Abstract: A microwave heating apparatus includes a heating chamber 3 for accommodating an item 2 to be heated; a microwave generator 11 for radiating microwaves to the heating chamber 3, and a vapor generator 12 for supplying vapor to the heating chamber 3. The heating chamber 3 includes regenerating plates 28a and 28b for generating and regenerating heat when radiated by the microwaves from the microwave generator 11, thereby reducing dew condensation caused by the vapor in the heating chamber 3.

Abstract: The present invention is aimed to offer a microwave heating apparatus which heats varieties of heating objects without affecting the excellent property, by introducing a means to control the environment surrounding a heating object. For implementing the objective, the heating apparatus comprises a heating cavity for housing an object of heating, a microwave generating means for irradiating microwave to said object of heating, a steam generating means for supplying steam to said heating cavity, and a control means for controlling said microwave generating means and said steam generating means so that inner temperature and surface temperature of said object of heating are approximately equal.

Abstract: The invention is intended to heat a food or other object to be heated favorably by means of microwaves while enclosing the food with superheated steam. To achieve this purpose, the apparatus comprises a heating chamber in which an object to be heated is put, steam generating means for supplying superheated steam to the heating chamber, superheated steam maintaining means provided in the heating chamber to prevent the temperature of the superheated steam from lowering, and microwave generating means for irradiating the object with microwaves, whereby the object placed in the heating chamber is heated in superheated steam with microwaves, so that the food is efficiently heated from inside and outside and the food is not wetted.

Abstract: A cooking appliance controls a cooking device on the basis of temperature information of an object to be cooked that is estimated from changes in physical characteristics. A neural network is taught, for a number of categories of food that are classified according to the temperature of the cooked and completed food, the relationship between changes in the physical characteristic, such as the temperature and humidity, generated during heating of the object to be cooked during cooking, and changes of temperature of the object at the center of the object and the surface of the object in order to provide for an automatic cooking operation.

Abstract: A voltage limiter circuit is disposed in a semiconductor IC chip in order to reduce an operating voltage of an internal circuit of a scaled-down element. A small capacitance of a Vcc wiring by the disposition constitutes a resonance circuit together with an inductance of the Vcc wiring. Resonance at the resonance circuit causes large variation of a supply current and noise. An additional capacitance is connected between the Vcc wiring and a Vss wiring in order to suppress the variation and noise. The capacitance is formed by a PN junction and is connected in series to a damping resistance.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for producing improved water absorbing resin comprising the steps of treating water absorbing resin particles (A) with an aqueous solution of a water-soluble compound (B) and a crosslinking agent (C), reacting, and obtaining resin particles crosslinked in the surface vicinity; and a water absorbing resin obtained by this process possessing the absorption characteristics of an absorbency under a pressure-free state of 50 times or more to physiological saline solution, and an absorbency under the pressurized state of 30 times or more to physiological saline solution. The water-soluble compound (B) is at least one water-soluble compound selected from the group consisting of alkylene-oxide adducts of monofunctional alcohols (1), a monofunctional salts of organic acids (2), and lactams (3), and inert to (A) and (C); and the crosslinking agent (C) has two or more functional groups capable of reacting with (A).

Abstract: A pressure cooker and a process for making the same, wherein the pressure cooker includes a pressure container for accommodating food to be cooked, a lid for covering the container in an airtight manner, a pressure control device for adjusting the internal pressure in the container, wherein the container or the lid or both are partly or wholly made of a composite resin consisting essentially of polyphenylene sulfide resin and 30 wt % to 50 wt % glass fiber.

Abstract: A pressure cooker with a humidity sensor or gas sensor, wherein a micro-computer reliably detects the point at which the internal pressure of a pressure cavity reaches a prescribed value by using this sensor by detecting the point at which a pressure control valve begins to operate and begins to discharge a large quantity of excess vapor or gas etc. from the pressure cavity to the outside, with a result which is equivalent to that of a direct measurement of the internal pressure with a pressure sensor, thereby attaining an accurate measurement without bringing the humidity or gas sensor into contact with the pressure cavity.

Abstract: There is disclosed herein an automatic heating appliance for controlling heating of an object in response to operation of instruction keys and on the basis of the weight of an object to be heated. The appliance includes therein a heating chamber for housing the object, a heater provided on or in the heating chamber for heating the object placed therein, and a turntable provided in the heating chamber for keeping thereon the object during heating. Also included in the appliance are a weight detector for obtaining first weight data in response to the object being placed on the turntable and a temperature compensator for obtaining a second weight data in response to the object being placed thereon, the temperature compensator substantially having the same temperature characteristic as the weight detector.

Abstract: A heating appliance for heating an object within a heating chamber. In the heating chamber are formed rack rails on which a table is located and a heater. The rack rails are stepwise arranged so as to allow the table to take a desired position corresponding to the kind of an object to be heated. The heating applicance includes a distance-measuring sensor for measuring a distance to the table means or the object. A control unit, may comprising a known microcomputer, controls the heater on the basis of the distance measured by the sensor so as to appropriately heat the object in accordance with its kind.

Abstract: A heating appliance comprising a heating chamber, a heating device for heating an object which is encased in the heating chamber and a turntable provided in the heating chamber and arranged to be rotatable about its own axis and to hold thereon the object. Included therein are an ultrasonic sensor for transmitting an ultrasonic wave toward the object and receiving an echo wave returning therefrom and a control unit for controlling the ultrasonic sensor. The control unit successively calculates the distances of the object from the ultrasonic sensor on the basis of the transmission and reception of the ultrasonic wave and determines the heating condition of the object on the basis of the successively calculated distances and controlling the heater in accordance with the determined distinctive feature. This does not require an input operation in terms of the class and category of the object to be heated, resulting in improving the automation of the heating appliance.

Abstract: A heating appliance has a control system which is arranged such that when an internal electrically rewritable nonvolatile memory is utilized in the heating appliance for cooking foods with heat, the protection of data, an the rewriting of data and the collation of data are carried out positively and with great accuracy. A heating appliance employing such a nonvolatile memory is provided with a protection circuit for preventing the destruction of data stored in the memory when the power source is turned on and off and a main control section is provide for the periodic rewriting of memory data, whereby the data are protected against destruction and aging. Moreover, when reading the data stored in memory the collation of the data is carried out at least twice and when writing in data, the data so written is immediately read out and collated with RAM data in the main control section for improved resistance to noise.

Abstract: A microwave oven comprises a weight detector for detecting the weight of a foodstuff to be heated, a condition detector for detecting a substance emitted from the food as a result of heating, and a control unit that responds to the output of the weight detector by setting a defrost time period in which the food is to be defrosted. The microwave energy is set to a low level during the defrost period. Upon the termination of the defrost, the energy is raised to a higher level and continued for a period of time determined as a function of the interval between the instant the defrost mode terminates and the instant the amount of the detected substance reaches a predetermined value.

Abstract: A heating apparatus comprising a gas sensor for detecting gas or steam emanated from an object to be heated, and a weight sensor for detecting the weight of the object including its container. The heating time calculated on the basis of the detected weight of the object and the detection time required for the detection of a predetermined amount of gas or steam are monitored in parallel and properly selected by a microcomputer. The reheating operations are instructed by a single reheating key. At the same time, the heated state of the object is monitored by a plurality of sensors thereby providing an improvement in safety.

Abstract: Foodstuff is heated in a chamber ventilated by a fan through an exhaust duct. The duct has a sufficiently long airflow passage to produce a substantially laminar flow therein. An opening at an intermediate position along the duct length faces in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the laminar airflow. The opening is closed by an enclosure so vaporized substance emitted by the foodstuff diffuses from the duct through the opening into the enclosure. A sensor in the enclosure detects the diffusing substance and develops a signal indicating a condition of the foodstuff.

Abstract: An automatic high-frequency heating apparatus of a composite type which comprises a heat source such as an electric heater or a gas burner for heating food by heat radiation or convection and a microwave source such as a magnetron for effecting microwave oscillation, and wherein both heating sources are energized and deenergized alternately, a sensor detects water vapor and/or a gas emitted from the heated food, and control means operates to automatically terminate the heating operation of the heating apparatus upon lapse of at least the time required before the sensor detects the emission of at least a predetermined amount of water vapor and/or a gas within a predetermined time period.

Abstract: A safety means for heating appliances having a digital control section, such as electric ovens, microwave ovens, and composite ovens which combine the two preceding types, is arranged such that the completion of the setting of a timer or the like is determined by the passage of a given time period and the completion of the preparation for preheating is reported, while the sequence is advanced to make the start of heating possible. Furthermore, the placement of an object to be heated (11) in a heating chamber (11) is determined by detecting the opening and closing movement of a door, and a standby report is made to make the start of heating possible. In addition, in a heating appliance which requires preheating, the preheating completion time is estimated and reported so as to facilitate the preheating operation.

Abstract: An oven that is controllable by a conversational style voice interaction with a user. It includes voice recognition system for listening to the user and a speech synthesizer for talking to the user. Operation occurs initially in a first voice recognition mode for recognizing one of a group of possible first voice commands from the user. After recognizing a particular first voice command, operation continues in a voice synthesizing mode wherein the user is asked to make some choices which confirms or "narrows" the first voice command. After synthesizing, operation continues in a second voice recognition mode for recognizing a particular one of a second group (less in number than the first group) of possible second voice commands from the user. After recognizing a particular second voice command, the oven operates according to the preprogrammed instructions corresponding to the first and second voice commands.

Abstract: A heating apparatus, such as an electric oven or an electronic oven including a voice recognition part which recognizes voice command of the user and produces a recognition code by receiving the voice command and performs operation by the voice command. Heating sequences are preliminarily stored in a memory of a control part, and one of them are selected by a recognition code produced by the voice recognition code, and preset in the memory. Heating members are controlled in a manner to heat the heating object according to the preset heating sequence. Such selection and presetting of the heating sequence is performed only when at least two sequential voice commands are fed to the voice recognition part in a predetermined order.

Abstract: An automatic heating apparatus comprising a sensor such as a humidity sensor or a gas sensor which senses water vapor, alcohol, CO.sub.2 gas or the like emitted from a foodstuff being heated for automatically completing cooking. A microcomputer, which is a controller, monitors variations in the quantity of emitted water vapor, CO.sub.2 gas, alcohol or the like with respect to time and, on the basis of the result of this monitoring, decides automatically whether the foodstuff is covered or not with a plastic sheet or is enclosed or not in a lidded container. According to the result of this decision, the heating data including the heating duration and heating output are modified so as to attain optimum heating regardless of the presence or absence of the cover or regardless of the volume of the lidded container.