also includes a drawer140for carrying the object to be processed; a front end plate of the drawer140is configured to be fixedly connected with the door body120, and two lateral side plates of the drawer are movably connected with the container body110by sliding rails.

In some embodiments, the electromagnetic wave generating system may include an electromagnetic generating module161, a power supply module162and a radiating assembly.

The power supply module162may be configured to be electrically connected with the electromagnetic generating module161to provide electric energy to the electromagnetic generating module161, so that the electromagnetic generating module161generates electromagnetic wave signals. The radiating assembly may include one or more radiating units disposed in the container body110or accessed into the container body110, and the one or more radiating units are all electrically connected with the electromagnetic generating module161to generate electromagnetic waves of the corresponding frequencies according to the electromagnetic wave signals, so as to heat the object to be processed in the container body110. In some embodiments, the number of the radiating units may be one, and the radiating unit is a flat plate type radiating antenna150.

The container body110and the door body120may be respectively provided with electromagnetic shielding features, so that the door body120is conductively connected with the container body110when the door body is in a closed state, so as to prevent electromagnetic leakage.

In some embodiments, the container body110may be made of metals to serve as a receiving pole to receive electromagnetic waves generated by the radiating antenna150. In some other embodiments, a receiving pole plate may be disposed on the top wall of the container body110to receive the electromagnetic waves generated by the radiating antenna150.

FIG.3is a schematic enlarged view of a region A inFIG.2. Referring toFIG.1toFIG.3, the heating device100may further include a signal processing and measurement and control circuit. Specifically, the signal processing and measurement and control circuit may include a detection unit171, a control unit172and a matching unit173.

The detection unit171may be connected in series between the electromagnetic generating module161and the radiating antenna150, and is configured to detect in real time the specific parameters of incident wave signals and reflected wave signals passing through the detection unit.

The control unit172may be configured to acquire the specific parameters from the detection unit171, and calculate the power of incident waves and reflected waves according to the specific parameters. In the present invention, the specific parameters may be voltage values and/or current values. Alternatively, the detection unit171may be a power meter to directly measure the power of incident waves and reflected waves.

The control unit172may further calculate an electromagnetic wave absorption rate of the object to be processed according to the power of incident waves and reflected waves, compare the electromagnetic wave absorption rate with a preset absorption threshold, and send an adjusting command to the matching unit173when the electromagnetic wave absorption rate is less than the preset absorption threshold. The preset absorption threshold may be 60% to 80%, such as 60%, 70% or 80%.

The matching unit173may be connected in series between the electromagnetic generating module161and the radiating antenna150, and is configured to adjust a load impedance of the electromagnetic generating module161according to an adjusting command of the control unit172, so as to improve the matching degree between the output impedance and the load impedance of the electromagnetic generating module161, so that when foods with different fixed attributes (such as type, weight and volume) are placed in the heating chamber111, or during the temperature change of the foods, relatively more electromagnetic wave energy is radiated in the heating chamber111, thereby increasing the heating rate.

FIG.8is a circuit diagram of a matching unit according to one embodiment of the present invention, wherein OUT refers to the output end of the matching unit, and IN refers to the input end of the matching unit. Referring toFIG.8, the matching unit173may include a matching module1731.

Specifically, the matching module1731may include a plurality of fixed value inductors connected in series between the electromagnetic generating module161and the radiating antenna150, and a plurality of parallel branches. Each parallel branch of the matching module1731may include a fixed value capacitor and a switch connected in series. The input ends of the plurality of parallel branches of the matching module1731are respectively connected in series between two adjacent inductors and between an end inductor and the radiating antenna150, and the output ends of the plurality of parallel branches of the matching module are all configured to be grounded. That is, each parallel branch of the matching module1731is connected in series with a fixed value inductor, so as to match a load more accurately after receiving an adjusting command, thereby improving the absorption rate of electromagnetic waves by the object to be processed.

The matching unit173may further include a matching module1732connected in series between the electromagnetic generating module161and the matching module1731, and the matching module1732includes a plurality of parallel branches. In some embodiments, each parallel branch of the matching module1732may include a fixed value capacitor and a switch connected in series.

In the electromagnetic wave generating system of the present invention, since two matching modules which respectively include a plurality of parallel branches are connected in series between the electromagnetic generating module and the radiating assembly, and one end of the matching module far away from the output end of the electromagnetic generating module is grounded, a load combination that is several times the sum of the number of the parallel branches of the two matching modules may be realized. Compared with the technical solution of adjusting the spacing between a radiating unit and a receiving pole by a mechanical electric motor structure in the prior art, the present invention is not only lower in cost, but also higher in reliability and faster in response speed. Compared with the technical solution of adjusting the load impedance by variable capacitors and variable inductors in the prior art, the present invention is not only lower in cost, but also higher in reliability and wider in adjusting range.

The plurality of switches of the matching module1731and the matching module1732may be respectively or together integrated into an array type switch assembly, so as to facilitate the on-off control of the switches.

In some embodiments, the heating device100may be used for thawing. The control unit172may also be configured to calculate an imaginary part change rate of a dielectric coefficient of the object to be processed according to the power of incident waves and reflected waves, compare the imaginary part change rate with a preset change threshold, and send a stop command to the electromagnetic generating module161when the imaginary part change rate of the dielectric coefficient of the object to be processed is greater than or equal to the preset change threshold, so that the electromagnetic generating module161stops working, and the thawing program is terminated.

The preset change threshold may be obtained by testing the imaginary part change rate of the dielectric coefficient of foods with different fixed attributes at −3° C. to 0° C., so that the foods have good shear strength. For example, when the object to be processed is raw beef, the preset change threshold may be set to be 2.

The control unit172may also be configured to receive a trigger command for starting or stopping the thawing program, and send a corresponding control signal to the electromagnetic generating module161according to the trigger command, so that the electromagnetic generating module161starts or stops working. The control unit172is configured to be electrically connected with the power supply module162to obtain electric energy from the power supply module162and always in a standby state.

In some embodiments, the signal processing and measurement and control circuit may be integrated on a circuit board170to facilitate the installation and maintenance of the signal processing and measurement and control circuit.

The signal processing and measurement and control circuit may be disposed at the rear lower part in the container body110, which not only can make the container body110have a relatively large storage space, but also can avoid the damage to the circuit due to excessively high food placed in the drawer140. The rear part of the bottom wall of the drawer140may be configured to be recessed upward to form an enlarged space below the drawer.

FIG.4is a schematic structural view of an electrical appliance chamber112according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring toFIG.2andFIG.4, the heating device100may further include a housing130to separate the inner space of the container body110into a heating chamber111and an electrical appliance chamber112. The object to be processed and the circuit board170may be respectively disposed in the heating chamber111and the electrical appliance chamber112to separate the object to be processed from the circuit board170, so as to prevent the circuit board170from being damaged by accidental touch.

Specifically, the housing130may include a clapboard131for separating the heating chamber111and the electrical appliance chamber112, and a skirt part132fixedly connected with the inner wall of the container body110.

In some embodiments, the circuit board170may be horizontally disposed. A clamping tongue134extending upward and inward may be respectively formed on two lateral side walls of the housing130, and the circuit board170may be clamped above the two clamping tongues134.

The housing130and the container body110may be provided with heat dissipation holes190respectively in positions corresponding to the matching unit173, so that the heat generated by the matching unit173during working is discharged through the heat dissipation holes190.

In some embodiments, the radiating antenna150may be disposed in the electrical appliance chamber112to prevent the radiating antenna150from being dirty or damaged by accidental touch.

The housing130may be made of an insulating material, so that the electromagnetic waves generated by the radiating antenna150can pass through the housing130to heat the object to be processed. Further, the housing130may be made of a non-transparent material to reduce the electromagnetic loss of the electromagnetic waves at the housing130, thereby increasing the heating rate of the object to be processed. The above-mentioned non-transparent material is a translucent material or an opaque material. The non-transparent material may be a PP material, a PC material or an ABS material, etc.

The housing130may also be configured to fix the radiating antenna150to simplify the assembly process of the heating device100and facilitate the positioning and installation of the radiating antenna150, wherein the radiating antenna150may be configured to be fixedly connected with the clapboard131.

In some embodiments, the radiating antenna150may be configured to be fixedly engaged with the housing130.FIG.5is a schematic enlarged view of a region B inFIG.4. Referring toFIG.5, the radiating antenna150may be provided with a plurality of engaging holes151; the housing130may be correspondingly provided with a plurality of buckles133, and the plurality of buckles133are configured to respectively pass through the plurality of engaging holes151to be engaged with the radiating antenna150.

In one embodiment of the present invention, each of the buckles133may be composed of two barbs disposed at an interval and in mirror symmetry.

FIG.6is a schematic structural view of an electrical appliance chamber112according to another embodiment of the present invention.FIG.7is a schematic enlarged view of a region C inFIG.6. Referring toFIG.6andFIG.7, in another embodiment of the present invention, each of the buckles133may be composed of a fixing part perpendicular to the radiating antenna150and having a hollow middle part, and an elastic part extending inclining to the fixing part from the inner end edge of the fixing part and toward the antenna.

In some other embodiments, the radiating antenna150may be configured to be fixed to the housing130by an electroplating process.

The housing130may further include a plurality of reinforcing ribs, and the reinforcing ribs are configured to connect the clapboard131and the skirt part132so as to improve the structural strength of the housing130.

In some embodiments, the radiating antenna150may be horizontally disposed at the height of ⅓ to ½, such as ⅓, ⅖ or ½, of the container body110, so that the volume of the heating chamber111is relatively large, and meanwhile, the electromagnetic waves in the heating chamber111have a relatively high energy density so as to make the object to be processed heated quickly.

Referring toFIG.4andFIG.6, the peripheral edge of the radiating antenna150may be formed by smooth curves, so as to make the distribution of electromagnetic waves in the container body110more uniform, thereby improving the temperature uniformity of the object to be processed, wherein a smooth curve refers to a curve of which the first derivative of the curve equation is continuous, which means that the peripheral edge of the radiating antenna150has no sharp corner in engineering.

In some embodiments, the metal container body110may be configured to be grounded to discharge the electric charges thereon, thereby improving the safety of the heating device100.

The heating device100may further include a metal bracket180. The metal bracket180may be configured to connect the circuit board170and the container body110to support the circuit board170and discharge the electric charges on the circuit board170through the container body110. In some embodiments, the metal bracket180may be composed of two parts perpendicular to each other. The metal bracket180may be fixedly connected with the housing130to facilitate the connection of the housing130and the metal bracket180with the container body110.

Hereto, those skilled in the art should realize that although multiple exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, many other variations or modifications that conform to the principles of the present invention can still be directly determined or deduced from the contents disclosed in the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be understood and deemed to cover all these other variations or modifications.