JP3489568B2 - an electronic pot - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric pot provided with a flow rate sensor for measuring the discharge amount of water.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An electric kettle for boiling and keeping hot water for drinking, cooking, etc. by an electric heater is widely used in general households. In recent years, an electric pot is generally equipped with a control section using a microprocessor, a temperature sensor, etc., and an operation panel including a push button switch and a liquid crystal display. For example, the control unit heats the electric heater until the hot water temperature set on the operation panel is reached based on the detection signal of the temperature sensor, and then executes automatic control to switch to the heater for heat retention.

[0003] Further, a mainstream is one that has an electric pump built therein and electrically supplies hot water. The user can supply hot water from the electric pot to a predetermined container simply by pressing the hot water supply instruction button on the operation panel. In this case, hot water is normally discharged from the discharge port (hot water spout) only while the hot water supply instruction button is being pressed, and the discharge of hot water is stopped when the finger is released from the hot water supply instruction button. The control unit using the microprocessor also executes the processing for controlling the electric pump according to the operation of the operation panel.

In recent years, an attempt has been made to add a fixed amount hot water supply function to an electric pot provided with a control section using a microprocessor and an electric pump as described above (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-328028). . That is, the hot water is discharged from the electric pot by the electric pump until the hot water supply amount set on the operation panel is reached, and the electric pump is automatically stopped when the hot water supply amount reaches the set hot water supply amount. With this function, an appropriate amount of hot water can be obtained from the electric pot without using a measuring cup or the like.

[0005]

However, heretofore, there has been no flow sensor having an inexpensive and simple structure suitable for an electric pot. Therefore, for example, the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-32
In the electric pot described in Japanese Patent No. 8028, it is estimated that the hot water supply amount is a value obtained by multiplying the discharge capacity (ml / sec) of the electric pump by the drive time (sec) of the electric pump. Actually, the hot water supply amount is obtained by measuring the elapsed time after the hot water reaches near the discharge port.

However, the above method is not practical because the measurement error becomes large when the discharge capacity of the electric pump fluctuates or the instrumental error is large. On the other hand, there are various types of flow rate sensors themselves that can measure relatively accurate flow rates, but there is no one that is suitable for electric pots. The pot has not been put to practical use.

In the case of an electric pot which discharges hot water, it is necessary to give sufficient consideration to safety in use. The convenience of automatic hot water supply must not be compromised at the expense of safety.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides an electric pot using a flow sensor capable of relatively accurately measuring the amount of hot water supplied with a simple structure. With the goal.

[0009]

The electric pot according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises a heater and a tank for heating water, an electric pump and a discharge pipe for discharging the water in the tank to the outside. A rotary member having a spiral-shaped rotary blade that rotates around an axis along a flow direction of the discharged water, and the flow sensor for measuring the discharge amount of the water, and the shaft. An optical sensor including a light emitting element and a light receiving element for irradiating the rotating blade with light from a direction substantially perpendicular to the center, and with the rotation of the rotating member,
There are a state where the light emitted from the light emitting element reaches the light receiving element through the gap of the rotary blade and a state where the light emitted from the light emitting element is blocked by the rotary blade and does not reach the light receiving element. An electric pot that is configured to be repeated alternately, at a position above the full water level in the middle of the discharge pipe that extends substantially vertically from the electric pump provided at the bottom of the electric pot to the upper part of the electric pot. The flow rate sensor is inserted, the rotating member of the flow rate sensor is vertically movable within a predetermined movable range along the axis, and in a steady state, the rotary member is located at the lower end side of the movable range and emits light. It is characterized in that the optical path from the element to the light receiving element is not interrupted, the optical path moves to the upper end side as the water is ejected and rotates, and the state of interrupting the optical path and the state of not interrupting the optical path are repeated.

By having the above features,
The electric pot of the present invention uses spiral rotary blades having a relatively small resistance to discharged water, and measures the rotation speed of the rotary blades corresponding to the flow velocity (flow rate per unit time) by an optical sensor in a non-contact manner. be able to. That is, a state in which the light emitted from the light emitting element passes through the gap of the rotary blade to reach the light receiving element and a state in which the light emitted from the light emitting element is blocked by the rotary blade and does not reach the light receiving element are alternately repeated. Therefore, a pulse signal in which the light receiving level and the non-light receiving level are alternately repeated is obtained from the light receiving element. By measuring the period (frequency) of this pulse signal, the rotational speed of the rotary blade, that is, the flow rate per unit time can be obtained. Further, the flow rate sensor is inserted at a position above the full water level in the middle of the discharge pipe extending substantially vertically upward from the electric pump provided at the bottom of the electric pot, and the rotating member of the flow rate sensor is provided with a predetermined position along the axis. It is movable within the movable range, and is normally located at the lower end side (upstream side of the flow path) in the movable range and does not block the optical path from the light emitting element to the light receiving element. It moves to the downstream side of the flow path) and rotates, and repeats the state of blocking the optical path and the state of not blocking it, so in a steady state, the light receiving element is in the light receiving state regardless of the stop angle (rotation angle) of the rotating member, It is possible to obtain an effect that the start timing of the signal processing becomes early and a stable detection result can be obtained early.

[0011]

[0012]

[0013]

[0014]

[0015]

The electric pot according to the second configuration of the present invention includes a heater and a tank for heating water, an electric pump and a discharge pipe for discharging the water in the tank to the outside, and the discharge amount of the water. A flow rate sensor for measuring, wherein the flow rate sensor has a rotating member having a spiral-shaped rotary blade that rotates around an axis along a direction in which discharged water flows, and a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis. A light sensor including a light emitting element and a light receiving element for irradiating the rotating blade with light, and the light emitted from the light emitting element passes through the gap of the rotating blade as the rotating member rotates. A state of reaching the light receiving element and a state in which light emitted from the light emitting element is blocked by the rotary vanes and does not reach the light receiving element is alternately repeated. The rotating member A shaft member that rotatably supports,
A main body case having a bearing portion for the shaft member, wherein the rotary member and the main body case are made of resin, and an insertion hole for the shaft member is provided between the tip end side of the rotary member and the bearing portion for the main body case. It is characterized in that the washer it has is interposed.

By having the above characteristics,
The electric pot of the present invention uses spiral rotary blades having a relatively small resistance to discharged water, and measures the rotation speed of the rotary blades corresponding to the flow velocity (flow rate per unit time) by an optical sensor in a non-contact manner. be able to. Further, while the case including the rotating member and the bearing portion thereof is a lightweight resin molded product that can reduce cost, friction between sliding parts of both is suppressed by the washer, and the rotating member can smoothly rotate. . Further, by using a resin molded product as the rotating member, it is possible to obtain an effect that the inertia of the rotating member is reduced and rotation and stop are performed with a delay time as small as possible. As the washer, it is preferable to use a washer made of metal or punched out of a heat-resistant resin with low surface friction.

In a preferred embodiment, a flow sensor provided in the electric pot of the present invention is mounted with a substantially cylindrical main body case that accommodates a rotating member and is connected to a middle of a discharge pipe of the electric pot, and an optical sensor. A printed circuit board fixed to the collar protruding from the cylindrical portion of the main body case,
And a cover member that covers the printed circuit board on which the optical sensor is mounted.

With such a structure, the number of parts at the time of assembling is reduced, and the number of assembling steps can be reduced. The main body case needs to be made of a light-transmissive material (color), but the cover member is made to have a light-shielding property so that external light can be prevented from adversely affecting the optical sensor. That is, in addition to the seal of the main body case connected in the middle of the discharge pipe, a case that encloses the printed circuit board on which the optical sensor is mounted is provided on the outside of the main body case to provide a drip-proof structure and a cover member is added. Only possible. In addition to the main body case that needs to be made of a light-transmissive material, the cover member is made of a light-shielding material to suppress the adverse effect of external light on (the light receiving portion of) the optical sensor mounted on the printed circuit board. be able to.

[0020]

[0021]

[0022]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an electric pot according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electric pot 1 is provided with a tank 12 made of double stainless steel with a vacuum layer sandwiched inside a substantially cylindrical pot body 11. By having the same structure as a so-called thermos, it is configured so that a predetermined hot water temperature can be maintained for a certain period of time without energizing the electric heater.

An electric heater 13 for boiling water and for keeping heat is attached to a recess formed in the bottom of the tank 12. An opening 14 for hot water supply (discharging) is provided at the bottom of the tank 12, and the opening 14 communicates with the input side of the electric pump 15 by an input conduit 15a. The conduit 15b on the output side of the electric pump 15 is connected to the base end side of a discharge pipe 16 that extends substantially vertically from the bottom of the electric pot 1 to the upper part thereof. The distal end side of the discharge pipe 16 has a flow rate sensor 17
And, through the leak prevention valve mechanism 18 at the time of falling, it reaches the discharge port 19. The discharge pipe 16 is made of a transparent glass pipe, and the water surface therein can be visually recognized from a transparent window provided on the front surface 11a of the pot body 11. As a result, the water level in the tank 12, that is, the amount of remaining hot water can be known.

An upper part of the tank 12 is opened as a water injection port, and a lid 22 having a rubber packing 21 for closing the opening is provided above the pot body 11 of the electric pot 1. The lid body 22 is detachably pivoted to the pot body 11 by a rear hinge lock mechanism 23, and is openable and closable by a front lock mechanism 24. The electric pot 1 shown in the figure is capable of electric hot water supply by the electric pump 15 and manual hot water supply by an air pump. For this reason, an air pump including a push-down operation portion 25, a bellows member 26, valve mechanisms 27, 28, and the like is provided in the central portion of the lid body 22.

An operation panel 29 is provided on the front upper surface of the pot body 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the operation panel 29 includes a display unit 31 and a plurality of push buttons 32 to 36.
Is provided. Further, display windows 37 to 39 for a plurality of LEDs (light emitting diodes) are provided. As described later in detail, the user of the electric pot 1 operates the operation panel 2
By the display of the display unit 31 of 9, it is possible to know the hot water temperature in the tank 12, the time until boiling, and the like. Further, the push buttons 32 to 36 can be used to instruct hot water supply and set the amount of hot water supply.

The operation panel 29 is provided inside the operation panel 29.
Liquid crystal display and push buttons 32 to 3 corresponding to the display unit 31 of
A printed circuit board (not shown) on which micro switches corresponding to 6 are mounted is attached. A printed board (control board) on which a microprocessor and its input / output circuit, power supply circuit, etc. are mounted on the bottom of the electric pot 1.
40 is attached.

FIG. 3 shows the printed circuit board 4 of the operation panel 29.
1 is a block diagram of a main part of an electric circuit configured by 1, a control board 40, and other electric parts. The control board 40 includes
Microprocessor (MPU) 42, A / D converter 4
3, a waveform shaping circuit 44, a drive circuit 45, a buzzer 46, a reset circuit 47, an oscillation circuit 48, a power supply circuit 49, etc. are mounted. On the printed circuit board 41 of the operation panel 29,
A plurality of switches 51 corresponding to the push buttons 32 to 36, a switch input circuit 52, a liquid crystal display 53, and a plurality of LEDs 5.
4, the display drive circuit 55, etc. are mounted.

A temperature sensor 20 for detecting the temperature of the water (hot water) stored in the tank 12 is attached to the outer wall of the tank 12, and the detection signal is A / of the control board 40.
It is converted into a digital value by the D converter 43 and input to the microprocessor 42. Further, as will be described later in detail, the pulse signal output from the flow rate sensor 17 is input to the microprocessor 42 as a rectangular wave signal via the waveform shaping circuit 44 of the control board 40.

The drive circuit 45 of the control board 40 uses the output signal from the microprocessor 42 to drive the electric pump 15
And driving the electric heater 13. The drive circuit 45 is configured by using a switching element such as a power FET or a relay, and the discharge capability of the electric pump 15 and the electric heater 1 are controlled by PWM (pulse width modulation) or duty ratio control.
The heating capacity of No. 3 can be continuously variably controlled.

The buzzer 46 mounted on the control board 40 is a piezoelectric buzzer and is driven by the microprocessor 42 directly or via a driving circuit (not shown). The buzzer 46 sounds when issuing a notification sound such as completion of boiling water or a push button operation sound. In addition, the control board 40 includes
Circuit components such as a reset circuit 47 of the microprocessor 42, an oscillation circuit 48 for clock generation, a power supply circuit 49 for supplying a constant DC voltage to the microprocessor 42 and peripheral circuits are mounted.

Next, the structure of the flow sensor 17 will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the structure of the flow sensor 17,
(A) is a top view and (b) is a sectional view. Flow sensor 1
7 is a printed circuit board (LE) on which an upper case 61, a lower case 62, a rotating member 63, and a light emitting element (LED) 66 are mounted.
D board) 64, a printed circuit board (PD board) 65 on which a light receiving element (PD) 67 is mounted, a cover member 68, and the like.

The upper case 61 is made of transparent resin,
The rotary member 63 is provided with a cylindrical portion and a flange portion 61a protruding from the cylindrical portion. In this collar portion 61a,
Protrusions (not shown) for fixing the LED substrate 64 and the PD substrate 65 are provided. A bearing portion 61b is formed at the center (axis center) portion on the upper end side of the cylindrical portion. The bearing portion 61b is connected to the cylindrical portion by three ribs 61c provided at intervals of 120 degrees.

The lower case 62 is a cylindrical member having a step-shaped cross section that fits on the inner peripheral surface of the lower end portion of the upper case 61 and also fits on the outer peripheral surface of the discharge pipe 16, and its center (axial center). A bearing portion 62a is formed in the) portion. Similar to the bearing portion 61b of the upper case 61, the bearing portion 62a is connected to the inner wall of the lower case 62 by three ribs 62b. The upper case 61 and the lower case 62 are integrated to form a main body case having bearing portions 61b and 62a of a shaft member 69 that rotatably supports the rotating member 63. The upper case 61 is made of transparent resin because it needs to transmit the light emitted from the LED 66, but the lower case 62
May be transparent or opaque.

5A and 5B are views showing the structure of the rotating member 63. FIG. 5A is a view seen from the axial direction, and FIG. 5B is a side view. The rotating member 63 is made of an opaque resin, and includes a cylindrical portion 63a having a through hole HL formed along the axis thereof, and rotating blades 63b and 63c spirally formed around the cylindrical portion 63a. The two rotary blades 63b and 63c form a so-called double spiral shape.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the rotating member 6
The shaft member 69 is inserted into the through hole HL formed in the columnar portion 63a of the shaft 3, and both ends of the shaft member 69 are supported by the bearing portions 61b and 62a of the upper case 61 and the lower case 62. As a result, the rotating member 63 is rotatable about the axis AX. Further, a metal washer 70 is interposed between the bearing portion 61b of the upper case 61 and the tip end side of the rotating member 63 (the upper end side of the cylindrical portion 63a).

The washer 70 may be made by punching out a heat resistant resin having a small surface friction. Bearing part 61 of upper case 61
Since the b and the rotating member 63 do not come into direct contact with each other and the washer 70 is interposed therebetween, friction is reduced and the rotating member 63 can smoothly rotate. In addition, the washer 70 of the rotating member 63
By making the contact surface with the convex shape having a semicircular cross section, line contact (line contact on the circumference centering on the axis AX) is realized instead of surface contact, and friction during rotation is further reduced. As a result, stability at high speed rotation is improved.

As can be seen from FIGS. 4 and 5, an LED (light emitting diode) 66 and a P mounted on the LED substrate 64.
PD (photodiode) 67 mounted on the D substrate 65
Are arranged so as to face each other, and a straight line (optical path) LT connecting them is perpendicular to the axis AX of the rotating member 63 and is displaced from the axis AX. Therefore, when the rotary blades 63b and 63c of the rotary member 63 are at the positions shown in FIG. 5B, the light emitted from the LED 66, which is a light emitting element, passes through the transparent upper case 61 and the rotary blade 6 of the rotary member 63.
PD67 which is a light receiving element after passing through the gap between 3b and 63c
Reaches (light receiving state).

When the rotary member 63 rotates 90 degrees from the position shown in FIG. 5B, the optical path LT is rotated by the rotary blade 63b or 63.
The light emitted from the LED 66 is PD because it is blocked by c.
67 is not reached (non-light receiving state). In FIG. 4B, 66a is an LED lead line connected to the LED 66 via the wiring pattern of the LED substrate 64, and similarly 67a is a PD lead line connected to the PD 67.
Further, the LED 66 (light emitting element) and the PD 67 (light receiving element) constitute an optical sensor for detecting the rotation speed of the rotating member 63 by the above-described function.

The flow rate sensor 17 having the structure as described above.
Is inserted in the middle of the discharge pipe 16 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4B, a rubber packing 71 seals the periphery of the portion where the distal end portion of the upper case of the flow sensor 17 and the discharge pipe 16 are joined together. The fitting portion between the lower case 62 and the discharge pipe 16 may be similarly sealed with a rubber packing (not shown) or may be sealed with an adhesive. The flow rate sensor 17 of the present invention is small and lightweight, and may be attached so as to be inserted in the middle of the discharge pipe 16 without being fixed to the main body of the electric pot 1.
In addition, the insertion position in the discharge pipe 16 is preferably above the full water level.

In FIG. 1, when the electric pump 15 is driven and the water (hot water) in the tank 12 flows from the bottom to the top in the discharge pipe 16, when the water passes through the flow rate sensor 17, a spiral rotary blade. 63b and 63c (that is, the rotating member 63) are rotated. This rotation speed is substantially proportional to the speed of the water flow, that is, the flow rate per unit time. Also, the rotary blade 63
When b and 63c rotate, as described above, the light receiving state of FIG. 5B and the non-light receiving state when rotated 90 degrees from that are alternately repeated. As a result, as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 6, the PD 67 outputs a pulse signal 72 in which the light receiving level (for example, low level) and the non-light receiving level (for example, high level) are alternately repeated. The cycle (frequency) of the pulse signal 72 is proportional to the rotation speed of the rotating member 63.

As shown in FIG. 6, since the pulse signal (broken line) 72 output from the PD 67 is distorted (blunted), this is shaped by the waveform shaping circuit 44 of the control board 40 into a rectangle as shown by the solid line 73. The wave is shaped and input to the microprocessor 42. The microprocessor 42
The cycle of the rectangular wave 73 is measured by an internal timer to obtain the flow rate per unit time. The threshold value Vref used for waveform shaping is a value close to 5V (for example, 4 when the light receiving level is 0V and the non-light receiving level is 5V).
V). When the wall surface of the upper case 61 becomes dirty and the light transmittance decreases when the electric pot 1 is used for a long time, the low level side of the pulse signal 72 gradually increases, while the high level side when no light is received becomes This is because it hardly changes.

The inner diameter of the tubular portion of the flow sensor 17 is equal to the inner diameter of the discharge pipe 16, but the cross-sectional area of the flow passage is equal to the cross-sectional integral of the bearings 61b and 62a and the rotating member 63 of the discharge pipe 16. It is smaller than the cross-sectional area. As a result, the speed of the water flow flowing in the flow rate sensor 17 is increased, and even when the discharge amount is small, the rotary member 63 of the flow rate sensor 17 can be efficiently rotated to accurately measure the flow rate. Further, the cross-sectional area of the conduit extending from the flow rate sensor 17 to the discharge port 19 is maintained to be larger than the cross-sectional area of the flow path of the tubular portion of the flow rate sensor 17. As a result, it is possible to prevent the detection accuracy of the flow rate sensor 17 from being deteriorated by giving resistance to the water that has passed through the flow rate sensor 17.

Next, some modifications of the structure of the flow rate sensor 17 will be described.

7A and 7B are views showing a first modification of the flow rate sensor 17, where FIG. 7A is a top view and FIG. 7B is a sectional view. Components having the same functions as those of the flow sensor 17 shown in FIG. 4 are designated by the same reference numerals. Figure 7
The first flow sensor 17 is different from the flow sensor 17 of FIG.
The point is that the LED board 64 and the PD board 65 are integrated into one printed board 64 ′ and mounted vertically.
By doing so, the number of parts and the number of assembling steps are reduced as compared with the flow sensor 17 of FIG. Further, the lead lines of the LED 66 and the PD 67 can be collectively pulled out from one place.

The second difference is that the rotating member 63 is movable within a predetermined movable range along the axis AX. Figure 7
The state indicated by the solid line in (b) is a steady state in which the rotary member 63 is located on the base end side (lower end side) within the movable range, and during hot water supply (discharge), as shown by the broken line, It is pushed by and moves to the tip side (upper end side) within the movable range. As can be seen from FIG. 7B, in the steady state, the LE is irrespective of the stop angle (rotation angle) of the rotation member 63.
Since the optical path from D66 to PD67 is not blocked by the rotary blades of the rotary member 63, the PD67 always outputs a light reception level (low level) signal. Therefore, as compared with the flow rate sensor 17 of FIG. 4 in which the output level of the PD 67 in the steady state is not determined to be the high level or the low level depending on the stop angle of the rotating member 63, the start timing of signal processing is earlier and a stable detection result is obtained. You can get it quickly.

8A and 8B are views showing a second modification of the flow rate sensor 17, where FIG. 8A is a top view and FIG. 8B is a sectional view. Components having the same functions as those of the flow sensor 17 shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 7 are designated by the same reference numerals. The flow sensor 17 of FIG. 8 differs from the flow sensor 17 of FIG. 4 or 7 in that a reflection type optical sensor is used. That is, in the flow rate sensor 17 of FIG. 8, the LED 66 and the PD 67 which form an optical sensor for detecting the rotation speed of the rotating member 63 (rotating blade) are arranged in substantially the same direction. A reflecting plate (mirror) 74 is attached at a position facing the LED 66 and the PD 67 with the rotary blade of the rotary member 63 interposed therebetween.

The light emitted from the LED (light emitting element) 66 and passing through the gap of the rotary blade of the rotary member 63 is reflected by the reflecting plate 74 and then passes through the gap of the rotary blade to enter the PD (light receiving element) 67. . Even when such a reflection type optical sensor is used, like the flow rate sensor 17 of FIG. 4 or 7,
A pulse signal as shown in FIG. 6 is obtained from PD67,
After the waveform is shaped by the waveform shaping circuit 44 of the control board 40,
Input to the microprocessor 42.

9A and 9B are views showing a third modification of the flow rate sensor 17, where FIG. 9A is a top view and FIG. 9B is a sectional view. Components having the same functions as those of the flow sensor 17 shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 7 are designated by the same reference numerals. The principle of detecting the rotation speed of the rotating member 63 (rotating blade) in the flow rate sensor 17 of FIG. 9 is slightly different from that of the flow rate sensor 17 described.

The flow rate sensor 1 shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 7 or FIG.
7, the rotary blade of the rotary member 63 rotates to L as the rotary member 63 rotates.
A pulse waveform having a cycle corresponding to the rotation speed is obtained by alternately repeating a state where the optical path from the ED (light emitting element) 66 to the PD (light receiving element) 67 is blocked and a state where it is not blocked. However, in the flow sensor 17 of FIG.
No rotating blade of 3 (upper end of cylindrical portion 63a)
In addition, a polygon mirror 75 having four faces is formed around the axis AX.

The LED 66 and the PD 67 are arranged in substantially the same direction (axis AX), and constitute a reflection type optical sensor. When the rotation angle of the rotating member 63 (angle of the polygon mirror 75) is the angle shown in FIG.
The light emitted from the ED 66 is reflected by the polygon mirror 75 and then received by the PD 67. In the case of this structure, the amount of light received by the PD 67 increases and decreases every 90 degrees of rotation of the rotating member 63, and a pulse signal as indicated by a broken line 76 in FIG. 10 is obtained from the PD 67. That is, four pulses are output for one rotation, and the detection accuracy becomes high.

The pulse signal 76 is waveform-shaped by the waveform shaping circuit 44 of the control board 40 into a rectangular wave as shown by the solid line 77, and is input to the microprocessor 42.
The microprocessor 42 measures the cycle of the rectangular wave 77 with an internal timer to obtain the flow rate per unit time.

Next, the typical operation and operation of the electric pot 1 of this embodiment will be described together with the fixed amount automatic hot water supply. First, in FIG. 1, the lock mechanism 24 of the lid 22 is released, the lid 22 is opened rearward, and a required amount of water is put into the tank 12. When the lid 22 is closed, the lock mechanism 24 is securely locked, and the plug of the electric cable connected to the electric pot 1 is inserted into the outlet (outlet), the control board 40 is energized. The microprocessor 42 is reset and starts operating according to the program stored in the built-in ROM. That is, the energization control of the electric heater 13 is started, a predetermined display is performed on the display unit 31 of the operation panel 29 shown in FIG. 2, and the depression of the push buttons 32 to 36 is recognized.

In the operation panel 29 shown in FIG.
In 1, the 3-digit 7-segment display unit displays numerical values such as the time until boiling, the heat retention temperature, and the set hot water supply amount. 3 digits 7 to show which number is displayed
It is arranged around the segment display and the corresponding character lights up.

Further, the three triangular marks lined up on the lower side of the 3-digit 7-segment display section are displayed on the lower side of the display section 31 as "98", "90" and "Mahobin". Corresponding, and these show the heat insulation selection state alternatively. When the heat retention selection button 35 is pressed, the lit triangular marks move in order, and "98", "90" or "mahobin" is selected. When "98" or "90" is selected, the hot water temperature of the tank 12 is approximately 98 ° C or 90 ° C.
The energization of the electric heater 13 is controlled so that
When "Mahobin" is selected, the electric heater 13 is not energized, and heat is maintained only by the function of the thermos by the tank 12 having the double structure with the vacuum layer sandwiched therebetween.

The push button 36 is a combined button for "re-boiling", "descaling" and "good night". When the timer is set by "good night", the heat retention by the energization control of the heater ends after a predetermined time has elapsed. On the right side of the push button 36, an LED display window 38 that lights up while keeping warm and an LED display window 39 that lights up during boiling are provided.

The hot water supply button 32 that is pressed when hot water is supplied is
To ensure safety, it is valid only for 20 seconds after pressing the unlock button 33. When the lock release button 33 is pressed, the hot water supply lamp (LED display window) 37 is turned on and turned off after 20 seconds. When the hot water supply button 32 is pressed while the hot water supply lamp 37 is on, the electric pump 15 is driven and hot water is discharged from the discharge port 19. The electric pump 15 is driven only while the hot water supply button 32 is pressed,
When the finger is released from the hot water supply button 32, the electric pump 15 is stopped and the hot water supply is completed. The electric pot 1 of the present embodiment
As described above, by pushing down the push-down operation portion 25 on the central portion of the lid body 22, manual hot water supply by the air pump is possible as described above. A lock lever (not shown) is also provided for the push-down operation unit 25 to ensure safety, and the push-down operation unit 25 can be pushed down after the locked state of the lock lever is released.

As shown in FIG. 2, the operation panel 29 is provided with a hot water supply amount setting operation section 34 for setting the hot water supply amount of the automatic fixed amount hot water supply using the flow rate sensor 17. The hot water supply amount setting operation unit 34 includes a fixed amount button 34a and a reduction button 34b.
And an increase button 34c. When using the function of automatic fixed amount hot water supply, after pressing the fixed amount button 34a,
By using the decrease button 34b and the increase button 34c to increase or decrease the set hot water supply amount displayed on the display unit 31,
Set the desired hot water supply amount.

Thereafter, the lock release button 33 is pressed, and then the hot water supply button 32 is pressed, as in the case of normal hot water supply. If the hot water supply button 32 is continuously pressed, the electric pump 15 is automatically stopped when the discharge amount of hot water reaches the set hot water supply amount, and the hot water supply ends. That is, the microprocessor 42 of the control board 40 causes the flow sensor 1 to operate as described above.
The discharge amount is calculated by measuring the flow rate per unit time from the output signal of No. 7 and integrating it. Then, when the discharge amount reaches the set hot water supply amount, the electric pump 15 is stopped.

Further, in order to ensure safety, if the finger is released from the hot water supply button 32 during the automatic fixed amount hot water supply, the microprocessor 42 causes the microprocessor 42 even before the discharge amount reaches the set hot water supply amount. Immediately, the electric pump 15 is stopped to finish hot water supply. That is, the continued pressing of the hot water supply button 32 is a necessary condition for the operation of the automatic fixed amount hot water supply.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiment and some modifications, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and can be implemented in various forms.

[0062]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electric pot provided with a flow rate sensor which has a simple structure and is capable of relatively accurately measuring the amount of hot water supplied. Further, it is possible to provide an electric pot that realizes a safe automatic fixed amount hot water supply by using such a flow rate sensor.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an electric pot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an operation panel.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a main part of an electric circuit.

4A and 4B are views showing a structure of a flow rate sensor, FIG. 4A is a top view and FIG. 4B is a sectional view.

5A and 5B are views showing a structure of a rotating member, FIG. 5A is a view seen from an axial direction, and FIG. 5B is a side view.

FIG. 6 is a waveform diagram of a pulse signal output from a light receiving element and a signal after shaping.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a first modification of the flow sensor,
(A) is a top view and (b) is a sectional view.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a second modification of the flow sensor,
(A) is a top view and (b) is a sectional view.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a third modification of the flow sensor,
(A) is a top view and (b) is a sectional view.

10 is a waveform diagram of a pulse signal output from a light receiving element of the flow sensor of FIG. 9 and a signal after shaping.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric pot 12 Tank 13 Heater 15 Electric pump 16 Discharge pipe 17 Flow rate sensor 19 Discharge port 29 Operation panel 31 Display 63 Rotating member 63a Cylindrical parts 63b, 63c Rotating blade 66 Light emitting element (LED) 67 Light receiving element (PD) 61 , 62 main body case (upper case, lower case) 68 cover member 69 shaft member 70 washer 64, 64 ', 65 printed circuit board (LED substrate, PD
Substrate) 74 Reflector AX axis

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Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A heater and a tank for heating water,
An electric pump and a discharge pipe for discharging the water in the tank to the outside, and a flow rate sensor for measuring the discharge amount of the water are provided, and the flow rate sensor has an axial center along the flowing direction of the discharged water. A rotating member having a spiral-shaped rotating blade that rotates around; and an optical sensor including a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element that emits light to the rotating blade from a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis, With the rotation of the member, the light emitted from the light emitting element reaches the light receiving element through the gap of the rotary blade, and the light emitted from the light emitting element is blocked by the rotary blade to receive the light. An electric pot configured such that a state where it does not reach an element is alternately repeated , and the electric pot is provided above the electric pump provided at the bottom of the electric pot.
Above the full water level in the middle of the discharge pipe extending almost vertically to
The flow sensor is inserted into the
The member moves up and down within the specified movable range along the axis.
It is free to move and is located on the lower end side within the movable range during normal operation.
The light path from the light emitting element to the light receiving element is not blocked and water
It moves to the upper end side with the ejection and rotates,
An electric pot characterized by repeating the state of blocking the light and the state of not blocking the light. 2. A heater and a tank for heating water,
An electric pump for discharging the water in the tank to the outside, and
A discharge pipe and a flow sensor for measuring the discharge amount of the water
The flow rate sensor is equipped with a screw that rotates about an axis along the flow direction of the discharged water.
A rotating member having a rotating blade and a light beam to the rotating blade from a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis.
An optical sensor including a light emitting element for irradiating and a light receiving element
And, with the rotation of said rotary member, light emitted from the light emitting element
Passes through the gap between the rotary vanes and reaches the light receiving element
The light emitted from the light emitting element is blocked by the rotary vane.
And the state of not reaching the light receiving element is repeated alternately
And a shaft member that rotatably supports the rotating member, and the shaft portion.
A main body case having a bearing portion for the material,
The material and body case are made of resin, and the tip side of the rotating member
The shaft member between the bearing and the bearing of the main body case.
A washer having a hole is interposed
Electric pot. 3. The flow sensor includes a substantially cylindrical main body case that accommodates the rotating member and is connected in the middle of a discharge pipe of an electric pot, and the optical sensor is mounted, and a cylindrical portion of the main body case. 3. The electric pot according to claim 1, further comprising: a printed circuit board fixed to a collar portion protruding from the printed circuit board; and a cover member that covers the printed circuit board on which the optical sensor is mounted.