Food container induction heating system having power based microbial lethality monitoring

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10278410-B2
Application number	US-201615260885-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2016
Priority date	Apr 24, 2014
Publication date	May 7, 2019
Grant date	May 7, 2019

Abstract

Induction heating systems for metal food cans configured to deliver sufficient heat into the can to sterilize the food within the can are provided. The heating system includes an induction coil and a control system. The control system is configured to monitor and control heating of sealed food cans during induction heating and to control and/or confirm various aspects of can heating during induction heating.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An induction heating system configured to heat a metal food can using induction heating comprising:
an induction heating coil generating an alternating magnetic field;
a hermetically sealed metal can positioned within the magnetic field generated by the induction coil, the sealed metal can including a food product within the sealed metal can, the magnetic field causing resistive heating of the metal of the sealed metal can;
a temperature sensing element located within the hermetically sealed can configured to detect the temperature of the food product during heating;
a power monitoring device configured to detect the power delivered to the induction heating coil; and
a control system in communication with the temperature sensing element and the power monitoring device, the control system configured to store data indicative of the temperature of the food product detected by the temperature sensing element and to store data indicative of the power delivered to the induction heating coil detected by the power monitoring device, wherein the control system is configured to determine a relationship between power delivered to the induction heating coil and the temperature of the food product within the sealed metal can;
wherein the control system is configured to determine the amount of energy delivered into the food product of the sealed metal can based on the data indicative of the power delivered to the induction heating coil, and wherein the determined relationship is a relationship between the amount of energy delivered into the food product of the sealed can and the temperature of the food product within the sealed metal can.

2. The induction heating system of claim 1 wherein the control system is configured to determine the amount of energy delivered into the food product of the sealed metal can based upon data indicative of the efficiency of energy transfer from the induction coil to the metal of the food can.

3. The induction heating system of claim 1 wherein the control system is configured to determine the amount of energy delivered into the food product of the sealed can based upon data indicative of the magnetic field intensity of the magnetic field generated by the induction coil.

4. An induction heating system configured to heat a metal food can using induction heating comprising:
an induction heating coil generating an alternating magnetic field;
a hermetically sealed metal can positioned within the magnetic field generated by the induction coil, the sealed metal can including a food product within the sealed metal can, the magnetic field causing resistive heating of the metal of the sealed metal can;
a temperature sensing element located within the hermetically sealed can configured to detect the temperature of the food product during heating;
a power monitoring device configured to detect the power delivered to the induction heating coil;
a control system in communication with the temperature sensing element and the power monitoring device, the control system configured to store data indicative of the temperature of the food product detected by the temperature sensing element and to store data indicative of the power delivered to the induction heating coil detected by the power monitoring device, wherein the control system is configured to determine a relationship between power delivered to the induction heating coil and the temperature of the food product within the sealed metal can; and
a second temperature sensor configured to detect the temperature of a surface of the can;
wherein the control system is in communication with the second temperature sensor and is configured to store data indicative of the temperature of the surface of the food can detected by the second temperature sensor, wherein the control system is configured to determine a relationship between the temperature of the surface of the can and the temperature of the food product within the can.

5. The induction heating system of claim 4 wherein the second temperature sensor is an infrared temperature sensor and the surface of the can is an outer surface of an end wall of the can.

6. An induction heating system configured to heat a metal food can comprising:
an induction heating coil generating an alternating magnetic field;
a hermetically sealed metal can positioned within the magnetic field generated by the induction coil, the sealed metal can including a food product within the sealed metal can, the magnetic field causing resistive heating of the metal of the sealed metal can;
an electrical power supply delivering power to the induction heating coil;
a power monitoring device electrically coupled to the induction heating coil configured to generate a signal indicative of the power delivered to the induction heating coil by the electrical power supply; and
a control system in communication with the power monitoring device, the control system configured to store power data based upon the signal indicative of the power delivered to the induction heating coil by the electrical power supply generated by the power monitoring device, wherein the control system is configured to determine an amount of energy delivered to the food product within the sealed metal can based upon the power data and based upon efficiency data indicative of the efficiency of energy transfer from the induction coil to the food product within the sealed metal can.

7. The induction heating system of claim 6 wherein the efficiency data includes data representative of magnetic field intensity within the induction heating coil.

8. An induction heating system configured to heat and substantially sterilize a metal food can using induction heating comprising:
an induction heating coil generating an alternating magnetic field;
a hermetically sealed metal can positioned within the magnetic field generated by the induction coil, the sealed metal can including a food product within the sealed metal can, the magnetic field causing resistive heating of the metal of the sealed metal can;
a first temperature sensor located within the hermetically sealed can configured to generate a signal indicative of the temperature of the food product within the can while the can is within the induction coil;
a second temperature sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of the temperature of a surface of the can; and
a control system in communication with the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor, wherein the control system stores internal temperature data based upon the signal from the first temperature sensor and stores surface temperature data based upon the signal from the second temperature sensor, wherein the control system is configured to determine a correlation between the temperature of the food product within the can and the temperature of the surface of the can based upon the surface temperature data and the internal temperature data.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the first temperature sensor is a resistance temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor is an infrared detector.

10. A food can heating system configured to heat and substantially sterilize a plurality of filled and hermetically sealed food cans comprising:
an induction heating coil configured to generate an alternating magnetic field causing resistive heating of the metallic material of the food can;
a can moving device configured to move cans into the induction heating coil prior to induction heating, to move cans while being heated by the induction heating coil and to move cans out of the induction heating coil after induction heating;
a power supply configured to supply alternating current to the induction heating coil;
a power monit

Assignees

• Silgan Containers Llc

Inventors

• Widitora Alvin
• Miller Douglas C
• Sadler George
• Hu Jianwen
• Baker Gerald

Classifications

• A23L3/04

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• H05B6/12

  Cooking devices · CPC title

• A23V2002/00

  Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs · CPC title

• H05B6/1209

  induction cooking plates or the like and devices to be used in combination with them · CPC title

• B65B55/06

  by heat · CPC title