FOOD PREPARATION
Devices and methods for RF heating of food, using techniques which allow uniformity and/or controlled non-uniformity.
1 .- 45 . (canceled)
46 . An RF heating device, comprising:
a controller configured to:
control an RF power source to apply RF energy via a plurality of antennas to a cavity to heat an object in the cavity according to a heating profile;
receive, via the plurality of antennas, feedback in response to application of the RF energy; and
change the heating profile based on the feedback, wherein the heating profile includes a phase of at least one of the plurality of antennas.
47 . The RF heating device of claim 46 , wherein the plurality of antennas are configured as an antenna array.
48 . The RF heating device of claim 47 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
control an RF energy application time of the antennas in the antenna array individually to match a desired RF driving profile.
49 . The RF heating device of claim 46 , further comprising an RF power source.
50 . The RF heating device of claim 49 , wherein the plurality of antennas are configured to apply RF energy received from the RF power source.
51 . The RF heating device of claim 46 , wherein the heating profile includes information of a subset of the plurality of antennas that are used to apply RF energy.
52 . The RF heating device of claim 49 , wherein the controller is configured to:
control the RF power source to apply the RF energy by applying RF radiation at a plurality of frequencies; and
receive the feedback resulting from application of the RF radiation at one or more of the plurality of frequencies.
53 . The RF heating device of claim 46 , wherein the feedback includes at least one of:
power reflected at least one of the plurality of antennas; or
power coupled from one of the plurality of antennas to another one of the plurality of antennas.
54 . The RF heating device of claim 52 , wherein the controller is configured to control an input power at each frequency.
55 . The RF heating device of claim 46 , wherein the controller is configured to:
determine an absorption efficiency of RF energy by the object at one or more frequencies.
56 . The RF heating device of claim 55 , wherein the controller is configured to:
change, based on the determined absorption efficiency, at least one of: frequencies to transmit and corresponding power levels, an index to or a table of frequency/power/time triplets, a quantity of inputs to use, a phase of at least one input, a position of the object in the cavity, or a movement of the object in the cavity.