Abstract: A microwave heating device includes a heating chamber that accommodates an object to be heated, a microwave generator configured to generate microwaves, a wave guide tube configured to guide the microwaves to the heating chamber, and an electromagnetic field distribution adjustment device that is provided in a two-dimensional region located in at least a part of a wall face within the heating chamber. The electromagnetic field distribution adjustment device has a plurality of metal pieces arranged to fill a predetermined two-dimensional region, and a switch provided between two metal pieces adjacent to each other among the plurality of metal pieces. The switch is connected to the two metal pieces adjacent to each other through two conductors each of which is provided on a corresponding one of the two metal pieces adjacent to each other, and smaller than the two metal pieces adjacent to each other.

Abstract: High frequency heating device is provided with heater disposed adjacent to mount base on which object to be heated is mounted and having a plurality of surface wave transmission lines electrically isolated from each other, and first and second high frequency power generators, each of which generates high frequency power having different frequency. Surface wave transmission lines receive at least one of the high frequency power generated by first high frequency power generator and the high frequency power generated by second high frequency power generator. According to this aspect, interference between the high frequency powers is not occurred and electromagnetic field coupling is not occurred. As a result, in the high frequency heating device provided with the surface wave transmission line using a periodic structure, uneven baking caused by the electromagnetic field coupling can be suppressed, and a heating state of an object to be heated can be easily controlled.

Abstract: A microwave oven includes a waveguide having an E-bend structure with multiple openings disposed on a lateral face of a heating chamber that allow the waveguide to communicate with the heating chamber. The waveguide has a first section for propagating a microwave from a magnetron toward the heating chamber, and a second section having a wide plane that abuts an outer wall of the heating chamber. The openings include at least one circularly-polarized-wave opening for generating a circularly polarized wave. A cross section of the first section orthogonally intersects a tube axis of the first section projects virtually along the tube axis of first section and onto a lateral face of the heating chamber, and the circularly-polarized-wave opening is configured such that its center is located outside the resultant projected region.

Abstract: A microwave heating apparatus includes: a heating chamber which houses a heating object; a microwave generating unit which generates a microwave; a transmitting unit which transmits the microwave generated by the microwave generating unit; a waveguide-structure antenna which radiates to the heating chamber the microwave transmitted from the transmitting unit; and a rotation driving unit which drives the waveguide-structure antenna to rotate, wherein the waveguide-structure antenna has a microwave sucking-out opening in a wall surface forming a waveguide structure of the waveguide-structure antenna.

Abstract: The present invention includes a directional coupler that detects at least part of a reflected wave inside a waveguide. When an object to be heated is absent, a reflected wave is strong, because there is nothing to absorb a microwave. When the object is present, the reflected wave is weak, because the microwave is absorbed by the object. As a quantity of the object becomes greater, a larger amount of microwave is absorbed by the object, and thus the reflected wave is weakened. It is thus possible to determine the quantity of the object from a reflected wave detection amount detected by the directional coupler without using a detector that detects a load.

Abstract: The present invention has a configuration of controlling motor (15) so as to stop radiation antenna (5) when radiation antenna (5) faces in a direction in which a reflected wave detection amount is minimized and to stop radiation antenna (5) when radiation antenna (5) faces in a different direction different from the direction in which the reflected wave detection amount is minimized. According to this configuration, first, radiation antenna (5) stops when facing in the direction in which the reflected wave detection amount is minimized. This extends a heating time under the most efficient condition, improving a heating efficiency in comparison with when radiation antenna (5) constantly rotates. Second, radiation antenna (5) stops when facing in the different directions. This causes uneven heating when radiation antenna (5) faces in the direction in which the reflected wave detection amount is minimized as well as when radiation antenna (5) faces in the different directions.

Abstract: There are provided heating chamber, and reflection angle control device provided on upper wall configuring at least part of walls of heating chamber and configured to control a reflection angle of a microwave to control standing wave distribution in heating chamber. Reflection angle control device controls the reflection angle of the microwave when the microwave radiated from microwave radiation device is not directly absorbed into heating target but is reflected by the wall. Standing wave distribution in heating chamber can thus be controlled to be different from ordinary distribution for improvement in local heating performance.

Abstract: An arm unit of a robot has a lower arm mechanism including a parallel link structure and an upper arm mechanism. The lower arm mechanism has a front link and a rear link including respective lower ends rotatably connected to the base portion. A lower arm drive mechanism has a lower ball screw and a lower bearing portion supporting a shaft so as to be rotatable about its axis. An extending portion extending from the lower end of the rear link is connected to a nut so as to be rotatable about a nut side rotational axis. The lower bearing portion is connected to a base portion so as to be rotatable about a bearing portion side rotational axis. Thus, high mechanical rigidity can be ensured over a wide operation range under a high load condition.

Abstract: A directional coupler according to the invention includes an opening in a wall surface of a waveguide, and a coupling line on an outer side of the waveguide. The opening is configured to not cross a tube axis of the waveguide in plan view, and to emit a circularly polarized wave. The coupling line includes first and second transmission lines and output parts disposed at both ends, the first and second transmission lines extending across the opening to cross the tube axis in plan view and being opposed to each other across the center of the opening. The first and second transmission lines are interconnected at a position displaced from an area vertically above the opening.

Abstract: A microwave heating device of the present invention comprises a heating chamber housing an object to be heated, a microwave generation portion generating a microwave, a waveguide portion propagating the microwave, and a plurality of microwave radiating portions radiating the microwave in the heating chamber, wherein the microwave radiating portions are arranged in a direction orthogonal to a direction of electric field and to a direction of propagation within the waveguide portion, and centers of the microwave radiating portions are arranged at positions corresponding to approximate node positions of the electric field within the waveguide portion. The microwave heating device is enabled to make uniform heat distribution in the object to be heated, without using a driving mechanism.

Abstract: An arm unit of a robot has a lower arm mechanism including a parallel link structure and an upper arm mechanism. The lower arm mechanism has a front link and a rear link including respective lower ends rotatably connected to the base portion. A lower arm drive mechanism has a lower ball screw and a lower bearing portion supporting a shaft so as to be rotatable about its axis. An extending portion extending from the lower end of the rear link is connected to a nut so as to be rotatable about a nut side rotational axis. The lower bearing portion is connected to a base portion so as to be rotatable about a bearing portion side rotational axis. Thus, high mechanical rigidity can be ensured over a wide operation range under a high load condition.

Abstract: A microwave processing device includes: a periodic structure body which forms a surface-wave transmission line to transmit surface waves of microwaves; an oscillator which generates microwave power; and a transmitting part which transmits the microwave power generated by the oscillator to the periodic structure body, wherein a matching part is provided at a connecting portion between the periodic structure body and the transmitting part, and an impedance of the matching part is set to a value between an impedance of the periodic structure body and an impedance of the transmitting part.

Abstract: High frequency heating device is provided with heater disposed adjacent to mount base on which object to be heated is mounted and having a plurality of surface wave transmission lines electrically isolated from each other, and first and second high frequency power generators, each of which generates high frequency power having different frequency. Surface wave transmission lines receive at least one of the high frequency power generated by first high frequency power generator and the high frequency power generated by second high frequency power generator. According to this aspect, interference between the high frequency powers is not occurred and electromagnetic field coupling is not occurred. As a result, in the high frequency heating device provided with the surface wave transmission line using a periodic structure, uneven baking caused by the electromagnetic field coupling can be suppressed, and a heating state of an object to be heated can be easily controlled.

Abstract: A rotating antenna (105a) includes: a ceiling surface (109) and a side-wall surface (110) that constitute a waveguide structure (108); and a horn (113) that radiates a microwave into a heating chamber. The rotating antenna (105a) further includes a flange (112) that is formed on a periphery of the side-wall surface (110) so as to face a bottom surface (111), which is an inner wall surface of the heating chamber, and so as to surround the side-wall surface (110). The flange (112) has choke sections (117) that reduce a leakage of the microwave. This configuration can generate a relatively low impedance region so as to surround the side-wall surface (110), thereby enhancing a leakage reducing performance of the rotating antenna (105a) and increasing directivity of the microwave radiated from the rotating antenna (105a).

Abstract: In a microwave heating device of the present invention, a heating-chamber input portion is adapted to direct, to a heating chamber, microwaves having propagated through a waveguide tube and having passed through the positions where microwave radiating portions are formed, thereby realizing a state where progressive waves are dominant among the microwaves propagating through the waveguide tube, so that the microwave radiating portions are caused to radiate, to the inside of the heating chamber, microwaves based on the progressive waves propagating through the waveguide tube. This enables uniformly heating an object to be heated, without using a rotational mechanism.

Abstract: Microwave treatment apparatus (10) includes heating chamber (11) that accommodates object (7) to be heated, oscillation source (7) for oscillating microwave, and base (4) on which object (7) is placed in heating chamber (11), waveguide (6) for guiding the microwave below base (4), and cyclically structured unit (2) disposed in association with waveguide (6) for propagating the microwave in a surface-wave mode. Cyclically structured unit (2) has first region (2a) and second region (2b), and these two regions have impedances different from each other. The structure discussed above allows maintaining desirable characteristics of a surface waveguide proper to the waveguide that includes the cyclically structured unit.

Abstract: Microwave oven (20) includes waveguide (3) having an E-bend structure, and multiple openings (4a, 4b). Waveguide (3) has first section (3a) for propagating a microwave from magnetron (2) toward heating chamber (1), and second section (3b) of which wide plane abuts on the outer wall of heating chamber (1). Multiple openings (4a, 4b) are disposed on a lateral face of heating chamber (1). Openings (4a, 4b) allow waveguide (3) to communicate with heating chamber (1), and include at least one circularly-polarized-wave opening (4a) for generating a circularly polarized wave. A cross section of first section (3a) orthogonally intersecting tube axis (7a) of first section (3a) is projected virtually along tube axis (7a) of first section (3a) onto a lateral face of heating chamber (1), and circularly-polarized-wave opening (4a) is formed such that its center is located outside the resultant projected region defined by this projection.

Abstract: A microwave heating apparatus includes: a heating chamber which houses a heating object; a microwave generating unit which generates a microwave; a transmitting unit which transmits the microwave generated by the microwave generating unit; a waveguide-structure antenna which radiates to the heating chamber the microwave transmitted from the transmitting unit; and a rotation driving unit which drives the waveguide-structure antenna to rotate, wherein the waveguide-structure antenna has a microwave sucking-out opening in a wall surface forming a waveguide structure of the waveguide-structure antenna.

Abstract: A microwave processing device includes: a periodic structure body which forms a surface-wave transmission line to transmit surface waves of microwaves; an oscillator which generates microwave power; and a transmitting part which transmits the microwave power generated by the oscillator to the periodic structure body, wherein a matching part is provided at a connecting portion between the periodic structure body and the transmitting part, and an impedance of the matching part is set to a value between an impedance of the periodic structure body and an impedance of the transmitting part.

Abstract: A directional coupler according to the invention includes an opening in a wall surface of a waveguide, and a coupling line on an outer side of the waveguide. The opening is configured to not cross a tube axis of the waveguide in plan view, and to emit a circularly polarized wave. The coupling line includes first and second transmission lines and output parts disposed at both ends, the first and second transmission lines extending across the opening to cross the tube axis in plan view and being opposed to each other across the center of the opening. The first and second transmission lines are interconnected at a position displaced from an area vertically above the opening.