JP3512020B2 - 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 a structure in which a printed circuit board is built in an electric pot, and more particularly to a structure for enhancing a moisture resistant structure of the printed circuit board.

[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, which is equipped with a microcomputer, a temperature sensor, and the like, and is provided with an operation panel including a push button switch and a liquid crystal display on the front side of the upper surface of the main body is common. 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 for switching to the heater for heat retention.

Also, an electric pot, which has an electric pump built therein and electrically supplies hot water, has become mainstream. 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, normally the discharge port (pouring port of hot water) only while pressing the hot water instruction button
Hot water is discharged from the hot water, and if the finger is released from the hot water supply instruction button, the hot water discharge is stopped. The processing for controlling the electric pump according to the operation of the operation panel is also executed by the control unit using the microcomputer.

An electric pot equipped with such a microcomputer often incorporates two printed circuit boards. The first printed circuit board is arranged inside the operation panel unit, and micro switches corresponding to push buttons of the operation panel, liquid crystal display devices corresponding to the display unit, and the like are mounted on the first printed circuit board. This printed circuit board is usually called a microcomputer board because it is equipped with a microcomputer.

While the first printed circuit board forms a small signal circuit centered on a microcomputer, the second printed circuit board
The printed board is called a power supply board, and forms a power supply circuit, a heater drive circuit, and the like. The drive circuit for the electric pump is also formed on the power supply board. The power board is usually located at the bottom of the electric pot.

The FFC is electrically connected to the first printed board (microcomputer board) and the second printed board (power board).
It is performed using a flexible flat cable called (flexible flat cable). FF provided along the outer case of the electric pot and the tank (inner container)
C electrically connects the power supply board arranged at the bottom of the electric pot and the microcomputer board arranged inside the operation panel at the front of the upper surface of the electric pot.

Further, the microcomputer board is housed inside the operation panel section in a closed space formed by an outer case and a lower wall. This prevents water from splashing on the microcomputer board, which is vulnerable to humidity, when water enters the space between the exterior case and the tank for some reason.

[0008]

However, in the above structure, the lower wall forming the closed space for accommodating the microcomputer board is provided with the opening for passing the FFC. For this reason,
When water enters between the outer case and the tank, water may enter the closed space in which the microcomputer board is accommodated through the opening and wet the microcomputer board to cause malfunction. Alternatively, if the electric pot is tilted or turned upside down, water droplets attached to the FFC may penetrate the FFC into the closed space of the microcomputer board and wet the microcomputer board.

In order to eliminate the above-mentioned fear, FF
It is necessary to fill the opening of the lower wall through which C is filled with a sealing material such as silicone resin. However, such a sealing process is time-consuming and becomes an obstacle to disassembly work when maintenance is required.

The present invention has been made in view of the conventional problems as described above. Even when water enters between the outer case and the tank (inner container), the printed circuit board gets wet and malfunction occurs. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electric pot having a structure in which failure does not easily occur.

[0011]

In a first structure of an electric pot according to the present invention, a first printed board on which a microcomputer and its peripheral circuit components are mounted is housed in a first closed space inside an operation panel section. In an electric pot having a structure in which a second printed circuit board housed outside the first closed space and the first printed circuit board are electrically connected by a wiring member, a box housing the second printed circuit board is operated as described above. A communication part is provided adjacent to a lower wall of the first closed space facing the panel part, and connects the first closed space and the second closed space inside the box body, and the wiring member is formed. By connecting the first printed circuit board and the second printed circuit board through the communication part, and by inserting the hollow projecting portion formed in one of the box body and the lower wall into the opening formed in the other, The communication part Made is characterized in that is.

According to this structure, even if water enters between the outer case of the electric pot and the tank (referred to as the third closed space), the first closed space, the second closed space, and the communication between the two. Since the part is separated from the third closed space, there is no possibility that the water will splash on the first printed circuit board accommodated in the first closed space, and there is also the risk that the water will splash on the second printed circuit board accommodated in the second closed space. Absent. Also, water adheres to the wiring members,
There is no possibility of reaching the first printed circuit board or the second printed circuit board through the wiring member. As a result, malfunctions and failures due to wetting of the first printed board and the second printed board are less likely to occur. Furthermore, due to the structure in which the hollow protrusion formed on one of the box body and the lower wall is inserted into the opening formed on the other to form the communication portion,
Assembly work becomes easy.

[0013]

The second structure of the electric pot according to the present invention is
A first printed board on which a microcomputer and its peripheral circuit components are mounted is housed in a first closed space inside the operation panel section, and a second printed board and a first printed board housed outside the first closed space. In the electric pot having a structure electrically connected by a wiring member, a box housing the second printed circuit board is provided so as to be adjacent to a lower wall of the first closed space facing the operation panel section. A communication part that connects the first closed space and the second closed space inside the box body is formed, and the wiring member connects the first printed circuit board and the second printed circuit board through the communication part. The body is provided with a box case and a box cover fitted to the box case, and the box case is fixed to the lower wall.

With this structure, the electric pot can be easily assembled. For example, when fixing the box case on which the second printed circuit board is mounted to the lower wall by screwing, the other end side of the wiring member whose one end side is connected to the first printed circuit board is passed through the communication part and wiring is performed. It is possible to adopt an assembly method in which the other end side of the member is connected to the second printed circuit board and then the box cover is fitted and fixed in the box case.

In the second structure, when the box case is fixed to the lower wall of the first closed space, the reinforcing rib formed on the lower wall preferably functions as a positioning member for the box case. . By doing so, the assembling work is facilitated and the box case is securely fixed.

[0017]

[0018]

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 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 illustrated in FIG. 2, the operation panel 29 includes a display unit 31 and a plurality of push buttons 32 to.
36 are provided. Further, display windows 37 to 39 for a plurality of LEDs (light emitting diodes) are provided. As will be described later in detail, the user of the electric pot 1 can know the hot water temperature in the tank 12 and the time until boiling, etc., by the display on the display unit 31 of the operation panel 29. Also,
Using the push buttons 32 to 36, hot water supply instructions, hot water supply amount settings, and the like can be performed.

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 first printed circuit board (hereinafter referred to as a microcomputer board) on which a micro switch corresponding to 6 and a control microcomputer are mounted is attached. In addition, a second printed board (hereinafter referred to as a power supply board) on which a power supply circuit, a heater, a drive circuit for an electric pump, and the like are mounted is attached near the microcomputer board. The mounting structure of these printed circuit boards will be described in detail later.

FIG. 3 shows a microcomputer board 40 and a power supply board 4.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a main part of an electric circuit including other electric components. The microcomputer board 40 includes a microcomputer (MPU) 42, an A / D converter 43, a waveform shaping circuit 44, a buzzer 46, a reset circuit 47, an oscillation circuit 48, and a micro switch group 51 and switches corresponding to the push buttons 32 to 36. An input circuit 52, a liquid crystal display 53, a plurality of LEDs 54, and a display drive circuit 55 are mounted. The electric heater 13 and the electric pump 1 are provided on the power supply board 41.
5, the drive circuit 45 and the power supply circuit 49 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 converted into a digital value by the A / D converter 43. Is input to the microcomputer 42. Further, as will be described later in detail, the pulse signal output from the flow rate sensor 17 has a waveform shaping circuit 44.
Is input to the microcomputer 42 as a rectangular wave signal.

The drive circuit 45 is the microcomputer 4
The output signal from 2 drives the electric pump 15 and the electric heater 13. The drive circuit 45 is configured using a switching element such as a power FET or a relay, and has a PW
The discharge capacity of the electric pump 15 and the heating capacity of the electric heater 13 can be continuously variably controlled by M (pulse width modulation) or duty ratio control.

The buzzer 46 is a piezoelectric buzzer and is driven by the microcomputer 42 directly or via a drive 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 reset circuit 4 of the microcomputer 42
7. Circuit components such as an oscillator circuit 48 for clock generation, a power supply circuit 49 for supplying a constant DC voltage to the microcomputer 42 and peripheral circuits are provided.

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. 5B, 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).

As can be seen from FIGS. 4 and 5, an LED (light emitting diode) 66 and a P mounted on the LED substrate 64 are provided.
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, the spiral rotary blades. 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), it is shaped by the waveform shaping circuit 44 into a rectangular wave as shown by the solid line 73. Microcomputer 42
To enter. The microcomputer 42 uses a pulse signal 72 per unit time measured by an internal timer.
Count the number of pulses. This pulse number corresponds to the flow rate of water passing through the flow rate sensor 17 per unit time.

Next, a typical operation and operation of the electric pot 1 of this embodiment will be described together with a 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 microcomputer board is energized. The microcomputer 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.

On 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. 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 on the right side of.

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, the hot water can be manually supplied by the air pump as described above by pushing down the push-down operation portion 25 at the central portion of the lid body 22. 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, 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 is provided on the operation panel 29. 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.

After this, the lock release button 33 is depressed, and then the hot water supply button 32 is depressed, as in 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 microcomputer 42 measures the flow rate per unit time from the output signal of the flow rate sensor 17 and calculates the discharge amount by integrating the flow rate per unit time as described above. Then, when the discharge amount reaches the set hot water supply amount, the microcomputer 42 stops the electric pump 15.

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 microcomputer 42 causes the microcomputer 42 to 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.

Next, a microcomputer board (first printed board)
The mounting structure of the power supply board (second printed board) 41 and the power supply board 40 will be described.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing the assembly of the upper outer case 11b and the tank (inner container) 12 connected thereunder in the pot body 11 of the electric pot 1. Figure 8
[Fig. 4] is a side view of this assembly. Further, FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the assembly viewed from the bottom side. 7 and 8, the outline of the lower outer case 11c is drawn by a chain double-dashed line. Further, in FIG. 8, the outline of the lid 22 is drawn by a chain double-dashed line.

As shown in a partial cross section in FIG. 8, a first closed space RM1 is formed inside the operation panel structural member 29a, and the microcomputer board 40 is housed in this first closed space RM1. The microcomputer board 40 is arranged substantially parallel to the operation panel 29 (operation panel structural member 29a). The first closed space RM1 is a closed space surrounded by the operation panel 29 and the lower wall 74, and the lower wall 74 is formed as a part of the upper exterior case 11b which is a resin molded product.

As best shown in FIG. 9, the water shutoff valve unit 1 including the connection portion 18s with the discharge pipe 16 and the discharge port 19 is provided on the back surface (lower wall 74) of the upper outer case 11b.
8U and a box body 75 that houses the power supply board 41 are fixed by a screw stop portion 76. As can be seen from FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the box body 75 has a vertically long shape protruding downward from the back surface of the upper outer case 11b, and has a lower outer case 1
It is arranged between 1c and the tank 12.

As can be seen from FIG. 7, the box 75 is arranged on the left side when viewed from the front, and the water shutoff valve unit 18U including the connection portion 18s with the discharge pipe 16 and the discharge port 19 is arranged in the space on the right side. Are arranged. The power supply board 41 is vertically accommodated in the internal space (second closed space) of the box 75. Therefore, the power supply board 41 has the lower exterior case 11
c and the circumferential surface of the tank 12 are arranged substantially parallel to each other.

A procedure for attaching the box 75 and the power supply board 41 to the back surface of the upper exterior case 11b on which the microcomputer board 40 is mounted and electrically connecting the microcomputer board 40 and the power supply board 41 will be described with reference to FIGS. .

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the upper exterior case 11b before the box 75 is attached, as viewed from the back side. In this state, the lower wall 74 forming the first closed space RM1 is exposed, and the opening 77 is formed near the front end thereof.
A guide wall 79 is formed integrally with the lower wall 74 on the front side wall surface of the opening 77. Further, a plurality of ribs (reinforcing ribs) 78 for fitting and reinforcing with the lower outer case 11c are formed. Further, boss holes 80 and 81 for screwing the box body 75 are formed.

A microcomputer board 40 is accommodated in the first closed space RM1, and although not shown in FIG. 10, an FFC which is a wiring member whose one end side is connected to the microcomputer board 40 is used.
The (flexible flat cable) is exposed to the outside through the opening 77.

FIG. 11 shows a state in which the box body case 82 constituting the box body 75 is fixed to the lower wall 74 and the power supply board 41 is mounted in the box body case 82 (second closed space RM2). The box 75 is formed by fitting the box case 82 and the box cover 83 together. First, the box 75 has the boss hole 8 shown in FIG.
It is screwed using 0.

The box case 82 has a tunnel-shaped hollow projecting portion 82a on the front end side thereof.
Is inserted into the opening 77 along the guide wall 79 shown in FIG. At this time, the FFC 84 whose one end side is connected to the microcomputer board 40 is passed through the hollow projecting portion 82a, and comes out to the inside of the box case 82. The other end of the FFC 84 is connected to the FFC connector 85 mounted on the power supply board 41. The microcomputer board 40 and the FFC 84 are also connected using the FFC connector. Box case 8
When fixing 2 to the lower wall 74, a plurality of reinforcing ribs 78
Serves as a member for positioning the box case 82. The hollow projecting portion 82a of the box case 82 has an inner wall 82ab that is formed lower one step inside.

As shown in FIG. 11, the power supply board 41 has a fixing rib 82b on the component surface side (the FFC connector 85 side) and a fixing rib 82 on the solder surface side formed on the inner wall of the box body case 82.
It is fixed so as to be sandwiched between c and. Further, the box case 82 is formed with an engagement hole 82d into which the projection of the box cover 83 is inserted and engaged when the box cover 83 is fitted.

The power supply board 41 has an L shape, and as can be seen from FIG. 9, the box cover 83 is also formed in an L shape in cross section. That is, the shape is along the space between the outer shape of the electric pot 1 on the front side and the circumferential surface of the tank 12.

In the state shown in FIG. 11, the box cover 8 of the box 75 is shown.
When 3 is put on the box case 82 and fitted, the state shown in FIG. 9 is obtained. In the figure, 83a is a box cover 83 that covers the hollow projecting portion 82a of the box case 82.
Part of. A second closed space RM2 is formed inside the box 75, and the power supply board 41 is housed in the second closed space RM2. The box body 75 in which the box body case 82 and the box body cover 83 are integrated is arranged on the upper side by screwing the screw fixing portions 76 of the box body cover 83 onto the boss holes 81 shown in FIGS. It is fixed to the lower wall 74 of the outer case 11b. At this time, the water shutoff valve unit 18U including the connection portion 18s with the discharge pipe 16 and the discharge port 19 is fixed together.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with appropriate modifications, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and can be implemented in various forms.

For example, in the above embodiment, regarding the method of connecting the microcomputer board 40 and the power supply board 41 by the FFC 84, one end side of the FFC 84 is connected to the microcomputer board 40 first, and the other end side is the box case 82. The FFC of the power supply board 41 mounted in the box body case 82 is put out in the box body case 82 through the hollow projecting portion 82a of the (box body 75).
It was connected to the connector 85. However, as described below, the reverse connection procedure can be adopted.

As shown in FIG. 8, the operation panel structural member 2
9a is a separate body from the upper exterior case 11b including the lower wall 74. Therefore, with the operation panel structural member 29a removed from the upper outer case 11b, one end of the FFC 84 is first connected to the FFC connector 85 of the power supply board 41, and the box 75 is fixed to the lower wall 74 of the upper outer case 11b. Then F
The other end of the FC 84 is exposed to the first closed space RM1 through the hollow protruding portion 82a of the box case 82 (box 75).
The other end of the FFC 84 is connected to the FF of the microcomputer board 40.
After connecting to the C connector, the operation panel structural member 29a is attached to the upper exterior case 11b. After that, the operation panel (decoration panel) 29 shown in FIG. 2 is attached so as to cover the operation panel structural member 29a and the surrounding portion of the upper exterior case 11b.

Further, in the above embodiment, the hollow projecting portion 82a is provided on the side of the box 75 (box case 82), and the lower wall 74 is provided.
The hollow projecting portion 82a is inserted into the opening 77 provided on the side to form a communicating portion between the first closed space RM1 and the second closed space RM2. On the contrary, the hollow projecting portion is provided on the lower wall 74 side. Alternatively, the opening may be provided on the box body 75 side.

The wiring member connecting the microcomputer board 40 and the power supply board 41 is not limited to the FFC (flexible flat cable), but a wire harness composed of a plurality of vinyl covered wires and a connector may be used. In this case, one end of the wiring member may be directly attached to the microcomputer board 40 or the power supply board 41 without using the connector.

[0064]

As described above, according to the present invention, the first closed space for accommodating the microcomputer board, the second closed space for accommodating the power supply board, and the communicating portion for communicating these closed spaces are provided. A wiring member that is formed and connects the microcomputer board and the power supply board is passed through the communication section. And the first closed space,
The second closed space and the communication part are separated from the space between the outer case of the electric pot and the tank (inner container). Therefore, when water enters between the outer case of the electric pot and the tank, the water does not wet the microcomputer board and the power supply board. Therefore, malfunctions and failures due to wetting of the first printed board and the second printed board are unlikely to occur. Moreover, since it is not necessary to use a sealing material such as silicone resin for waterproofing, a structure excellent in maintainability can be obtained. Further, the structure in which the communicating portion is formed by inserting the hollow projecting portion formed in one of the box body and the lower wall into the opening formed in the other facilitates the assembling work. Further, the box body is fixed to the lower wall, and the box body case and the box body cover fitted to the box body structure facilitate the assembling work. At this time, the reinforcing rib formed on the lower wall functions as a positioning member for the box case, so that the assembly work is facilitated and the box case is securely fixed.

[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 diagram showing an example of an operation panel.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a main part of an electric circuit including a microcomputer board and a power supply board.

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 front view showing an assembly of an upper outer case and a tank connected thereunder in a pot body of an electric pot.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing an assembly of the upper outer case and the tank.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the assembly of the upper outer case and the tank as viewed from the bottom side.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the upper exterior case seen from the back side before mounting the box that houses the power supply board.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which a box case constituting the box is fixed to a lower wall of an upper exterior case and a power supply board is mounted in the box case.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 electric pot 11b Upper case 11c Lower exterior case 29 Operation panel 40 Microcomputer board (first printed board) 41 Power board (second printed board) 74 Lower wall 75 box 77 opening 82 box case 82a Hollow protrusion (communication part) 83 Box cover

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A first printed board on which a microcomputer and its peripheral circuit components are mounted is housed in a first closed space inside an operation panel section, and a second printed board is housed outside the first closed space. An electric pot having a structure in which a first printed board is electrically connected by a wiring member, wherein a box housing the second printed board is adjacent to a lower wall of a first closed space facing the operation panel section. And a communication part that communicates the first closed space with the second closed space inside the box body, the wiring member passes through the communication part, and the first printed circuit board and the second printed circuit board are provided. And a hollow projecting portion formed on one of the box body and the lower wall is inserted into an opening formed on the other side to form the communication portion. pot. 2. A first printed board on which a microcomputer and its peripheral circuit components are mounted is housed in a first closed space inside an operation panel section, and a second printed board is housed outside the first closed space. An electric pot having a structure in which a first printed board is electrically connected by a wiring member, wherein a box housing the second printed board is adjacent to a lower wall of a first closed space facing the operation panel section. And a communication part that communicates the first closed space with the second closed space inside the box body, the wiring member passes through the communication part, and the first printed circuit board and the second printed circuit board are provided. An electric pot characterized in that the box body is provided with a box case and a box cover fitted to the box case, and the box case is fixed to the lower wall. 3. The reinforcing rib formed on the lower wall functions as a positioning member for the box case when the box case is fixed to the lower wall. Electric kettle.