JPH11195483A - Microwave heating device and wave-guiding channel change-over device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wave-guiding channel change-over device enhancing working efficiency by facilitating the selection of the transmission target partner of a microwave. SOLUTION: This wave-guiding channel change-over device is provided with a generator 1 generating a microwave, a change-over means 11a transmitting the microwave from first wave-guiding channels 2a, 2b to second wave-guiding channels 2c, 2f by connecting an input side to the generator 1 via the first wave-guiding channels 2a, 2b, and connecting output sides to the second wave- guiding channels 2c, 2f selected among plural second wave-guiding channels 2c to 2f, and plural irradiation vessels having a body to be heated 10a mounted inside and irradiating the microwave transmitted via the second wave-guiding channel 2f onto the body to be heated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a microwave heating apparatus for heating an object to be heated by microwaves by using a microwave oscillating tube such as a gyrotron, and a waveguide switch disposed in a microwave transmission system. It concerns the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a conventional microwave heating apparatus such as a microwave sintering furnace disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1 (JP-A) No. 1;
Is a microwave generator, 2 is a waveguide as a waveguide, 3 is an applicator, is an irradiation vessel for irradiating the object to be heated 10 with microwaves, 4 is a jacket, 5 is a heat insulator, 6 Denotes a heater, 7 denotes a thermocouple, 8 denotes a temperature control device, 9 denotes a heater power supply, and 10 denotes an object to be heated.

A heat insulating material 5 is provided between the wall of the applicator 3 and the jacket 4 to keep the applicator 3 warm. The object to be heated 10 is preheated to a predetermined temperature by the heater 6 in the applicator 3. A thermocouple 7 is provided at an appropriate position on the inner wall of the applicator 3 and on the surface of the object 10 to be heated, and the temperature of the inner wall of the applicator 3 and the surface temperature of the object 10 are measured.

A temperature control device 8 controls the output of the microwave generator 1 so that the temperature of the object to be heated 10 reaches a desired temperature, and at the same time controls the input to the heater 6 so that the radiant heat generated by the heater 6 The temperature of the inner wall of the applicator 3 is controlled so that the temperature of the inner wall of the applicator 3
The difference in the surface temperatures of As a result, the object to be heated 10
Is reduced, the temperature distribution on the surface of the object to be heated 10 becomes uniform, and the temperature difference between the portions becomes smaller, so that the object to be heated 10 can be prevented from cracking.

The heater 6 has several heaters 6a, 6b, 6c.
And the amount of heat generated is independently adjustable, so that the amount of heat generated by each of the heaters 6a, 6b, 6c can be adjusted according to the temperature distribution on the inner wall of the applicator 3.

Next, the operation will be described. A microwave generated from a microwave generator 1 that generates a microwave using an electron tube such as a gyrotron is converted into a waveguide 2
To the applicator 3. Inside the applicator 3, ceramics such as alumina are stored as the object to be heated 10, and when microwaves are introduced therein,
Heated body 1 due to self-heating of heated body 10 due to dielectric loss
0 is the temperature rise and sintering.

Regarding heating or sintering of ceramics,
A comparison between a case using microwave heating and a case using a conventional electric furnace using a heater will be described. The heating by the microwave is internal heating in which the object to be heated 10 itself generates heat due to dielectric loss. Since it is easy to perform heating while keeping the temperature difference in the object to be heated small, the temperature is rapidly increased. However, the temperature gradient in the heated object 10 is small, and the heated object 10 is hard to crack. As a result, the object to be heated 10
The time required for sintering can be reduced. Further, since only the object to be heated 10 is heated, energy efficiency is high and energy consumption can be reduced. As described above, since the microwave heating method has a great advantage, ceramic sintering by microwaves is currently attracting attention and is being actively studied.

In order to heat the object 10 while keeping the temperature difference small, it is necessary to make the electric field strength of the microwave inside the applicator 3 as uniform as possible. United States H. D. Kimry et al., "Mate. Res.
Soc. Symp. Proc. 124,367 (198
9) states that it is empirically known that the electric field strength in the applicator 3 may be considered substantially uniform when the following equation (1) is satisfied. 1 / λ> 100 (1) where 1 is the length of the applicator 3 and λ is the wavelength of the microwave. The length l of the applicator 3 is usually practically about 1 m. According to the above formula (1), the wavelength of the microwave needs to be about 1 cm, and the frequency needs to be about 30 GHz or more. Become. A gyrotron is used as an oscillator to obtain a microwave having this frequency.

The waveguide 2 used for transmitting microwaves has a gyrotron oscillation mode of TE0.
In many cases, the waveguide has a circular mode such as 2 and thus has a circular waveguide whose diameter is 30 to 6 which is larger than the wavelength.
About 4 mm is often used. In a microwave transmission system having such a waveguide 2 whose diameter is larger than the wavelength of the microwave transmitted through the inside thereof, in order to change the transmission direction of the microwave, an L-shaped waveguide (miter) is used. Bend) is often used.

FIG. 21 is a sectional view showing the miter bend 19, in which the microwave is reflected by the mirror 17 to change the transmission direction. The direction of microwave transmission is indicated by arrow 1 in the figure.
The reference numeral 8 is used. Some use corrugated waveguides to change the direction of microwave transmission, but have the drawback that they are large-scale. Meanwhile, Miter Bend 1
9 has the advantage that the structure is simple and compact.

[0011]

Since the conventional microwave heating apparatus is configured as described above, one applicator 3 is connected to one microwave generator 1 by the waveguide 2. That was common. in this case,
When the heating is completed and the temperature of the object to be heated 10 is lowered, the microwave generator 1 is not necessary. However, when the object to be heated 10 arranged inside the applicator 3 is taken out, the temperature rapidly decreases. In addition, since there is a risk of breakage such as the object to be heated 10 being broken, the temperature must be lowered by leaving it inside the applicator 3, during which time the microwave generator 1 cannot be used and the working efficiency is poor. There were challenges.

Further, in the conventional microwave heating apparatus as shown in FIG. 20, the location where the microwave transmission direction changes is one place, but in an actual apparatus, there are often about two places. Although the miter bend 19 has the above advantages, it has a problem of causing mode conversion and reflection. If the miter bend 19 is used at many locations in one transmission system, the electric field distribution inside the applicator 3 is affected by the mode conversion. There is a problem that the operation of the gyrotron, which is the microwave generator 1, becomes unstable due to reception or reflection, which causes a failure of the gyrotron.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and makes it possible to use one microwave generator as efficiently as possible in time and to easily select a microwave transmission destination. A microwave heating device that improves operating efficiency and minimizes mode conversion and reflection by improving the microwave transmission system by changing the direction of transmission toward the applicator as little as possible, thereby improving reliability. The purpose is to obtain. Another object of the present invention is to provide a waveguide switching device that facilitates selection of a microwave transmission destination and improves work efficiency.

[0014]

According to the present invention, there is provided a microwave heating apparatus comprising: a generator for generating microwaves; an input side connected to the generator via a first waveguide; Switching means for transmitting microwaves from the first waveguide to the second waveguide by connecting to the second waveguide selected from the two second waveguides; And a plurality of irradiation containers for irradiating the microwaves transmitted via the second waveguide to the object to be heated.

The microwave heating device according to the present invention comprises a plurality of switching means connected linearly,
The irradiation container is provided for each direction in which the microwave transmission direction is changed, and the microwave transmission direction is changed in one place.

The microwave heating apparatus according to the present invention is provided with the irradiation container in the direction which is not changed by the switching means at the end farthest from the generator.

In the microwave heating apparatus according to the present invention, the switching means includes a switching device having an L-shaped waveguide and a linear waveguide, and the switching device is moved in parallel to perform the operation of moving the L-shaped waveguide and the linear waveguide. By switching the wave path, the microwave transmission path can be changed.

In the microwave heating apparatus according to the present invention, a plurality of irradiation containers are radially connected to the switching means.

The microwave heating apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a switching means having an L-shaped waveguide and a linear waveguide in the switching means, and performs an L-shaped waveguide by performing a parallel movement operation and a rotation operation of the switching tool. The microwave transmission path can be changed by switching between and the linear waveguide.

In the microwave heating apparatus according to the present invention, the switching device has an L-shaped waveguide and a straight waveguide and performs a parallel movement operation to switch the microwave transmission path from the first waveguide to the second waveguide. In this way, microwaves are transmitted.

[0021] In the microwave heating apparatus according to the present invention, the irradiation container is disposed above the microwave generator.

In the microwave heating apparatus according to the present invention, a measuring device is connected to the waveguide means via the second waveguide.

A waveguide switching device according to the present invention is disposed in a microwave transmission system, and includes a first microwave input side.
A second waveguide having a waveguide and at least two second waveguides on an output side, the second waveguide being selected for transmission from the first waveguide.
A switching tool for switching the microwave to the waveguide is provided.

In the waveguide switching device according to the present invention, the switching device has an L-shaped waveguide and a linear waveguide and performs a parallel movement operation to change the microwave transmission path from the first waveguide to the second waveguide. To switch to

In the waveguide switching device according to the present invention, the switching tool switches the microwave transmission path by further performing a rotation operation.

[0026]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Embodiment 1 FIG. FIG. 1 is a side view in which a part of the microwave heating apparatus according to the first embodiment is cut away. In the figure, 1 is a microwave generator (generator), 2a to 2h are waveguides (first waveguide, second waveguide), 3a to 3c are applicators (irradiation containers), and the enclosed heated object An irradiation container for irradiating the body with microwaves, 10a to 10c are objects to be heated, 11a to 11c are waveguide switching devices (switching means, waveguide switching devices), and 12 is the microwave generator 1. A microwave generator base for mounting a microwave heating device, 14a to 15a to 15
c is a switch for switching the traveling direction of the microwave generated and sent out by the microwave generator 1. The waveguides 2a to 2h are shown as being tubular, but are not limited to this, and may have other shapes as long as they constitute a waveguide that can transmit microwaves.
Metal, non-metallic materials, and other materials can be used for this.

According to the configuration of the microwave heating apparatus of FIG. 1, the waveguide switching devices 11a to 11c are installed in the microwave transmission path installed in the horizontal direction, and the applicators 3a to 3c are connected to the waveguide switching devices 11a to 11c, respectively. The objects to be heated 10a to 10c are placed inside. These applicators 3a to 3c are arranged in a line, and this arrangement is called a linear arrangement. The connected applicator 3
The numbers a to 3c are not limited to the above, and can be increased to four or five as long as inconveniences such as an increase in the reflected wave and an obstacle to the output do not occur.

Next, the waveguide switching devices 11a to 11c
Will be described. Since this structure is the same, the waveguide switching device 11a disposed closest to the microwave generator 1 will be described as a representative. 2 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the waveguide switching device 11a, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the switching device 15a taken out, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are microwave transmission paths by the waveguide switching device 11a. The former shows the case where the switching tool 15a is pushed into the inside of the waveguide switching device 11a, and the latter shows the case where the switching tool 15a is similarly pulled out from the waveguide switching device 11a.

In the figure, 2b is a waveguide switching device 1
1a is an input side waveguide, 2c and 2f are output side waveguides of the waveguide switching device 11a, 15a is a switching tool for switching the traveling direction of the microwave sent from the microwave generator 1, 16a is an L-shaped waveguide, 16b is a straight waveguide.

Next, the operation will be described. Switching tool 1
5a, an L-shaped waveguide 16a, a linear waveguide 16b
The L-shaped waveguide 16a and the linear waveguide 16b are selectively used by moving the switching tool 15a back and forth in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2 so that microwaves can be transmitted from the input side waveguide 2b to the output side. Microwaves can be switched by guiding to the waveguides 2c and 2f.

When the L-shaped waveguide 16a is used, the inner surface of the waveguide becomes as shown by the broken line in FIG. 4, and the waveguide switching device 11a plays the same role as the miter bend. When the straight waveguide 16b is used, the inner surface of the waveguide is indicated by a broken line in FIG.
Plays the same role as a straight waveguide.

Conventionally, in the case of using the miter bend 19 shown in FIG. 21 for the system of the microwave heating apparatus as shown in FIG. 1, in order to change the microwave transmission destination, the miter bend 19 is required. Work such as replacing the wire with a straight waveguide is required, which takes a considerable amount of time.

On the other hand, if such waveguide switching devices 11a to 11c are used for each of the applicators 3a to 3c, for example, the applicator 3a which does not need to supply a microwave is used. Can be left in that state, and microwaves can be introduced into the other applicators 3b and 3c. Further, by changing the transmission direction of the microwave only once, the desired applicator 3 can be used.
Since the microwaves can be introduced into a to 3c, the mode conversion and reflection of the microwaves are minimized, and at the same time, the switching time is only a short time for moving the switching tool 15a, so that the working efficiency is improved. . Furthermore, there is no limit on the number of connectable applicators.

However, when the switching devices 15a to 15c are moved, the microwave transmission system is instantaneously blocked with metal, so it is necessary to temporarily stop the operation to protect the gyrotron. Since the operation of the TRON can be resumed in a short time, there is almost no effect on work efficiency. Also, in FIG. 1, the applicators 3a to 3c have the same shape, but it is needless to say that the applicators 3a to 3c may have different shapes. In this case, the applicators having different heating conditions can be easily used. There are advantages.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the waveguide switching device 11a has the effect of playing the same role as the miter bend and the linear waveguide by switching.
In addition, the microwave can be introduced into the desired applicators 3a to 3c only by changing the transmission direction of the microwave once, so that the mode conversion and reflection of the microwave can be minimized, and the switching can be performed in a short time. Thus, the working efficiency is improved, and the number of applicators is not limited. Further, the gyrotron stops when the switching devices 15a to 15c are moved in a short time, so that there is no influence on the working efficiency. On the other hand, the shapes of the applicators 3a to 3c may be different, so that the applicators having different heating conditions may be used. There is an effect that can be used properly.

Modification 1 FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a microwave heating device according to a first modification of the present invention.
Is a microwave generator, 2b-2h are waveguides, 3a-3c
Is an applicator, 10a to 10c are objects to be heated, 11a to
11c is a waveguide switching device, and 15a to 15c are switching devices. FIG. 6 shows an example of an arrangement of the microwave heating apparatus. As the waveguide switching devices 11a to 11c used here, the same devices as those described in the first embodiment can be used.

The operation is the same as that described in the first embodiment, and will not be described here. According to this arrangement example, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, and the microwave generator 1, the waveguides 2b to 2h, and the waveguide switching device 11a can be obtained.
To 11c, applicators 3a to 3c, etc., can be installed at approximately the same height, and the high microwave generator base 12 as described above is not required, which is safe. However, in this case, the microwave introduction ports of the applicators 3a to 3c are provided on the side surfaces, but there is no particular problem. Also, in this case, the shapes of the applicators 3a to 3c may be different from each other, as in the case of the first embodiment.

Embodiment 2 7 is a plan view showing a microwave heating apparatus according to the second embodiment, FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a waveguide switching apparatus, FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a switching tool taken out, and FIGS. It is a top view which shows the microwave transmission path | route by a waveguide switching device. In the figure,
1 is a microwave generator, 2i to 2l are waveguides (first and second waveguides), 3d to 3f are applicators (irradiation containers), 10a to 10c are objects to be heated, and 11d is a waveguide. Switching device (switching means, waveguide switching device), 15
Reference numeral d denotes a switch, and the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment.

In the first embodiment and the first modification, the example in which the applicators 3a to 3c are arranged in one or two rows has been described. However, a configuration in which the applicators 3d to 3f are radially arranged as shown in FIG. Can be In this case, the waveguide switching device 11d may have a structure as shown in FIG. 8, for example. The switching device 15d includes the switching devices 15a to 15 described above.
FIG. 8 is similar to FIG.
Both translation and rotation are possible as indicated by the arrow direction. As a result, three waveguides 2j to 2l on the output side can be attached to one waveguide 2i on the input side.

Next, the operation will be described. Switching tool 1
An L-shaped waveguide 16a 'and a linear waveguide 16b' are provided inside 5d as shown in FIG.
8 is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 8 to selectively use the L-shaped waveguide 16a 'and the linear waveguide 16b' to output microwaves from the input-side waveguide 2i. Side waveguides 2j to 2l.

When the straight waveguide 16b 'is used, the inner surface thereof is as shown by the broken line in FIG. 10, and the waveguide switching device 11d plays the same role as the straight waveguide, and transmits microwaves linearly. Microwaves can be introduced into the applicator 3e. When the L-shaped waveguide 16a 'is used, the inner surface thereof is as shown by the broken lines in FIGS. 11 and 12, and the waveguide switching device 11d plays the same role as the miter bend 19, and outputs microwaves. Tube 2
j or 21 and microwaves can be introduced into the applicator 3d or 3f, respectively.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, in the first embodiment, one applicator is connected to one waveguide switching device. This allows one waveguide applicator to be
It is possible to connect up to a plurality of devices, and it is possible to obtain an effect that these can be easily used properly.

Embodiment 3 FIG. 13 shows the third embodiment.
FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a waveguide switching device 11f, and FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing switching tools 15f and 15f ', wherein the internal waveguide is of an L-shape. . In the figure, 2m to 2r are waveguides (first waveguide, second waveguide), 3g to 3j are applicators (irradiation containers), 11f is a waveguide switching device (switching means, waveguide switching device), 12 is a microwave generator base, 13 is an applicator base, 15f and 15f 'are switching tools, and the other components are the same as those of the first embodiment. A duplicate description is omitted.

Next, the operation will be described. The waveguide of the switching tool 15f according to the third embodiment is an L-shaped waveguide 16 as shown in FIG. 15, and by rotating this waveguide, the microwave transmission direction can be changed. However, although FIG. 14 is a diagram in which four output waveguides are connected, the switching device 11f is pentagonal, hexagonal,
.., The number of output waveguides can be increased by making them circular.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, the same effects as those of the second embodiment can be obtained, and the floor area occupied by the microwave heating device can be reduced. The effect that the microwave can be transmitted to the applicators 3g to 3j under the same conditions is obtained.

Modification 2 In the third embodiment, the applicators 3g to 3j are arranged above the microwave generator 1, but may be arranged below as shown in FIG. With this configuration, the same effects as those of the third embodiment can be obtained, and the applicators 3g to 3j that normally perform operations such as taking in and out of the objects to be heated 10a to 10d can be arranged at lower positions. Therefore, the effect of facilitating the operation can be obtained.

Embodiment 4 FIG. 17 shows the fourth embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a side view showing a microwave heating apparatus according to the first embodiment. In the figure, reference numeral 20 denotes a measuring instrument such as a power meter via a dummy load, and other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. The reference numerals are given and the duplicated explanation is omitted. Any of the microwave transmission destinations (in FIG. 17,
If the measuring instrument 20 is connected after the waveguide 2e), the output power of the microwave generator 1 and the microwave oscillation state are checked by the measuring instrument 20, and then the desired applicators 3a, 3
b, it is possible to introduce microwaves, so that the reliability of the value of the input power to the applicators 3a and 3b is improved,
Heating and sintering of the objects to be heated 10a and 10b can be performed stably and precisely. Here, the first embodiment is described.
Although an example of such a linear arrangement of the applicators 3a and 3b has been described, it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to the above-described second to third embodiments.

As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, the microwave can be transmitted to the applicators 3a and 3b after confirming the output power and the oscillation state of the microwave generator 1, so that the power can be accurately controlled. The well-measured microwave can be supplied to the objects to be heated 10a and 10b, and the effect of improving the reproducibility of microwave heating and improving the yield can be obtained.

Modification 3 Although the various waveguide switching devices 11a to 11f as described above are mainly applied to a microwave heating device, other applications are also conceivable.
FIG. 18 is a side view of a microwave transmission system when the waveguide switching device is applied to a communication system. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a microwave generator, 21a and 21b denote antennas, 22 denotes a communication station, and 102a Reference numerals 102c to 102c denote waveguides (first and second waveguides), and 111a denotes a waveguide switching device. It is conceivable that the waveguide switching device incorporates a switching tool having an L-shaped waveguide as described above. This switching operation is performed by a parallel movement operation.

With this configuration, a radio wave generated from one microwave generator of the communication station is transmitted to the waveguides 102a to 102a.
Not only can the antennas 21a and 21b be selectively switched via 102c, but also radio waves can be radiated from both at the same time.

FIG. 19 is a configuration diagram of a microwave transmission system when the waveguide switching device is applied to a nuclear fusion plasma device. In FIG. 19, reference numeral 1 denotes a microwave generator,
31 is a fusion plasma device, 32 is plasma, 33 is a dummy load, and 102d to 102f are waveguides (first and second
Waveguides) and 111b are waveguide switching devices. The waveguide switching device 111b, which can take the configuration of the switching device having the L-shaped waveguide as described above, irradiates the plasma 32 with the microwave by operating this device, or connects it to the dummy load 33. It can be used for power measurement of microwaves or millimeter waves.

[0052]

As described above, according to the present invention, the switching means selects the microwave transmitted from the generator via the first waveguide from the plurality of second waveguides and connects the microwave to the second waveguide. After being guided to the container and configured to be able to irradiate the object to be heated included in this irradiation container, the object to be heated included in a certain irradiation container is subjected to a heat treatment by microwave induction loss. Another heat treatment can be performed only by switching the second waveguide through the switching means in order to process the object to be heated in another irradiation container. Therefore,
Since the heat of the treated object to be heated is taken out before the heat is stopped, it is possible to prevent an accident that the temperature is rapidly lowered and the object to be heated is damaged, thereby improving work efficiency. effective.

According to the present invention, the switching means comprises a plurality of linearly connected devices, each of which has an irradiation container in a direction in which the microwave transmission direction is changed. Since the direction is changed so as to be one place, in addition to the above effects, there is an effect that mode conversion and reflection can be minimized. Further, according to the present invention, the irradiation container which does not need to supply the microwave is left as it is, and the switching means switches the second waveguide to introduce the microwave into another irradiation container. be able to. Further, since the irradiation container is linearly arranged, it can be added as long as there is no inconvenience in adjusting the output of the microwave or the like. In addition, since the generator, the first and second waveguides, the switching means, and the irradiation container can be installed at the same height, a relatively heavy and large generator can be arranged at a low position to maintain safety. There is an effect that can be done.

According to the present invention, since the irradiation container is provided in the direction which is not changed in the switching means at the end farthest from the generator, the number of irradiation containers can be increased.

According to the invention, the switching means includes a switching tool having an L-shaped waveguide and a straight waveguide,
Since the microwave transmission system is changed by performing a parallel movement operation of the switching tool to switch between the L-shaped waveguide and the straight waveguide, the switching time is set to protect the microwave generator from being damaged. The operation is completed in a short time including the operation stop time, thereby improving the working efficiency.

According to the present invention, since a plurality of irradiation vessels are radially connected to the switching means, a large number of irradiation vessels can be arranged for one switching means. There is an effect that can be easily used properly.

According to the present invention, the switching means includes a switching tool having an L-shaped waveguide and a straight waveguide,
By performing the translation operation and the rotation operation of the switching device, the L-shaped waveguide and the linear waveguide are switched to change the microwave transmission system, so that the above-described operation efficiency is improved. In addition, there is an effect that at least three second waveguides can be attached to one first waveguide.

According to the present invention, the switching means is provided with a switching device having an L-shaped waveguide, and the microwave is transmitted by rotating the switching device to switch from the first waveguide to the second waveguide. Therefore, in addition to the effect of improving the work efficiency, there is an effect that a large number of irradiation containers can be arranged in multiple directions.

According to the present invention, since the irradiation container is arranged above the microwave generator, in addition to the above-described effects, the workability such as the taking in and out of the object to be heated can be improved. There is an effect that can be improved.

According to the present invention, since the measuring device is connected to the waveguide means, the microwave output and oscillation state are stable, and after confirming the optimum state of high processing efficiency, the desired irradiation container is connected. Microwave can be introduced. Therefore, there is an effect that the reliability of the input power value of the microwave to the object to be heated is improved.

According to the present invention, the microwave transmission system has the first waveguide on the input side of the microwave and at least two second waveguides on the output side for transmitting from the first waveguide. A switching device for switching the microwave to the second waveguide selected in the above-mentioned manner, without causing a sudden change in the environment of the system such as disassembling the microwave transmission system and exposing it to the atmosphere. There is an effect that the transmission path can be changed.

According to the present invention, the switching tool has an L-shaped waveguide and a linear waveguide, and performs a parallel movement operation to switch the microwave transmission path from the first waveguide to the second waveguide. With the configuration, the operation stop time of the generator and the like that occurs when the transmission path is changed can be minimized, and the operation efficiency is improved.

According to the present invention, since the switching device is configured to switch the microwave transmission path by further performing a rotation operation, there is an effect that workability is improved in addition to the above effects.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a microwave heating device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a structure of a waveguide switching device used in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a structure of a switching tool which is a component of the waveguide switching device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a microwave transmission path by the waveguide switching device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a microwave transmission path by the waveguide switching device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a microwave heating device according to a first modification of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a microwave heating device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a structure of a waveguide switching device used in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

9 is a perspective view showing a structure of a switching tool which is a component of the waveguide switching device of FIG.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a microwave transmission path by the waveguide switching device of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a microwave transmission path by the waveguide switching device of FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a microwave transmission path by the waveguide switching device of FIG. 8;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a microwave heating device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a structure of a waveguide switching device used in Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a structure of a switching tool which is a component of the waveguide switching device of FIG. 14, and has a built-in L-shaped waveguide.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a microwave heating device according to a second modification of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a side view showing a microwave heating apparatus according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a side view showing a microwave transmission system according to a third modification of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a configuration diagram showing a microwave transmission system according to a third modification of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a configuration diagram showing a conventional microwave heating device.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a structure of an L-shaped waveguide (miter bend).

[Explanation of symbols]

1 microwave generator (generator), 2a to 2r, 102
a to 102f waveguides (first and second waveguides), 3, 3a
~ 3j Applicator (irradiation container), 10,10a ~ 1
0d Heated body, 11a to 11f, 111a, 111b
Waveguide switching device (switching means, waveguide switching device), 15a to 15f 'switching tool, 16, 16
a, 16a 'L-shaped waveguide, 16b, 16b' straight waveguide, 20 measuring instruments.

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A generator for generating a microwave, wherein the input side is connected to the generator via a first waveguide, and the output side is a second waveguide selected from at least two second waveguides. A switching unit for transmitting the microwave from the first waveguide to the second waveguide by connecting to the waveguide; and a heating target placed inside, and transmission via the second waveguide. And a plurality of irradiation containers for irradiating the object to be heated with the microwaves. 2. The switching means comprises a plurality of linearly connected means, each of which has an irradiation container for a direction in which the microwave transmission direction is changed, and a switching portion of the microwave transmission direction. 2. The microwave heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the number is one. 3. The microwave heating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the irradiation container is provided in a direction which is not changed in the switching means at the end farthest from the generator. 4. The switching means includes a switching tool having an L-shaped waveguide and a linear waveguide, and performs a parallel operation of the switching tool to switch between the L-shaped waveguide and the linear waveguide. 4. The transmission path of microwaves can be changed.
The microwave heating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 5. The microwave heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of irradiation vessels are radially connected to the switching means. 6. The switching means includes a switching tool having an L-shaped waveguide and a linear waveguide, and performs a translation operation and a rotation operation of the switching tool to connect the L-shaped waveguide and the straight waveguide. 6. The microwave heating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the microwave transmission path can be changed by switching. 7. The switching means includes a switching tool having an L-shaped waveguide, and transmits microwaves by rotating the switching tool to switch from the first waveguide to the second waveguide. The microwave heating device according to claim 5, wherein 8. The microwave heating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the irradiation container is disposed above the microwave generator. 9. The microwave heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a measuring instrument is connected to the waveguide means via the second waveguide. 10. A microwave transmission system having a first waveguide on the microwave input side and at least two second waveguides on the output side, wherein the first waveguide is selected for transmission from the first waveguide. And a switching device for switching the microwave to the second waveguide. 11. The switching device has an L-shaped waveguide and a straight waveguide, and performs a translation operation to switch a microwave transmission path from the first waveguide to the second waveguide. Item 11. The waveguide switching device according to item 10. 12. The waveguide switching device according to claim 11, wherein the switching device switches the microwave transmission path by further performing a rotation operation.